One Great Dish: Three Floyds Brewpub's Flammekeuche

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Apr 8, 2011 4:06PM

Chuck Sudo/Chicagoist

Few things are scarier than Indiana at night with rain pouring down, but we braved it still to head out to Three Floyds Brewpub for some dinner and beers, but also to check out how the kitchen is doing under the stewardship of former Blackbird Chef de Cuisine Mike Sheerin. Three Floyds marketing manager Lincoln Anderson told us last month that Sheerin, a 2010 Food & Wine Best New Chef winner, had completely transformed the professionalism of the kitchen to the point where the food on the menu is as consistent in presentation and quality when he's gone as when he's in front of the stove.

Last night proved that adage. Sheerin wasn't in the kitchen, but the cooks that were kept on keeping on. None of the dishes we ordered last night was off, presentations were pitch-perfect and the nuances of texture and flavor that informed Sheerin's work at Blackbird was evident. One of our favorites from last night was this flammekeuche, the Alsatian version of tarte flambée. Creme fraiche and bacon are still two of the base ingredients on Three Floyds' take on this dish, but Sheerin replaces onions with thinly sliced fennel, while preserved lemon zest provides a citric twist to the sweetness expected in this dish.

It's worth the drive to get this pizza or any of the other dishes on the menu like octopus confit, house made beef jerky made with a nice tang and smoked so that it's reminiscent of Thai BBQ, a garlicky sinful whitefish brandade or the house-made sausages. Sheerin is still working on the final pieces to move forward with his planned restaurant, the Trencherman. But he'll definitely leave Three Floyds Brewpub in better position than he came. If the brewpub were in Chicago it would easily be the best pub food in town.