My favorite week of the year
has arrived, Chicago Restaurant Week!
If you're unfamiliar with how this week works, I'll break it down for you. A
(growing) number of Chicago restaurants participate by offering 3 course prixe
fixe lunches for $22 and/or dinners for $33 during the week from February
17-26, 2012. I love this week because it affords the opportunity to try so many
restaurants that would normally be too heavy on my wallet. This year I decided
just to make one lunch reservation and one dinner reservation because these things
do add up!
For lunch, I really wanted to try
the newest Boka restaurant group's restaurant, GT Fish
& Oyster. This nautical-themed oyster and fish restaurant located in River
North boasts inventive dishes from chef Giuseppe Tentori.
I invited my fellow
seafood-loving-friend Allie, for a lovely Monday afternoon lunch on my day off
from work (thank you American presidents!). From the moment I stepped into the
restaurant, I was impressed with the fishing decor, as well as the friendly and
accommodating staff. You could really tell not a single detail had been overlooked,
from the fishing line sinkers that topped our napkins, to the hook-shaped light
fixtures. The atmosphere really played the part.
Since it was Restaurant Week, we of
course went with GT's three course menu and ordered some drinks. I went with a glass
of cava while Allie chose one of the signature spiked lemonades!
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| Three course lunch menu for Chicago Restaurant Week |
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| Cava & Spiked Lemonade...just another Monday afternoon |
The first course provided the option
of either a fresh lump crab cake or shrimp bruschetta. We both opted for the
crab cake! This was definitely the place to order it! Every bite seemed to have
giant chunks of what tasted like fresh-from-the ocean crab. It was probably the
best crab cake I've ever had, let alone the only rectangular-shaped one! The acidity of the pickled vegetables was a nice balance with the melt-in-your-mouth crab.
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| Crab cake with red bell pepper aioli and pickled vegetables |
The second course was the main
course and we had the option of either whitefish or scallops. My favorite
fish is whitefish (probably because it is the least fishy) so I went with that,
and Allie did too! I know, we are so adventurous!
The whitefish was crusted in herbs
and served with roasted celery root (tasted like parsnips or even sweet
potato), mushrooms (these were oddly shaped, not quite sure what kind) and chopped
carrots, on top of a lobster broth. I couldn't really pick up on the lobster
flavor from the broth, but the fish was perfectly cooked and not the slightest
bit dry or chewy. I wasn't entirely impressed with this dish because I no particular flavor really jumped out at me, but, nevertheless, it was tasty
and light.
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| Herb crusted whitefish |
Last, but not least, was my favorite
part of any meal, dessert! Our two options for this third and final course
included a caramelized goat milk panna cotta or carrot cake. Keeping with the
tradition of ordering the same thing, Allie and I chose the carrot cake. This
came out after what seemed like mere seconds after we ordered. The portions at
GT Fish & Oyster are small in size and are meant for sharing, however I
couldn't get over just how small the dessert was. Maybe it's because I really
enjoy dessert, but it looked like my plate arrived half-eaten (see photographic
evidence below).
What the dish lacked in size, it
certainly made up for in flavor. The two delicately placed cake cubes sat atop
a giant puddle of orange carrot sauce, and were drizzled with a thick cream
cheese frosting. I took small bites of the moist cake, making sure to scrape up
every last ounce of that orange-and-cream-cheese-yummyness. The cake was a
sweet ending to our lunch, however it in no way compares to the carrot cake
from Chicago Q (which I
happened to visit for the first time for lunch during Restaurant Week last year)!!!
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| Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting & orange carrot sauce |
GT Fish & Oyster gets 4 stars
for their flawless customer service, cute and appropriate decor (it's all in
the details!) and their high quality seafood dishes. They can leave the carrot
cake to the folks at Chicago Q, but I challenge you to dine at GT Fish &
Oyster and not forget you're in the Windy City! Ahoy!
GT Fish & Oyster
531 North Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 929-3501
Chicago Restaurant Week
February 17-26, 2012
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