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I've been wanted to come here for a long time since the new chef Michael Rotondo arrived from Charlie Trotter, the iconic Chicago restaurant. Chef Rotondo was the right hand man there for almost a decade long until the day the restaurant closed down.
The anticipation was high and I got to dine with 2 fine dining foodies/Yelpers, although they are not Elite but they have dined around the world at some of the best restaurants. My kind of dining partners Kenneth L. and Cindy C. Thank you for joining me.
Parallel 37 design and layout are more modern than what I expected of the Ritz Carlton style. The place is spacious, plenty of space between table which I love. I don't want to smell the cologne of the guy next to me haha.
The bar is a bit uninviting for my taste. It's too structure and had that cold feeling to it. I love the entrance with that gorgeous wooden piece, that's the warmest thing of the entire restaurant.
The beautiful smile hostess greeted us nicely, but our table wasn't ready. The Tuesday after the Memorial's Day weekend.
The cool bartender has been there since the Dining Room day was nice, recommended Banshee's wine to me which I enjoyed. Made a tasty cocktail for my friend, and a cold beer for another.
We literally tried a bit of everything on the menu. We ordered the a la cart so three of us could share everything. Great idea, we got to try 9 dishes and I was beyond full, fat and happy afterward.
Everything was delicious!
- AMUSE BOUCHE
- CAVIAR - I was heavenly in love. Thank you chef.
- LOCAL BACK COD green beans, cucumber - delish
- SEARED OCTOPUS, green shiso, crispy garlic - unusual dish, refreshing taste.
- PAPPARDELLE PASTA asparagus, red wine, fennel sausage - I love this dish, the way chef rolls the pasta, beautifully presented.
- ALASKAN HALIBUT polenta, wild fennel, manila clams, bacon - moist, perfectly done, so much flavor here.
- HERB CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB 48 hour braised shoulder, potato gnocchi, arugula - ORDER this dish! Thank you to our waiter recommendation.
- CENTER CUT RIBEYE dijon mustard, spring onion, short rib - it was cooked to perfection.
Dessert with chocolate and more.
Service was good but not present all the time, they were very busy and the servers seem to rush to run to the next table. We had to wait a bit to order the wine. I would expect a smoother service from the Ritz.
Since we already know what we wanted. We didn't ask for the Sommelier. Next time I would like to have the Somm recommend us. Their wine list is quite nice. If you get the black AMEX to spend , I need a third job to afford my dining out habit haha!
We also got to meet the chef. He was super cool, down to earth, warm, and we truly love his food. The dishes were beautifully plated, fresh ingredients, technique, and full of flavor. I got to chat with chef a bit about his time at Charlie Trotter. I used to live in Chi Town also.
We all love the food, and I can't wait to come back to try other dishes with my parents. read more