Sixteen - Living Large Like Trump
Wow...Sixteen is a meal to remember. Once again I was extremely fortunate to join a family friend on business for dinner at the Trump International Hotel and their signature restaurant. In true Trump style, the space takes your breath away. You enter the dining room through a short hallway lined on either side with bottle after bottle of wine's you could only dream of opening. The dining room itself has 30 foot ceilings and one of the most gorgeous crystal chandeliers you may ever see. The service is executed with near military precision, at one point 6 waiters came out at the same time to plate a dish together.
The menu itself is a story. I mean that literally, their signature 16 course menu is an excerpt from a story that symbolizes the winter season. That concept than translates to the plate as a progression of courses that tells a similar story about a progression from a cold winter night, thru a forest, into a warm home. Given our heavy meal last night, we decided to do the 8 course menu (a sampling of the same story).
This meal challenged my taste buds and I will not be able to describe the flavors in every dish, but I assure you it was all delicious. Let the story begin:
The meal began with a few winter snacks that you eat with your hand. The chestnuts were served warm. The minced meat pie was flakey and well seasoned, while the apple cider was warm and comforting.
Minced Meat Pie and Hot Apple Cider
dawn breaking - blood orange meringue elderflower field
This course was very light and teased the taste buds with cold hints of citrus.
Another well dressed waiter brought out a tray of ~6 different types of bread offerings, including one filled with bacon! We were also given a selection of artisan 'butters' to enjoy.
Fresh Bread - Mini Baguette, Bacon, and Salted Ciabatta
Trio of 'Butters' - Spreadable Olive Oil, Cow's Milk Butter, Goat's Milk Butter
stillness of ice - fennel oyster iced sturgeon caviar
This course had a lot of texture and subtle flavors. The sturgeon was smoked and was very delicious.
a white storm - sablefish daikon sake seaweed
As a preface, the course was served with plate of seaweed that had hot water poured over table-side to bring out the aroma. The dish itself was delicious and aromatic.
winter’s woods - lentil pine cep truffled roots
This course was very earthy and had slices of black truffle throughout the lentils.
a welcome homecoming - pickled foie gras hearth spices borscht
This course had a rich fatty flavor from the foie as well as strong flavors and aromas of nutmeg, cardamon, and beets.
the festive table - rib of beef brussel sprouts yorkshire
This was my favorite course of the night. The wagyu beef was incredibly tender and well flavored, the brussel sprouts were fried crispy, and the yorkshire pudding was delicate and delicious. To top that off there was a crispy roll filled with bone marrow that was absolutely fantastic.
Cheese Course - clay potato coals raclette onion brûlée
The cheese was fried crispy on a skillet table side before being paired with potato and an onion puree.
Palette Clenser - lemon sorbetto pop rocks
This was a creative and fun way to cleanse the palettes before the dessert courses.
a frosted and silent night - chestnut mont blanc hazelnut
Underneath the cloud of milk was a chocolate/hazelnut crunchy deliciousness.
nightcap by the fireside - chocolate cookie sponge ice milk
This course had all the flavors of cookies and milk. This is the reason the pasty chef was nominated yesterday for outstanding pastry chef by the James Beard Foundation.
To end the meal the roll out this cart filled with house-made candy inspired by the tastes of Chicago. It was playful, fun, and delicious.
'candy' - inspired by chicago
'candy' - cracker jacks, almond and cherry, andes mint, tootsie roll, apricot jelly, passionfruit jelly, peanut butter & chocolate
All of this delicious food was paired was 13 different wines. An delicious meal and unforgettable dining experience. I feel incredibly fortunate enough to have friends who can help me to experience cuisine like this.
