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Rabbit Loin, Morels, Ramps, Nasturtium, Minutina

Flavor components and ingredients that are presented in this dish:

Charcoal Water Vail
Grilled Rabbit Loin
Fried and Stuffed Morels
Grilled Ramp Marmalade
Pickled Ramps
Ramp Top Puree
Pickled Ramp Roots
Nasturtium Pudding
Nasturtium Leaves
Mascarpone
Minutina

Alaskan King Crab, Steelhead Roe, Togarashi, Calamondin Tangerine Lace

Flavor components and ingredients that are presented in this dish:

Alaskan King Crab
Orange Blossom Pudding
Cucumber Consomme
Pickled Cucumber
Steelhead Roe
Calamondin Puree
Togarashi
Tangerine Lace

Rhubarb, Anise Hyssop, Young Pine

Elements of this single bite:

Red Wine-Rhubarb Puree
Raw Rhubarb Threads
Black Lava Salt
Young Pine Meringue
Anise Hyssop
Young Pine

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Chicago: The Best Thing I Ate This Year (So Far) | Serious Eats

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Check out the newest Review:
http://resto.newcity.com/2009/04/07/chicagos-best-new-chef-the-votes-are-in/

King Crab, Steelhead Roe, Kalamansi, Togarashi

Iberico Pork Belly, Elements of Cocoa, Running Squirrel's Miner's Lettuce, Smoked Paprika

Elements of this dish:

Braised Iberico Pork Belly
La Quercia Farms Lardo
Cocoa Noodle
Smoked Paprika Pudding
Pork and Smoked Paprika Gastrique
Pickled Romanesco
Running Squirrel's Miner's Lettuce
Grilled and Smoked Bread

Wagyu Beef Cheeks Cannelloni, Black Sesame in Forms, Coriander & Shiso Blooms

Elements of this dish include:

Wagyu Beef Cheeks braised in a Coconut Milk Caramel
White Sesame Seed Pudding
Sudachi Fluid Gel
1 Year Old Preserved Kumquats
Soybeans Confit in Sesame Oil
Black Sesame Seed Sponge Cake
Black Sesame Seed Oil Puree
Kaffir Lime Milk
Shiso and Blooms
Coriander and Blooms

Revisiting The Past

As we reflect back on some of the dishes that were created last spring, it is only natural for us to contemplate new dishes for the spring of 2009.
As a chef, it is important to continue to challenge yourself to grow and always move forward in a responsible way.
Avenues has been closed for the month of January. This time away from my regular schedule has given me the opportunity to brainstorm and conceptualize new dishes for the spring menu of 2009.

While being away from the kitchen, I composed one new dish a day. I have 31 new dishes finalized on paper and ready to execute in the kitchen.

Here is a small sample of the spring menu items:

Jidori Chicken, Sudachi Sherbet, Consomme of it's Carcass, Shiso Petals

Wagyu Beef Cheek Cannelloni, Kaffir Lime, Black Sesame in Forms, Coriander Blooms

"The Life Cycle Of Fennel"

Caramelized Goat Milk, Rhubarb, "2008" Hay, Oxalis

Avenues Latest Review

Read it here.

Snail Caviar

We wanted to add some depth to the blue cod dish by echoing flavors of earth, soil, rain, oak leaves, moss and overall terroir of the forest. I cannot think of a more amazing product that exudes all of these flavors in one bite other than snail caviar. It is earthy, dirty, raw and in your face with the forest floor. Brilliant!

Blue Cod, Carrot, Fennel, Quince, Snail Caviar

Blue Cod from the Pacific Northwest is lightly cured with a mixture of sea salt, sugar and lemon zest. We rinse and dry the cod, place it in to a sous vide bag with a little Olio Verde and poach the cod at 122F for 12-15 minutes. Then, we chill and flake the fish into large pieces.

The rest of the accompaniments to the dish:

Tiny Heirloom Carrots (4 Varieties)
Black Olive Crumbs
Black Olive Oil Powder
Raw Carrot Juice Pudding
Fennel Frond Puree
Fennel Bulb Threads
Fennel Stock Slices
Tiny Carrot Fronds
Quince Sorbet
Carrot Chips
Snail Caviar(See Above)

Golden Trout and Roe, Semillion Verjus, Hon Shimeji, Winter Spruce

This is the current version of the Golden Trout.
Here is a complete list of the ingredients for this dish:

Parsley Puree
Spruce Cream
Semillion Verjus Vinaigrette
Golden Trout Roe
Pickled Hon Shimeji Mushrooms
Dagger Ice Lettuce
Emerald Crystal Lettuce
Parsley Tips
Spruce Powder
Spruce Meringue

Bread Service

The bread service at Avenues is enormously successful. One of our daily tasks at the restaurant is to bake all of the breads in house.
Currently, we offer five different breads that are paired with specific, individual courses throughout the meal. We have put a great deal of thought behind these pairings.

At the beginning of the meal, we focus on an Italian Como Bread that we "break". This concept reminds us of the idea of "breaking of the bread".

Next, is an English Muffin that is infused with black mint. The size is a little larger than a silver dollar.

Then, we transition to a very rich Goat Butter Brioche. This bread is made in the same traditional way as a cow butter brioche, but the goat butter is much lighter.

Pretzel Bread is made with black lava salt from Hawaii. This salt gives the bread a nice crunch and it conveys a very earthy flavor.

Our last bread is a Coconut-Basil Waffle that is served with powdered lime-sugar. A sweeter bread has been chosen to finish our pairings so we can make an easier transition from the savory world into the sweet world.

Hato Mugi

Hato Mugi (Japanese Job's Tears) is one of the world's oldest grains and has been cultivated for thousands of years in both the East and West. It was the staple of Egypt under the pharaohs, ancient Greece and Rome, the Holy Land during Biblical times and Tibet. This heirloom barley is chewy, extremely easy to digest, and nourishing. In the Far East, Hato Mugi is traditionally eaten to dissolve excess protein and fat from animal food consumption and to clean up blemishes of the skin. Hato Mugi is often times marketed under the name Pearl Barley, but should not be confused with pearled barley, which is regular barley that has been partially milled.

We prepare the Hato Mugi in the style of risotto using a light vegetable stock. Then, we mount the mugi with manchego cheese ala minute.

After it is in the bowl, we add red wine pudding and cover the mugi with a very thin slice of manchego cheese and place it under the salamander to melt.

The dish is finished with additional red wine pudding, sorrel puree, sorrel leaves, red sorrel leaves, puffed hato mugi and young daisy flowers.

The service team pours the "Manchego Tea" table side to finish the dish.

Butter Corn, White Peaches, Coriander Blossoms, Aloe Vera

This is the current corn dish on my menu at Avenues. The rest of the accompaniments are:

White Peach Puree(frozen element)
Burnt Scallion Oil
Popcorn
Cilantro Puree
Scallion Threads
White Peaches that are vacuumed with Creme de Peche
Coriander Leaves
Coriander Blossoms
Young Coriander Seeds
Popcorn Shoots
Aloe Vera
Corn Soup(poured table side)

Bitter Chocolate, Floral Dairy, Caramelized Milk

Photos by Anthony Tahlier
http://www.anthonytahlier.com/

Carrot, White Chocolate, Passion Fruit, Lemongrass

Aloe

Aloe, Sweet Corn, White Peaches

Milkweed Pod

Bergamot, Beebalm

Mid Summer Bloom, Amazing!

Keep it Natural...

Crystal Lettuce

This is the start of the Golden Trout dish that is currently on the 15 course menu.
Golden Trout, Semillion Verjus, Hon Shimeji, Spruce

Golden Trout from Utah

Poussin, Wheat, Saffron, Nasturtium

Wagyu, Smoked Coconut, Puffed Tapioca, African Blue Basil

My Staff at Avenues

This picture was taken by a guest that had dinner at the Chef's Bar.
From left to right:
Chandra Arunasalam, Rob Stutts, Andrew Gietzen,
Dan Bark, Joseph Davey, Curtis Duffy

Hamachi Hara Mise en Place

Fennel Marmalade for the current Hamachi dish.

Australian Winter Truffles

The season has begun for Australian Black Winter Truffles.

Miyakonojyo Wagyu

Scallop, Huckelberries, Brown Butter, Amaranth

Stations

Here are some of the working stations in our kitchen.
Each of the stations produce anywhere from 2-4 dishes each night.

Black Cod, Pineapple, Cashew, Coriander Blooms

Asparagus, Black Truffle, Parmesan, Olio Verde

Tasmanian Salmon, Satsuma Orange, Chive

Blood Orange, Muscavado, Fennel

I will be documenting all of the dishes in chronological order that we produce at Avenues. Here is a small sample of what we will be producing in the near future.

Carrot, Coconut, Black Sesame, Basil

English Peas, Prosciutto, Herbs, Wild Lettuces