A Taste of Chicago

By Sara Faith Alterman

Last week I spent five days in Chicago, on a somewhat business, somewhat pleasure endeavor. My boyfriend, Sam, had to attend a conference in the Windy City, and since it’s easily one of my favorite places in the country, I tagged along. Our trip happened to coincide with the Chicago Improv Festival, so we took in a bunch of hilarious shows at places like Second City and Improv Olympic. The real highlight of the trip, however, was the food, particular our sinfully indulgent “last hurrah” meal at Vermilion.   

Vermilion is an exciting and much-buzzed-about Latin/Asian fusion restaurant, owned by former McKinsey & Co. management consultant Rohini Day. In the kitchen is Executive Chef Maneet Chaunan, who studied cooking in India and in New York.

When we first got to Vermilion, Sam and I were waiting for a friend to join us, so we decided to grab a drink in the lobby lounge area. Having worked with Chef Chaunan last year on a beverage segment for New Asian Cuisine, I knew that she makes a lot of “refresher” drinks from scratch, to order, back in the kitchen, as opposed to at the bar. I was super excited to see that Vermilion has decided to kick up these refreshers by spiking them with booze, because man, do I love a good cocktail. I ordered a Blueberry Cardamom Fizz, which tastes exactly as it sounds. An amazing blend of berries and warm, cardamom spice, imbued with bubbles, thanks to champagne. Sam tried the sangria, and it was unlike any of the straight-up Spanish versions I have ever had—it was potent and earthy, with a lovely bouquet of cloves. That definitely got our meal off to an impressive start.

Once our third joined us, we were led to a huge table in the back, where we had a great view of the action. Almost immediately, Chef Chaunan came out of the kitchen to say hello. She is one of the warmest, funniest people I have ever had the pleasure of interviewing, and the fact that she cooks incredible food gives her a million gold stars in my book. (Unfortunately, Rohini wasn’t around; we had played an epic game of phone tag the week before, but weren’t able to make our schedules line up. Next time! )

We ordered off the menu, but Chef Chaunan only used that as a jumping off point for our meal, because the food just kept coming and coming and coming and then there was more and then even more. I’ll try to remember everything! We started with a few small plates. The first was shredded boar on a fried plantain, topped with queso fresco and finished with a gently spicy chutney. Then came a banana leaf cone filled with artichoke pakoras, which are essentially lightly-battered and fried artichoke hearts, which is, in my opinion, the best thing you can possibly do to an artichoke. Finally, we were served what can only be described as the most adorable and fun finger food I have ever experienced; juhu ki pani puri, which are delicate pastry shells filled with spiced beans and potatoes. There’s an accompanying mint sauce, which you pour into the shell right before you pop it in your mouth. Our waiter described it as “a frivolous street food,” and we all absolutely loved it. Interactive food always makes dinner more fun!

For me, the highlight of the meal came next; our soup course. Chef Chaunan adapted one of her entrees into a smaller version for us—the caldeirada de peixe, which is a traditional Brazilian seafood stew. It was brimming with succulent shrimp, mussels, and fish, all floating in a sea of Indian spiced broth that was made from, among other things, coconut milk, coriander, and ginger. It was simply phenomenal, and with each creamy, cilantro-infused bite, I was a little bit sad that I was one spoonful closer to being finished.

Drinks were done at this point, so we grabbed another round. This time, I tried a Coconut Saffron Cream, spiked with vanilla vodka, and our companion braved the Strawberry (No Cream), which included fresh strawberry puree and balsamic vinegar. She’s Italian, and claims she can drink balsamic by the bottle, so she was riled up about this drink. Mine was everything you’d expect and then some, more like a dessert in a glass than a singular cocktail, and the Strawberry (No Cream)? Delightful. An excellent balance of complex sweetness with a hint of vinegary pucker.

My entrée was simply gorgeous. I ordered a oaxacan crab crepe that was accompanied by a square of red quinoa that looked like a cocoa rice krispie treat had been perched on my plate, and garnished by a crispy papadam. Now, it’s tough to make quinoa, the nectar of the hippie gods, taste good, so the fact that I was practically licking my plate is a sign of the success of this dish. The crepe was savory, dense, and satisfying, and was really well complimented by the texture of the papadam.

Finally, who could skip dessert? Again, Chef Chaunan sent out what seemed like an endless stream of yumminess, including a version of molten chocolate cake that was literally oozing with worldly sophisticated. Rightfully called the Hedonism, this sinful sucker was perfectly moist and laden with a few varieties of sauce, including mole, which is probably my favorite sauce in the world. This may, in fact, be what ultimate pleasure tastes like.

We practically rolled out the door when we were finished, but not before engaging in some tipsy people watching; we were tipsy and the people were, especially the middle-aged couple who were shamelessly making out at a corner table. But hey, the food at Vermilion is ignited with passion, so it makes sense that diners would be, too.