Trio Menu at Next Restaurant (Chicago)

I've been visiting one Grant Achatz restaurant/bar per visit to Chicago, starting with Alinea, then The Aviary, The Office, and now, finally, Next. As you may know, the menu at Next changes every few months, and we're not just talking seasonal changes but complete, absolute shift to distinct themes. There had been Modern Chinese, Bocuse d'Or, Chicago Steak, and other themes. This time, since it is the 10th anniversary of Alinea, the theme is Trio. This is the restaurant in Evanston that Grant Achatz was working at when he met and subsequently partnered with Nick Kokonas to open Alinea. The menu thus evokes techniques and dishes that he served 10 years ago at Trio.

Our meal started with Osetra,caviar avocado, sugar, lime

This goes back to when they started playing with "neutral flavors" with the hardened sugar chip that adds texture to the dish.

Rock shrimp, cranberry, Meyer lemon, vanilla bean

A simple fried shrimp skewered with a stick of vanilla bean to enhance the aromatic experience.

When we were first seated, we were given a glass of rose. Now, they bring a bottle of housemade bitters that we can add to the rose based on our own taste preferences.

Crab, coconut, ten bridging garnishes

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New Menu at Baleen Kitchen (Redondo Beach, CA)

With the coming of winter, it's time for new menus. Such is the case with Baleen Kitchen at the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach. Here's what you can look forward to on the new menu:

You can start with a light grain salad like the Baleen Garden (baby beets, farro, tomato, quinoa, avocado, pea shoots, almonds, lime vinaigrette)

Or for a more substantial salad, there's the Dungeness and soft shell crab salad with avocado, haricot vert, and lollo rossa

Lollo rossa is a particular type of lettuce and it works nicely with the sweet dungeness crab hidden at the bottom. 

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Royal Cambodian Cuisine at The Elephant Walk (Cambridge, MA)

One of the restaurants I kept hearing about before moving to Boston was the high end Cambodian restaurant, Elephant Walk. It serves "royal" Cambodian cuisine along with French (which was traditionally served to the Cambodian royalties).

I started dinner with a strong appetizer, the Nataing ($8.50): Ground pork simmered in coconut milk with sliced garlic, peanuts and chili pods; served with crispy rice

Rouleaux ($7.50): Cambodian spring rolls filled with pork, peanut, noodles, carrot and onion; served with greens and herbs for wrapping and tuk trey for dipping.

They were good spring rolls but on the smaller side and seems mighty expensive for $7.50 for two small pieces.

The entree I loved most is the Amok Royal ($19.50): A cambodian signature dish - a spicy, steamed, custard-like preparation of fresh crab, shellfish and asian grouper with coconut milk khmer seasonings; garnished with cilantro and red bell pepper

 

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