1339 North Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 755-WINE (9463)
comments@bin36.com
Type: Contemporary American
Atmosphere: Cool and Contemporary
Occasion: Dinner
Gotta Try: Brian’s Blend XIII Pinot Noir
Take or Leave: Friday nights when a Bachelorette Party is seated next to you.
Booze: Huge Emphasis on Quality Wine
Prices: Pricey but Not Unfair
Hours: Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Seven Days a Week.
Reservations: Good Idea
Snarky Says: Liked it, didn’t love it, need to go again. Stay tuned for the return review.
As life percolates, an opportunity has presented itself to relocate to the Chicago area. Recently, I went up to spend a week looking for a place to call home and hit the dining circuit.
Big, shiny and sophisticated, Chicago is the moneyed cousin of the Midwest. This cousin has a house of glass and steel, ours is stucco and has a cracked driveway. This cousin is educated by Northwestern and the University of Chicago, we went to Thug Tech and Felon High.
I quickly made reservations at Bin 36 not knowing shit about the restaurant. It seemed like a place where With-Whom-I-Cohabit could enjoy and also a place where I could learn about some new wines.
As is the case with most things I do with With-Whom-I-Cohabit, we immediately got in a fight moments after stepping at the hotel. I resisted all inclinations to shove him in front of a speeding taxi full of theatre goers and unceremoniously told him to fuck himself and hoofed it to the restaurant alone. Like Paris, Aruba, San Francisco, Key West and New York this week had all the markings of more of the same but in a different venue.
Glistening slightly as I walked in the very attractive Bin 36, I apologized profusely for arriving late for my reservation and was shown to my table where With-Whom-I-Cohabit was sitting.
“Waiter, make it a double martini hold the fruit and make it quick.”
Confusingly, diners are plied with no less than 739 different pieces of paper and a 382 page legend explaining how the paper is to be read and interpreted. Menu, special menu, wines of the week, cheese offerings and wine list not to mention the little piece of paper looking like a dry-cleaner’s ticket they give you for each glass ordered. Holy Christ, I felt like I was at the office as I rotated from piece of paper to piece of paper. Had I a large stamp to mark each piece of paper, it would have been the same thing.
Finally, I ordered a glass of sparkling Chenin Blanc and my blood pressure ticked back a notch as soon as the server nodded his head in confirmation. The champagne was place to my right and I could finally unclench my jaw. I hoisted the flute to my lips as I peered at the ceiling and I could feel the faint trace of a smile as the bubbles twisted and swirled down my esophagus.
With-Whom-I-Cohabit ordered a grilled asparagus soup that I expected to be cold for some reason. It was warm and buttery and quite sensual with a thin slice of grilled asparagus and dots of what I believe to be a bell pepper oil as garnish. It could have been STP actually but as the Snarky Saveur that’s my final ruling.
After shuffling paper for twenty straight minutes like a coked-out blackjack dealer, I settled on the oysters on the half shell with a champagne mignonette and a flute of Brut. The salinity of the Wellfleets and the dry champagne adjusted my attitude faster than a contestant spinning the Wheel of Fortune and I was lucky enough to land on AMICABLE. The mignonette was good too. The dry, cool fruit of the champagne, the salty seawater flesh of the oysters and the tart mignonette is an absolute spurting orgasm to the palette. There are very few better ways to start dinner in my always humble, always elusive opinion. Although a blowjob underneath the table WHILE eating oysters would probably work.
Multiple courses including cheese flights and charcuterie are options and probably the most fun but With-Whom-I-Cohabit and opted for the more pedestrian appetizer and entree routine. He had the hanger steak with cheese and potato croquettes and a Cabernet reduction. As you can see, he’s strictly meat and potatoes, please pass the A-1. The steak was very tender, grilled to perfection at medium rare with a nice crust and red center. With-Whom-I-Cohabit also had a glass of Mouvedre straying out of his comfort zone and trying something new. Also tasty, it went well with the meat and reduction; a round of snaps for him.
In homage of Lady Velveeta I had the rare tuna. I waffled and realized I had hardly eaten any tuna all summer so it was time to have some even if I could have chosen something more challenging. It was good. Not great but good. Grilled well (as in good job not as in burnt), the tuna was presented smoking on the outside and cool in the inside but otherwise unremarkable. The glass of Brian’s Blend XIII Pinot Noir was very jazzy and something I look forward to finding retail and putting in the wine rack.
Bin 36 just north of the Chicago river at 339 Dearborn is perhaps more for the corporate set and tourist type. They serve breakfasts for power brokers in neighboring offices and at dinner there were a lot of shorts and sneakers going on. The restaurant itself had cool tones of blonde wood, very Danish modern and high exposed ceilings. Our server was extremely knowledgeable and ran with Swiss efficiency.
Peas out!
Snarky
August 11th, 2007 at 2:35 am
I have to say, that I could not agree with you regarding article Bin 36-Chicago, but your opinion is interesting