Purple Pig (Chicago, IL)

The Purple Pig opened in the last few days of 2009 and has since received numerous accolades. 2010 Top 10 Best new restaurants in America by Bon Appetit and 2011 Michelin Bib Gourmand, to name a few. The no-reservation policy, along with its location on Michigan Ave., make for heavy crowds and long waits. With my parents in town, I thought I'd remedy the situation and make our maiden visit.

We arrived right at the opening time of 11:30, but were stuck waiting outside in the cold for about 10 minutes as the gate was locked. Only then, an employee came out and advised us of the unmarked, "main entrance" through the office building next door.

The Purple Pig serves up small plates and whole animal cooking in a loosely Mediterranean style. The menu is broken up into Antipasti, Smears, Fried Items, Cured Meats, Salads, Cheeses, and A la Plancha items. Our waitress gave us the option to put in an order for a few dishes, and continue ordering until we were We tried a couple items from each, saving the (mostly housemade) cured meats and cheeses for a future visit. We ordered a quartino of a 2009 Domaine Brunet "Mediterranee" (100% Pinot Noir), which was an easy-drinking, prototypical Pinot. I appreciated the fact that many of the wines at Purple Pig were available by the glass, quartino, and half-bottle.

Our first round started with two vegetable dishes and a smear. The first to come out was Fried Brussels Sprouts with Thyme, Lemon, and Chili Flakes. The individual leaves were fried and dressed with a lemon vinaigrette. We enjoyed this immensely, possibly the favorite dish of the day for all of us. The lemon vinaigrette added a bright punch, cutting through the fried brussels sprouts leaves. I wish there were some more chili flakes in the dish, though, as I didn't really detect any heat.

The second dish, from the smear section, was Roasted Bone Marrow with Herbs. Two marrow bones were simply roasted, waiting to be spread on olive-oiled toast. A pretty standard preparation, served with an herb salad and sea salt. Although the herb salad contained capers, it still needed a bit more vinegar to cut through the rich marrow and (too) oily toast.

At this point, I'll note that the service throughout the meal thus far was great. Our waitress was friendly and provided good suggestions for both menu items and quantity. Other waitstaff make sure our water glasses rarely, if ever, dropped below half full. However, we asked for some more toast to finish the marrow, and they didn't come. We had to ask another 3 (!) times before the toast was finally fired, and by that time the marrow began to cool and congeal slightly. This was the only misstep in service.

Our final dish was the Broccoli with Roasted Garlic and Anchovy Vinaigrette. This was another contender for favorite dish. The broccoli was roasted hot enough to caramelize yet retain its firmness. The anchovy vinaigrette didn't have any fishiness to it, but like the brussels sprouts, provided the perfect acidic kick. The toasted breadcrumbs added nuttiness and texture.

Putting in a second round of orders , we received our first plancha item, Charred Green Onions with Romesco Sauce. This reminded me of a similar dish that I saw on an Anthony Bourdain "No Reservations" episode in Spain. I love green onions prepared like this, and I often char knob onions in the same way when I make grilled steak tacos at home. I prefer Romesco sauce that is more creamy and nuttier, but it still worked well with the green onions.

We ordered one salad, the Chanterelle, Apple, and Celery Root salad with Truffle Vinaigrette (we may have "tasted" this before remembering to take a picture!). The cubed apple and celery root were indistinguishable until eating, making for fun and interesting bites. The chanterelles and truffle vinaigrette played off each other with meaty, earthy notes contrasting well with the cold apple and celery root.

The final savory dish was Porcini Rubbed Bone-In Beef Tenderloin with Portabello Mushrooms and Aged Balsamic. Instead of one, thick piece of meat, it came with three thin slices of beef. While center was medium rare as requested, the cooking was a bit inconsistent from end of the slice to the other. The aged vinegar, continuing a reoccurring theme, added a bright touch to an otherwise straightforward dish.

Comfortably full, we decided to split just one dessert, the bread pudding (whipped cream on the side). I'm a sucker for bread pudding, and this was no different. A rich caramel sauce sat below the eggy bread pudding triangles.

We really enjoyed the Purple Pig.. I was really impressed by the vegetable dishes in particular, and look forward to trying some more of the plancha menu (morcilla!) and the house-cured meats.

Gnudi

Gnudi is something that I'd heard of but never tried. Many describe it as ravioli without the pasta. It is a dumpling with an extremely tender, smooth skin surrounding a rich, cheesy filling. It seems counter-intuitive to say that this isn't a time-consuming dish to prepare even though it takes 3 days to make.

Start by beating ricotta in a mixing bowl with salt, pepper, a small amount of half and half, and a drizzle of olive oil. My ricotta was a bit on the wet side, so I did a quick drain before mixing.

To form the skin on the gnudi, the ricotta dumplings are submerged in semolina flour. Put a thin layer of semolina on the bottom of a container, and drop balls of the ricotta mixture over the flour, making sure that they do not touch. Cover the ricotta with more semolina until completely covered. This will sit covered in the fridge for 2 days. After 2 days, some of the semolina is remove to expose the gnudi to the air, and is allowed to sit another day uncovered.

Its a good time to mention that this is a bit of an overdue post. I actually made these back in early August, back when fava beans were still in season. I served the gnudi with a fava/pea puree. To make the puree, I had fresh fava beans that I blanched, shocked in ice water, and peeled. I blended the favas and peas with a touch of half and half, nutmeg, raspberry vinegar, and salt and pepper. I also added a touch of honey to balance out the vinegar. It looks like I missed a picture of the sauce, which you'll see in the photo of the final dish.

After the gnudi had a few days in the fridge to develop a skin, they were removed. The gnudi were removed from the semolina and cooked gently in a pot of water. I was careful not to boil these as I didn't want them to fall apart.

The gnudi were removed from the cooking water and plated with the fava/pea puree, Parmesan, and a touch of olive oil. These dumplings are delicious, and difficult to put into words. They are extremely light, with a near ethereal skin holding the ricotta together. However, once the skin is breached, it exposes a rich, molten cheese filling. They really do seem like ravioli without skin. The dumplings are a bit of a blank canvas flavor-wise, so the pea puree was able to shine without dominating the ricotta. I will definitely make these again, but will try to make the ricotta balls a bit smaller and more uniform.

Leonardo's (Kahuku, HI)

For our final night in Hawaii, we stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort at the north tip of Oahu. The resort had endless activities to do, including surfing, snorkeling, and golfing, among others. It also had a number of dining options that looked good; in particular, the fine dining restaurant of the resort, 21 Degrees North. However, after a long day of snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and driving around the island of Oahu, we were a bit worn out and wanted a more casual dinner. We decided on Leonardo's, serving Italian cuisine.

I had an Italian red (don't recall the type) to drink with the meal, which began with bread and caponata, sans-eggplant. I rather enjoyed the caponata, served cool, and containing large slices of not-too-strong raw garlic. It had a sweet and sour flavor profile that I found somewhat addicting.

For appetizers, we got an order of Polenta Fries and a Romaine Heart salad. The polenta was served with a red bell pepper salsa, and was fried well, relatively grease-less and molten in the middle. Unfortunately, the salad came overdressed, and the honey-lemon Caesar dressing was far too sweet. The croutons accompanying the salad was cold and dry. Surprisingly, the white anchovies were of high quality, and acted to temper some of the dressing that still clung to the lettuce after we scraped most of it off.

For the entrees, Kristen ordered Chicken Parmesan, served with gnocchi and a vegetable medley. The chicken parmesan was moist and crisp, but the star was the gnocchi. Light and delicate, this was my favorite part of the dish.

I ordered the Osso Buco Milanese, which turned out to be a disaster. The pork shank could have used another couple hours to cook, and required a steak knife to get any meat off the bone. Once it came off the bone, it was like eating pork flavored rubber. I'm not sure how anyone in the kitchen could have possibly thought that this was edible. Most people who know me know that it takes quite a bit to render food inedible for me. This was that bad. The polenta underneath the shank was passable when eaten with the sauce. I only had one bite of the pork before turning my sights onto Kristen's entree.

When our waiter came by to check on us, I mentioned that the pork was far too tough, which he seemed to already know. I wonder if other tables got the shank in the same condition that I did. Fortunately, the pork was taken off the bill when it came, but it was too little, too late for Leonardo's. This was a disappointing last meal in Hawaii for us, and I can't find too many reasons to recommend Leonardo's to anyone.

Azure (Waikiki, HI)

For the fine dining meal on our belated Honeymoon in Hawaii, we decided on Azure Restaurant in the Royal Hawaiian. After enjoying Alan Wong's Pineapple Room on our last visit, we were also hoping to add his flagship restaurant to the list, but it didn't work out and will have to wait until a (hopefully near) future trip. Looking at a la carte menu, a few options looked intriguing, but we decided on the tasting menu with wine pairings.

To start, our waiter brought a clam dip with black pepper crackers. The clams were tender and briny. We enjoyed this first taste, although the creamy sauce was a bit too thin for the crackers.

Next, a bread basket was brought with olive bread (my favorite), parmesan flatbread crisps (different from the first ones, and Kristen's favorite), and a cold demi (not good). The butter was pretty typical, but topped with red Hawaiian sea salt, creating little bursts of flavor in each bite. I think all butter should be served with sea salt.

The first course was Azure Sashimi, consisting of Hawaiian Yellowfin Ahi Tuna and Japanese Hamachi. The fish surrounded an avocado salad, and was served with watermelon radishes and a papadum crisp. They seem to like bread crisps here, but they were tasty so I'm ok with it. A ginger vinaigrette was poured table-side. I really enjoyed the interaction between the creamy avocado and fish with the vinaigrette. The fish was very fresh, and the radishes added a nice textural contrast. This course was served with a Crios de Susana Balbo Malbec Rose.

The second course was a "Ocean Cappuccino", described as a Dungeness Crab and Black Tiger Shrimp Bouillabaisse. This soup had an intoxicating aroma, and the intense, bold taste of shellfish. There were also small pieces of crab and shrimp strewn throughout the soup. The only complaint about this dish was that it was a large portion, perhaps slightly too large for such a rich soup on a hot day. Its not like I didn't finish it, though.

The third course was a Kona Lobster Tail Risotto. A half Kona lobster tail was served over a saffron and cheese risotto, marinated tomatoes, and Waialua asparagus. The lobster was grilled perfectly, probably the best cooked piece of lobster that I've ever had. I generally prefer the claw, since the tail is often overcooked and tough, but this was exceedingly tender. The problem with this dish was the risotto was overpowering to the point that you couldn't taste the lobster when eaten together. I enjoyed each, so I ate them separately, but this is a perfect example of why cheese and lobster are never allowed in the same dish in Italian cooking. Finally, the marinated tomatoes detracted from the dish and were picked off. This dish was paired with a BEX Riesling, which worked well as the crisp, citrus notes of the wine cut through the rich risotto and lobster.

The final savory dish was the chef's play on Steak and Eggs. A butter poached Beef Filet was atop sauteed Hamakua mushrooms, and served with a taro and brandy puree, and topped with a Madeira-Truffle sauce. The beef was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and was as tender as you would expect from a filet. I've had a oil and butter-poached beef a few times, and have been happy with the flavor and tenderness each time. The egg added richness, and the Madeira-Truffle sauce, along with the mushrooms, added a heady earthiness to the dish. The flavor of the taro puree was ok, but the texture was a bit gummy and offputting. This course was served with a Vita Nova Merlot.

For dessert, we had a Kula Strawberrry and Chocolate Gelato, topped with balsamic syrup. The strawberry was very sweet, and made me wish there was more than one. The gelato was creamy and smooth, but not any more remarkable than others I've had. A single leaf of lemon verbena added a nice herbal note.

Overly stuffed, we were ready for our bill. However, our waiter had a surprise in store. When asked if this was a special occasion before the meal, we had mentioned that our trip was our honeymoon of sorts. Because of this, our waiter came with one final dessert, a banana split. The bananas were carmelized and had a crispy sugar shell, and was topped with vanilla ice cream, toasted coconut, and carmel sauce. Being the good guests (gluttons) that we were, we felt obligated to finish. And we did.

We thought Azure was a pretty good value, given that tasting menus at other spots in town would probably be another $15-20. The service was good and we would be happy to be back.

Gyu-Kaku (Waikiki, HI)

Looking for restaurants before the trip, we came across Gyu-Kaku. Gyu-Kaku is a Japanese BBQ restaurant, done Korean-style where you grill your own meats at the table. They also have a lunch and dinner happy hour, where the drinks and certain plates are much cheaper.

We started with a few cocktails, the Asian Pear Mojito and Paradise Punch. Both drinks were tasty, but Asian Pear Mojito was definitely our favorite. One can easily drink a lot of these in a short period of time if not careful.

I ordered ala carte off the happy hour menu, while Kristen ordered the Petit Kaiseki. Her meal started with a salad, seaweed soup, marinated bean sprouts, and edamame. None of these were particularly good, though not offensive either. The edamame, which came out later with the meats, were tasty.

Onto the star attractions: the meats. I ordered filet, NY strip steak, and corn with butter (not pictured).

With Kristen's Kaiseki she received Berkshire Pork Sausage, Shrimp with garlic, Scallop, Beef Tongue, Short Rib with garlic, and marinated skirt steak.

Time to grill! The potatoes and corn come in foil pouches so they steam as you grill. You use the tongs for the raw meat, and your chopsticks to take the cooked meat off the grill.

Each of these meats are eaten over rice, and can be accented with three different sauces: Ponzu, Sesame, and Spicy. My favorite was the ponzu, followed by the spicy. For the meats, our favorites were the filet and marinated skirt. I also enjoyed the pork sausage a lot.

Kristen also got an order of Haupia with her meal. Haupia is a coconut milk based pudding. We weren't very impressed with this dessert, as didn't have any sweetness to it. We weren't sure if it was intended to be like this, or if it was a mistake. Fortunately, it was very small.

We also ordered the macadamia nut ice cream. Although we were full, we managed to polish this off without any problems. Large macadamia nuts were dispersed throughout, and Kona coffee was sprinkled over the top.

We were very happy with out meal at Gyu-Kaku. From browsing their website, it looks like they just opened up a new location in Chicago. I can see myself returning during the happy hour again to try more of the various offerings.