nsxtasy wrote:Today I bought a couple of kouign amanns, including the one pictured below, at Cellar Door Provisions.

This post on the kouign amann thread reminded me to commend CDP for their chocolate walnut scone I had earlier this week, as well as their scones in general. I frequent the place for pastries to go with my coffee, and their scones are consistently phenomenal, especially considering that isn't a pastry that typically evokes superlative praise. Much moister than all other options (Alchemy Coffee in Wilmette is the only other place in the same league for scones). As was the case with almost all CDP pastries, the restrained sweetness makes the dish.

Don't think twice about stopping for pastries when in the area from 8-11am!

First visit to CDP last nice and I loved it. The menu was very vegetable focused, which was awesome. Went with a buddy and didn’t ask for any changes with the menu, but the server said if you request a vegan or vegetarian meal when you make reservations, they will try to accommodate, so will have to go back with my wife.

Nice feeling space. The older I get, I love being able to get a great, fine dining meal in a more casual environment. And gotta love BYO!

Really enjoyed the entire meal.

Snacks - pepita dip, zhoug, brined beets and carrots, briny butter, cabbage slaw
The sourdough was phenomenal. Wow, was that great bread…

Beets - yogurt, fennel, jalapeno
I have never met a beet I didn’t love, but will say without the yogurt, the beets would have been too smokey for me. But with the yogurt and seeds, very nice.

Rutabaga - garlic, citrus, fiddlehead ferns
Very nice course, good combinations. Great to see fiddleheads on the menu.

Gnocchi - beech mushrooms, pork broth
I really liked the texture of the gnoochi. Subtle, but satisfying dish.

Supplement: Seared Trout
We split this course, my least favorite dish, but my friend loved it.

Cultured Ice Cream - fig leaf caramel, rhubarb, meringue
Wow, what a delicious desert, loved that it was not overly sweet.

While they have nice looking stems, they are on the small size, so glad that I brought my Riedel Pinot O’s for the 2004 Giovanni Corino Barolo, which was a bit too modern for me.

Can’t wait to return.

We've continued to enjoy dinner on a regular basis at CDP; about once a month. It's always exciting, interesting and delicious, and this time of year, it's downright magical. This past Friday might have been my favorite dinner there so far.

With the exception of 1 supplement, the entire menu was vegetarian. $42 gets you four courses and in this iteration, that was a lot of food. Nevertheless, we shared all 3 of the supplements, which rounded out the meal nicely . . .


Cellar Door Provisions Dinner Menu 18.0720
The menu conveys perfectly the impending experience . . . straightforward, genuine and inviting.


Bread & Snacks
House-baked bread and an array of snacks, including cultured butter, garlic scape puree, golden beet puree and country pesto.


Radicchio
I'd never seen green radicchio before but here it was. I loved the black raspberries, which foiled the bitterness of the radicchio very nicely. There was also a delicious, mildly-spicy green dressing/puree that pulled it all together. This was one of the best salads I've had in a long time.


Sun Sugar Tomatoes
Another stellar dish, featuring perfectly ripe tomatoes, cherries, cheese and sorrel(?)


Pork Jowl
This unctuous roasted and fried jowl was a supplement, and the only dish we had that contained meat. Wow, was it spectacular. The meat was delicately crispy on the outside and packed with fatty pork flavor within. There was also a dressing that was amped up with anchovies. The dish also featured gooseberries and shiso leaves (iirc).


Grilled Eggplant
These grilled eggplants were tender on the inside and small enough so that their crispy skin could really be enjoyed. They were very smoky, and came together with the other components to form a kind of pre-constructed baba ganoush.


Nettle Tortelli
Perfectly al dente pasta -- and look how beautiful the tortelli are. The nettle filling was really well executed.


Sweet Corn Ice Cream
This super rich and creamy ice cream struck a great balance between sweet and tangy. It kind of reminded me of cheesecake, with the crumbles and ground cherries balancing out its richness.


Eggplant Chocolate Cake
We were told that that this was more or less an experiment, and I'd actually heard some folks talking about it in the neighborhood earlier in the day. I didn't love it but I appreciated the effort. The flavor was reminiscent of matcha --which can pair nicely with chocolate -- but unlike with the savory eggplant take earlier in the meal, the somewhat fibrous texture of the eggplant in this dish put me off. If anyone could have pulled this off, it would have been this kitchen, which can generally do no wrong. I'm glad I tried it but I probably wouldn't order it again.

One other note: they have acquired a liquor license and are no longer byo. However, Diversey Wines has opened in the space next door to the east, and bottles purchased there can be brought into the restaurant for a $10/bottle charge. Additionally, a few selections from the shop, both beer and wine, are available to order in the restaurant. Wines are available by the glass or bottle.

If you haven't had dinner here, you're missing out. For a number of reasons, this is one of the best dining experiences you can have anywhere in town. There is an inescapable and compelling philosophy on which CDP operates. That philosophy governs every bit of food that comes into the establishment, how it's prepared and served, the way diners are treated during their meals and the way they feel after they've left. In a word: special.

=R=

Agreed. The food here is so thoughtful and delicious. They can accommodate any diet, which is nice too.