At the newly-redesigned (and quite spiffy) Reader, Mike Sula compares Ryan Poli’s Tavernita (the expectations regarding which he attributes to “a marketing-dependent blogosphere”) to Mark Mendez’s Vera (which in our part of the Chicago food blogosphere, we’ve hardly covered at all). “So Poli’s been to Spain. Mendez hasn’t. So what? Vera is tranquilo, a relaxed environment in which to enjoy food that’s confident in its simplicity, relying on just a few excellent ingredients that speak for themselves. Tavernita—like Mercadito—is loud, frenetic, and sceney, and many of the plates Poli puts forth are flourished and embellished as if fighting to be noticed amid the din.” He’s also skeptical toward the drink program with its keg system for cocktails: “as far as barrels holding the mass-produced future of craft cocktail making, I’m not sold. In Tavernita’s mobbed dining room you’ll be served these drinks relatively fast, but you’re trading individual attention for expediency—and it shows. The flavors are flat, muted, with little black pepper syrup or “BBQ” bitters coming through in the tequila-based Turista; hibiscus-infused rum, macadamia liqueur, and falernum in the Comandante Big Nose express themselves as sweet and somewhat nutty but ultimately homogenized.” [Reader]
Phil Vettel gives three stars to Yusho, saying “If one thinks of Japanese foods as exercises in subtlety, Yusho will be a rude — make that exhilarating — awakening. Merges’ dishes have all the subtlety of a jackhammer. These are big, powerful, in-your-face flavors, and your culinary journey, from the complimentary ‘pork candy’ (fried pig skin dusted with dehydrated nori and spices) to the arrival of the check (presented in a Japanese sardine tin) is apt to be a wild ride indeed.” He also praises an underlauded part of the menu, dessert— “I rarely order dessert in Japanese restaurants, but I happily made an exception here for the kalamansi (a bitingly acidic Asian citrus, rendered here as a custard) with peanut cake and peanut brittle (two very distinct sensations, by the way)”. And he even manages to namecheck Shonen Knife. But wait… there was complimentary pork candy? Not when we went. [Tribune]
There’s no mention of complimentary pork candy for Michael Nagrant, either, in his Chicago Social review, and he dings a starter Vettel loved, but otherwise is in a similar state of satori: “Though some plates are one-biters at Yusho, many, like the twice-fried chicken, are ample. Alas, this is also the only plate I don’t love. The mahogany fried boneless strips, dusted in fine-milled green tea powder and served with a lime-zest-sprinkled kanzuri chili sauce, are slightly dry and remind me of the chicken fingers at a chain restaurant. But another dish, the flaky eel lounging on airy brandade beignets, is one of the best things I’ve eaten all year. It epitomizes Merges’ style. While Yusho’s spirit is Japanese, his cuisine, like this plate, is international.” Noting how long it took Merges to leave Charlie Trotter’s and open his own place, Nagrant concludes “Too many chefs regretfully open too young. I relish Merges’ maturity. It’s pretty safe to say an angel just got his wings. Again.” [Chicago Social]
Some people open all their Christmas presents on Christmas Eve; Nick Kindelsperger tries all the sandwiches at Publican Quality Meats in its first couple of weeks of operation and reports back on them. The “Better than a gyro” with pork belly “felt the most like an instant classic” with its cooling raita and fluffy flatbread, while the focaccia, “like a cloud,” elevates the “Train to Tuscany.” Indeed, the bread seems to be the thing that impresses even more than the meats. We look forward to trying them all… slowly, over a period of weeks. [Serious Eats Chicago]