Blackbird – Tasty Three Course Lunch for $22

With so many great restaurants and only 2 days in Chicago, it was difficult to decide which places I should eat at during this trip. Chef Paul Kahan has been recognized as one of the city’s top chefs, so I wanted to try one of his restaurants (Blackbird, Avec, The Publican). Ultimately, I chose Blackbird because of their $22 three course pre-fixe lunch…what a fantastic deal!

Since this was only be beginning of many meals to come, I wanted to keep lunch *relatively* light. So B and I split one of the pre-fixe lunches and ordered an extra entrée to share (the pork belly sandwich was calling my name).

Wood-grilled Octopus Confit with Pickled Ramps, Baby Romaine, Candied Red Onion – the presentation of the octopus was unique…almost like it had been congealed into a block of terrine, then sliced. The octopus was tender and delicate, although I would have liked some char to give it more flavor/smokiness. The candied red onion and pickled ramps were a nice complement.
Sous-vide Lamb with Lime Onions, Tamarind, Smoked Cucumbers – the lamb was beautifully cooked, really moist and tender. Although the other components had sounded interesting, they didn’t quite taste right with the lamb.
Organic Pork Belly and Cabbage Slaw Sandwich with Winter Vegetable Salad and Garlic Frites – the sandwich was scrumptious. All the elements were perfectly balanced...salty and fatty pork belly, acidity and crunch of the slaw, warm toasted bread. The fries, on the other hand, were a disappointment. They were soggy and no garlic was to be found.
Fried Polenta with Klug Farms Blueberries, Lemon Verbena, Smoked Brown Sugar Ice Cream – I loooooooved the flavors and textures of this dessert. Sweet, fruity, salty, smoky, starchy, creamy, crunchy…combined to make *the* most incredible bite. B said it reminded him of smoked blueberry pie (will have to figure out where to get one of those). I’ve never had polenta as part of dessert before, and it worked so well that I hope to find it in more!
Although there were a few missteps, I'd still recommend lunch at Blackbird. Good service, well executed proteins, and their fried polenta dessert was phenomenal (a MUST if you dine here). And of course, you really can’t beat their 3 course lunch for only $22.

BITE METER: Blackbird – 3.5 bites (out of 5)