Sula Thinks The Kitchen is Solid; Vettel Says Juno Hasn't Missed a Beat; More

At the Kitchen Chicago, the food isn’t reinventing the wheel but it’s solidly executed and is aimed at "appeasing as broad a range of appetites as possible," writes Mike Sula. Most dishes are "competently done" and include pork tenderloin "showered" in chopped hard-cooked eggs, radishes and sprouts; seared duck liver and bacon lardons in gravy; and "as sweet and plump as one could hope for" Maine mussels. A trout filet with walnuts and sliced sunchokes bathed in brown butter vinaigrette is "more substantial and a far better value" than other entrees, while "simple and satisfying" desserts like a "rich, gooey" toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream end things on a high note. [Reader]

Phil Vettel thinks Juno is "arguably better than before" and is "back as one of Chicago’s very best Japanese restaurants." Start with "plump" oysters with beet and passion fruit juices before moving onto "subtly poached and seasoned" sea eels that are "revelations." The chawan mushi is a savory custard "bolstered" by matsutake, truffle and gelatinized pearls of shrimp while a "deer" plate of raw venison cooked in mushroom-rich broth provides a "range of mouthfeels and flavor concentrations." Desserts are "bold and beautiful," with the adventurous koji-miso brownie made from a mix of beets, bananas and pig’s blood and topped with koji ice cream. [Tribune]

Lunch options in the West Loop just got even better with the addition of Salero. Laura Bianchi writes that the $25 prix fixe menu is an "efficient and good deal" that includes a "very Spanish" plate of "top-notch" Serrano ham with manchego, pressed pear chunks and marcona almonds. "Excellent" entrées like the confit potatoes a la plancha are elevated with earthy wild mushrooms in a "velvety" black trumpet puree and a "delicately sweet" butternut squash puree. On the a la carte side, a trio of jamon croquetas are "deliciously dipped" in a smoky hazelnut romesco sauce while the bomba rice risotto is cooked in "lush" lobster stock and is a "pitch-perfect contrast" of creamy richness with smoky tang. [Crain’s]