Custom House

Last Wednesday (yeah, I'm a bit behind with my bloggin'... my mom asked if I was ok today because I haven't been keeping up with it), I went out to a special place called Custom House. My friend Stan was in town from Berkeley and really wanted to go there. So, Stan made reservations for five of us... Stan, me and Zack and our friends Will and Fred.

The executive chef there is acclaimed chef Shawn McClain. He's the one creating menus at Spring and Green Zebra. At Custom House, he creates a menu using local and seasonal ingredients. I was excited to see Stan, but I was even more excited to eat at Custom House.

Here's what I ordered:

• First Course - Beef tartare with sourdough croutons and poached quail egg
• Main Course - Maine scallops with fava beans and prosciutto
• Side - Risotto with green peas
• Dessert - Bittersweet chocolate pave with hazelnuts and coffee

I think everything I ordered was outstanding. I especially liked the scallops because they were huge and plump. The scallops were pan-seared and were really flavorful. This dish had a nice balance of flavors, textures and colors.

I also had a taste of everyone else's main course dishes but thought that none of them came close to the scallops, although Fred's monkfish with olive oil braised eggplant, smoked tomato, and house-made bacon was pretty good too. Zack's prime sirloin was definitely made with quality meat, but I didn't think it was anything to write home about.

I really enjoyed my chocolate cake dessert. The chocolate was so rich but not overwhelmingly sweet. Zack ordered lemon sorbet and minted strawberries... two very simple yet refreshing and tasty desserts. All of the deserts were delicious. Let me tell you, it wasn't cheap but it's definitely worth it once in a while. However, I'm not exactly rolling in money, so this means I'll have to cut back on going out everyday for lunch this month.

Custom House
500 S Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 523-0200