Balena

Balena is hands down one of my new favorite restaurants, and I have already eaten there on several occasions.  The staff is incredibly courteous and knowledgeable, and the food and cocktails do not disappoint.  The former dark and cavernous Landmark space is now a bright, open and airy environment. 

Where to begin?  How about we start with their delicious cocktails?  I’m still recovering from the several Manlinos that I had the other day.  They are sweet, refreshing and delicious…and one doesn’t taste the alcohol.  I have sampled several of their other cocktails, but I have already discovered that the Manlino is a great drink for a hot summer day.  If you don’t like it, I will finish it for you.  Although I could simply spend my evenings drinking all of the tasty beverages, it would be a shame to miss some of the great dishes on the Balena menu.  I have to mention the bread.  I was informed that Peter Becker was previously a bread chef at Charlie Trotter’s, and you would be remiss if you passed on his beautiful bread basket and the pizzas.   The bread is incredibly flavorful and the pizzas have just the right consistency. 

As far as the rest of the menu is concerned, I’ve sampled a little bit from each category.  The beet salad with Zingerman’s burrata is smooth and creamy.  The tagliolini is a must if you have any interest in seafood.  The dish has a wonderful brininess from the sea urchin.  My only complaint is that I had to share it! Balena is constantly updating its menu, so be sure to try whatever else is new on the menu.  I recently had their fava bean bruschetta which was rich in flavor and the creamy fava beans were a great contrast to the crisp and crunchy bread.   Recently, I had handmade spaghetti with a fennel and snail ragu—I wanted to take Peter’s bread sop up the residual ragu on the plate.  Unfortunately for me, I had already eaten all of the bread.  A fork just had to do.  I’ve heard that the chicken thighs are going stay on the menu, so whenever you go, make sure you give them a try.  The skin is crispy, but the meat is soft and buttery. 

The desserts do not disappoint either.  I have tried several, and I am not sure that I can pick a favorite.  I will just say that the gelato is velvety and the doughnuts are a wonderful treat.  If you’re looking to try a new spot in Chicago, Balena is a must.  

LM

Yes.  A considerable amount of time has passed since my last post, but please cut me a little slack.  A wedding and honeymoon seemed to occupy a considerable amount of my time.  Those events may not have stopped my eating, but they did get in the way of blogging.  

OK--So LM.  My husband and I ate there for our last date night as a non-married couple.  LM is a French Bistro up in Lincoln Square.  I had heard mixed things about the restaurant, but we decided to go anyway.  Also, we were seeing a show not too far away after dinner.  So between my desire to try LM and the proximity to the concert venue, LM won.  We were not disappointed.  The restaurant is fairly small, so be sure to make a reservation.  There were many attempted walk-ins, but the restaurant truly fully booked for the evening.

We each started with a salad--I had the beet salad with goat cheese, lemon confit, pumpernickel and orange oil.  The beet salad was beautiful.  It was really well balanced and a great size for an appetizer.  For dinner, my husband ate the scallops, and they were wonderful.  I often am nervous about ordering scallops because I feel that they are either really delicious or horrible.  The worst is when I've tasted grains of sand! Ugh!  Note: That did NOT happen at LM.  I sampled his scallops and they were perfectly cleaned and prepared.  I ordered the Cod with cauliflower, golden raisins and olive oil tapenade and a little bit of brown butter.  The dish was incredibly well-balanced, and the fish was fresh and light.  I would highly recommend both the cod and the scallops (maybe the cod a little bit more!).  

For dessert we shared the apple tarte for 2.  It wasn't too sweet, and it was just what we wanted to finish off our meal.  We were told that the crust is prepared as you order, so be prepared to wait a bit for the dessert.  We didn't mind.  Despite the fact that I am sure that the beautiful, flaky crust was almost pure butter, it didn't taste like a heavy dessert.   LM can become a bit pricey when you add in the wine, but we thought it was a great place to celebrate our last weekend as a non-married couple.