Dining at Blackbird in Chicago
If I ever want to get my Chicago trip reviews written, I think I need to publish them in reverse order. So, I’ll start at the end with my dinner at Blackbird. By this time, the conference I was attending had started to wind down and it was my last night in the windy city.
Here’s a description of what I ate for dinner, all of which was absolutely amazing:
- Appetizer - Crispy confit of swan creek farm suckling pig with cavollo nero, shaved chiogga beets, horseradish and banylus vinegar
- Entree - Seared loin of venison with black mission figs, sugar snaps, bacon panisse and lime salt
- Dessert - Mission fig beignet with black raspberries, butterscotch and bacon ice cream
I had a couple of terrific wine pairings that bear mentioning, starting with the 1995 Domaine A. Mazurd & Fils “Cuvee Mazurka” Cote du Rhone (with my appetizer):
- Aroma: Smooth, tart black and red cherry, brown in color.
- Flavor: Blackberry, potent tannins, very nice and approaching its prime; smooth but with a strong acidic backbone and tannic activity; nice!
- General impression: A great Cote du Rhone that is nearly ready to drink.
With my main course, I continued with the 2005 Ridge “Three Valleys” Sonoma Coast Zinfandel:
- Aroma: Menthol, eucalyptus, and mint; very strong nose, very herbal and minty.
- Flavor: Vanilla and oak, rich black fruit, quite nice despite the young age.
- General impression: Wow! I liked this Zinfandel, especially with roast venison.
And, with dessert, I had a small snifter of the 1959 Cerbois Bas Armangac. This stuff was quite amazing too: lots of green and red pear on the nose, rich and soulful mouthfeel, much like a nice Scotch or a big Grappa. Very nice.
The place itself is very plain; apparently the same people who own Spring and Green Zebra also own Blackbird. At least, I think that’s the case. The decor and general ambiance do seem similar to Spring in terms of the minimalist, Asian influences on display. Blackbird is a nice, simple, comfortable restaurant to which I intend to return someday.