SMYTH: Chicago’s Newest 3-Michelin Star Restaurant
SMYTH: Chicago’s Newest 3-Michelin Star Restaurant
by gourmand-anthony
6 Comments
gourmand-anthony
Went to Smyth back in January this year. One of the more interesting fine dining places I’ve tried – it doesn’t play it safe and that results in some standout dishes but also some that didn’t quite hit the mark for me. There was a comment on r/chicagofood a while ago that described Smyth as “kelp forward” and I’d say that’s pretty spot on.
All told, we spent roughly $500 per person for their 16-17 course tasting menu without wine pairing. Favorite of the night by far was the Lemon Leaf & Beeswax Parfait – probably one of the most unique and extraordinary desserts I’ve ever had. It somehow had texture and structure while also dissolving and vaporizing in my mouth – it was remarkable.
The savory dishes all had similar “winter tasting menu” flavors – umami, buttery, nutty, funky, etc. I really liked the Dungeness Crab & Almond and the Smoked Quail Egg but was decidedly not a fan of the overly seaweed heavy dishes like the Lobster Soup & Seaweed or the seaweed caramels they gave at the end. I also felt that some of the sauces were a bit too heavy for the dishes. For example, sauce completely dominated seafood in the BBQ King Crab & Rice Koji.
Apart from the food, the service was fantastic and one of the best I’ve experienced (we felt like the wait staff were able to anticipate our desires).
Would I go again? Probably not. But it was certainly an interesting experience.
msqaures
I want to go to Chicago so bad! It seems much more exciting than nyc these days.
[deleted]
[deleted]
Realistic_Basis
Such interesting flavors / pairing and simple plating love it
eosos
I fuckin love Smyth. Went back in 2018 and ended up having my engagement party there. Incredible restaurant from the food to the people
Sad_Living_8713
I went before they received their third star and felt the menu was rather repetitive in taste and style. They were very fond of their house made oils and used them in just about every course. They also had a somewhat gimmicky course where they were like your next course has been on the table the whole time and had us pull a large stalk of asparagus out of the flower vase on the table. It was a bit dorky. Service overall was pretty good though.
If you haven’t been, their sister restaurant in the basement, The Loyalist, has one of the best burgers in the city.
6 Comments
Went to Smyth back in January this year. One of the more interesting fine dining places I’ve tried – it doesn’t play it safe and that results in some standout dishes but also some that didn’t quite hit the mark for me. There was a comment on r/chicagofood a while ago that described Smyth as “kelp forward” and I’d say that’s pretty spot on.
All told, we spent roughly $500 per person for their 16-17 course tasting menu without wine pairing. Favorite of the night by far was the Lemon Leaf & Beeswax Parfait – probably one of the most unique and extraordinary desserts I’ve ever had. It somehow had texture and structure while also dissolving and vaporizing in my mouth – it was remarkable.
The savory dishes all had similar “winter tasting menu” flavors – umami, buttery, nutty, funky, etc. I really liked the Dungeness Crab & Almond and the Smoked Quail Egg but was decidedly not a fan of the overly seaweed heavy dishes like the Lobster Soup & Seaweed or the seaweed caramels they gave at the end. I also felt that some of the sauces were a bit too heavy for the dishes. For example, sauce completely dominated seafood in the BBQ King Crab & Rice Koji.
Apart from the food, the service was fantastic and one of the best I’ve experienced (we felt like the wait staff were able to anticipate our desires).
Would I go again? Probably not. But it was certainly an interesting experience.
I want to go to Chicago so bad! It seems much more exciting than nyc these days.
[deleted]
Such interesting flavors / pairing and simple plating love it
I fuckin love Smyth. Went back in 2018 and ended up having my engagement party there. Incredible restaurant from the food to the people
I went before they received their third star and felt the menu was rather repetitive in taste and style. They were very fond of their house made oils and used them in just about every course. They also had a somewhat gimmicky course where they were like your next course has been on the table the whole time and had us pull a large stalk of asparagus out of the flower vase on the table. It was a bit dorky. Service overall was pretty good though.
If you haven’t been, their sister restaurant in the basement, The Loyalist, has one of the best burgers in the city.