What has two thumbs and had perhaps the most stellar meal of the year last night at Vincent? THIS GIRL.
The lovely and talented Brett D. pulled out all the stops for a rare return to the Original GNO (Girls Night Out) with a meal fit for a queen at Chef Joncarl Lachman, owner and chef of the fabulous HB Restaurant's newest restaurant venture in Andersonville, Vincent. Trust me when I tell you it was an amazing culinary experience.
Our lucky group of Yelp ladies were treated to a special pre-fixe menu, but the good news is all of the dishes we were served are available on the dinner menu for future dining pleasure. So let's break it down.
The red carpet rolled out with a special Humm punch cocktail filled with floral notes and actual rose petals. Waiting for us on our tables were boards of cheese and charcuterie. I never could get on board with headcheese and pate, but based on the oohs and ahhs at the table, Chef Joncarl's team knows what to do with a pate to make it taste amazing.
Course 2 was a huge, family style salad with endive and mixed greens served mustard seed vinaigrette, apples, walnuts and shaved aged gouda. Perhaps the best part of the salad, aside from the freshness, was that it was perfectly seasoned. Most restaurants don't actually season their salads, but Vincent pays attention to the detail to make sure even lettuce tastes great.
Course 3 was the mussels and frites. Admittedly, I generally shy away from mussels. I think they sometimes taste like dirty ocean and can be tough and flavorless, however, the mussels at Vincent are superb. I've never seen such huge, luscious, tender and meaty mussels. The best part? They were served to us three ways, so we got to experience Sambol, Amsterdam, and Saffron mussel preparation. And the frites? Oh... the frites. Frites are my biggest weakness, so when I indulge, I want them to be perfect. And perfect they were. Thin, super crisp and served with a garlic mayonnaise dipping sauce, they were the perfect accompaniment to the meaty mussels.
Course 4 (if you can believe it) was two meats. TWO MEATS. First on deck was the pan roasted chicken served with creamy mushroom barley, arugula and almonds. Until yesterday I was convinced that The Publican had the best roasted chicken in Chicago, however, Vincent is now holding court as a winner in the chicken department. Never has skin been so crisp and flavorful nor has a chicken breast been so moist and tender. The mushroom barley was so creamy and the addition of arugula and almonds were unexpected and fabulous. As if that wasn't enough food, out came the brown sugar cured pork belly and suckling pig with zuurkool, roasted fingerlings and smothered in apple butter. My eyes lit up as we tore into the mammoth portion of pork. I had a bit of an Anthony Bourdain moment when I started eating the suckling pig as I know how much my boy Bourdain loves pork. My eyes rolled in the back of my head and I simply moaned. That good. It's incredible.
Just when we thought we couldn't handle any more food, the dessert course came with chocolate cake filled with peanut butter mousse and topped with fresh whipped cream, amazing apple tarts and ice cream and the crown jewel, my absolute favorite dessert in Chicago (it's served at HB Restaurant, too) the blood orange dreamsicle mousse. I don't know what it is about this mousse. I simply love it. It's rich and thick, yet light. I would do very bad things to the dessert chef at Vincent if he would make the dreamsicle mousse for me every day.
So you get the idea on the food. It's incredible. But what also makes Vincent great is the ambiance. Joncarl has a way with lighting and mood and manages to make Vincent a drop-dead sexy, romantic and beautiful restaurant. Very dimly lit by mostly candlelight and sultry décor choices, Vincent is a top-notch date spot.
Finally, I can't say enough about the impeccable service provided to our party of 14 diners. There was literally no detail left unattended from proper wine and champagne glasses to fresh silverware and plates at each course to a full, detailed explanation of each menu item, Vincent's staff is warm and welcoming and all together fabulous.
Thank you, Joncarl and the entire staff at Vincent for truly making our visit memorable. It was a fabulous night and I couldn't have asked for anything more. read more