Julia Kramer believes there are two NoMI’s; one is “luxurious and romantic,” and the other is “businesslike and unmemorable.” This strange divide means that you can either have a “great” meal or a “disappointing one.” On the great side is the $75 whole chicken, which has the “texture of silk.” It is paired with the “finest, smoothest, most indulgent incarnation of potatoes a diner could imagine.” Unfortunately, the mushroom salad is “terrible,” and the New York strip is “so tough a steak knife had to be put to work like a saw.” [TOC]
Declaring that restaurateurs Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz are on a “magical run right now,” Jeff Ruby gives high praise to both Perennial Virant and GT Fish & Oyster. He believes Perennial Virant is “damn good,” and that chef Paul Virant has an “uncanny knack for combining sweet and salty.” GT Fish & Oyster “captures that salty seaside vibe better than anywhere else in Chicago.” Though the lobster roll and mahi tacos “disappoint,” the best dishes are the ones “you might normally overlook.” That includes the “impeccable snapper carpaccio” and the “showstopping ten-ounce strip loin.” [Chicago Mag]
After some particularly bad cocktails, Mike Sula tried to “overcome bad first impressions” of Rustic House. A first visit was uneven, but had some highlights; a “heaping pile of ribbony pappardelle tossed with veal cheek ragout” was “satisfying,” as was the gnocchi. But the second visit was “flawed across the board.” Nearly every dish was “undercut” by “basic bush-league overcooking, undercooking, or overseasoning.” [Chicago Reader]
