Thursday, April 10, 2014

Schwa

Schwa is one of the restaurants in Chicago that I've wanted to go since I moved to Chicago. Helmed by Michael Carlson, Schwa has consistently been recognized for its creative and unconventional atmosphere. Schwa has also been known as one of the hardest restaurants to get in, as they only sit 26 people per night and they don't have a reservation system (they only take calls). Schwa is also know to have no boundary between the kitchen and the guests, chefs would come out to greet customer and bring out the dishes.



Movie Bites: (L-R) Sour Cherry Dots, Pizza Cotton Candy, Inside-out nacho, Popcorn Soda

To begin our meals, we are served with the amuse of movie bites. I started with the Sour Cherry Dots, which is essentially similar to a sour patch candy, a mix of sour and sweet. The Pizza Cotton Candy is actually my favorite, it's in the shape of cotton candy but tasted like a slice of pizza! The inside out nachos tasted exactly like nachos, except the cheese is encased in the shell. Last but not least, the popcorn Soda. It's definitely my least favorite thing out of these bites as it's tasted like a sour drink with no flavor it in.


Butternut & Squash - Candy Butternut, powder butternut, butternut Cantaloupe Gelee, butternut puree, curry cocoa nip, gooseberry

The next course has alot going on as there's alot of different puree of butternut squash.The many different components is fun to taste as they exude the sweetness from the squash, wrapping up with a little sweet cocoa nip and your pallet is cleansed with a sweet gooseberry. Quite a fun plate.



Quail Egg Ravioli - Parmesan & truffle

This is one of my favorite of the night and a stable of Schwa. A ravioli is served with Parmesan and truffle. It was creamy, buttery and earthy. The best part is the nice little pop you get from the quail egg when you eat the ravioli. This dish remind me a bit of the truffle explosion from Alinea


Chestnut Agnolotti - Shaved Chestnut, Chestnut Gastrique, Proscuitto, Persimmon Gelee

Another one of my favorites of the night. The nicely cooked pasta goes with a few shaved chestnut create an umami fusion of taste. The mild sweetness from the chestnut combined with a little butter really came through. The crispy prosciutto definitely added a nice little textural difference to the dish.


Carbonated Pears with Caviar, Basil Pudding, Olive Oil Powder, White Chocolate foam

True to Carlson's past, where he has worked at the Fat Duck, a carbonated Pear is served with different condiments. The pear is mildly sweet but has a really cool fizzle coming through it. Topped with a little caviar which gives the salty and briny flavor, this dish becomes a gastro fun plate of sweet, salty and fizzle. 


Tea and Trumpet - Poached Lobster, Earl Grey Tea Gel, Mushroom, Lavender bubble

A nicely butter poached lobster with trumpet mushroom. The lobster is nicely cooked, served with a bit of citrus and mushroom, which I like as it's relatively light.


Cuddle Fish - Apple Radish, Sunchoke-Lemongrass Panna Cotta, Parsley Cilantro and Oil, Apple Ice

The cuddle fish was marinated, frozen then shaved into pieces for this course. It really reminds me of a ceviche. The fish was served along with some apple ice, which was mildly sweet, but it covered up the fish flavor. However, the green juice that the fish was served is superbly refreshing. A little panna cotta was thrown into the dish, which was fun and added a nice little texture to the dish.


Thanksgiving Dinner - Sweetbreads, stuffing Puree, Foie Gras, Pomegranate Gelee, Aerated Potato, Mustard Green, Duck Skin, Pickle, Onion

A modern take of the thanksgiving dinner. The sweetbreads was tender and well seasoned. The puree was quite delicious, however, it's a bit on the saltier side. I do like the potato as it's quite fluffy and light. Along with the crispy duck skin, makes this a very hearty dish.



Antelope Trail Mix - Quinoa, Pistachio, Granola Foam, Cherry Puree

I have to say I have never had Antelope before and this is my first time. Our last savory course is a nicely cooked antelope topped with a trail mix of quinoa and pistachio, which is nice as it gives the nice little crunch. The antelope meat itself is quite interesting. It was quite soft, reminds me of a filet, but more squishy. The flavor is alot more mild compared to beef but it still carries a nice flavor.


Cheese Course - Chimay Cheese, Fermented Huckleberry, Corn Fennel Jello, Yeast Ice Cream

The cheese course is quite interesting as it reminds me of a cream brulee as there's a coat of sugar on the surface. The berry flavor mixed really well with the cheese as it's not very strong. 



Black Cow - Parsnip Ice Cream, Butterscotch Powder, Homemade Root beer

Our first dessert is a version of the black cow, with home made root beer and ice cream. We were instructed to roll the ice cream on a spoon then dump the ice cream into the root beer. It was definitely a delicious float. The root beer has less carbonation then the regular stuff but still carries the same nice flavor. It's actually does remind me more of a stout. Nevertheless, this is a nice bite.



Yellow Snow - Lemongrass, Coconut & Ginger Snow, Yellow Passion fruit Juice

First, we were instructed to put a crystal on our tongue, which numb our senses. Then we are to eat the yellow snow, which is a nice and fruity snow. The passion fruit really came through through the flavoring. However, it did overpower the snow's natural flavor. I do wish I can try the snow by itself first. 

Hot Cocoa

Our last course is a nice little warm cocoa bites. The bite was rich and creamy filled with warm chocolate inside. A good way to end the night.


Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Schwa quite a bit. A few of their dishes are quite original (such as their pizza cotton candy, the cuddle fish broth) and delicious (quail egg ravioli, chestnut Agnolotti). I like Carlson's take on the food, where he pushes the boundary but still able to make the food tastes good. Would I come back? It depends as it's quite difficult to get in (it only took me 1.5 years of randomly trying). But if a friend has an open seat, I would definitely go back.









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