I swore I was going to cease Nico Osteria posts as there are already too many of them and it is well established as one of my favorites in Chicago. But evidently I can’t stop plus there were many new menu items. We loved the new formaggi dish that we tried and the burrata salad I have admittedly had again since this particular visit!
Aperol spritz
Gorgonzola cremificato – cows milk, financier biscotti, apple, blueberry balsamic
Madai snapper – kohlrabi salsa verde, basil & wild king salmon – fermented chile, black lava salt, cherry
Burrata – mission figs, grilled kale, treviso, pecan pesto, flat iron steak
Tag Archives: One Off Hospitality
NYC – 1/29/16 – Nico Osteria
A trip to Chicago never seems to feel complete without a visit to Nico. When it opened this quickly became one of my favorites and there is rarely a weekend I am in town and don’t end up here. Just consistently fantastic.
Kanpachi & snapper crudo
Brussels Sprouts Bruschetta – stracciatella cheese, lemon honey, trufflebert hazelnuts
Seared Tuna salad – avocado, pistachio, orange, basil, poppyseed vinaigrette
Chicago – 10/3/15 – Nico Osteria, Green River & Alinea
Nico Osteria
I’m pretty sure I swore I’d stop blogging about my trips to Nico because there have been way too many. But I just can’t help it. Still my favorite brunch in Chicago with consistently fantastic crudo, pasta and cocktails. And it is always lovely to see familiar faces.
Rock fish crudo
Rigatoni with a northern ragu
Gem lettuce, caper berries, fig-balsamic vinaigrette, parmesan
Salumi & Cheese – La Quercia ham, mortadella, milano salami, goat cheese
Green River
This was only a brief stop for pre-dinner cocktails which of course were fabulous. More comments on our lunch two days later in a future post. 
Alinea
I’m fairly certain that I’ve been to Alinea more times than any other restaurant. First world problems my brother would say. I suppose I am fortunate but also need to stay home long enough to become a regular anywhere in NYC. Still my favorite restaurant in the US and I can’t imagine that anything will knock off black truffle explosion as the best bite of all time. On every visit I’m completely blown away by something and wonder how they will top it the next time, but they always do. This meal Chef Davies’ trout dish was my favorite hands down. I can’t wait to see what Alinea 2.0 has in store.
Peach – basil, murray river salt
Bocadillo – bread, jamon iberico, manchego
Gilda – guindilla de ibarra, anchovy, olive
Jamon iberico – cantaloupe, salt, espelette
Tortilla – potato, onion, egg
Patatas Bravas – paprika, chile, garlic
Strawberry – tomato, pumpernickel, burratta
Char Roe – english pea, olive oil, chamomile
Brook Trout – uchiki kuri squash, thai banana, blis
Graffiti – matsutake, maitake, parsley
Unagi – pickled plum, white sesame
Corn – uni, nori, togarashi
Totoro Kombu – hamachi, ice fish cracker
Percebes – smoke, seawater, ash
Chicken – shishito, lily, kombu
Hot Potato – cold potato, black truffle, butter
Wagyu – matsutake, ginger, black garlic
Black Truffle – explosion, romaine, parmesan
Olive Cake – extra virgin olive oil, black pepper
Lamb – caper leaf, grapes, olives
Bacon – butterscotch, thyme, black pepper
Parsnip – honey truffle, vanilla, orange
Balloon – helium, green apple (missing a photo)
Tropical Fruit – rum, vanilla, kaffir lime
Chicago – 12/7/14 – XOCO Wicker Park and Blackbird
XOCO Wicker Park
XOCO has been my favorite lunch spot ever since I started to visit Chicago regularly. Until recently it was also my first stop after arriving in town and checking into my hotel. So of course I had to check out the new location to see how it compared. Just based on location I will likely stick to the original, but I am very happy to have this option for my Sunday cravings. Another great addition to Wicker Park!
Sikil Pak – pumpkin seed, roasted tomato, sour orange, habanero w/ cucumber, jicama and tortilla chips
Fully dressed guacamole – spicy roasted poblano & Serrano, chicharron, pepitas, smoky bacon, queso fresco, crunchy-spicy kohlrabi, grilled onion, sun-dried tomato
Wood roasted chicken Pozole – gunthorp chicken, Pozole, crunchy garnishes, crushed red chile, lime
Short rib red chile caldo – braised short ribs, red chile broth, roasted vegetables, epazote, wild arugula, lime
Blackbird
I didn’t plan it at the time, but as I’m writing this I realize this was old favorites day. I’m not sure how many years ago it was, but Blackbird is the first Chicago restaurant that I really remember visiting. But with every subsequent trip I’ve always been trying new places and have put out of mind the oldies but goodies. So when a friend who had never been suggested it I was more than happy to revisit this old favorite. It was fairly quiet so I hope only because it was a Sunday and not because others have forgotten about Blackbird as well.
Mushroom panisse with grapefruit, chervil, and shellfish emulsion
Ivory char crudo with smoked char roe, turnip, green grape, pearl onion, and pumpernickel
Celery root soup with grilled lobster, preserved lemon, celery and marigold
Oil poached walleye with parsley root, hazelnut, radish, chickweed and spicy coppa
Smoke brined chicken breast and black truffle-taleggio sausage with carrots, pecans and dill
Grilled lamb loin with cucumber, trumpet mushrooms, mustard, chickpea and sorrel
Milton creamery ‘prairie breeze’ cows milk white cheddar with toasted sourdough crumpet, horseradish butter, quince and amaranth
Amaro and fennel sorbet with pomegranate and thyme tapioca
Grilled pear with brown butter oat cake, quark ice cream, hazelnut trail mix, and ginger
iwillmakeualist 