I began my love affair with food as a toddler growing up in a house of gourmands, My Grandmother's delectable Kashmiri cuisine, My fathers side being Rajputs have had their lives intertwined with the gourmet in Indian cuisine.
Till today my grandfather along with his ole’ rajputana cronies deconstruct the menu of every event they attend . My fascination with all things edible grew from there.
No small wonder that for years I have wanted to visit what is widely considered the best restaurant in the United States, and one of the top restaurants in the world - Charlie Trotter's. From the time you walk into this emporium of all things delectable, you will be taken on a wild, exciting culinary ride through bliss that you will never forget. People come from all over the world just to visit. They are not disappointed.
PRICES First of all, let's get the sticker shock out of the way so that we can move on to more interesting topics.. At Trotter's, you are not purchasing dinner. Dinner is an added bonus that is included in what you are really paying for - an experience of a lifetime and a memory that will be treasured the rest of your life. This will be an evening you tell your friends about years from now.
A complete tasting, or degustation menu, will run around $100 to $125 per person for the food only. Wines (the only alcohol Charlie serves) range in price from $11 per glass (they average $30 per glass) to several thousand dollars per bottle. A 17% gratuity is automatically added to each check, with a line for an additional gratuity at the bottom of the check if you feel the service warrants that. It doesAn evening for two can easily approach $400-$500. Although prices are listed on the voluminous wine menu, they are absent from the food menu.
SERVICE The service at Trotter's comes closest to the way I have imagined that royalty or a celebrity is treated on a daily basis. I've eaten in many very nice restaurants, but never have I received the level of service I received at Trotters. I felt a bit apprehensive before arriving at the restaurant. Walking into what is arguably one of the world's greatest eating establishments produces images of waiters looking down their noses at you, wine stewards laughing because you chose the wrong vintage, etc. etc. I need not have worried. All traces of anxiety left me from the moment I walked inside and was greeted by the warm staff. Throughout the evening, I found them to be attentive without ever being intrusive, warm and friendly without being forced, and willing to answer any question no matter how silly you fear it may be I pulled out all my desi stunts and all my culinary school contacts to get a table over the weekend I was in Chicago, and as luck would have it I got in. By the way I told them it was my cousins birthday – A lie… Trotters is located in a renovated brownstone home on the north side of Chicago. As we pulled to the front of the restaurant, two valets greeted us, one on each side of the car, and walked us to the front door. I gave my name as we were greeted by the hosts at the reception room. We were a half hour early. Neither looked for our name in a reservation book. Both said that they had been expecting us and seated us immediately in the first floor dining room. The restaurant is comprised of a wine bar, one small dining room on the first floor (around ten tables), and one identical dining room on the second floor. The decor is understated and elegant. Mr. Trotter wants the focus to be on the food, not the room. We were greeted by our head waiter (around ten people served our table during the course of the evening.) He said that he understood that we were celebrating a birthday and handed each of us a menu with a printed inscription at the top wishing my friend a happy birthday. A few moments later, my cousin asked for a paper cocktail napkin (everything was linen of course.) He told the waiter he had a piece of gum in his mouth. The waiter returned with a cocktail napkin resting on two stacked gold trimmed Limoges plates. My friend took the napkin and held it, waiting for the waiter to leave. The waiter continued to stand behind my friend. He placed his hand on my friends shoulder, and whispered into his ear, ''Go ahead, better than sticking it under the table.'' (Again we were put immediately at ease.) My cousin spit the gum in the napkin. The waiter held out the porcelain plates and he placed the whole ''package'' on the plates. Throughout the evening, if a sip of water was taken (bottled water from Fiji), the glass was immediately refilled, if a roll was eaten, another immediately appeared of a different flavor and variety, steaming hot. And so it went. We each ordered an iced tea mid way through the meal. Both arrived with lemon. I left my lemon in the glass, my cuz removed his and placed it on his bread plate. When we had finished the tea, two fresh glasses arrived. One without lemon, one with. The waiter said the he noticed cuz had not ''utilized his lemon the first time.'' A trip to the bathroom resulted in an attendant escorting me to the restroom door and then taking me back to my seat after I had finished. While I was gone, my table linens were changed and water glass refilled. Before dessert, the waiter arrived with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Compliments of the house on my cuz’s birthday(hyuck hyuck). More complimentary wine of a different variety followed along with dessert, which arrived with a birthday candle.
THE FOOD There are two different selections to choose from in the main dining room. The Grand Menu, which usually includes eight or nine courses consisting of different meat and seafood dishes combined with vegetable dishes followed by dessert, and the Vegetable Menu, consisting of eight or nine vegetable dishes followed by dessert. In addition, the chefs will be happy to create a special menu just for you based on your wine selections. We chose the Grand Menu. This was as follows:
Amuse Gueule Salad of Razor and Steamer Clams, Daikon, Prince Edward Island
Mussels, Kumamoto Oysters, Caviar, Fennel and Watercress.
Steamed Main Black Bass with Squid, Cucumber, Bitter Melon, Red Curry and Spicy Coconut Broth.
Roasted Main Monkfish with Braised Short Ribs, Rice Beans and Morel Mushroom-Red Wine-Endive Vinaigrette.
Grilled Veal Short Loin with Anson Mills Grit Cake, Braised Kale, Roasted Trumpet
Royale Mushrooms and Nicoise Olive-Boudin Sauce.
Mango and Yogurt Sorbets with Toasted Almond Milk Soup.
Gingerbread Cake with Brown Butter Pears and Nutmeg Cream.
Mignardises The Amuse Guele, or appetizer, was sublime. Paper thin slices of raw tuna were covered with salmon roe. The buttery tuna combined with the feeling of the salmon caviar bursting in your mouth created the sensation of walking along the seaside with the salty air blowing in your face. The short rib/monkfish dish was rich and delightful, the meaty beefy taste of the ribs playing perfectly off the flavor of the delicate, tender fish. The dessert wasn't just the gingerbread cake as listed on the menu, but nine different items on nine different plates. Chocolate cakes, squash tarts, two homemade ice creams (clove and bananna), and the list went on. The foods arrive in small portions presented in a dazzling array of colors and shapes on beautiful china. Just the right amount of time lapses between the end of one course and the beginning of the next. You will see unrecognizable food stuffs that you never knew existed, and taste pairings of ingredients that seem odd from the menu but taste wonderful when eaten. (Sorbet with Almond Milk Soup, or Osetra caviar used as a topping for oysters and clams.) Neither of us could have been happier with the service or the food. It is an experience we will never forget.
- Thank You! We appreciate your effort.