Review: C-House
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Aug 4, 2008 5:23PM
With more out-of-town, internationally acclaimed chefs now able to find Chicago on a map, we could be reaching a point where "Rock Star Chef City" hits critical mass. And that's without Gordon Ramsay's recent threats to test the local waters. In short, when a chef earns the name recognition and acclaim affording him to branch out to different cities, he starts to balance that fine line between chef and restaurateur that draws the watchful eyes of the critics.
Take, for example, Marcus Samuelsson. The Swedish chef has turned heads with his interpretive Scandinavian cuisine at Aquavit in New York and Stockholm (a Tokyo outpost of Aquavit is set to open this fall), fused American and Japanese styles at Riingo in Manhattan and is a longtime member of Macy's Culinary Council. With his new Marc Burger (on Macy's on State's 7th floor) and C-House at the Affinia Chicago hotel, Samuelsson aims for reinterpreting classic American cuisine.
C-House is Samuelsson's take on chops and seafood — the "C" in C-House stands for "chops," "seafood" and "Chicago." It's nice that Samuelsson at least referenced the city's culinary history before entering. In sticking with a surf-and-turf theme, however, we don't know whether to feel impressed or patronized. So long as the food is good, we guess. In our visits to C-House, so far, the food passes muster.
For C-House, Samuelsson has tapped Seth Siegel-Gardner as Executive Chef. Siegel-Gardner, an Aquavit veteran who's also worked for Ramsay, has put together a menu that balances fresh seafood and chops with simple, complementing spices. The C-House burger ($18) is a hearty slice of black cod, blackened and pan-seared, served on a toasted sesame roll with arugula, tomato and coconut tartar sauce. The coconut tartar was a welcome change of pace from the standard tart tartars we normally are served with a fish sandwich, while the char from blackening and arugula complemented each other.
The house fries that accompany the burger are heavily seasoned with African berber spice, as is the house made ketchup. Frankly, although we loved the ketchup, the fries were so well-seasoned that we ate them on their own. Large parties should try C-House's packed seafood towers, served with cocktail, mignonette and honeydew granite sauces.
Brunch service at C-House just launched and it was impressive to find grits on the menu. Here the grits are served with aged mild cheddar, roasted corn and a pickled ramp vinaigrette. The acidity from the vinaigrette was another successful surprise.
All this is served within the confines of a beautiful room designed by Brazilian architect Arthur Casas. Casas is known for his spare, minimalist design, light-colored woods, polished copper and light colors. The dining room, bar and lounge are all warm and comfortable, while copper pots hanging over the raw bar area make for a beautiful accent. C-House also has a rooftop patio atop the Affinia, C-View, which Time Out Chicago critic David Tamarkin correctly notes will outshine the restaurant during the warm weeks.
C-House, 166 E. Superior, 312-787-6000. Reservations are accepted. Open for breakfast 6-10 a.m. daily, lunch 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday - Friday, dinner 5:30-11 p.m. daily. Brunch is served 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The C-View Lounge is open 4-11 p.m. Sunday - Thursday, 4-midnight Friday and Saturday.