With an EXCLAMATION mark! Voted #4 Best Fine Dining by UrbanSpoon.com (and I'm sure up there according to other rankings), Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba was THE New years eve dinner choice by The BF and I this year. Visit: http://www.cafebabareeba.com/chicago for more information.
Overall, our experience was fabulous! Hip decorations, attentive waiter, and fast food service was definitely a plus. We ordered a lot of food, and all of them were served in a way that was creative and fun - exactly what we wanted! Without further due, let me take you through our little 2 hour journey to conclude the last meal of 2008!!!!
Cheers! Here's half a pitcher of passionfruit sangria to kick off the night
We started off with just one cold tapa...
Citrus Cured Salmon on Cucumber Toast
Almost tasteless salmon slices (thumbs down for that) served with buttered toasty bread that are covered in shredded bits of cucumber flesh. It all came with a dollop of sour cream in the middle.
Almost tasteless salmon slices (thumbs down for that) served with buttered toasty bread that are covered in shredded bits of cucumber flesh. It all came with a dollop of sour cream in the middle.
Likes: VERY refreshing, palate-cleansing dish; Unique and colorfulDislikes: Lack of flavor from pretty much all of the ingredients, this was The BF's least favorite
Sea Scallops with Raisins, Couscous, & Pinenuts
Likes: The BF's favorite dish! Flavorful, sweet couscous flavors highlighted the fresh scallopsDislikes: Scallops were a tad salty, just a tad
Grilled Squid olive oil & garlic
Likes: The strong grilled flavors of the squid itself and the crunchy tentacles!Dislikes: I have nothing to complain about, perhaps it was a tiny bit oily for my palate
Baked Crab & Shrimp Dip piqiullo peppers, cheese
A pretty self-explanatory dish...definitely VERY cheesy, and the BF complained about not being able to find any crab. I can't comment on this dish since I'm not a fan of cheese. :PGarlic Shrimp olive oil, chili flakes
Likes: My favorite dish because of the crispy fried garlic and green aioli sauce. YUM!Dislikes: The shrimps were drenched in oil - I mean...covered head to tail
Chicken Toro Brochetas
Chicken skewer dangling above a plateful of toasted bread, caramelized onions, grilled potato pieces and a baked tomato. All served with a tartar sauce.
This picture does NOT do this dish justice. I LOVED the tender chicken skewer pieces. They went perfectly with the onions! I also devoured the tomato before the BF knew it existed. Oooops!!!Roasted Salmon artichoke and fennel confit
Unfortunately, this earned a TWO THUMBS DOWN from the both of us. The salmon was too fishy and the confit just didn't go well with the fish AT ALL. Cafe B..maybe try reformulating the recipe? Like...season your fish?FINALLY, the dessert menu.
Since this was our first visit, dessert was on the house! Yippee!!
Banana caramalized and vanilla ice-cream Mango sorbet
Both were YUMMY but not blow-your-socks-off yummy.We were just happy we got free dessert!
Following our new years eve dinner, we went home and played 2 hours of Rockband while drinking sparkling wine until 2009. YEAHHHH.
The verdict? Highly recommended restaurant, but know what to order! You may be pleasantly surprised if you keep an open mind, but don't be upset if things are too oily. With that, I give you a happy diners picture of The BF and I. Happy 2009!!!
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4 comments:
What a fun time! Passionfruit sangria? Ooooh, that sounds yummy. Happy New Year!
fennel confit sounds awesome
cool blog michelle
haha the look may be gourmet sometimes, but don't think that I actually know what I'm doing...I just like trying to invent stuff - none of which is really tastier than tofu and thousand year old eggs
All those eats look great! Especially the crab dip and scallops.
I saw your comment on katheats about the yogurt - I live in the NW suburbs of Chicago, and the Fage in my store is $2 each. Try the TJ brand greek yogurt if you have one near you - they are $1.50 each - not much difference but I think they taste the same!
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