Good Taste is the Worst Vice

Oriole, Chicago

o·ri·ole
/ˈôrēˌōl/

1. Type of blackbird with yellow or orange markings
2. Member of the Baltimore baseball team
3. Superb new restaurant in Chicago

Oriole carves out a space somewhere between high end luxury and cool BYOBs: the dining room has a casual, even industrial feel but there are still white tablecloths and flowers; the front of house team is polished but unfussy; there’s a perfectly pristine open kitchen.

The food really shines against the unobtrusive setting and elegant service: delicious, beautiful, with a touch of whimsy but no gimmicks.  It’s the kind of restaurant where I could imagine popping in for more than just special occasions.

Langoustine
kristal caviar and torched lardo
*
Jamon Iberico de Bellota
black walnut, mustard seeds and campo de montalban
*
Santa Barbara sea urchin
yuzu kosho, genmai and smoked soy
*
Alaskan King crab

cara cara, vidalia onion and herbs

*
Sourdough

cultured butter and local grain

*
Icelandic steelhead trout

smoked roe, artichoke and marjoram

*
Beef tendon
togarashi
*
Japanese A5 wagyu

charred little gem, huckleberry and black garlic

*
Capellini

yeast butter, black truffle and rye berry

*
Slagel Farms lamb belly

coriander meringue, heirloom carrot and anise hyssop

*
Montenebro

pretzel lavash, apricot and lavender

*
Pineapple sorbet
kaffir lime, coconut and marshmallow
*
Gianduja palette
banana, lemon and goat yogurt
*
Chicory custard

whiskey, cinnamon and tahitian vanilla

*
Almond croissant

cardamom, rose and acacia honey

I’m still thinking about some of the early courses in particular: the single bite of langoustine draped with a paper-thin sheet of lardo made for an amazing combination, while the sea urchin packed an incredible range of flavors into an ingeniously non-traditional piece of nigiri sushi.  The king crab featured a Thai fish sauce foam, which sounds less-than-tempting but was surprisingly delicate, and played nicely off the sweetness of the crab.  And of course I always love pasta, so the capellini with yeast butter and rye berries stood out as a comforting combination of carbs.

Desserts are on the lighter side, at least until you end up with almond and rose croissants as a rich finale.

Wine also deserves attention here – the pairing ranged from white Chateauneuf du Pape to Barbaresco to Oregon Gewurtraminer to a fabulous Japanese sake.

Looking forward to returning soon!


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Comments

  1. Eddie Zeidman says

    We loved Oriole, and thank you so much for introducing this wonderful eating experience to us.

    Also, Oriole, as you know, just received a two (2) star Michelin rating!