When I was little, I used to ask the other kids if they could pick a super-hero power, what would it be? Flying, x-ray vision, incredible hulk strength were the most common answers. But mine, was always that I could eat what ever I wanted…all day long and not gain weight. Yes, even as a little kid, I wanted to troll around noshing with no worries.
As an adult, I’d still pick that super power. I think that’s obvious. Sadly, I have the power of eating, but a lengthy trip to the health club follows after a night out on the town. So, what happens when you run with a circle of chefs that amazingly…have that super power? You end up out on a Friday night hopping from restaurant to restaurant chatting everyone up and…EATING WITH RECKLESS ABANDON along the way. There is this unwritten code, “eat now, worry later” among chefs. About a week ago, I did just that with my good friend Stanford and our mutual friend who is a chef on the west coast, Chef LA. He was in town for a one night visit and wanted to hit a few places. You do this crazy stuff when you’re in the “industry” and it all seems very normal. A few dinners in one night, no problem.
We arrived at Vera in the West Loop for a few quick tapas to get us started. Great menu, great flavors and I’ll need to go back for a proper meal. What used to be Rushmore ages ago, the space is now “rustically modern” and completely laid back. My favorites were the fried artichokes and the calamari with fried chick peas. Although, there is a full menu waiting for me another night.
We then moved on and tried to get into Au Cheval but were met with a line out the door. Running into a few friends, we chatted, kiss-kiss and went on our way to the next stop. We trekked up to Logan Square for a visit with Chef Matthias Merges at Yusho. Merges was the Chef de Cuisine at Charlie Trotters for 14 years and finally left the nest to open his own place, a Yakitori-inspired restaurant.
Walking in to Yusho, we were swept up in the smell of the wood burning grill and spices that filled the entire space. I immediately fell in love with the space, as did Stanford and Chef LA. There was something so removed from the bustling restaurant scene, not just geographically but in the overall feel of Yusho. Clearly, Chef Matt knows his stuff having worked in the world’s most famous kitchen in America. Yet, Yusho is a departure on all accounts. Bulbs and mismatched lighting hanging from loosely knotted rope above tables throughout the entire space. Simple stools overlooking the open kitchen and bar where only a few chefs are on the line. In the back of the restaurant, Japanese anime is silently projected on the exposed brick wall with faint music playing in the background. It just had a “cool kids” neighborhood vibe.
Yusho Photo courtesy of Time Out Chicago
The three of us said our hellos to Chef Matt and were seated in the back which is somewhat quieter than the front section by the kitchen. We ran down the menu with our waiter and I had a feeling this was going to be a lot more than a few bites canceling out a the last restaurant on our kitchen crawl after Chef Matt was finished with us. I’m almost certain we tasted about ten different things but, honestly, I lost count. Of those dishes, I especially loved the hama hama oyster with pea shoots, peas, maitake mushroom with egg vinaigrette & dashi gelée, the oxtail with miso, shishito peppers and nori, and the tuna with taro root, pine nuts & breakfast radish. Just sheer ingredients alone, that list would be on my top picks.
The hama hama is a briny west coast oyster that measures 6” long. They served this meaty mollusk cut into three easy bites perched on its long narrow shell garnished with fresh spring peas, pea shoots swimming in the natural brine, (I believe spiked with a soy based sauce). Most of the dishes could be described as light but bold in flavor. We asked ourselves if that explanation is even possible? light + bold? It was puzzling but somehow, at Yusho, the entire tasting was the kitchen’s commentary on interesting pairings that harmonize pronounced flavors. We were all able to walk out on our own but knew we couldn’t eat another thing. We also didn’t want a single flavor diminished from our experience at Yusho.
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