CleverRoot

Windy City 7 0 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t IRENE VIRBILA'S SENSE OF PLATE WHEN THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION Restaurant Awards gala moved from New York to Chicago a few years ago, the city went all out to welcome the event. Every year since, it's been a nonstop celebration over three days. Chefs and everyone else who is in Chicago for the awards have taken the op- portunity to delve into the city's rich and remarkably varied restaurant scene. Grant Achatz's Alinea may be the best known and the most lauded, but Grace, Smyth, Oriole and Topolobampo aren't far behind. We all arrive with a long list of restaurants to try. Here are three of my favorites from this year's trip to Chicago. THREE RESTAURANTS HONORED BY THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION SHOWCASE AN ECLECTIC VARIETY OF CUISINE IN CHICAGO by S. Irene Virbila Leña Brava This year Rick Bayless's Topolobampo was honored as Outstanding Restaurant. Leña Brava is his new place, a tribute to Baja's seafood cooking, and everything here iscooked over the wood-fired grill or in the wood-fired oven. Start with Leña Fire, a subtle and sophisticated mezcal-based cocktail, while you look over the menu. Its two sections—Ice and Fire—list far too many intriguing-sounding dishes. The only strategy is to just plunge right in. How about freshly shucked oysters topped with a yuzu and arbol chile shaved ice, or a Baja yellowtail ceviche with coconut milk and chunks of creamy young coconut? A classic Baja-style seafood cocktail is a possibility, too, along with aguachiles (raw sea- food in a spicy broth) or laminados,thin slices of raw or cured fish with various garnishes. Fire comes into play with the butterflied striped bass, to order any of four ways, including the clas- sic Yucatecan-style tikin xik. Perfectly cooked, caramelized at the edges, the fish is rich pickings, enough to serve two or three. Wood oven–roasted black cod"al pastor,"rubbed with red chile and achiote,comes with a pile of fresh tortillas and a soothing pineapple-shiso salsa. How much can you eat? Have a shot of mezcal to make room forco- conut cream rice pudding with mango and a kaffir lime drizzle. Al pastor tacos get a spin with wood oven- roasted black cod rubbed with red chile and achiote, topped with pineapple-shiso salsa. Wining and Dining in the

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