CheekyChicago

Last night I went on a “girl date.” Platonically speaking, it was one of the best dates I’ve had in while.I recently made an awesome new friend and she and I decided it was high-time to get dressed up, pick a new, fabulous restaurant, make a rezo for two and be cheeky.But where to go?Located in Bucktown, with a killer wine list, contemporary small plates, a trendy crowd and communal tables – Duchamp was a no-brainer.

So, we started the night off cheeky and ordered two specialty cocktails to share. There really are no words to describe how good the “Suzanne” was, made with St. Germain, vodka, house-made ginger syrup, fresh lemon and soda – only to say that it was as good as the “White Knight”, made with Grey Goose L’Poire, ginger liqueur, simple syrup and lime juice.We finished them before the apps were ordered, noting that getting tipsy with a girlfriend on a Saturday night outdoes most anything.Luckily, we had a very cheeky waitress who understood and let us take our time in selecting the duck rillette tartine with cauliflower purée, the lobster bisque with tempura crostini and the “East Meets West” hot wings with soy mayo. Um, well…we cleared all of our small plates. In fact, clearing plates was a recurring theme throughout our entire three-hour dinner. I love a gal who can eat the way I do – a true sign of a true friend.

After the malbec and pinot noir had been served (gradually getting tipsier…), we buckled down and got down to chapter two: large plates. Oh the choices! Since everything looked incredibly edible, settling on the Bouillabaisse was tricky. But the coconut curry broth with a tender filet of sea bass, steamed mussels, rock shrimp and mushroom caps was flavor perfection. And said new friend’s roasted roulade of salmon was the best piece of pink fish I’ve tried in a while.

Nothing goes better with dessert than champagne, so we toasted to sugar. That is, to the steamed chocolate-dry, sour cherry pudding cake with Armagnac ice cream and a plate of mini chocolate cupcakes and homemade ice cream sandwiches.By the time dessert was, well, cleared – I had a sneaking suspicion that Duchamp was intended to be a girl-date destination. (C’mon – cupcakes and ice cream sandwiches on the same plate?)

So go to Duchamp, bring your best gal pal, eat a cupcake (or two) and raise a glass to good food and even better company – the best kind of company: friends.