Do These: Lamb Dinners at Taxim and RIA
By Anthony Todd in Food on Apr 19, 2011 3:30PM
The private dining room at RIA. Photo by Patricia Parinejad, via Restaurant Intelligence Agency.
RIA hosted a pop-up dinner last month featuring duck from Four Story Hills Farms, and it was such a success that they plan to make a series out of it. Each dinner will focus on a particular ingredient, and will be limited to 12 guests. The menu is a bit vague, but filled with evocative, descriptive delights for lovers of spring food. The seven course meal, with wine pairings, is $195 per person.
- Asparagus, wild king salmon
- English pea, duck egg
- Morels, ramps
- Green garlic, soft shell crab
- Artichokes, wild halibut
- Fava beans, lamb
- Rhubarb, elderflower
Taxim is changing over the entire menu to a Grecian lamb paradise. Rather than the regular menu, Taxim will offer a 5-course prix fie dinner of Greek specialities - and this isn't your usual Greektown food. The meal will cost $75 per person, and will begin with a "Traditional egg cracking contest." According to Taxim: "Each person chooses what appears to be the strongest egg and then goes egg-to-egg trying to crack his tablemate’s eggs. As legend goes, the person whose eggshell remains crack-free will have good luck for the year." Charcoal-roasted whole lamb takes center stage, but look at the menu for yourself.
- Magiritsa soup or Arugula salad with sheep’s milk kasseri cheese
- Molohopita: Molohes (wild greens) with house made phyllo, sheep’s milk butter and feta
- Kokoretsi: Charcoal-grilled caul-stuffed lamb offal served with housemade yogurt with mint
- Charcoal-Roasted Whole Lamb, basted with thyme, olive oil and lemon, and served whole over a bulgur wheat pilaf with kavourma (lamb confit), almonds and roasted tomatoes
- Manouri cheese with candied mandarins and pistachio
RIA is located at 11 E. Walton Street. Taxim is located at 1558 N. Milwaukee. Call ahead for reservations for either dinner.