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Kevin
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We don't like to leave our regular readers hanging. This past spring, we reviewed a restaurant called The Outpost. We noted that we had gone there to taste the cuisine of a chef, who, as it turned out, had moved on. The chef was Kevin Shikami, and he moved on to open his own restaurant, called Kevin. Duty (not to mention a love of good food) demanded that we not follow him. When we finally got to Kevin, it was scarcely spring anymore. Walking gingerly (appropriately for cuisine with frequent Asian accents and with sake on the wine list) over the ice of one of Chicago's coldest autumns in decades, two of us had lunch recently at Chef Shikami's warm and friendly establishment. You hear a lot of talk about "fusion" cuisine, as if a chef can earn points by cross-breeding two different cuisines. We don't view what Chef Shikami does as fusion so much as the personal cuisine of a man trained in classical cooking, but respectful of his Asian origins. Some items on the menu, like the Roasted Beef Tenderloin With Balsamic Glaze And Red Wine Sauce have no more Asian touch than some shiitake mushrooms and would be at home in a bistro in France and wouldn't raise an eyebrow. Some others are more clearly of Asian descent, and we chose more of those on our visit for no better reason than they appealed to us that day. If we were truly dedicated restaurant reviewers, rather than people just trying to let you know about meals we've enjoyed, we would have chosen two different appetizers. But both of us were irresistibly drawn to the same dish, and neither was willing to bend. So we both had the Wild Mushroom, Goat Cheese, Pine Nut And Truffle Oil Pot Stickers With Arugala Balsamic Reduction And Mushroom Essence. While pot stickers at a Chinese restaurant tend to be very plain in presentation, these perfectly done beauties were set atop a bed of a rich, brown sauce that made us wish our place setting had included a sauce spoon. One of us (we're not naming names) unashamedly used some of his bread to soak up this rich and flavorful nectar. Not to mention giving semi-serious thought to ordering another portion. But sanity prevailed, which was fortunate, because the entree portions were generous. One of us had one of the day's specials, striped bass set atop a bed of crab risotto with lobster broth. The shellfish might have overwhelmed the fish, but the kitchen kept the balance perfect. The extra broth made the risotto more liquidy than a standard presentation, but that didn't stop us from enjoying every bite. Our table also had one of the regular menu items, Sauteed Salmon On Rice Noodles In Soy, Wasabi And Yuzu Sauce, With Salmon Skin And Avocado Sushi Rolls. The fish was as perfectly done as the striped bass had been, and the three slice of maki roll would have been at home in Chicago's best sushi establishments. The delicate citrus taste of yuzu didn't really emerge over the soy and wasabi, but we're sure it helped temper the sinus-clearing properties of the wasabi. Garnishes of pickled ginger and wasabi were placed next to the sushi, for those who just can't eat the latter without the former. As all of my regular readers know, I'm just not a dessert person. But that doesn't mean that two desserts weren't consumed at our table. The things we do to give you a thorough review! Pastry chef Cindy Schuman turned out a Chamomile Crème Brulée that was the perfectly homey complement to the chilly day, and her Double Chocolate Terrine With Raspberry Truffle Bits And Milk Chocolate Sauce let us end the meal the same way we began it: wishing for a sauce spoon. The wine list is neither deep nor extensive, but it's quite adequate and provides a good range of both red and white by the glass. And as we noted, those who are going with the more Asian-inspired dishes can choose to drink sake. One of the true tests of any restaurant is whether one visit makes you want to make another in the near future. This is a test that Kevin passed with flying colors. We plan to do dinner as soon as possible to explore more of Chef Shikami's cuisine. We recommend that you do the same. Kevin |
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