High Five Bar

T and I have social media to thank for discovering High Five Bar in Tokyo, owned by the world renowned bartender Hidetsugu Ueno. Given that T and I are huge fans of Brendan Sodikoff's restaurants in Chicago (Bavettes Bar and Boeuf, Maude's Liquor Bar, Gilt Bar), we trust the taste of Chicago's known restaurateur. In an interview with him on Eater Chicago, Sodikoff mentions High Five Bar as one of his favorite bars in Tokyo and even going so far as to naming his upcoming ramen joint in Chicago after this bar. Another random time as I browse my Twitter feed, I see a tweet from Grant Achatz (of Chicago's Alinea and Next) that he is at High Five Bar during his trip there. A quick online search reveals the bar's reputation.

Ueno-san, the renowned bartender and owner of High Five Bar has created himself a little hideout on the 4th floor of a business building. The counter at the bar seats only 8 people and the 2 tables at the side can tightly accommodate about 6 more people. Halfway through the night, a few Japanese opened the door to the bar only to be politely and apologetically turned away because unfortunately there really is no open seats to accommodate them.

Though he takes his craft seriously, he does not take himself too seriously. There are energetic and boisterous laughter from him all night. With his highly styled hair and suspenders, Ueno-san is extremely approachable and humble. One would not have guessed that he is one of the top men in his field.

There is no menu here. Assisted by two employees, they ask guests what type of drinks he or she likes: Refreshing? Smokey? Whiskey? Vodka? Then, Ueno-san goes on to create the drink. His technique is precise and methodical. We both order a Scotch cocktail but each of our cocktails is prepared differently- mine has cherry blossom liqueur  added to the drink and each sip has a nice lingering taste which I like very much; Tim's drink is a little more "masculine", for the lack of a better word. After our first cocktail, we order whiskey on the rocks and according to Ueno-san, in his 23 years of bartending, we are one of the 100 guests who have ordered just whiskey alone. Speaking perfect English, he explains the unique Japanese whiskeys on the shelf, the different types and breweries. Take Asama whiskey, for example. It's made in Japan but due to some contractual rules, this whiskey is only sold outside of Japan and then renamed Asama. He tells us that his bottle of Asama on the shelf is bought from London.

Everything Ueno-san is for a reason. Throughout the night, we see several cocktails made with a metal shaker except for when he is making a cocktail with fresh kiwi juice and using a plastic shaker. I ask curiously the reason for him switching to a plastic shaker for this particular drink. He laughs and and cheekily says, "Because I have no money" to buy more metal shakers. And then, getting a bit more serious in his craft, he replies that when shaking the juice, the key is not to dilute it but just chill it. Metal shakers are hard enough that through vigorous shaking, it can cause small chips to break off from the ice which can then dilute the juice.

At one point, we tell him, "You're very famous." He replies, "In a good or bad way?", and then laughs. We tell him that he is mentioned in Twitter. He says that he has a Facebook account though he does not go on there often. There are over a thousand friend requests but he does not know those people. Ahhh, we told you your'e famous.


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High Five Bar
Ginza 7-2-14, No.26 Polestar Building, 4th Floor
Tokyo

 

Bavette's Bar and Boeuf

Brendan Sodikoff is no stranger to Chicago's dining scene. How is it that each of his restaurants have an almost similar concept (cue words: rustic, vintage, sexy) with familiar menus and yet each of them are equally successful and yet popular? One would have thought that Chicagoans might tire of the same "old" concept by Brendan Sodikoff but no, no. We say bring it on. First it was Gilt Bar, then Maude's Liquor Bar, and then Au Cheval. Now comes Bavette's Bar and Boeuf. Not quite a restaurant, Doughnut Vault which is also his brainchild, became the talk of town on doughnuts. I've lost count the number of times we've been to his restaurants and from our observation, there is just something about the way Brendan Sodikoff runs his restaurants that make it onto the list of favorites among Chicagoans. He has a great eye for selecting who helms the kitchen with a forward vision of the menu, and the employees are well trained. He also promotes his staff from within (at least, this was what we noticed at Bavette's where experienced employees from Gilt Bar were promoted and brought into Bavette's).

 




Oh I am so, so in love with Bavette's. You enter by the inconspicuous door into a tiny space where the host or hostess greets you. Then he or she opens another door inside and you will find yourself in the classic and sexy Bavette's which exudes the aura of a speakeasy in 1930s New York City except that it is in Chicago and tucked behind an inconspicuous door recognizable only by the equally inconspicuous sign that says Bavette's on the door. Just gotta love the dress code for bartenders and male servers-- long sleeved collared shirts with the sleeves folded up to the elbows, tie, and a vest. Classic and sharp, and the folded sleeves add casualness to it.

Cocktails range from the classic to contemporary concoctions. I've found my favorite drink which is the Old Overholt whiskey cocktail and have never moved on to another drink since.

Best lobster and lamb chops I've ever had, says my dad during one of T and my visits to Bavette's when we brought my parents along who were visiting. Isn't there always a sense of accomplishment when you rave about a place and the people you raved to share your sentiments too, especially your parents? Ahhh. The seafood tower (comes in two options differentiated by portion size) is a perfect way to start off the night as an appetizer. Seafood on ice is usually not heavy and hence will not fill you up which makes it an even better choice for starters if you are in a group. The tower comes with various types of oysters, lobster, salmon ceviche, shrimps, and crab legs.

The lamb chops make the night memorable. Prepared and served medium rare with just enough au jus, the meat is succulent and tender. We learnt that Colorado lamb chops are used and instead of entirely removing the fat like what other restaurants usually do, Bavette's keeps a thin layer fat over the meat to help flavor the meat more during the cooking process. The lamb chops come with two piece; each piece is from the left and right rack.

Side dishes are always overlooked but oh my, the baked sweet potato really is something. Once it's brought to the table, who can resist the urge of heaping the very soft sweet potato with melted butter and brown sugar onto their plate? We haven't seen any restaurants offering roasted tomatoes as a side dish; we've however seen a lot of grilled tomatoes in British pubs as part of the English breakfast which we love so much. Credits go to Bavette's again for expanding beyond the more predictable side items (although they do the "predictable" side items so darn well!). The coleslaw is refreshing and light, with just enough dressing.

Other noteworthy dishes that we have tried and are not pictured:

Berkshire pork chop: Berkshire is what wagyu is to beef; the marbling of the pork chops helps to render the fat which increases the flavor of the meat.

Salt cod brandade: We liked very much the fact that we could actually taste actual cod meat in the brandade instead of being all mushed up. Great starter item.

Beef tongue: Prepared like a pot roast, it comes with slivers of carrots and rhubard in a deep flavored sauce.

Smoked whitefish caesar salad: I don't incorporate salads into my diet as much as I should (T is the opposite here) but this I will want to eat everytime.



 

I want to say to people Go, go, go. Or maybe I shouldn't... it has only been a couple of months since their opening and it's already proving quite difficult to make reservations. So the more people know about it, the more difficult it would be for us to snag a table for prime time seating. Oh, but that would be selfish.




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Bavette's
218 West Kinzie Street
Chicago, IL 60654

Accolades

2011 TimeOut Chicago Magazine Best Restaurateur Nominee, Brendan Sodikoff

Maude's Liquor Bar

We constantly find ourselves transported to circa 1930s France at Maude's Liquor Bar.  Vintage blue metal chairs, wooden rustic tables, and dark brown retro couches make up the furniture. The wall on one side of the wall is made up of exposed bricks and the other side of the wall is plastered with white ceramic which enhances the vintage look. On the ceiling are mismatched lamps and chandeliers that function more as decorative items than a main source of lighting. Maude's is always such a dim place. It's sexy and mysterious. The facade is a black wall and black door with an inconspicuous lettering that says Maude's. Now that it's summer and with the days getting longer, the mysterious door is left open, allowing that burst of sun light to penetrate into the first half of the restaurant near the entrance until the sun goes down.

Brendan Sodikoff does it again with Maude's offering down to earth French food. Along with his other projects that turned into instant successes, Gilt Bar and Doughnut Vault, his entrepreneurial goal is to cater to foodies and scenesters. His ventures' presence are definitely felt in the Chicago dining scene. The kitchen at Maude's is helmed by Jeff Pikus as the executive chef, an alum of Alinea.

The beer list includes a good variety of local micro brews and unique import beers. The cocktail list is made up old time classics such as Sazerac. The wine list is equally good in variety and if nothing else floats your boat, you can't go wrong with the $4 table wine by the glass.

One of the items that make Maude's menu stand out is the seafood platter called Maude's Plateaux clearly stands out as memorable. Served in two tiers, it includes a dozen west coast oysters, a dozen east coast oysters, octopus ceviche, salmon crudo, and jumbo cocktail shrimps. They were very accommodating to my shrimp allergies and substituted the shrimps with an entire lobster. For those with an even bigger appetite for seafood, the Grande Plateaux is served in three tiers and comes with everything mentioned. Our favorite presentation among the seafood items in the Maude's Plateaux is the octopus ceviche which is served on a slab of stone salt.

The pomme frites served with garlic aoili is also a favorite. As with all fries, we dig into the tall cup of fries as soon as it's served since they're best when still warm. The crispy and warm fries dipped into the cold aioli are a wonderful combination of texture, temperature, and taste.

The chicken liver mousse, served in a canning glass jar, is very smooth and rich making it a perfect spread on the toast accompaniment. Along with the toast is also the shallot marmalade to go with the liver mousse.

Several of their items are reminiscent of Gilt Bar such as the tenderloin steak tartare, roasted bone marrow, and steak. An item worth noting on Maude's menu is the Lyonnaise salad with a twist. Instead of the traditional bacon served in Lyonnaise salads, it comes with grilled pork belly. Other classic French items include herb buttered escargots, foie gras, chicken cassoulet.

The famous classic creme brulee is must-have for every visit to Maude's. Inspired by Francois Massialot's original creme brulee recipe in French dating back to 1961, a round cast iron is first heated and then put on the surface of the creme brulee instead of using a blow torch to produce the crisp burnt sugar.

Our favorite way to end the night is the $3 whiskey shots. The whiskey used for the shots change constantly but the both times we had it they were rye whiskey. Sticking to the vintage and down to earth theme, the whiskey is served in the stainless steel device usually used to measure a shot.

Maude's is here to stay for a long time in the Chicago dining scene. Given the competition since it is smacked in between other popular restaurants along Randolph Row, the well known stretch of dining scene in the Fulton River District, there is nothing that Maude's need to worry about. With it's unique character that exudes the feel of 1930s France, this alone makes Maude's a stand out. Just make sure you score an advance reservation.




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Maude's Liquor Bar
840 West Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60607

Accolade
Best Restaurateur of the Year 2011 Nominee, Brendan Sodikoff

Doughnut Vault

Move over, cupcakes. Doughnut Vault has been the talk of the town since it opened a few months back. Heck, even our neighbor asked if we had tried it yet. Every day (except for Sunday and Monday when they close) brave souls stand in line before opening hours to buy their share of doughnuts. Throughout Doughnut Vault's opening hours, the line continues to form and it consistently stretches around the block. The average time spent standing in line is about 1 - 1.5 hours. They open at 8:30am on weekdays and 9:30am on Saturdays and stay open until they are sold out. The doughnuts are usually sold out by 11:00am or a little past that time. On National Doughnut Day (yes there is such a thing!), I woke up and decided to brave the line for doughnuts. T wasn't going to participate in the craziness. I brought a book with me to read which turned out to be a very good idea. And I guess I lucked out that I only had to wait 45 minutes(!).

Who would have thought Doughnut Vault would be this successful? It almost seems like whatever Brendan Sodikoff embarks on, it becomes golden. His other equally successful projects are Gilt Bar, Maude's Liquor Bar, and the future Ox Diner.

The blue facade of Doughnut Vault is an attention-getter in itself. It makes you curious. The name Doughnut Vault does not lie. Behind the rustic blue door is literally a vault that will fit about 5 people comfortably. Behind the tiny counter is only one employee taking your order and packing your doughnuts while also being the cashier.

I think standing in line for 45 minutes warrants getting each of the doughnut varieties so I got one of each except for the chestnut glaze which I ended up getting two pieces of. The lady behind the counter said, "Good choice. The chestnut is my favorite". For a dollar I also got a cup of Metropolis coffee, roasted locally in Chicago.

The huge glazed doughnuts were fluffy and airy. First bite into one of them and it felt like I was in doughnut heaven. The chestnut glaze, which turned out to be my favorite, had hints of chestnut flavor that were rightly subtle but not until you couldn't taste it. The vanilla and chocolate glazes are also wonderful options if you are going for the big fluffy and airy doughnuts.

Moving away from the fluffy and light texture of the glazed doughnuts, the buttermilk old-fashioned deserves a try as well. It looks almost like a crater doughnut with an uneven surface but don't let the look fool you. The edges and surface of the doughnut are crisp and the inside has a moist cake-like texture. Despite the cake-like texture, it is nowhere near dense. An order of the gingerbread stacks comes with 3 pieces and is a good idea for sharing. I never thought I would enjoy them as much since I've never been a terribly big fan of gingerbread in general. T, however, insisted we got the gingerbread stacks. These doughnut stacks changed my mind on how I feel about gingerbread. I am a convert now. While not overpowering, the taste was obviously there and had just the right amount. A hint of cinnamon added perfection to the flavor as a whole.

The leftover doughnuts keep well for a few days and they still taste as good after they are kept in the fridge. We either let it sit out in room temperature for 5-10 minutes or gave them a quick nuke in two 10-second successions in the microwave and they were as good as the day we got them from the store.


Doughnut Vault is worth the hype so if you have got some time to spare waiting in line for some doughnuts, go for it. You can also get a dollar coffee which will be your next best reward (besides the doughnuts) in form of caffeine boost for waking up and taking your place in line.



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Doughnut Vault
401 1/2 North Franklin Street
Chicago, IL 60654

Accolade
Best Restaurateur of the Year 2011 Nominee, Brendan Sodikoff

Gilt Bar

Eating out often really reminds us of the fact that there are many different types of people out there. Everyone has different dining intents with equally different expectations. We have been to Gilt Bar more than five times now and only at the last time did we sit at the kitchen counter table. In general, advanced reservations are strongly recommended for Gilt Bar unless you don't mind getting stuck with a 10:30pm seating. So on one of our previous visits, we asked our server how do we get seated specifically at the kitchen counter table and she gave us some tips: reserve early, request it at the time of reservation, and if we pick a non-busy time, more likely there would be availabilities. We went home that night and T made an advance reservation and requested to be seated at the kitchen counter. The hostess who called to confirm our reservations a couple days prior said they would try their best to accommodate our request. And they did. So we got an entire night of kitchen action before our eyes.

The kitchen counter table accommodates four people. Halfway through dinner, two female companions were also seated at the kitchen table. From the constant chats and hugs they gave to some of the servers and chefs working in the kitchen, we gathered they were part of the insider network of Gilt Bar. Going back to what I said before that there are different types of diners out there, awhile after the two female companions left, a couple was brought over to the kitchen counter table to be seated. At first glance towards the female I sensed a quiet displeasure on her face. A few minutes passed and T could not help but overhearing her tell her boyfriend/husband in an irritated tone, I thought you made a reservation. Why are we here?! She probably saw themselves as being very unfortunate to have been seated at the worst area that anyone could possibly get at a restaurant. Who wants to be shoved into the back of the restaurant among the kitchen chefs? Some slight argument ensued. Oh dear. Or, from our perspective, they probably lucked out at the last minute and got seated at an action-filled location because the seating happened to open up. A few more minutes passed and they got up and left Gilt Bar, probably never to return. It was 8:45pm then. I don't know if they are from the city or if they were familiar with the dining scene in Chicago, but if you are attempting to do a walk-in at any other restaurants at that time of the night, I would say you'd be looking at a 2-hour wait for a table.

Clearly the kitchen table attracts a different population of diners. When we were seated at the kitchen table at Emeril's in New Orleans, we were surrounded with diners who were as equally enthusiastic diners who were there not just to eat but to be part of the whole food journey. At Next in Chicago, the kitchen table only has one seating per night and tickets are at premium pricing.

Gilt Bar is the first of three projects of Brendan Sodikoff. Given the equal success of his three projects (the other two are Maude's Liquor Bar and Doughnut Vault), it is not surprising that he was a nominee for the Restaurateur of the Year 2011 by Time Out. News confirmed that a fourth project by the ambitious Brendan Sodikoff is set to open this year, The Ox Diner.

Located in the River North area, there is naturally a lot of competition considering the myriad of dining options in the area but Gilt Bar has nothing to worry about. It has an alluring charm that is rustic and yet relevant to today's dining scene. Tables and chairs are made up of unvarnished solid wood. The lighting is very dim with majority of the light source coming from the table candles. A beautiful chandelier in the middle of the dining room ceiling poses more as a decorative item than as a light source. The noise level is loud. People are there to have a good time. Gilt Bar is serious about its food. The menu offers truly good and well thought-out dishes that do not come with pretensions. They're just, well, simply good in pairing various ingredients and making the marriage of combined flavors work. Dishes are meant to be shared around the table. They also have a beautiful cocktail list and if none of the cocktails, wines, beers, or whiskeys float your boat, you can't go wrong with the $4 per glass of red and white table wine.

One of our top favorites at Gilt Bar which is a must-have for us each time we're there is the roasted bone marrow. A petite spoon is used to scoop out the delicate marrow which is sprinkled with coarse salt. The marrow is eaten with house made red onion jam, flat leaf parsley, and the generous amount of toast bread.

Another consistently good item is the tenderloin steak tartare with poached egg yolk. A bottle of Sriracha hot sauce is brought to the table as an accompaniment to the steak tartare. It sounds like an odd combination but hey, it works. I'm a big fan. Steak tartare is easily on my list of top favorite foods in the world; Sriracha is a must-have accompaniment when I have Thai food. So when I get to have steak tartare and Sriracha, it's like a perfect marriage made in food heaven.

The fava bean salad is tossed with feta cheese, chopped toasted almonds, and mint. The flavor of the salad is light but the beans definitely will fill you up quite a bit. I really liked that the toasted almonds adds a nice crunch to the salad. The mint also brings it up a notch from being a regular bean salad to a dish with refreshing hints.




The coal fired ribeye is limited in availability every night but if you're there early, you will be in luck. It is priced by the ounce and depending on the day, the kitchen prepares one or two different pre-cut sizes to choose from. In line with the concept of shared plates, the cut of steak is meant to be shared. Our medium rare steak, seasoned with steak salt and served with bearnaise sauce, was done to perfection. The piece of meat was tender at every bite. As expected in a ribeye, there were streaks of fat at the edge of the piece of meat. We did not eat the fat but it certainly enhanced the flavor of the entire steak from the cooking process.

The smashed red potatoes with chicken jus and roasted garlic is so smooth in texture that it feels like puree. How much flavor can the smashed potatoes have? The trick is probably the chicken jus. As we inched our way deeper into the potatoes, there was some remaining chicken jus at the bottom of the dish that was intentionally not combined with the rest of the potatoes in order to keep the potatoes moist. I also fell in love with the vintage enamel saucepan that was used to serve the potatoes.

The grilled asparagus with chili and drizzle of Meyer lemon is more of a light dish that is certainly welcoming after some of the more heavy dishes.

The bouchot mussels are prepared from a combination of white wine, herbs, and smoked paprika. Reflecting its freshness, the mussels were one of the softest and most tender we've had.

The desserts at Gilt Bar have never disappointed us during the the times we've been there. The offering of classic and old-fashioned ice cream flavors at Gilt Bar have been sorely lacking in contemporary restaurants these days with pastry chefs clamoring to let their dessert skills shine through. Sometimes you might just want to settle for a good old fashioned ice-cream for dessert and Gilt Bar has the answer ranging from cookie dough to mint chocolate chip. My personal favorite is the cookie dough ice-cream. Bonus points for serving the ice-cream in a frozen and frosted goblet.

On the dessert menu are also baked desserts and pies. We asked our server for recommendations and in her words, the sticky date cake with coffee ice-cream is the unsung hero among the dessert items. We could not agree more. The sound of a sticky date cake might conjure up images of a heavy and dense fruit cake but the sticky date cake was nowhere near dense. It was not airy but it was light and even a little spongy.

 

Other items on the menu that we are in love with are foie gras and pork liver mousse and hand rolled pasta that comes with a variety of preparations.

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Gilt Bar

230 West Kinzie Street

Chicago, IL 60654

Accolade

2011 Best Restaurateur Nominee, Brendan Sodikoff

2011 Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand