In November 2009, Forbes conducted their annual survey of America's Favorite Cities. Millions of people across the country voted for their favorite cities to visit, based on people, nightlife, culture, shopping, quality of life, and, of course, food/dining. It did not come as a surprise to me that Sweet Home Chicago, the 2nd best restaurant city in the country, ranked in the top 10 in all but one of the food/dining categories (big name restaurants-2; ethnic restaurants-3; coffee bars and cafes-8; neighborhood joints-4; farmer's markets-23-which I think is fair considering most Chicagoans can't leave the house from January-April). Acclaimed chefs from around the world are vying for coveted restaurant real estate right here in the windy city, where many restaurants boast James Beard Award winners, Food & Wine Best New Chefs, and our very own Top Chef Master.
As a self-proclaimed "brand ambassador" for Chicago's food scene, I'm not often surprised when I hear such great things about our city's culinary triumphs. I often hear people say, "Wow, that was an incredible meal" and I can't help but think to myself, "Duh, you're in Chicago, baby!" I go into most of my foodventures with high expectations and I'm rarely disappointed. Because I know here in Chicago, we're just that good.
Last night, Collen and I went to Boka (again), and our experience re-affirmed why Chicago is a top restaurant city. First of all, Boka is one of the swankiest, sexiest restaurants I have been to. Ever. White sails canopy the dining room and soft candles line the walls, which are adorned with some of the coolest pieces of artwork I have ever seen. Even the carpeting in the stairway down to the bathroom is soft and plush. It's hard to walk into Boka without feeling just a little sexy.
Secondly, the food is outstanding. Everything that has ever come out of Chef Tentori's kitchen has been mouth-watering, finger-licking good. He rocks. Seriously, he deserves every accolade thrown his way. I have yet to try an entree at Boka because I have this terrible habit of stuffing myself on the awesome appetizers-my favorite being the pork belly. Forget the cool decor, nevermind the awesome service- if Giuseppe Tentori was cooking on a hot plate under the el on Wabash Ave, I'd be there to eat his food (my hunch is that he'd be serving "squab" that day).
Boka's best feature, though, is the exemplary service. Cause let's be serious for a second. As a diner, you could walk into the most gorgeous restaurant and have the most delicious meal of your life, but if the hostess doesn't welcome you and the server is rude, chances are, you're going to call that a "bad" experience. And at Boka, there is no such thing as a bad experience.
Our visit last night was for the monthly "Test your Palate" wine tasting event. Which is free. Yep, you read that right. FREE. AND, they give you a $10 gift certificate to use on dinner when you're done. Seriously, best thing ever (although it's impossibly hard). My girls and I got there early enough to score seats at the bar, and we were lucky we did, because we had the chance to hang out with one of Chicago's rising-star mixologists, Benjamin Schiller, and his wing man, Rob Miezio. Benjamin's creations are not to be missed. As he proved in his recent Mixologist Showdown, he's a force to be reckoned with. We got a sweet sampling of his "Vineyard"- a delightful gin cocktail mixed with homemade blackberry syrup (that Schiller makes on his days off....that's what I call dedication!), malbec reduction, and orange blossom water. VERY delightful. The rest of his masterpieces include drinks like the "Northsider". Not to mention, the man can shake a mean martini. Benjamin and Rob our glasses full and our conversation going for the (many) hours that we sat at the bar. Both incredibly knowledgeable and honest in their recommendations, these gentleman made our wine tasting, and dining, experiences amazing.
We passed our compliments on to Boka's Director of Operations, Ian Goldberg, who graciously accepted our compliments and spent more time than he probably wanted listening to us gush about how much we loved the restaurant. His hospitality was equalled by manager Alex, who was able to find Colleen and I autographed menus that were mysteriously "taken" from us at the Cadillac of Pigs dinner in December.
In an establishment like Boka, run by restaurant gurus like Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm, I shouldn't be surprised to find such incredibly qualified, genuinely friendly (and wonderfully patient with a group of 7 girls drinking lots of wine all night) employees. But last night, I was shocked. My high expectations were profoundly exceeded by managers, bartenders, and servers who went out of their way to make our night extra special, and I can't thank them enough!
Author's Footnote: Special thanks to Adrien, a phenomenal server whose outgoing personality and thick skin have thus far been the highlight of my year.
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