Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/508485
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GALDONES PHOTOGRAPHY (BOKA); ANJALI PINTO (ANDERSON); ERIC KLEINBERG (COCKTAIL COURIER); ANTHONY TAHLIER (SEVEN LIONS) Sugar Rush AWARD-WINNING PASTRY CHEF MEG GALUS STARTS A SWEET NEW GIG AT BOKA. Meg Galus knows she's a bit of a contradiction. "I grew up in the cornfi elds, but I have French training," laughs the DeKalb native and notable pastry chef, who recently left NoMI Kitchen at the Park Hyatt to join chef Lee Wolen's team at the reinvigo- rated Boka. It's a "new level of detail," explains Galus, whose menu balances a decadent chocolate mousse ("a true choco- holic dish," she enthuses) with a lighter hazelnut and coffee confection ("really simple and elegant")—as well as a multi- course tasting menu for dessert diehards. Says Galus of what's to come, "We have lots of little tricks up our sleeve." 1729 N. Halsted St., 312-337-6070; bokachicago.com MA dessert "You'll never hear me use the words 'farm-to- table' or 'local' or 'seasonal,'" insists Erik Anderson, the sopho- more chef-in-residence at Lettuce Entertain You's Intro, which features a rotating roster of chefs given full creative license over the restaurant. "It's not a platform to stand on; it's something you do as a responsible chef." Trained by The French Laundry's Thomas Keller, the Chicago native promises a frequently changing multicourse menu offer - ing contemporary takes on dishes like dry-aged beef, pigeon, and other game birds. Says Anderson, "It's an open canvas, and I'm excited to really dig into the food." 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, 773-868- 0002; introchicago.com Chef Erik Anderson takes over the kitchen at Intro. debut SECOND HELPINGS // roundup // WOMEN IN THE KITCHEN As spring restaurant openings kick into high gear, a handful of female-driven concepts are poised to steal the spotlight. Master sommelier Alpana Singh (The Boarding House) offers a modern take on classic clubhouse cuisine with Seven Lions (130 S. Michigan Ave. 312-880-0130; sevenlions chicago.com). Elizabeth owner Iliana Regan introduces her Kickstarter-funded concepts Bunny, the micro bakery (bunnythemicro bakery.com) and WunderPOP (wunder- pop.com) under the same roof in Lakeview (2928 N. Broadway). In the West Loop, Spiaggia alum Sarah Grueneberg teams with Meg Sahs (Terzo Piano) on contemporary Italian with the new Monteverde (1020 W. Madison St.). And James Beard Award- winning chef Stephanie Izard tries her hand at Chinese cuisine with her follow-up to successes Girl & the Goat and Little Goat, the aptly named Duck Duck Goat (857 W. Fulton Market; duckduckgoatchicago.com). ABOVE: In the elegantly appointed dining room at Alpana Singh's Seven Lions, guests enjoy sophisticated dishes such as wild boar chops. "The bartenders in Chicago rival any in the country, and the cocktail scene is on fi re," says Scott Goldman, cofounder of mixed-drink delivery service Cocktail Courier, who is bringing his New York-based concept to the Windy City. Premeasured liquors, fresh juices, garnishes, and step-by-step recipes created by top local bartenders are sent straight to the customer's door. "When you drink at home," reasons Goldman, "there's no reason you shouldn't be drinking quality cocktails." 917-969-9180; cocktailcourier.com // cheers // DIY DRINKS Boka's caramel roasted banana is made with milk chocolate, buttermilk, lime, and tonka bean. 98 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM TASTE Spotlight