Tasty but not inspiring. Henri has a formal atmosphere and friendly service. For dinner, it provided french/american staples but with no fireworks and some technical issues. I ordered the plate of the day, bouillabaisse, French fish stew. The fish was perfectly cooked but the lobster was chewy. The clams and mussels were good. The soup had a nice depth but whoa butter…I know, French, but still. The pappardelle dish was lacking in pasta quality and interesting components. The creme brulee dessert tasted like pudding with sugar on top, good but not the desired texture. Overall it was a little pricey for the food.
Archive for January 21, 2012
FMIOTW: Oyster mushrooms
I love variety in my ingredients so oyster mushrooms were a nice departure from my usual bulk crimini staple at Whole Foods. I bought a half pound bag of mixed mushrooms from the Green City Winter Market for $5 and threw the oysters in hashbrowns for brunch. They had a hearty texture and subtle umami flavor.
Pretty.
Green City Market INDOOR winter farmers market
Oh the winter is a cold, dark place where fresh produce needs to travel thousands of miles to our grocery stores….or, maybe not! Today I went to Chicago’s indoor farmers market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Delightful! The Diversey 76 bus ends its eastbound route at the front steps of the museum, located at the northern part of Lincoln Park. I was enamored with the museum-market marriage from the moment I walked into the sunlight lobby. The farmers market, albeit smaller than in the summer, was bustling with meat, produce, bakeries, cheese, honey, and preserves stands! I was educated by a 30 minute chef demonstration on grilled pork belly and kimchi salad, both entertaining and informative! (and tasty 
) I left with a bounty of carrots, radish, celery root, mushroom mix and bulk turkey sausage! The market is a perfect way to escape the grey Chicago winter and re-inspire my cooking endeavors.
Adventure begins!
One of the two rooms of stands!
Demo by chef at Yusho (new Japanese restaurant!)
Chestnuts snuggled in its porcupine shell!
