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| (Image from www.artofeating.com) |
[The English poet and
hymnodist William Cowper (1731-1800) said it best in his poem “The Task” (1785): “…Variety is the very spice of life,
That gives it all its flavor...” For me, everything
I approach, I try to do so openly, and with a curiosity to learn from that new
experience, and then apply it often.]
Today’s edition focuses
on the newest restaurant to open its doors in the Chicago-area…Michael Jordan’s
Restaurant (Oak Brook, IL). This new restaurant is Michael Jordan’s second
signature restaurant in the Chicago-area.
The eponymous name celebrates one of the elites of the NBA, a much-loved
member of sport’s royalty and one of Chicago’s sport’s greats. You’ll definitely love his new
restaurant. Enjoy!
~ The Legend ~
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| (Image from www.si.com) |
Although I’m not a diehard Chicago sport’s fan, I’ll admit that out of all of the pro sport’s
team games I’ve attended, I’ve never had the pleasure of attending a Bull’s game. Michael
Jordan had a fourteen-year tenure as a Chicago
Bull 1984-1998 (except for a
brief departure from basketball to pursue baseball); he is credited with
helping to deliver his team to multiple NBA
Championships. For a
native-Chicagoan, like myself (or for anyone else for that matter) to not get
caught up with the frenzy and delirium of Michael
Jordan’s greatness, the team, their heart-stopping playing, and the “fever”
that captivated the city, a person would have to be on life-support. In the early 1990s, I began to respect the
game of basketball and especially Michael
Jordan’s sport’s prowess. He made
the game magic! Michael
Jordan will forever remain a sport’s legend, and consummate sport’s figure;
and, whether it was in basketball, baseball, or golf, no matter what he became
involved in, he always excelled at it, and was successful.
Today, he has also proven himself to be a successful
restaurateur. His first signature restaurant,
Michael Jordan’s Steak House Restaurant,
located in the Hotel InterContinental
on Chicago’s tony Mag Mile, has been
serving up excellent food fare since 2011. And with his latest signature
restaurant in Oak Brook, Michael Jordan’s Restaurant will no
doubt also prove to be a huge success.
~ The Restaurant ~
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| (Photo by T. Herman) |
“Dine like a
legend. Greatness is the game at Michael
Jordan’s Restaurant. Combining a vibrant
environment that brings classic entrees to the floor, and an all-star roster of
craft beers, wines, and spirits, this is a dining experience worthy of the
greatness of all time. Game on.”
Michael Jordan’s
Restaurant is conveniently located off of Interstate 88 and across the street from the upscale Oak Brook Mall. Living in the area, I’m quite familiar with
the Mall and its large concentration
of restaurants, many of which I’ve dined at.
Michael Jordan’s Restaurant is
definitely a cut above.
The Restaurant is
huge and will appeal to sport’s enthusiasts with an upscale bar area, where they can get their game fix by watching the
latest on jumbo televisions, while dining and quaffing a few. It’ll also appeal to those who want to
distance themselves from the bar area
in the upscale dining area, where
they can leisurely enjoy delicious food fare and beverages. The extensive menu features specialty wines, craft beers, cocktails, and
spirits; for Openers, there are appetizers, soups, salads, and a raw bar;
for the Mains, there are sandwiches, entrees, steaks, sides, and
add-ons. The building where the
sprawling Restaurant is located also
offers a lobby Coffee Bar & Market
that offers coffee, pastries, salads, sandwiches, and snacks for those in a
hurry or looking for an exceptional breakfast or lunch repast on-the-go.
~ The Dining Experience ~
Although we arrived a bit early for our dinner appointment,
we were seated within a few minutes and given ample time to peruse the
extensive dinner menu, and separate beverage menu. Leo, our waiter, introduced
himself and happily answered our questions about menu items, how they were
prepared, and what to expect. Quick note
~ the Restaurant uses seasonal fresh
ingredients sourced from local farms in Illinois,
Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan and delivered daily.
First Pour ~ Two beautiful Rosé wines were enjoyed. One pour was Guggenheim (Argentina); this sparkling Rosé
had a lovely pastel rouge to it; tasting notes were fresh, crisp, fruity, and
quite dry; overall, it reminded me of a Prosecco. The other pour was Liquid Geography (Spain);
this Rosé had a very pale blush to it, noticeably paler in color than
the other wine; the tasting notes were fresh, crisp, fruity, and slightly
sweet.
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| (Photo by T. Herman) |
Appetizer ~ The Signature
Garlic Bread was grilled crispy ciabatta bread enrobed in a rich and creamy
Roth Käse buttermilk blue cheese fondue; the blue cheese fondue
added a nice counterpoint to the garlic ciabatta; a detractor to this otherwise
delicious appetizer was that the ciabatta was grilled too crispy and too hard.
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| (Photo by T. Herman) |
Salad ~ The 23 Ingredient
Chopped Salad was prepared tableside by Omar. The number of ingredients in this delicious
salad is an homage to Michael Jordan’s
Chicago Bull’s jersey number, which was officially retired by the team
after he left. This is a Chopped Salad on steroids with all of
the fresh ingredients used, like Romaine,
Arugula, and Iceberg lettuces, avocado, egg, Nueske bacon, chives, Kalamata
olives, asparagus, radishes, grated cheese, pickled red and yellow onions, roasted
red bell pepper, sweet corn, parsley, MightyVine grape tomatoes, croutons, etc.;
this delicious fresh and crispy Salad
was dressed with a grapeseed and red wine
vinaigrette.
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| (Photo by T. Herman) |
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| (Photo by T. Herman) |
Main Entrées ~ For my guest: Lake Superior Whitefish sautéed with capers, preserved lemon, Marcona almonds,
and brown butter. I was able to
taste some of this; this delicious dish was beautifully prepared to preserve
the delicate and sweet flavor of the fish; the preparation items added to the
overall flavor profile. For
myself: Slagel Farm’s Chicken that was oven
roasted using a citrus marinade, and served over a MightyVine tomato panzanella salad and drizzled with a balsamic
reduction. The Chicken was the star of this dish; it was moist, juicy, and sweet,
and could’ve stood alone without the salad.
For my taste, I thought the panzanella salad’s vinaigrette was too
pungent and over-powered the sweet and delicate flavor of the chicken; the
balsamic reduction also was too tart for the chicken, and the croutons were
grilled to crispy.
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| (Photo by T. Herman) |
Sides ~ Yukon Gold Mashed
Potatoes prepared with heavy cream
and brown butter; these were decadently rich and fabulous. Asparagus
steamed and dressed with lemon and Grana
Padano; the asparagus was wilted and over cooked; both the lemon and cheese
flavors were hard to taste.
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| (Photo by T. Herman) |
Dessert ~ My guest celebrated her birthday and was presented with
a beautiful chocolaty dessert plate; she was also presented with a signed Michael Jordan Birthday Card (classy touch!).
For me, I went off menu and had a scoop
of vanilla bean ice cream that was served with their rich and buttery in-house
baked shortbread cookies; this simple dessert was delicious.
Coffee ~ We enjoyed rich and bold Metric Coffee; it was delicious; this Chicago-based company offers small batches of artisanal roasted
coffee.
~
Chef Chatter ~
I was able to briefly chat with
the Restaurant’s Sous Chef, James Henry. What motivates Chef Henry is the bounty of fresh, locally sourced ingredients that
allows he and the other Chefs to
create traditional recipes at the peak of their flavor, with modern twists to
the recipe, making each selection all the more uniquely flavorful. The Restaurant
Menu offers traditionally delicious comfort food selections, as well as
healthy options, so carnivore, vegetarian, or vegan hasn’t any excuse not to find
something to tantalize their taste buds.
In addition to locally sourced items capturing peak flavors, it also
makes sense to support local economies that benefit the farmer; utilizing
locally sourced items also contributes to reducing freight costs. Chef
Henry is excited about all of the culinary possibilities the new Restaurant offers. At Michael
Jordan’s Restaurant, culinary creativity is on display, and the results are
impressive.
~ Resources ~
Michael Jordan’s
Restaurant uses the following locally sourced signature brands in their
menu preparations and offerings.
Linz Heritage Beef
http://www.linzheritageangus.com
Metric Coffee https://metriccoffee.com
MightyVine Tomatoes http://www.mightyvine.com
Nueske’s https://www.nueskes.com
Roth Käse Cheese http://www.rothcheese.com
Salemville Cheese http://www.salemville.com
~ Why the Difference…In His Own
Words ~
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| (Image from www.theclio.com) |
“I’ve missed more than
9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost 300
games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to
take the game winning shot and missed.
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
This commitment to excellence is what the new Michael Jordan’s Restaurant exemplifies,
and it doesn’t disappoint. For more
information on this outstanding dining experience that’s based on the Legendary Michael Jordan, visit https://michaeljordansrestaurant.com
EDITOR'S NOTE: From 1993 until 1999, there was a previous Michael Jordan's Restaurant, located at 500 North La Salle Street in Chicago; although not owned by Michael Jordan, it was named after him; in 1990, the previous restaurant owners, Joe and Gene Silverberg, had obtained naming rights for using Michael Jordan's name on the restaurant; in 1999, the ownership of the restaurant, and the right to use Michael Jordan's name dissolved; in 2000, there was a legal settlement that gave Michael Jordan exclusive rights to use his name on any Chicago restaurants.
~ In Closing ~
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| (Image from www.hopespeak.com) |
Take the time to be
culinary-curious…discover new tastes…go out and explore your surrounding area
for some new experiences…make it an adventure…claim your new culinary finds as
your own.
That’s it for this edition.
Until the next one, remember to always celebrate yourself and your
culinary curiosity. Happy creating…happy cooking…happy eating!
By Terry Herman
TERRY HERMAN continues perfecting her passion for food and
wine. She has been covering culinary
related for many years as it relates to wellness and a healthy lifestyle. Her popular blog, Terry's Spa, Beauty and Wellness
Go-To has featured formidable reviews of cookbooks, restaurants, wine and
food, food prep and tools, chef interviews, and coverage of prestigious events
such as International Home+Housewares Show, National Restaurant Show, Sweets
and Snacks Expo, United Fresh, and Food Marketing Institute. She has served as a food judge at the
Bellavita Italian Expo Excellence Awards (Chicago). She has been published since the mid-1990s in
both consumer and trade publications, and is regarded as an expert in spa,
beauty, wellness, travel and lifestyle, and is frequently interviewed by
publications for her expert content. She
has also presented at major industry conferences, and has served with
distinction on numerous governing and advisory boards. She has a background in strategic and qualitative
management, consulting, and motivational speaking. In addition to her blogs, her social media
outreach also includes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Don’t forget to “Like” her Facebook Page, Terry’s Second Helpings. Please note that the “Comment Section” has
been disabled. For additional
information, email her at terry.herman@gmail.com.
ALL MATERIALS COPYRIGHT PROTECTED
(Photo credits as indicated, or as represented by the
specific brand.)
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