Charlie Trotters

Charlie Trotter's, Chicago
Wildly and frequently praised as one of the best restaurants in the world Charlie Trotter's in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighbourhood is located in an inconspicuous yet large house. We had a 9:30 reservation on our first night in the city and although the food was good our server left a less than desirable taste in the mouth. Kind of like that one dessert (pretty to look at, terrible taste, can you guess which one I'm talking about-it's pictured here). Bad service can ruin a decent meal and when you're sitting at a world renowned table for a 3 hour, 8 course $165/person ($135 for the veggie) menu you come to expect a certain amount of professionalism, courtesy and knowledge. The rest of the service staff seemed very pleasant and accommodating, ours must just have been having a bad day. Too bad, because I won't go back and I don't suggest you do either. There are too many wonderful restaurants in this city.

What we ate (one of us had the meat and the other the vegetarian menu):
- marinated zucchini w fennel pollen & ricotta (not pictured)
- razor clams w fava bean & green almond (np)
- soft shell crab tempura w green papaya & lemon verbena (np)
- white asparagus w miner's lettuce & blackberries
- j. eggplant soufflé w curry & green peppercorn (above)
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- steamed tasmanian ocean trout w green tea & coriander dusted garbanzo beans
- poached squab breast w black sesame, annatto & radish (np)
- Oaxacan mole w spinach & roasted cashews (np)
- whole roasted porcini w rosemary & caramelized cippolini onions (np)
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- salt-crusted veal loin w toasted brioche, morel, burnt oak & creme fraiche

- lavender custard w honeycomb & black tea

- meyer lemon sorbet w lemon basil & creamed olive oil (bottom)
- muscat grape sorbet w caray (above)

- meiwa kumquats w frozen meringue & cured black olives
- condensed cinnamon milk ice cream w lime & pequin peppers (np)
-milk chocolate-praline semifreddo w pistachios & mint (np)