Balena wins a spot on Bon Appétit's list of the Top 50 Best New Restaurants!
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| Inside Balena |
Occupying the former Landmark space on Halsted, (also conveniently in my neighborhood) the space is huge, yet feels warm, rustic and homey. We waited a bit long to be seated for our 8:30 reservation (we weren't seated until a little after 9), but we ordered a glass of wine from the friendly bartenders to keep us occupied. They also made sure we were compensated for our wait by sending over a complimentary order of the Burrata and Roasted Beet salad. Seeing that burrata is one of my favorite cheeses (similar-tasting to mozzarella but much creamier and seriously amazing), I had my eye on that dish from the start so it was a welcome surprise.
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| Tagliolini Nero, Crab, Sea Urchin, Chili |
Our server was very knowledgeable about the wines and she recommended a great blend to go with my entrée: the Tagliolini Nero, Crab, Sea Urchin, Chili - a perfect portion of squid ink, linguine-like pasta with an amazingly rich (but not too rich) flavor and tender hunks of crab - was one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had. The other girls got the Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil pizza - the sauce was tangy and the crust crisp, overall a great version of classic Margherita pizza.
My only regret is that we were too full for dessert - I've read that Amanda Rockman's desserts are not to be missed, and Dessert Classics, Composed Sundae's and Sorbetti I won't be skipping dessert again!
A big congrats to the Balena and BOKA group teams and props to Chicago food culture!
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Balena wins a spot on Bon Appétit's list of the Top 50 Best New Restaurants!
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