Spellcheck - Top Flr (No Pictures)

Finally, made it to Top Flr last night. It had been a long, tumultuous journey between whether or not to go at all. I first went to Top Flr close to their opening and thought perhaps it was a bit too trendy for it's own good. I had tried their highly touted Duck Confit Pizza and enjoyed it back then, but I wasn't particularly comfortable in their black and white, highly polished digs with a DJ. Shortly after that, it started to receive some very positive praise, beckoning us to return. We were all ready to go when a few trustworthy reviews came pouring in about Top Flr's racist practices. Needless to say, we won't support a business that displays or exercises any prejudices or outright racism but enough time had passed with no other supporting reviews. So we took our chances and braved it last night. The eatery is located right on the south border of Midtown, nearly two blocks from home.

It's still like I remember it (there has been an expansion since), but it's small, dark (hence no photos), and black and white. Trendy with the potential to get loud in the late evenings I imagine. It is, with most certainty, a date spot.

The menu is covered in interesting and enticing options with epicurean twists within each selection. Fancy reductions, spices, and herbs stud the menu and it was fairly difficult to choose what to order.

We started out with the tuna tartare flatbread. This appetizer is a masterpiece featuring tender tuna, lime aioli, and a thai miso pesto. One thing: I HATE cilantro! And the flatbread tasted very heavily of it but there was none in sight. After deducing the flavor was coming from a rosemary looking item draped across the top, I asked the waiter what this unfamiliar herb was. He went to the kitch and returned with the answer - Rainbow Spouts. I can't find anything about them online but cilantro haters, avoid them at all costs!

Kins went the route of the duck confit flatbread and it was even better than I remembered. Well, the crust was burned, but the tender, fat-cooked duck was succulent, beautiful, and abundant. This is another good one to share as an appetizer if you aren't feeling the tuna tartare.

I ordered the fennel crusted salmon with blood orange reduction. The dish was O.K. The salmon didn't taste particularly fresh, but it was cooked very well and served atop some roasted fennel. The blood orange reduction however, was a masterpiece. Portion size was my main qualm with this dish and I'll get to that in a bit.

I also had to order the mac and cheese. The reviews I've read about this item are such a mixed-bag that I had to try it myself to dispel or confirm the rumors. I remember that it used to have jalapenos in it, but obviously their rendition of the southern favorite has changed. This version featured some spinach, three cheeses, and a panko bread-crumb topping. I thought it was very good and the only room for improvement was a need for more creaminess. Still, it was excellent.

Here is my problem with Top Flr (besides the spelling of their name) - Pricing. I think they sucker you in with delightful sounding items and fair looking prices. When you factor in that none of the entrees come with sides, it begins to get pricey. If the portions were an adequate size, the pricing could still be deemed fair. However, my piece of salmon was half of a fillet. Literally about 3 1/2" by 3 1/2". With no side, for 15 dollars. That's pushing it. To further prove my point, if you go to Agave and order their Salmon entree, you get a piece of fish that's twice the size and a side for $16.50. It's also better prepared, but I did enjoy the one at Top Flr.

The bottom line is that I love the menu at Top Flr (it's always a good sign when I have a tough time deciding), the atmosphere can be really nice/romantic if it isn't crowded, and their food is actually really good. I let the trendiness/pretentiousness slide at that point but the pricing should really be adjusted, or better yet, they should pair their entrees with their sides.

Gone Fishin' - Calumet Fisheries

Truth be told, I didn't stumble upon this place. I saw it, like many others, on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. On the show, it seemed like an intriguingly hidden spot with spectacular smoked fish. However, in the months since viewing the episode, I had completely forgotten about this place altogether. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I was scouring Yelp for places to dine in Chicago, I noticed rave reviews for Calumet and images of Bourdain passing a half-eaten salmon steak to his Chicago guide came flooding back to me. And that's how we ended up at Calumet Fisheries.
Well, I make it sound much easier than it actually was - this was truly destination dining. Through a very long bus ride, a seemingly endless transfer, another bus-ride weaving in and out of a southern Chicago neighborhood, and a half mile walk in the snow, we finally ended up at this bridge-side shack to feast upon smoked fish (over 2 hours later).
The storefront of Calumet is kind of like a deli, except with fish being the product, not cold cuts. A large case proudly displays salmon steaks, smoked chub, and buckets of shrimp. To the right of the store they had their frying station. I had my mind set on the Salmon before we even got there but the friendly cook, Carlos, advised me to go with their garlic and peppercorn crusted salmon steaks rather than the plain variety. Kins went the route of smoked shrimp.
I was a little caught off guard by the fact that the Salmon was served cold. Seeing as how it's completely cooked, unlike lox, I expected it to be warm like barbecue after being smoked. The other surprise (although it shouldn't have been) was that the bones of the salmon were still in tact. Once I got over these two issues, I menacingly tore into the steak (avoiding the actual string used to hang the steak in the smoker) with my fingers popping the pulled morsels in my mouth. Carlos hooked me up with some hot sauce for the Salmon, but I found that it only took away from all the smokey flavor. My experience with smoked fish is severely limited, but I will be doing a comparison very soon between Rolling Bones' Salmon steaks and Calumet's.
The shrimp were darned good. As a non shrimp fan, I was happy that the smoking erased the real shrimp-like flavor that I normally have to avoid (even when fried). If anything, the shrimp tasted a bit like ham, but I would describe the flavor as solely unique to smoked shrimp. The fries were standard frozen issue, but freshly fried for each order which makes a huge difference.
I wish I could have tried some of their fried options, but alas there was only so much we could eat and take with us. Funnily enough, our cab driver for the ride back (yes, we weren't going to spend another 2 hours getting back) picked up some fried catfish for the road. After asking us why we travelled all the way out there and explaining to him all the blow-by-blow details of our adventure, he turned to us and said in his slavic accent, "Eh, it's not that special." Take that for what it's worth, but the catfish did look very, very good to me.
Pricing was fair, considering the size of the Salmon steak I ordered (enough for two), but it certainly seemed a little more pricey than it should be considering it was served cold in a non sit-down environment. While I really enjoyed the food, the travel time made our journey seem like a quest for the Holy Arc. For visitors of Chicago, I'd recommend skipping this hot spot because of the travel time involved. There are just too many other great options to spend so much time getting out there and back - at least without a car rental. However, I highly recommend locals and smoked fish fans alike make at least one trip to Calumet for an unusual and tasty treat.