Molive` is a small, sophisticated restaurant inside a small, sophisticated hotel, with a dining room that’s dark and intimate enough to be considered romantic and a bar that I’d be happy to visit frequently, if duty permitted (it doesn’t).
And despite its dippy name (with a dippy accent mark, yet), Molive` is a fairly well-grounded operation.
A little bit about the name. It’s a made-up word, devoid of meaning but suggesting, the owners hope, a sense of playful sophistication. (For the record, it’s pronounced moe-LEEV.) The name seems to be a conscious effort to give the restaurant an identity separate from its host, the Whitehall Hotel.
Chef Bart Hosmer came here straight from Spoodles in Disney World (Hosmer must be growing accustomed to silly restaurant names), and his menu at Molive` is reminiscent of that at Spoodles, both leaning toward California-style American cuisine, incorporating Mediterranean and some Asian influences. The style is embodied in an appetizer of poached artichoke hearts, with olives and bits of preserved lemon over a slab of aged goat cheese, a nice mix of textures and flavors.
Shellfish starters are outstanding. Hefty black mussels arrive piping hot in a rich tomato broth fortified with andouille sausage, leeks and plenty of garlic. Whitewater clams are also served in shell, in a light white-wine broth; hunks of applewood bacon add smoky accents and roasted chilies add sweet and peppery notes.
Hosmer’s quail salad is a variation of salade Lyonnaise, offering meaty deboned quail pieces with a collection of wilted spinach, dressed with pancetta vinaigrette and crowned with a poached hen’s egg. Frisee salad with shaved fennel includes bits of powerfully flavored Bear Mountain Blue cheese from Egg Farm Dairy; though the overly tart cashew vinaigrette (including mushy cashews) is a distraction.
There are no bad choices among the entrees, which include a pair of oak-smoked scallops over what Hosmer dubs a “paella risotto” — toothsome arborio rice loaded with classic paella elements, such as mussels, clams, fish and chorizo sausage, with a saffron and sundried-tomato broth. Excellent osso buco comes with a tangerine-sage gremolata and perfectly cooked Tuscan white beans.
Grilled NY strip steak with mushroom quiche might seem like an odd pairing, even a retro effort, but there’s a nimble comedic mind behind this dish. The quiche, which incorporates eggs, mushrooms and a touch of tarragon, sort of embodies three traditional pairings — steak and eggs, steak and mushrooms, steak and sauce bearnaise — in one. Maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was clever. Other good choices include grilled tuna, crusted with Moroccan spices and placed over creamy polenta with eggplant caviar and olive tapenade; and lamb loin slices, arrayed over a pile of olive-studded mashed potatoes with a chutney-like gingered tomato jam. A special of roasted monkfish with ratatouille and sweet-potato crisps is good enough to be a menu regular.
The chocolate lava cake is a copy of Spoodles’ dessert of the same name; innumerable restaurants are doing molten-center chocolate cakes these days, but this version is one of the best. More chocolate is offered in the Valrhona trio, which includes chocolate sorbet, chocolate mousse and a dense, fudgy chocolate cake. The wild-berry clafouti is very traditional and quite good.
The ambitious beverage program includes a 200-bottle wine list and an ever-changing selection of 40 wines by the glass, the latter ranging from budget-friendly pours to some premium wines priced at (and arguably worth) $20 and more. It’s very gratifying to see a restaurant willing to serve expensive wines by the glass– the risk of spoilage deters all but the most commited. And my martini-drinking friend, who is quite particular about these things, swears by the martinis here.
The decor is eclectic and stylish, combining a jumble of elements that are not what they seem — faux mink trim, faux leopard skin, silk-look curtains that are actually plastic — into an agreeable whole. The effect is best at night, when moody lighting enhances the contrasting textures and deep colors.
Service has its moments, but not quite enough of them. Affable, knowledgeable bartenders are a plus; not-quite-in-step service is a minus. For instance, water is served only on request and refilled, apparently, only on demand. Once the front room settles down, this will be a much better operation.
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Molive`
(star)(star)
Whitehall Hotel 107 E. Delaware Pl.
312-573-6300
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., breakfast-lunch Mon.-Sun. Entree prices: $19-$32
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Recommended
Noise: Conversation-friendly
Other: Wheelchair accessible; valet parking available; smoking in bar only
Reviews are based on no fewer than two visits. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
