Northside Review: mk
By Laura Oppenheimer in Food on May 24, 2007 9:00PM
Chicagoist loves cheap eats. We can't get enough of pad thai, tacos and hot dogs. But every once in a while, we have an excuse to class it up and head to one of Chicago's many upscale joints. In the case of mk, it was a combination of the deliciously warm weather, a gift certificate we snagged a while back, and a new job to celebrate.
The restaurant has a modern yet classy feel to it, and the multiple levels in the small space creates a restaurant atmosphere that feels intimate without being small. We received a warm welcome from the hostess, which set a wonderful tone for the evening. Service was impeccable, with the exception of the pacing. We were surprised at the speed at which dishes were brought out; our appetizers arrived less than 10 minutes after we ordered them.
Our server brought us an amuse bouche shortly after we sat down, a delicious spring pea and mint soup served in a tiny espresso cup. Chicagoist started off with the grilled baby octopus appetizer, which was served on a bed of fava beans, braised baby leeks and romesco sauce. The octopus was perfectly grilled, and had none of the tell-tale chewiness found in octopus that is cooked incorrectly. We also tried the side of pommes frites with truffle cream. These French fries might be the single best thing we've eaten in the last three months. The truffle cream was aioli in texture and heavenly in flavor; if we had walked out of the restaurant after eating these, we would have been content in our meal.
But onward we went. We tried the pan-roasted Lake Erie pike, which came on a bed of green garlic, fava beans and fiddle head fern dandelion greens. With a flourish, our server poured a caramelized onion broth into the bowl in which it was served. The broth originally tasted too mild, but as we tried a little more, we discovered that the broth combined perfectly with the salty skin of the fish and the bitter greens.
We weren't as impressed with the halibut, which had a too-strong-for-our-tastes olive tapenade accompanying it. Luckily, the fish itself had a fantastic flavor, and was cooked to be perfectly tender.
No visit to mk would be complete without eating dessert. Though each item on the menu was alluring in its own way, we decided on "one banana, two banana," a wondrous creation that highlighted different preparations of banana. A base of rich butterscotch was covered in a banana brioche bread pudding, rum raisin ice cream, two pieces of roasted bananas, and then topped with a crunchy piece of brittle and singular dab of whipped cream. In a word, phenomenal.
Like we said, our only real complaint was the pacing of the meal; when we eat out at a nice restaurant, we don't want to feel hurried. At the minimum, stop by to have a drink at the bar and try the French fries. If only everything we ate could taste so good....
mk is located at 868 N. Franklin. For reservations call 312-482-9179. Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5–11 p.m.