Bistro Campagne – Chicago Restaurant Week 2010

You only have four more days of Restaurant Week left, so if you still have not been anywhere, you need to get on the move! If you are the kind of person who does not like taking a chance on a restaurant (and there are over 170 restaurants to choose from this year), then let me help.

If you like big portions; organic and local ingredients; and crave French comfort food in a beautiful atmosphere, may I suggest Bistro Campagne?

Here’s what to order off of the Restaurant Week menu:

FIRST COURSE: Skip the fresh but bland house salad and go straight for the Strudel à l’Oignon Caramélisé. The sweet, earthy caramelised onions appear both on the bottom of the strudel and in a tasty sauce around it. The flaky, buttery pastry and the soft, salty cheese complement each other perfectly for a well-rounded dish that will make you want to clear your plate (and even lap up the sauce!).

SECOND COURSE: While the Saumon Grillade with roasted Brussels sprouts, new potatoes and coriander lemon emulsion was so, so fresh and good, I really think the true winner was the Poulet Rôti Forestière with roasted chicken, wild mushroom ragoût and onion frites. The chicken was plumper and juicier than any chicken I have ever tasted, thanks to the chef brining it, marinating it and slow cooking it over a few days. The onion frites added a salty, crispy crust and the wild mushrooms added an earthy element to the dish.

Inside the juiciest, most flavourful chicken you will ever, ever eat!

THIRD COURSE: If you aren’t in a food coma already, you will be. If you are craving chocolate you should definitely order the “Soufflé” au Chocolat because it is decadently rich and melts in your mouth. But I recommend the Fig & Brown Butter Bread Pudding because there is nothing in the city quite like it. Unlike your regular bread pudding, this little gem has a golden, crispy crust and soft interior, and is studded with chopped figs. Pair that with cold, creamy ice cream and a caramel sauce and you are in heaven.