New blue stays true
New chef brings fresh hue to one sixtyblue. By Nancy Ross Ryan
Food photography: Laurie Proffitt
Interior photography: Stuart-Rodgers Photography
I love happy endings: His successor (as of mid-January), Executive Chef Martial Noguier, has not only painstakingly preserved the high culinary standards but, more important, he brings a special gift to one sixtyblue -- his very spirited, highly original approach to fine cooking. After dining there several times in the past two months I am convinced not only that his dishes and presentations can't be found in other Chicago restaurants (unless he is imitated -- a compliment), but that the fun has just begun.
A native of France, Noguier trained with two superstar French chefs: Alain Ducasse and Jacques Maximin. He has also been the chef de cuisine at Joachim Splichal's Patina and Michel Richard's Citrus, both in Los Angeles. And he was executive chef at Michel Richard's Citronelle restaurant with locations in Santa Barbara and Washington, D.C. Nougier's position as the executive chef of the luxurious Jumby Bay Resort in the West Indies contributed a tropical, exotic dimension to his cooking, which pops up unexpectedly to delight and excite. For example, a recent hot appetizer, Sautéed Mississippi Whole Boneless Quail with Whipped Plantains and Rum-Ginger Sauce ($12), was a wonderful twist on ingredients and flavors -- plantains garnished with a crisp banana chip instead of sweet or white potatoes, and rum-ginger sauce instead of the usual poultry reduction or demi-glace. The quail, by the bye, was boneless except for the little leg bone and absolutely perfectly cooked (admittedly according to my taste). That is to say that it had caramelized slightly crispy skin on the outside and was fully cooked (not raw and gamey, thank you!) on the inside, but it remained juicy and fork-tender. Prior to coming to one sixtyblue Noguier was executive chef at the renovated Pump Room, where he rekindled the flame that had once upon a time made it Chicago's most famous restaurant.
One of the welcome changes I notice a la Noguier is that the portions are just slightly larger than before. This is a good thing for the customer -- too much of a good taste is never enough -- but may be a bad thing for revenues. Once I got wise that the hot appetizers and pastas are ampler than before I got the idea of sometimes eating two appetizers instead of an entree. One self-indulgent evening I treated myself to Tartar of Yellow Fin Tuna a la Niçoise ($12), and then Homemade Gnocchi with Rock Shrimp, Asparagus and Lobster-Tarragon Sauce ($10.50). The tuna used in the tartar is sushi-quality and Noguier layers it in a slightly asymmetrical rectangle rather than the by-now familiar tightly wound cylinder. The plate is scattered with miniaturized components of the classic Niçoise salad: quartered quail eggs, black olives, poached fingerling potatoes, huge caper berries, diced tomatoes, tender green beans, a sprig of frisée and a couple spoons of basil vinaigrette. "Yes!" I muttered to my dining companion, "a new take on tuna tartare."
The lobster gnocchi are, of course, house made. Perfect little pillows of pasta share the bowl with tender little rock shrimp, cuts of young green asparagus, some sliced mushrooms not mentioned in the menu description (Shiitake? Porcini? who cares -- they are delicious), and it was all lightly napped in a lobster-tarragon sauce.
By that time I had room only for a salad, so I ordered the Baby Romaine Caesar Salad ($9.50). The Romaine lettuce leaves were young and tender, the dressing was redolent but not reeking of garlic and anchovy, the country croutons were small, crunchy slices of good bread, and the crisp Parmesan tuile that crowned the salad was dynamite.
The chef plans to change the menu monthly, so the Boneless Rabbit Loin with mascarpone Polenta, Rillette of Rabbit and Black Beans ($13) may not be there when you next visit. Too bad: The sliced, succulent rabbit loin was served (like the quail appetizer) in a large, wide-rimmed white bowl. It sat on a cheese-enriched, velvety polenta. The rabbit rillettes are tender shards of rabbit (I'm guessing leg) that have been cooked with and consequently flavored by rosemary. And the savory, earth black beans provide the sauce. The combination of flavors, textures and contrast of dark and light colors in this dish are downright seductive.
I mentioned that given the larger portions two appetizers is one way to go. But the entrees are so appealing that there is little danger that diners will stay exclusively with starter courses. Unless they fall under the seasonal spell of a special of the day I enjoyed one evening: an appetizer of six tiny Oysters on the Half Shell with a Lemon Mignonette Sauce ($12). The oysters were bedded on a plate of fragrant seeds and spices and the mignonette included a tiny baton-cut of crisp daikon.
When the opening executive chef Patrick Robertson (a CIA graduate whose impressive resume included a stint at New York's Le Cirque) left one sixtyblue last year -- for destinations still unknown -- finding a replacement must have seemed easy. (One can imagine the resumes stacking up, the calls to restaurant principal David Zadikoff piling up, and the chefs lining up for interviews.) Finding the right replacement must have been hard, because Robertson's culinary style had established the restaurant as a New American dining destination, and I was among the many admirers of his way with seasonal ingredients and seafood.
Left: Soft-shell crabs with cucumber and tomato sandwich.
Right: Crispy hazelnut and chocolate bar with mango sauce.
Another outstanding seafood entree sampled was Yellow Edge Grouper with Vegetable Bouillabaisse, Black Mussels and Black Olive Tapenade ($26). Again two fillets of perfectly cooked grouper -- tender yet toothsome -- were served with assorted tender brothy vegetables, two large glistening black mussels and a dollop of briny chopped black Mediterranean olive relish.
The entrees are few in number but, combined with the specials of the day, take in everything from seafood to game (Roasted Venison Rack with Chestnut Dumpling, Baby Button Mushrooms, Caramelized Pearl Onions and Tart Cherry Sauce, $27) to meat which includes pork, beef and lamb. I am very fond of Nougier's way with lamb which changes as the menu changes. One of my previous favorites was Roasted Lamb with a Tian (shallow casserole) of Eggplant Purée, Tomato Concassé (coarsely chopped mixture), Baby Spinach and a Roasted Garlic Sauce ($24.50). The Mediterranean flavors of the eggplant, tomato, spinach and garlic were a perfect complement to the rosy, tender lamb slices. Now I notice the menu has changed to Duet of Lamb-Rack and Mignonette with Tomato Chutney, California Ratatouille and Goat Fromage Blanc ($25).
My most exciting dinner of all came after Noguier added the new special cheese menu. His menu always included a Selection of Artisans Cheese and Dried Fruit from Sofia Solomon ($15) on the appetizer menu and on the dessert menu. But what is new about the cheese menu is that it lists four composed cheese plates that add new dimensions of texture and flavor to the cheese course. For example: Tart of Fourme d'Ambert with Puff Pastry and Roasted Anjou Pear ($9); Quenelle of Goat Fromage Blanc with Baby Beet Salad and White Truffle Oil ($9); Camembert de Normandie with Mâche Salad, Summer Black Truffle and Aged Balsamic Vinegar ($9); Carles Roquefort with Poached Fresh Figs and Port Wine Reduction ($9). And, in case you have a little wine left from the entree course, the chef's new cheese menu suggests single servings of cheese with which "to finish your white -- or your red" wine.
In addition to Noguier, Pastry Chef Raul Reynoso had joined the staff, bringing the desserts, which had previously lagged a little behind the other menu courses, to a new level. His White Chocolate Bread Pudding ($9) is baked in a round form and unmolded, leaving a perfect little moist bread pudding absolutely saturated in white chocolate, served with a little pool of vanilla crème anglaise. (Any white dessert has fewer calories than dark desserts -- right?) His Baked Alaska with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream ($9) is whimsical take on the clunky American dessert of a square or triangle of ice cream baked with a meringue topping. This dessert sports a piped topping of delicately browned meringue atop truly delicious vanilla ice cream, a rich caramel sauce and a sprinkling of toasted almonds.
And a new general manager, Myron Markewycz (a Lettuce Entertain You veteran who helped open Michael Kornick's Nine), seems to have both tightened service and lightened the restaurant's mood and ambiance -- a neat trick.
Meanwhile, I recently heard Noguier discussing bringing in some kind of topiary shrubbery -- just to see how everyone liked it -- to soften? enliven? Adam Tihany's modernist design of the building that was once a pickle factory. I can't wait to see what's next.
