For my second evening in Chicago, I made a reservation at a Japanese restaurant located in West Loop, the neighborhood where I used to live when I was based in this city.
The concept
The concept is quite straightforward: a high-end Japanese restaurant that avoids the easy trap of going down the fusion route.
The setting
The setting is very successful, with dark wood tones and several seating areas facing the sushi masters, as well as a very lively bar.
The menu
The menu is very well crafted, with an abundant selection of starters and a refined sushi offering.
The meal and the dishes
To start the meal, I chose a Japanese single malt whisky.
I then ordered a selection of sushi.
The miso soup was excellent.
The edamame was a little bland, which was a shame.
The sushi rice, overall, was not seasoned enough, and both the temperature and cooking were not fully under control.
Unfortunately, the eel was not warm enough, the scallop was very delicate, and the fatty tuna was not quite melt-in-the-mouth enough. Disappointing.
Service
The service was very attentive, although my waiter was a little shy.
The atmosphere
The atmosphere is very successful, with fairly moderate music and limited echo. Let’s say it felt like a Parisian brasserie, which is to say almost silent when compared to the American average.
Bottom line
A good experience overall, but the sushi could have been significantly better. A real shame.
Itinerary Followed
As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:
| # | Type | Post |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notebook | Business Trip to Chicago |
| 2 | Lounge | American Airlines Admirals Club, Boston Logan (unreported) |
| 3 | Flight | American Airlines Domestic First, Boston Logan – Chicago O’Hare, Boeing 737-800 |
| 4 | Hotel | JW Marriott Chicago |
| 5 | Restaurant | Momotaro, Chicago |
| 6 | Lounge | American Airlines Flagship First, Chicago O’Hare – Boston Logan |
| 7 | Flight | American Airlines Domestic First, Chicago O’Hare – Boston Logan, Boeing 737-800 |
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