Chicago: Blackbird

house bread, dill butter

beer vinegar, sunchoke, sorrel

carrot, dried scallop, licorice

honeydew, buttermilk, oxalis

stone fruit, marigold kale

smoke artic char roe, garden tomato

atlantic cod, gooseberries, pearl onion, lemon balm

nasturtium, branzino, palm, miso

dried duck, grape, popped corn

foie gras, frozen plum, charcoal salt

rohan duck, radish, sweet herbs

selected artisanal cheese

vodka, seeded dill flower

chamomile, english cucumber, sorrel ice

bourbon soaked peach, hazelnut brittle, sweet cream posset

additional dessert I can't remember what it was

What can I say about Blackbird without sounding like a jerk. The tasting was going well until I got to the popcorn dish. I've never asked to take a dish back nor leaving a full plate of food untouched. Maybe the chef ran out of chips and went with popcorn. Who knows! It was bad and I sucked it up and ate it. I think what drew the line for me was the foie gras dish. How can you fuck up foie gras. The culprit was too much charcoal salt. Way too salty for my taste and I can take salty dishes (e.g. popcorn dish a few minutes before). I would blame whoever plated that dish.

Popcorn, foie gras...FAIL

So what's next, duck. Now we're back to tasty dishes and none of this experimental bullshit. For a 1-star Michelin star restaurant, I do expect classic dishes and the occasional one off but NEVER a foie gras fail. I feel the one off was the vodka shot. As a palette cleanser, I think not.

Overall, I thought all of the dishes aside from the three mentioned above were solid. I was able to dine outdoors which was rare. The extra dessert which I can't remember it's description helped ease my earlier frustration. Would I go to Blackbird again? Definitely but I wouldn't do the tasting menu until a food critic like Phil Vettel has reviewed it.

I can hear it now, "You didn't like Blackbird....why would you say such a thing". I didn't say that, maybe I should have dined there before David Posey left.

Blackbird
619 W. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60661
312.715.0708
http://www.blackbirdrestaurant.com