Well, it’s apparently taken me a full 7 weeks to process the emotions of this here experience, folks. Apparently that is a thing when one meets one’s idol!
Here’s the sitch: the folks at BOKA, a hub of fine dining in Chicago and the namesake of the restaurant group to which we owe Goats (Girl and, Duck Duck, and Little) and other gems, partnered with Coolest Man on the Planet Massimo Bottura to craft a meal inspired by Massimo’s life philosophy/mission. You may know Massimo as the guy from the first episode of Chef’s Table -- in addition to being the chef at one of the top 3 restaurants in the world, he has dedicated himself to alleviating food waste and feeding those in need. His organization, Food for Soul, has now operated several ‘refectories;’ local businesses donate food that would otherwise be thrown away, and world-class chef Massimo (and his world-class chef friends) prepare gourmet meals to be served to those in need of a meal. He is, no exaggeration, my idol, so when my dearest sister told me this meal was happening, we had to get in (shoutout to her boyfriend for getting us the last 2 available seats and forfeiting his spot so Sarah and I could go).
So, the day rolls around, and Sarah and I show up to the restaurant, and I immediately catch a glimpse of Massimo chatting with a table of diners. This initiated a cycle of me borderline hyperventilating and/or crying, and Sarah gently calming me and/or yelling at me to get my shit together (a theme of the night).
When we sat in our spacious corner booth, we were greeted with the first sign that this was a very special night -- the menus were all handmade out of recycled paper and vegetables and handwritten. I am glad the waiter told me they were not edible because I was 100% about to take a bite of the menu.
Diving into the meal, though -- first up was, as you see on the menu, cod skin and belly. The belly was crafted into a staggeringly light and flavorful dip, and the skin was fried to serve as crackers for the dip. Add on some picked fennel and giardiniera, and this was a leadoff homerun.
***INTERMISSION BECAUSE THIS IS WHEN MASSIMO CAME TO OUR TABLE***
Massimo came over (he stopped at every table to chat because he is a perfect angel) and I did my best to keep it together, telling him about my interest in food policy and that I lived in Bologna (20 minutes from Modena, where his restaurant is) for a year. He asked how we were enjoying the meal, took a photo with us (then demanded we take it again so the lighting would be better -- the man gets it) and then TOLD ME TO FOLLOW MY DREAMS? It was perfect. I had a nagging fear that he would be an asshole IRL and then I’d have to find a new idol, which would be a pain in the butt, but he was as kind, patient, and charismatic as I could have imagined. GO MASSIMO
***End intermission***
Next was Sarah’s sleeper favorite - carrot panzanella. Roasted carrots met fresh carrots (including both of their greens) in a bowl with crusty stale bread (a staple in anti-food waste meals) and dollops a lowkey majestic sunflower seed yogurt sauce. It was one of those dishes where every time you take a bite you discover another layer to it, and then because you’re discovering all these layers, you feel like you’re really in the know as a diner and like, know your shit.
Next was what I would have to say was my least favorite dish, although that’s like choosing a ‘least favorite puppy’ or a ‘least favorite Colin Firth film.’ This mushroom risotto was made with freekeh instead of rice and featured mushroom zabaione and fresh shaved maitake mushrooms. Although the flavor was truly to die for -- like Very Real Mushroom Flavor -- the freekeh was crunchy. It was interesting, but a little off-putting for me. But like mushroom risotto in general is one of my favorite foods. So this was still bomb. Let there be no confusion!
Next was a *BONUS COURSE* because we are Very Important. What up, cod! Our Course #1 cod mad a reappearance -- this time it was poached and served with pickled cauliflower and roe. Honestly, the fish was so freaking buttery it was like the best scallop I’d ever had. That is a major glo up for cod, to be honest. A nice transition into the gluttony to follow...
Meatballs AND cheesy black truffle bread boats (the best five words that have ever been strung together maybe?). These meatballs were not for the faint of heart -- I am a terrible blogger and forgot what meats they were made of, but one of them was someone’s belly. Whatever the ingredients were, they were some of the most flavor-packed and rich meatballs I’ve ever had, tempered slightly by the bright crunchy greens they were served with, and the cookie crumbs (I think!) on top.
Had nearly hit a food wall at this point, but made room for dessert -- banana peel ice cream with beignet and gold leaf. I will say, I totally get how the banana peel thing fits with the no waste theme. I struggle slightly to wrap my head around the idea of, oh, rampant gold waste, but I’ll let it slide because this dessert was fantastic. Bananas are so sweet, they can be cloying, and with a donut you’d think it would be overpowering, but the banana was light and subtle, and the bitter chocolate kept things on track.
Boka is #extra, so the check came with 3 different kinds of bon bons, if you will -- some meringue-like cookies with cocoa nibs, chocolate bark with candied orange peel, and a lovechild of a pecan cookie and a lemon bar.
Suffice it to say I left that dinner table much as one might leave a poker table after winning a bazillion dollars and doing a line... or at least that’s how I imagine it. And to top it off, my sister treated me as a birthday-Christmas present. Ain’t she the best?
Thx, Massimo. Thx, Boka. Thx, Sarah,
