Sula Thinks Seasonal Flavors Shine at The Kennison and More Reviews

The Kennison is admirably filling the seasonal cooking void left behind by Perennial Virant. Mike Sula savors the last tastes of summer at the new restaurant inside Hotel Lincoln, starting with a “heavenly bowl of corn soup the texture of a milk shake and as refreshing.” Other “beautiful, artfully plated” dishes include tuna tartare that “unleashes the pleasant burn of aji chile,” and pappardelle in a shredded rabbit sauce made “gently sweet” by peaches and lavender honey. “Springy” pork meatballs sit in a “peak-season” arrabbiata sauce while short rib “almost assumes the form of a fillet thanks to the magic of sous vide.” For dessert, a “wickedly seductive” chocolate cake layered with caramel cremeux is topped with housemade Cracker Jacks and roasted peanut ice cream. [Reader]

Maggie Hennessy says that lavish Margeaux Brasserie is “as much substance as style.” The French restaurant from Michael Mina offers guests a “damn special—albeit pricey—experience.” To start, tender mussels bathe in a “buttery, vermouth-scented” broth and a tomato tatin is “sunny Provence incarnate.” A “carnally toothy” New York strip steak is “made for this kind of gloriously unfettered bistro fare” and served with herb-infused duck fat frites, while dessert includes a “stunning” banana tart tatin. The service is likewise “world-class” and “you’d be remiss not to pair” the food with a glass from the “French-leaning wine bible, which is full of rare finds.” [Time Out]

Next’s “World’s 50 Best” menu is a “bold, even nervy move,” but chef Jenner Tomaska and the team nail it. Phil Vettel’s meal features dishes from 16 of the finest restaurants in the world, each faithfully recreated. There’s Eleven Madison Park’s “fanciful” eggs Benedict served inside caviar tins, as well as an “artful composition” of razor clams from Central. Mexico City’s Quintonil pairs slices of raw scallop with corned beef tongue and “enough precisely placed flowers and herbs to qualify as an edible bouquet,” while “other extraordinary dishes” include Osteria Francescana’s signature risotto. Finally, Dan Barber sent seeds of his specialty hybrid beets so that the team could serve them raw with salt and pepper to “enhance their remarkable flavor.” Like almost every menu before it, the current iteration gets four stars. [Tribune]

Although it’s a hotel café, Petit Margeaux is a “destination for fabulous French-inspired pastry,” Michael Nagrant writes. The technique is “spot on, [and] there’s also a local or modern spin on the dishes that makes what seems old, quite new.” Croissants are “buttery, flaky and they ooze with nutty gruyere and salty ham,” and éclairs have a “salty and savory quality, a complexity that balances the sweet chocolate glaze and the cream inside.” A strawberry chevre cheesecake is “as tasty as it is pretty, a delightful swirl of sweet strawberry jam and funky velvety goat cheese,” while “maybe the greatest French dip sandwich in America” tastes like the “very best Italian beef mixed with a soul-soothing French onion soup.” Overall, it’s an evocative experience that will “reacquaint you with the wonders of a past trip to France.” [RedEye]

La Josie stands out as a “winner” in the crowded West Loop according to Joanne Trestrail. The kitchen puts out “homey dishes” inspired from Jalisco, Mexico like salsas that “pack a real punch” and guac that’s “chunky and satisfying.” Shrimp quesadillas are “even more fun … they’re rich, crunchy and layered with flavor.” Tacos include “heat-happy” cochinita pibil and beer-battered mahi-mahi, while the calabacitas torta is “terrific, with nice interplay of zuchhini and roasted corn.” Pair them with a beer or watermelon agua fresco for a perfect lunch. [Crain’s]