Chi-Town, C-House

Once transferred from the City by the Lake to the City by the Bay, I never quite abandoned my Sweet Home Chicago nostalgia. Every visit back still holds and fulfills a promise of all things Midwestern – architecture (Frank Lloyd Wright, Sullivan, Burnham, van der Rohe, Frank Gehry…); art and history (The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, The Art Institute, MCA); theatre (The Joffrey Ballet, Lookingglass, The Second City); shopping (Marshall Field’s, Oak Street, American Girl), and that Italian beef sandwich (au jus on white bread, green peppers and all)...mm…dreamy. Yeah, the weather, but it makes us tougher. What California sissy can endure digging out her car from a solid ice cube, accumulated overnight in the wake of a show plow? Or swimming in icy Michigan in July when air temp climbs to a solid hundred and humidity turns city streets into a sauna – you say, YOU’RE having a bad hair day? Meanwhile, from the Big Apple to the Big Onion Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, NYC made his footprint in downtown Chicago with the opening of C-House Restaurant at Affinia Hotel less than a year ago. Steps from the Magnificent Mile enter a Brazilian Arthur Casas-designed space, filled with the culinary wonders of the Ethiopian-Swedish-American star chef. The “fish and chops” C-House is brimming with youthful energy in the kitchen, and emits a kind of romantic calm in the dining room. Copper pots and pans hanging over the open work area reflect in spherical copper lampshades over the tables. Soft light is streaming from the floor-to-ceiling windows, and lingers on warm wood panels and glassed nautical photographs on the walls. Seth Siegel-Gardner, the executive chef with a movie-star last name, who worked with Samuelsson in New York, and sous chef David Ford put some whimsical tidbits on the menu – the likes of honeydew granita to accompany oysters from both coasts, or crab salad mini wraps made of house-pickled Granny Smith apples dressed with bacon vinaigrette. I marveled at a spring pea soup with crab/cheese balls and tomato confit, enjoyed a pouched duck egg over green and white asparagus in house-made hollandaise, but what blew me away was a plate of pork ravioli – fanned out in mussel and clam consommé, topped with thinly shaved celery, radishes and gouda – graceful, delicate – a ballerina among dishes. Since menu items contain much more that meets the eye on a printed sheet, our server, James, made sure every course was properly introduced and paired with some excellent Australian malbec or California char from a well-prepared wine list. The Candy Bar is a natural choice for dessert, with already famous pistachio brittle, salted fudge brownies, rocky road truffles, and (my fave) sour candied wedges of lemon, lime, and orange. Mmm… childhood. Now I’ve got a destination restaurant to drool about until the next visit to my hometown. Forget the weather, I think I’ll be back soon. Photography by Yuri Krasov. 1. C-House open kitchen. 2. and 3. Dining room views. 4. This reporter developed an instant rapport with David Ford and James Albanese of C-House. 5. – 8. Masterpieces from the menu.