Mercat a la planxa

Another great Chicago restaurant find is Mercat a la planxa. The chef, Jose Garces won the second season of The Next Iron Chef competition. Let's just say I envy the eating Jeffrey Steingarten is about to undertake.

First up was the Paella Negra with calamari, octopus and chipirones with black rice and octopus tomato salad. Pesky Pescatarian was quite fond of the grilled octopus, and the waiter recommended a grilled octopus special that she would have considered ordering if it weren't for space constraint concerns. I was obsessed with the black rice. I haven't had sepia pasta or rice often, and I'm starting to believe that this makes my life not so complete.


Arguably the best dish of the night, the Sopa de Pesols, which was fresh English pea soup with Goat's Cheese, Pea Ice Cream and shaved black truffle, this was a wonderful hot-cold soup. Alinea has their famous hot potato, cold potato concoction, but there aren't that many versions of this concept out there. I really loved tasting the freshness of spring, coupled with the hot and cold elements mingling together, all mixed in with the earthy seductiveness of the truffle.

If the soup was the best dish, the Albondigas de Venera was the worst dish of the night. The scallop & shrimp meatballs with marinated grapes and shaved Idizabal were boring. The sauce was almost cloyingly sweet and there was nothing exciting either on a flavor or textural front that saved the meatballs. Only the marinated grapes were fun.

The revuelto de Temporada with roasted seasonal mushrooms with soft scrambled eggs, green pea tendrils and fava bean toast was delicious. Ever since that Bayona omelette experience I keep talking about, I've been seeking perfectly cooked eggs, and these finally fit the bill.

The Gratin de Coliflor came out last, and it was too rich for our taste buds at this point. I really like this dish, but it very heavy on hte cream and cheese flavor, which can overwhelm the flavor of the cauliflower itself. Still, on a cold winter's night this would be a great choice to include.

The Croquetas de Xocolata, which were milk chocolate croquettes with banana marshamallow (that's banana-flavored marshmallow for ya), rosemary caramel, and Arbequina olive oil was fantastic. Amazing. At $10 an order a total steal considering the thought, skill, and execution of the dish. The flavor of every element was perceptible to the Pesky Pescatarian, though I had some difficulty with the rosemary and the olive oil. The marshmallow was lightly bruleed and each little dessert "pod" could be enjoyed in a single bite. Mmm mmm good.

Mercat a la planxa, 638 Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL

Niu Sushi

Niu Sushi is in River North, and a decent joint for interesting maki rolls. It's a tad pricey, but it turns out because their rolls have twice as many pieces as any self-respecting sushi joint should rightly serve. I'll forgive them for their faults though because at least they have interesting menu items.

One wouldn't think it would be good as there are the typical warning signs of other Asian dishes on the menu, such as Tom Yum soup. Generally, if you see Pad Thai or wonton soup on the menu of an establishment that purports to serve sushi, one should find a way to extricate oneself from what is likely to be a disappointing experience.

And even so, despite the fact that I've forgiven Niu for its faults, one still needs to tread carefully. We started with a soft shell crab spring roll that was a messy experience. My fried crab got soggy in the dressing and mayonnaise in the roll, and it isn't something that I'd order again. It was a large roll and difficult to get all the flavors together in one bite.

We got suckered into ordering a new roll, which does not yet have a name, that has fried oyster. The Pesky Pescatarian and I love the fried oyster roll at the now defunct Ota-Ya and in the still going strong Tenzan. Niu's roll had too little fried oyster per bite, and the flavor of some broiled eel, seaweed salad, and cream cheese overwhelmed the experience.

There was a roll with uni and ikura that was crazy good, and for that roll alone I remain fond of the joint.

Niu Sushi, 332 East Illinois St., Chicago, IL

Purple Pig

Spring Peas with Farro, Feta & Mint

I am quickly becoming obsessed with Purple Pig. It's really close to my apartment, and the food is so good.

Continuing on the food tour with the hometown gang: Bastard Consultant, Dr. Consultant, and Pesky Pescatarian, we hit up Purple Pig with an intention to try more of its spring-themed and seafood offerings.

Shaved Green Asparagus with Pecorino Noce & Parmigiano Reggiano

Shaved asparagus that had a touch of acidity. I prefer my asparagus more when its been steamed or roasted, but there was nothing wrong with this and PP who lives tart foods enjoyed this a lot.

Braised Baby Artichokes with Fingerling Potatoes, Asiago & Salami Toscana


Mussels with Treviso, Serrano Chiles, Citrus Fruit & Gaeta Olives

I really love this mussels dish. I've never had a salad with fried mussels and citrus before, and I wouldn't mind so much if a small craze took on and it popped up in more restaurants.

Halibut Cheeks with Gaeta Olive Aioli

Fried halibut cheeks. We were really excited about this dish, but it turned out to be fine but certainly not extraordinary.

Mixed Greens with Feta, Watermelon Radishes & Fed Wine Mint Vinaigrette

Watermelon radish is an unappreciated root vegetable.

Deviled Egg with Arugula & Caper Berries

Bastard Consultant doesn't like hard boiled egg as it reminds him of foot. BC also can't go to bed if he hasn't showered first. I love sleep, and that seems highly inconvenient.


We drank Rocca "Copertino" with our meal.

Roasted Bone Marrow with Herbs

Seeing BC's longing looks, I acquiesced to the Roasted Bone Marrow Order. I didn't approve of the salt choice. It looked like kosher, when clearly sea salt or Maldon salt was called for, and it really made a difference. Of course, the marrow was still good, but I think you need a salt with more texture for a dish like this. I'm not sure why, but I've noticed with other salts, it can really help bring out the unctuousness of the warm marrow.

Sepia with Snap Peas & Toasted Almonds

This was an amazing dish. It's no longer on the menu, so your life sort of sucks until spring rolls back around, but the combination of snow peas and squid was perfect.

Wagyu Sirloin Tip with Charred Green & White Asparagus, Spring Onions & Piquillo Peppers

I don't normally think of ordering Wagyu at small plates joints, but I'm really glad my classmate convinced me to order it at the last visit because I knew Dr. Consultant would really enjoy it. It's meltingly rich and a fine fine plate of meat.

Pig's Tails Braised in Balsamic

Bastard Consultant and I forgot about ordering this dish, but we are happy that we didn't think to cancel it, as the pork tails braised in balsamic topped with some chopped hard boiled egg was really a delicious surprise. The acidity of the balsamic helped cut the fattiness of the tail and the sweetness of the vinegar augmented the flavor of the pork.

Eating this dish made me understand why Laura Ingalls of Little House in the Big Woods so looked forward to eating the pig's tail during butchering time. I have had pig's tail once before at Au Pied de Cochon, where it was deep fried and didn't much like it. I think that restaurant is sort of tacky.

Charred Ramps & Scallions with Romesco Sauce

More grilled ramps. I've decided that I need to order ramps whenever I can because last year I thought they weren't so exciting before and didn't get my season's fill. Never again will I neglect you my beloved ramps.

The Sicilian Iris. As a reminder, it's ricotta and chocolate chip in a fried brioche.

Sinful.

A new devilishly delicious find is the Butterscotch Budino. I wish they would have taken a torch over the pudding after they pulled it out of the fridge because the sight of condensation on the dessert was unappetizing. That aside, however, this was a rich, satisfying, salty-sweet conclusion to a meal filled with a lot of laughter and general feelings of happiness.

Purple Pig, 500 North Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL