CARVERSVILLE INN

Two grew up in Carversville, so the first time One and Two went to the Inn it felt like going home. Back in the very distant, dim past - the 70's - Two's mom had a small store in the Inn. She sold her handmade lighting fixtures along with a sampling of work from local artisans. There was a restaurant there at the time, but it's owner and chef are a hazy memory for the little girl Two was at the time. 

Now, the Inn is comprised of a lovely sit down dining room and a cozy bar. We always head for the bar. The stools are invariably taken by local folks who all know each other and who are now starting to know us...regulars I think they call us. Tuesday is burger night and well worth coming out so early in the week for dinner. But most of the time we are looking for really wonderful food in a very homey environment among wonderful local patrons. Two has had the diver scallop wrapped in prosciutto twice and loved it both times. It was perfectly cooked, nicely seasoned, and set atop a bed of fragrant red cabbage with bacon and shitake mushrooms and a sweet-sour whole grain mustard glaze. The onion soup is consistently wonderful. One had homemade fettuccine with spicy sausage, smoked pork loin, sun dried tomatoes, spinach , and Two's fork which kept dipping into One's meal. 

The bread pudding is really hard to resist. Ask for it with Cinnamon ice cream. 

XOCO

Two has a student who is an aspiring chef, so between discussing artwork and which assignment should be done, they discuss restaurants. Prior to One and Two leaving for Chicago, Evan suggested XOCO, Rick Bayless' new restaurant. The name Xoco is Mexican slang for little sister which we assume refers to the big brother Frontera Grill around the corner. 

Prepare to stand in line on the street for awhile waiting for Bayless' interpretation of Mexican street food... Tortas, Caldos, and Empanadas. But the line moves quickly and it smells so good and the hostess is so efficient that it really doesn't seem so bad. Actually, the rather sour hostess at Frontera Grill who informed us our wait would be over an hour made the wait at Xoco seem like a party. 

When we finally reached a stool, we tucked into a steaming caldos, the wood-roasted Chicken Pozole with Gunthorp chicken, pozole corn, rich broth, crunchy garnishes, ground red chile, and lime. We dipped our griddle fired tortas in the broth and left nothing for the dishwasher in the bowl. All in all worth the wait for wonderful Mexican comfort food. We ordered the churros and ate them as we walked in the cold Chicago air to our next destination. We highly recommend Xoco.

TAKASHI...again

When One goes to the Chicago Dental Society Annual Meeting Two tags along for two reasons. One is the Chicago Art Institute and the other is Takashi. If you are going to be in Chicago for just one meal, grab a cab to Bucktown and savor Takashi. Every dish that touches down on the table hovers for a moment in mystery, because even if you read the description of the dish, it is always more than it promises. First of all, the presentation is captivating. It invites what must seem to other diners like strange scrutiny when One and Two lower their heads to the plate to examine the visual impact of the dish.

"What is this? How did they do that?"

Some of the dishes bare their visual souls easily. Those who hearken to their austere Japanese heritage are easier to decipher. It is within the pairings of the flavors, textures, and temperatures that the dishes gain their complexity. The first dish One and Two had the pleasure to sample was the ceviche of shrimp, squid, hokkaido scallops & octopus cherry tomato, cucumber, fennel, red onion, with yuzu-ceviche sauce. Oh wow. That list of ingredients says it all. Next to warmly arrive was soy ginger caramel pork belly, pickled daikon salad, and steamed buns. Two could eat these little puffs of pork and bun every day. We could call her BIG Two under such a circumstance. But wait...there's more. The dish that stores the most delightful mystery is the sautéed maine scallops and soba gnocchi, trumpet royale, and celery root-parmesan foam. Those little gnocchi float beneath a hot, light, rich foam complimented by soft scallops.

At this point we should have stopped. The Cava, the Reisling, and the Pinot aside, we were getting full. Did I mention we slipped in the country pate somewhere near the beginning of the fun? Try to resist the roasted wisconsin young pheasant, chestnut risotto, golden chantrelle mushrooms, jerusalem artichokes, and pearl onions. I defy you. If you order it you will eat it. And then you will use bread to get whatever is sticking to the dish. My only regret...no room for dessert.