Eclectic is an overused term that attempts to categorize what presumably defies categorization. If a restaurant borrows culinary influences from around the world but doesn’t settle on any one style or region, those of us in the business of labeling such things throw up our hands and call it eclectic, which does prepare potential customers to anticipate something at least a little different.
Expecting the unexpected seems a reasonable way to approach six-month-old Eclectic, which sits in northwest suburban Barrington, where The Greenery once stood. Chef/partner Patrick Cassata likes nothing better than mixing countries, and sometimes continents, on a single plate. A spring roll appetizer combines Asian, Latin, Italian and Indian influences; Thai-seasoned chicken satay is coddled in a cool Greek tzatziki sauce. Steak and potatoes? Cassata has them — though they’re stuffed inside squares of habanero-pasta ravioli.
It all sounds like a train wreck, but Cassata brings extraordinary discipline to his cooking, with a knack for blending the most incongruous-sounding flavors. He is particularly judicious with the use of chiles and spices, rarely allowing the heat level to exceed a low simmer. Those habanero raviolis, for instance, sound positively lethal but pose no threat to anyone that isn’t actively spice-phobic.
The must-have starter is the spring roll, which takes a hefty hunk of barely-seared tuna and a thin layer of arugula, in a crispy spring roll wrapper. Served in two pieces so that the tuna’s vivid-red color is apparent, the roll is plopped over a coarse mojo of green olives and tomatillos, alongside painted squiggles of curried cream. I count four countries, three continents and two hemispheres on that plate, but it holds together marvelously.
The Eclectic crab cake is straightforward enough, but it’s is presented over a bed of Korean kim chee, whose vinegary spiciness is balanced by a cool, sweet mango chutney. Mango also lends its cooling powers to sauteed scallops, which are dressed with peppercorns and annato oil (made from achiote seeds) and crowned with a thin “top hat” of crispy potato.
The menu includes a daily seafood and wild-game offering. On one visit the choices included an impressive piece of grouper, seared with blackening spices and accompanied by flageolet beans and baby bok choy, and grilled musk ox, served with a souffle-like cake of couscous and vegetables. The meat was big and beefy but more than a little chewy.
Better is the grilled wild boar chops; the moist and tender meat, on a bed of mochuquillo (mashed plantains) is surrounded by a lively chipotle-thyme sauce sprinkled with queso anejo (aged cheese). Seared venison loin isn’t on the menu now, but the high-quality meat, its bold flavor balanced by delicately herbed pierogi, is likely to reappear next month.
Farm-raised silver salmon is another hit; the smallish fillets are encased in a crust of fine-grain cornmeal, giving the fish an appealing crunch. Underneath, a coconut-curry sauce is understated almost to a fault; I think the salmon would accommodate a bolder partner. Grilled fresh-water prawns match nicely to a tomato-accented pad Thai with julienned vegetables and chopped pistachios.
Oven-roasted Amish chicken breast is superb, evenly browned top and bottom, and stuffed with a forcemeat of dark-meat chicken, fine herbs and cream. The chicken sits regally on a bed of macaroni and cheese (a fine version, made with aged Irish cheddar) and massive asparagus spears.
Soups are marvelous, though they don’t linger on the menu. I loved the sherry-accented duck soup, brimming with oyster and shiitake mushrooms, but it lasted only a couple of weeks before yielding to poblano-tomatillo chowder, a gently spicy creation with a few fiery chipotle-glazed shrimp. That’s off the menu now as well, but any soup Cassata dreams up is likely to be a rewarding option.
The challenges of the first and second courses give way to comforting, homespun desserts, including a very satisfying bread pudding in caramel sauce and a lovely chocolate assortment of bittersweet-chocolate mousse, chocolate cream cheese brownie, chocolate-covered hazelnuts and chocolate tuiles.
Slightly more exotic sweets include a fine orange tres leches cake, with sweet cream and grilled orange segments, and a trifle of sweet peaches layered with white-chocolate mousse, surrounded by upright lady fingers. Espresso pound cake is topped with liqueur-soaked strawberries and toasted pecans. Pie-shaped polenta cake is topped with red-wine-marinated apples and carries a sharp jolt of cinnamon.
The service staff is small but crisply professional. Chris Cooper runs the front room and assembled Eclectic’s food-friendly wine list, which of course has headings for special “eclectic” reds and and whites.
The old Greenery is looking pretty spiffy these days; Cassata and crew repainted the rough-stucco walls, added new carpeting and ceiling fans and for artwork turned to Cassata’s father, whose travel photographs of narrow stairways and doorways were taken in southern France, Jamaica, Aruba and California. Globally influenced, you might say.
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Eclectic
(star)(star)(star)
117 North Ave., Barrington
847-277-7300 Open: Dinner Tue.-Sat., lunch Tue.-Fri.
Entree prices: $17-$24
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V.
Reservations: Recommended
Noise: Conversation-friendly
Other: No smoking
OUTSTANDING (star)(star)(star)(star)
EXCELLENT (star)(star)(star)
VERY GOOD (star)(star)
GOOD (star)
Reviews are based on no fewer than two visits. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
