Chicago has always been a great town for steak lovers, but good seafood restaurants have been harder to find if you wanted more than a fried fish sandwich. Happily, more seafood and sushi places have been opening, like GT Fish & Oyster, and, more recently, Truluck’s. While Truluck’s is more of a high-end, special occasion place and GT Fish & Oyster is very casual (though there is nothing casual about the quality of the food), the recently opened Portsmith in the Dana Hotel falls somewhere in between. Let’s see how they do.
The menu features a nice selection of raw seafood and salads as starters. There is also a section devoted to hot appetizers, such as mussels, pasta, and soft shelled crab. The entrées are mostly seafood, but there is a chicken dish and a steak for those who prefer their proteins to come from the land. There is also a section of vegetable choices large enough to share. From the names and description of the dishes, there should be some interesting eating here.
The Specialty Cocktail list looked no less interesting.
I am not normally a Dirty Martini fan or a Vodka Martini fan, but I decided to try something different. On the other hand, I didn’t want to go too crazy, so I asked if the Double Brined Martini could be made with gin instead of vodka. They happily complied.
Sometimes it pays to get out of your comfort zone. I really enjoyed this cocktail on the warm summer night we were there. The flavor of the celery, the bite of the brine, and the brightness of the citrus used in the olive marinade were all there, but balanced and not overwhelming. Nicely done!
The amuse (a free little bite from the chef) arrived and it was a generous surprise.
The amuse bouche is usually a small taste of something that the chef sends out before the meal officially starts. Any one of these items would have been appropriate, the three together definitely exceeded expectations.
The sweetness of both the corn and the leeks played together very nicely in the soup. You can never go wrong, at least in my book, with a warm yeast roll, especially served with soup. The addition of a bite of fennel salad made this a mini-meal on a plate.
On to our menu selections. Valeria started with the Tuna Tartare.
This was an excellent Tuna Tartare. The fish was firm and fresh. The cilantro, chiles, and Umami Shrub gave the dish texture, flavor, and heat. What is Umami Shrub, you might ask? Well, that’s what I asked, anyway. It is a product that comes from the Rare Tea Cellar. They describe it as “An epic umami bomb in syrup form. This completely original proprietary product has Demerara sugar, yuzu, wild kombu, organic ginger and sake lees vinegar.” Since I have never tasted it on it’s own, I will have to take their word for it, but those ingredients certainly would make an umami bomb. (Umami, if you haven’t heard of it, is the so-called 5th taste, after sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. It is generally described as “meaty.”)
I ordered the Charred Shrimp Cocktail.
I do like this decidedly not trendy dish, and it was done well here. Grilling the shrimp was a nice twist and added a bit of smokey flavor to them. The cocktail sauce was a classic recipe with perhaps a little more horseradish than average. All good for me.
I had read somewhere that their Cacio e Pepe was really good, so we ordered some.
Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper) is an Italian dish from Rome and can be thought of as the original Mac and Cheese. It is made with only 4 ingredients: pasta, cheese, salt, and pepper. Spaghetti is the most iconic type of pasta, and Pecorino Romano is probably the original cheese, but you’ll find it made with different pastas (here, fettuccine), different cheeses (here, Parmesan), and sometimes another ingredient or two (here, uni butter and caviar). Normally it is not a good idea to mess too much with classic recipes, and Cacio e Pepe, when well made, is far better than the sum of its four ingredients. However, I like the subtle additions here that tie the dish to the restaurants seafood theme without destroying the integrity of the original recipe. Fresh uni melts like butter in your mouth and leaves the taste of the sea, while caviar pops and leaves a similar salt water taste. Well done.
By this time, my Double Brined Martini was gone, so I ordered another drink.
This cocktail is a riff on the classic Manhattan, which is traditionally made with 2 oz of rye or bourbon whiskey, 1 oz of sweet vermouth and 2 dashes of aromatic bitter (Angostura bitters are the most common). Since there are so many ryes, bourbons, vermouths, and bitters on the market these days, you can make this cocktail your own by finding the ingredients you like best and adjusting the proportions to suit your taste.
Bartenders and mixologists can’t resist the temptation to try to improve classic cocktails. Generally speaking, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Classic are classics for good reason. They are balanced, complex, and, usually, quite easy to make. However, it is possible to tinker with the classic Manhattan formula and create a cocktail that may not be “improved,” but is still a good drink in its own right.
Bulleit Bourbon is not the best bourbon on the market, but it is reliably good and mixes well in bourbon-based cocktails, so it’s a solid choice. If you’d like to learn more, I wrote extensively about it here.
Aperol is an Italian aperitivo (aperitif) that is part of a family of bitter aperitifs call amari (singular: amaro). It is bright orange in color and is produced by the same company that produces Campari, which is another, more common amaro (at least in the US), that is bright red, less sweet, more bitter, and more alcoholic than Aperol. Because it has bitterness, sweetness, and herbal, aromatic qualities, it is a reasonable substitute for sweet vermouth—kind of. It is sweeter and has less depth of flavor than a good vermouth, so the additional ingredients on the Old Money are important. The walnut liqueur adds sweetness and nutty flavors that are often found in bourbon. The allspice bitters bring in some of the flavors that the traditional aromatic bitters would bring.
When you put all that together, you get a very good cocktail that is balanced and complex. Well done.
Next, another simple dish with a twist.
Sole is a delicate, delicious fish when cooked properly, as this was. It is often served simply with Beurre Blanc (a classic French butter and wine sauce) and maybe some capers and/or a squeeze of lemon. Here, Meyer lemon adds a little more sweetness, and this a little less tartness, than a regular lemon, while the addition of some black truffles deepens the flavor the the Beurre Blanc. I really like how the chef here finds ways to add subtle, but meaningful, additions to classic recipes.
By the way, if Beurre Blanc is not something you make yourself, it should be. It’s easy and great on fish, chicken, and vegetables. Here’s how to do it.
Our next selection was not such a simple classic.
Yellowtail snapper is related to the red snapper, but is more abundant. Both are found in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. It’s a mildly flavored, firm-fleshed fish. In this dish, it is paired with some powerful flavor enhancers: XO sauce, Thai basil, and baby shiitake mushrooms.
XO sauce is a relatively modern addition to the culinary world. It was invented in Hong Kong as a flavorful condiment in the 1980s. Expensive Cognac was enjoying wild popularity at the time and, as you may know, an XO (eXtra Old) Cognac is produced in limited amounts and is very expensive. Some clever chef decided to call this condiment “XO Sauce” to associate it with the high-end liquor. It worked. Soon it was a staple everywhere.
There is no one recipe for XO sauce. It always starts with dried shrimp and dried scallops and almost always includes dried ham (like a country ham in the US). After that, the sky is pretty much the limit, although shallots, garlic, chili, and oil are very common ingredients. It is an umami (there’s that word again) bomb and here is a typical recipe:
It is a bit addictive, so proceed with caution!
Thai basil has a slightly more intense flavor than the more common sweet basil we usually see in the US. It also has a slight licorice flavor. Clearly the chef was not going for subtle flavors on this dish.
The result here was a rich, savory course that, for a fish dish, was relatively big and heavy, but in a good way.
For a side, we chose Charred Avocado with Fermented Radishes.
I grill a lot and throw all kinds of fruits and vegetables on the grill, but had never thought of grilling an avocado. It works! In addition to the nice smoky and charred flavors, it will transform a slightly underripe avocado into a soft, creamy, ready-to-eat fruit.
Fermentation is one of the oldest preservation techniques known. It is a process that allows beneficial bacteria to grow in various foods. These bacteria “eat” starches and sugars and transform them into lactic acid. It also produces various probiotics that aid digestion and may improve the overall health of your digestive system. Common fermented foods include sauerkraut, Kosher dill pickles, and preserved lemons. Many chefs today are experimenting with fermenting all kinds of foods not for preservation, but to create new dishes. The process gives the radishes a tart, crisp, salty character that is quite delicious.
Fermented radishes are easy to make at home. There are lots of recipes online for all kinds of flavor additions, but here is the basic technique.
We convinced ourselves that we had eaten a pretty healthy dinner overall, so sharing a dessert would be OK, so we perused the dessert menu.
I am not sure exactly what happened, but somehow we ended up ordering three desserts for two people. Did I mention that we walked to and from the restaurant? Does that count?
First, Valeria asked for Strawberry “Shortcake” Crème Brûlée.
Strawberry shortcake and crème brûlée are awfully good on their own. Take the best of both desserts, combine them, and add a flourish or two and you get something that is beautiful and delicious.
I had not had tapioca pudding in a long time, although it was a favorite when I was growing up. Add coconut, and it became irresistible for me to try.
Tapioca is one of those things that people typically love or hate—it’s a texture thing. But this bowl came with fruit, so it’s a health food, right?
Finally (almost), Lemon Napoleon.
I am not quite sure how we ordered this. We both like lemon cream/custard/curd, so maybe it was a joint request. At any rate, it was light, lemony, crisp, and delicious.
And finally (for real), mignardises, because we just hadn’t had enough sweet stuff!
It was pretty cool how the final sweets came out in coral (imitation coral; no coral reefs were destroyed in the making of this meal), but we couldn’t manage another bite of dessert.
Based on this visit, Portsmith is a welcome addition to the seafood restaurant scene in Chicago. The service was good, the dining area bright and airy, the food was creative, and the cocktails well made. We’ll be back.
Portsmith (in the Dana Hotel)
Address: 660 N State St Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: (312) 202-6050
Reservations: opentable.com
Website: https://www.portsmithchicago.com
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Price Range: $31–50
Hours: Breakfast: Monday–Friday, 7:00am–11:00am
Lunch: Monday–Friday, 11:30am–2:00pm
Dinner: Monday–Saturday, 5:00pm–10:00pm
Sunday 5:00pm–9:00pm
Brunch: Saturday & Sunday, 9:00am–2:00pm
Credit Cards: AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Chicago, IL 60654
All images were taken with a Sony a7 III camera with a Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Standard Zoom Lens (SEL24105G) using ambient light. Post-processing in Adobe Lightroom® and Adobe Photoshop® with Nik Collection by DxO and Skylum® Luminar® plugins.
