MK in Chicago

Friday January 4

We had dated up one of our favorite people, Mary V., well in advance, for dinner at another of Holt's finds, MK.

It has a completely different ambience from Vivere - much more trendy and modern, with lots of exposed brick and chrome, especially on the lofty upper story where we were seated. A bit noisy, though I think that's what restaurant owners are after - they think it's "buzz." The menu is neo-cute (featuring "steak" and "another steak"), but the service is swift and friendly, and the emphasis is on local, seasonal food, creatively cooked. Despite the hype, MK achieves its aim.

We startered with roasted Nantucket scallops (not local, but what restaurant is, especially in winter?) on a citrusy foam, or to be precise, "meyer lemon, whipped potato, braised baby leek, crispy garlic, toasted almond, parsley emulsion." But who cares, it was ravishing. We also had grilled baby octopus with baby broccoli, baby leeks, and doubtless other neonates, in a romesco sauce. It didn't make us roll around in ecstasy like the octopus at Fino, but it was excellent nonetheless, especially when accompanied by a Groth sauvignon blanc.

We got some glasses of Syrah, though, when we made the transition to red, red meat. Despite having had it the night before, we went for venison again, this time slices of charcoal-grilled loin with parsnip purée, black trumpet mushrooms, and a whiff of juniper berries (reminding us of Julia, who got the essence of juniper by glugging gin into the pot). The bison ribeye was also grilled and sliced, but this time with "crushed nichols farm new potato" (what happened to "mashed"? And was there only one potato?), "bloomsdale spinach, hen of the woods mushrooms, and cabernet sauce." Both sent us into red-meat heaven.

None of us wanted to leave, so we continued schmoozing over coffee and cognacs. A memorable and entirely enjoyable evening.