Hello Everyone,
This will most likely be my last post for the year 2009. I will be traveling to Washington to visit my parents during the holidays. I want to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays. Stay warm, be safe, and eat some good food!
First I want to congratulate my girlfriend who just graduated from the school of Medill at Northwestern University with her Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications last Saturday. Her mom came to town for her graduation too, so I wanted to make sure to treat both of them to a nice celebratory graduation dinner. After asking for recommendation from my friend, I decided to go with MK on the near north side.
I made the decision to go to MK a little late and was worried that they would be booked by now, but luckily, there was availability for a party of 3 at 8pm. As we walked in, I noticed the Christmas decoration at the bar which was a welcoming touch. There were also other decoration in the restaurant that gave me the holiday feeling, but I am not quite sure if that was intended…
When we were seated, I noticed that the wall behind me was a wine cellar. I was handed the wine menu and it was thick. Since my girlfriend’s mom didn’t want to have any wine and the last time my girlfriend and I shared a bottle of wine lead to some hilarious stories, I decided not to order a bottle. Something else that is worthy to note, MK has a BYOW policy (with a corkage fee).
The dinner menu was impressive and the first thing that caught my eye was the foie gras. I still remember the first time I had foie gras last year (it was a very magical moment) and I just can’t help myself from ordering it whenever I get the chance. So of course I had to get the foie gras as an appetizer and we also got the ravioli.
When I ordered the foie gras, the waiter said that it would be rather small and is considered a single serving. I still ordered it thinking that I would share it no matter how small it was, but when it came out I was quite surprised at the size. It was much larger than anticipated and we did not have a problem sharing this among three people. In all honestly, I would have much rather had the entire piece for myself, but the holiday season is all about sharing and giving…right? Needless to say, the foie gras was delicious. It was rich with flavor and I loved how it just melted in my mouth. I haven’t had foie gras from too many different places, but this was the best of all the places I had so far.
The ravioli was also very good. It came with three pieces, so that was perfect. It was stuffed with Vermont mascarpone cheese and topped with prosciutto and mushrooms. I don’t think I have ever had mascarpone cheese before, at least I never noticed it, but I sure did notice it in the ravioli. The creamy cheese went so well with the prosciutto.
We also ordered the pommes frites with truffle cream. When we first sat down, we noticed that a lot of the tables around us ordered them, so we decided to give them a chance. There was nothing too special about the pommes frites themselves; I have had better fries from other places. The only reason to get this is the truffle cream.
For the main course, I got the whitefish with Maine lobster; my girlfriend ordered the special, venison; and her mom ordered the chicken.
The fish itself I thought was good; the skin on the fish I thought was amazing. It was crispy and I could taste the lobster and cilantro broth. This was also my first time trying Maine lobster (the one and only reason why I want to go to Maine). I didn’t think much about the lobster itself, I guess I would have to go to Maine to get the true experience, but I thought the lobster went well with the fish.
The venison, something else that I haven’t had before that night, was tender and juicy. I only had a couple of bites, but it is something that I would try again. My girlfriend enjoyed it a lot as well; she liked the flavor of the meat and thought the carrot puree and chocolate sauce that came with it amplified the flavor.
Now the chicken… I thought the chicken was decent. I just didn’t feel like there was anything impressive about the chicken. The chicken is probably the “safest” dish on the menu; you can’t really mess up chicken, but you can’t really make it that special. Also, I am not the biggest fan of thyme because of the texture. Don’t order the chicken unless it’s the last option.
For dessert, we ordered two crème brûlées; classic vanilla and Vermont maple. We all enjoyed both of them, but we agreed that the maple was better than the vanilla. They are rather small portions, so I would suggest getting multiple and sharing.
So to sum it up, dinner at MK was good and I would recommend others to go. There is plenty of parking in the area (some free and some pay boxes). The service was great and everyone was very nice. The dinner will be a little pricy; our party of three came out to be around 200 bucks. Just remember to try the foie gras.
Eating in Chicago 
