CheekyChicago

Chicago is chock-full-of history. Al Capone, the Great Fire, the (in)famous Daleys. It’s always interesting, and quite rare, when Chicago’s culinary scene kicks back to our incredibly rich, vibrant past. Contemporary Sepia is housed in an 1890’s print shop, where memorabilia from the city’s bygone era still permeates the place. How cool…a contemporary restaurant in a very un-contemporary, 120-year-old venue. I love the dichotomy.

We started with cocktails. There are no stale, old-time recipes here. No way, Jose. I indulged in the Imperial Breakfast (which I highly recommend): Bombay Sapphire, local apricot jam, Aperol (an Italian aperitif), lime juice, mint and yellow chartreuse rinse. A little on the sweet side, but a perfect starter. The best was yet to come. I ordered an Alsatian (my all-time fave) pinot blanc, but the awesome waiter brought us out another (Alsatian) bottle that he liked better. Get this…for the same price! Now that’s service.

I was very reluctant to order the next dish, probably because the physical shape of a non-calamaried octopus kind of grosses me out. That, and a few nights prior, I ordered octopus for the first time at a neighboring (and unnamed) restaurant and had a horrible experience. This Sepia-bred, charred baby octopus with toasted baguette and tomato sauce was delicious. No fishy flavor and the charring was perfect. We also ordered two different flatbreads – wild mushrooms, kale and garlic; and applewood smoked bacon, bleu cheese and pear. I really don’t like bleu cheese, but I totally dig mushrooms, kale and garlic. They were great.

I came to Sepia when it first opened and had one of the best veal dishes of my life. Did I think they were going through some growing pains? Sure. However, my dish was perfect. So, 1 ½ years later, I ordered it again. Veal short ribs, mint noodles and truffle butter. Yeah, I’m not on much of a diet these days. It was rich, excessively decadent and meaty, and I loved every last caloric bite. Dessert was a little less memorable, however, but I do believe it consisted of a sweet pecan pie and its much better counterpart – a deconstructed peanut butter cup.

I left Sepia overly satisfied (in a good way) and full of Alsatian wine. I’m glad I came back after all this time. Now that they’re in their groove approximately 16 months later, they’re like a well-oiled machine…kinda like the sepia printing press.