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Has anybody been to The Trenchermen (Michael Sheerin & Patrick Sheerin's new place) yet? I booked it for my wife's birthday in a couple weeks, but the reviews I've seen on Yelp are pretty hit-or-miss so far... but I trust opinions here much more. Want to know if I need to come up with a plan B.

Also, if I need to come up with a plan B, any suggestions for good special occasion dinners? Not absurdly expensive, but nice... the past two years, I've snagged the hardest tables in town for her birthday. Girl & the Goat in 2010 and Next last year (yeah, that was an absurdly expensive splurge, but worth it!). This year, trying not to disappoint, even if I couldn't snag a table at Goosefoot.

moderator edit:

http://trenchermen.com/
2039 W North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 661-1540

I've been there twice so far, once during the soft opening, the other this past weekend. The food has been spot on both times, most seem like takes on Mike's dishes at Blackbird, only given the full on Sheerin take, as opposed to maybe having to appease the boss man at Blackbird. That being said, a lot of the portions are TINY for the price, the duck being the prime example. However, the drinks are great, both cocktails and generous beer pours, and the cumin churro sweet course was outstanding. I def recommend it and am honestly pumped to eat here as they grow beyond their opening menu and get a little more wild, and hopefully bigger on the portions.

Sweetbreads, pickle tots, sepia noodles, and brisket are all awesome.

Poster nutbag

It's certainly a beautiful room, but in my opinion, they've got some work to do. My friend and I ordered 3 starters and 1 main, and we weren't really wowed by any of them, and a couple of the dishes were downright strange. The pickle tots and the red onion yogurt sauce are ok, but why put shredded turkey on top? Texturally, it's just strange, and doesn't work. The prep on the sweetbreads was pretty good - that was probably the best dish of the night. We had the brisket as the main, and it was dry, dry, dry. Cumin churros for dessert were ok. I thought the cocktails we had were fine - I'd like to come back and sit at the bar and try some of the others. Also: why serve the beer in wine glasses? Really silly, to my mind.

http://trenchermen.com/
2039 W North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 661-1540

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"A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do."
-- P. J. O’Rourke"

Not being a Goosefoot fan, I don't think you're missing anything there. El Ideas would be my choice (and usually is) for any special occasion...and reservations are not impossible at all.

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

OK, so the comments so far regarding The Trencherman are about what I saw on Yelp... universal raves for the space, food reviews at opposite ends of the spectrum -- some loved it and others were really disappointed by it.

I've emailed El Ideas, which was one I had been contemplating... to see if I can get a reservation for the night of my wife's b-day. Otherwise, also pondering Sable or Takashi if I decide to change plans.

We went to Trencherman last week. The space is lighter and more opened up than Spring, and it feels more comfortable. The food was good - the sepia (octopus) noodles and the fish dishes still stand out, though the latter were a bit fussy for my taste, meaning so many different elements on the plate that they overshadowed the very well prepared fish. Unlike others I didn't think the churros were great (perhaps slightly underdone and lacking crunch?). My memory may be overshadowed by the superior second desserts we had at the revamped Hot Chocolate nearby, though

The best part about the place was the staff - polite, cordial, helpful all around. Our server (I think Jarod?) was very knowledgeable and quick to check with the kitchen when I was asking obscure ingredient questions. He knew his wines as well, and they have a few interesting, food friendly choices.

We plan on returning; I like what's going on there.

Dinner with 5 friends for a birthday celebration last night which meant that we were able to make a pretty good dent in the menu. I'll echo the comments on the service--from the check in to the bar to the table, all were engaging and helpful. Most importantly, no one tried to upsell which, considering the size of our group and the type of menu, could've easily been attempted.

Drinks were interesting and potent, though also pricey and small! I ordered the Jewel Up (corn whiskey, apricot and mint) which was a great starter--refreshing but pretty bracing with the fresh taste of the whiskey and the Heart of Darkness II (Rye, Yellow Chartreuse, Amaro and Smoked Bitters) which was a bit syrupy for my taste but still nice. I also had a taste of the Desperate Vesper (Gin, Lillet, Malort) which I loved-surprisingly well-balanced considering the ingredients.

On to the food--our server guided us well regarding which items to order more or less of to make sharing easy. I really loved all of the apps we ordered--the only one that didn't do it for me was the chilled zucchini soup with sardines and soy cucumbers--skewed too sweet for me--everyone else loved it. The pickle tots (although I did think that the sauce could've been thinned out a bit--it was pretty dense and sticky but delicious); the Sepia noodles that others have already raved about, the bacon cured Sweetbreads with a plate-licking xo sauce, and, especially, of all things (because I usually really dislike them), the scallops avgolemono with egg yolk bottarga were all generously portioned, nicely balanced plates with an original take on the ingredients.

For mains, we tried 3 of the 5--I believe that all may be slightly different that those posted on their website and after a couple of cocktails and 2 bottles of Burgundy my memory of every detail isn't clear enough to recall all differences but of the 3, the duck with kimchee was my favorite--perfectly cooked and all of the other accolades of the apps above. The brisket was replaced by a short rib with a similar preparation and, while I remember liking it, I don't remember anything much about it. I agree with the person who posted above that the fish (and I don't think it was Arctic Char but it was the same/very similar preparation otherwise), was a bit busy but not necessarily in a way that was memorable. Or maybe that was the fault of the Heart of Darkness II

Desserts were almost a surprise--I wasn't expecting much given prior reports and yesterday's (otherwise very positive) TOC review. The churros are gone replaced by some of the best donuts I've ever had--loved 'em. Wish I could remember the rest of the plate but it was terrific! We also had the coffee cake, the almond cake and a 3 Floyds panna cotta (though again, i don't think it was the same one that's currently posted) and all were very good. Details similarly fuzzy--sorry!

Bottom line--we all really enjoyed the evening and I look forward to seeing the brothers continue to stretch creatively while still executing great food.

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

Very sorry to report but I can't think of a restaurant with more promise that disappointed me this much ever. I have enormous respect for the chefs, have enjoyed their food on many ocassions and went in assuming I'd love it. I came out with quite a different (and for me shocking) opinion. I feel bad even writing this and won't get specific but for me and my tastebuds, it just didn't work. My loss.

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"In pursuit of joys untasted"
from Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata

Went there last Saturday and I have to give my stamp of approval on this place. While not the best place going, I thought this place, from the excellent service, to the tasty bites and potent drinks is worth of spending your $$$.

Started with the chilled zucchini soup, which I thought was good, but did require you to really try and get all the flavors together on the spoon to get the right balance. By itself the soup was lacking but with the sardines and cream it was a really well balanced and interesting dish.

The Pickle tots were up next and that was insanely good. I would definitely stop in here to hit the bar for an order of these and a drink. there is no doubt that the first impression is what the heck is all of this doing on a plate together. The dish was much more complex and interesting than could be expected. Even the chicken plays a part to make this really stand out.

The scallop was next. Thought it was ok. Well cooked but very average.

The sepia noodles were next and as mentioned by others they are really good dish. My dining companion loved them and thought it the best dish I thought it was above average. I thought they could have done with just a little more avocado chive

Last was the paddlefish. While slightly overcooked the balance of the dish really was superb. There was a lot going on there to appreciate.

I have seen a few people have issues with this place and I just don't get it. The dishes definitely have a lot of elements that play together and if you don't get it all in a bite they can seem a bit unbalanced, but I thought there was some really great stuff going on here.

I had a nice dinner at Trencherman last night, though one that was a bit below my expectations.

My wife and I sampled most of the cocktails, all of which were very good. I don't like sweet drinks and so I particularly liked the Heart of Darkness II (rye, yellow chartruese, amaro, and bitters). But the food fell a little flat. Based on some early reviews, I was expecting the food to push boundary (perhaps in ways that didn't work...). I actually thought the food was fairly, well, boring.

My wife and I ate at the Trencherman a couple of weeks ago and the food was distinctly mediocre (or worse). Most notably, my wife's short rib was tough and totally lacking the kind of fork-tender texture that is supposed to characterize this dish. I told the server that short rib was undercooked but he pointed to the charred exterior and claimed that it had been braised for a long time (note to Trencherman server: The exterior is not necessarily an indicia of the interior). They did take the cost of this entree off of our bill, however.

I don't understand how Vettel could give this place 3 stars in this Thursday's Tribune, unless he is grading on some kind of curve.

Had brunch there yesterday. I had eaten dinner there before and it was OK, but nothing spectacular, but I loved the well-balanced flavorful cocktails. The "pad thai" might be the most deceptively named dish I've had recently, but it's really good. There is nothing pad-thai about it. It's more like ramen made with the most fantastic pig-skin noodles, a technique I believe Chris Cosentino of Incanto in SF pioneered. The broth was great. But like my previous visit, it was a matter of feeling like something was missing. Some fish sauce (or more, since I didn't taste any at all), tiny shrimp, or chilis would have taken it to another level.

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- melissa

Pork skin noodles have long been used in certain Asian cuisines. One dish that comes to mind is Vietnamese com tam.

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http://chowengdown.blogspot.com/

....and Mexican (cueritos)....

Trenchermen recently hosted a women in pastry event dubbed Kill me Sweetly featuring some of the world's best pastry chefs. Rosio Sanchez of Noma (currently ranked #1 in the world restaurant rankings), Christina Tosi of New York's Momofuku (not sure if LTH Forum allows me to type that word) and Dana Cree of Chicago's own Blackbird as well as chefs from Trenchermen paired up with up and coming female pastry chefs to create a special eight course menu (each pair of chefs created a savory and sweet dish). My wife and I were kind of bummed about recently canceling a trip to Europe that was going to take us to Copenhagen (where we hoped to dine at Noma) so were extremely excited for this event and for the opportunity to sample the cuisine of some of the world's best restaurants.

When I made the reservation I was informed that there would be a cocktail hour from 5:30pm to 6:30pm followed immediately by the dinner. My wife and I are habitually early (a characteristic deeply ingrained in me by my mother) and arrived about 5:15pm. Not wanting to be too early we huddled outside in the cool Chicago air for a few minutes (thankfully global warming made standing outside in Chicago in January possible); we meandered inside at 5:20pm. We were the first to arrive and were informed they were not quite ready for us. Shortly after 5:30 we were told to head to the bar for the cocktail hour; from this point on our hopes of a dream culinary experience spiraled downwards.

While the bar space was quite nice (Trenchermen translates to "a hearty eater" and the space is a 1920's Turkish bath house that has been converted to a trendy below street level bar/modern restaurant) service was abysmal (and acoustics on the loud side). The hostess and a man who appeared to be the general manager were friendly enough but no bar personnel materialized until 5:45pm. Once a barman arrived service was painstakingly slow and it took another 20 minutes to be served a cocktail despite there being a limited drink menu for the event (cocktails were created by Jenny Kessler of Masa Azul and wine pairings by Check Please's Alpana Singh).

While dinner was to start at 6:30pm, nobody was seated until nearly 8:00pm. Surprisingly there was no announcements about this massive delay but the Trenchermen staff acted as though everything was flowing according to plan. My wife and I were finally seated at a table for five with a few industry friends and were at this point still optimistic and eager to start what we hoped would be a phenomenal and memorable culinary experience. Unfortunately the ridiculously slow flow of events continued; courses were delivered approximately 45 minutes apart. While the food was generally good portions were comically small, especially when factoring in the enormous amount of time between courses (my wife almost called Domino's to deliver pizza).

This event was held on a weeknight and while pastry chefs were featured, the first dessert course did not commence until approximately 10:30pm. Yet still there was no acknowledgement by the Trenchermen staff that anything had gone awry and the desserts rolled out again at a snail's pace. Making matters worse was they decided (apparently in an effort to speed things up) dessert plates were to be "shared" rather than everybody receiving their own dish. Quite odd for what was dubbed as a high end pastry event. Also surprisingly most of the desserts lacked a wow factor; everybody at our table agreed that in general the savories produced by these world class pastry chefs tended to be superior to the desserts.

Just before midnight (nearly seven hours into a weeknight dinner) my wife decided she had had enough and meandered to the hostess stand and asked for our jackets and for the "check please" (I was really relieved that we had some cool people at our table as otherwise it would have been tough being stuck one-on-one with my wife for seven straight hours)! My wife tends to be rather blunt and the hostess asked her impressions of the event and my wife candidly responded (I think I heard "fuku" a few times).

As a positive Trenchermen did deduct 25% when they delivered the bill, but this was a night where it was not so much about the money, but we were expecting to be party to an incredible dining experience. While some of the staff was quite friendly, the space was nice, the idea of the Kill Me Sweetly Dinner deserved lots of kudos and some of the food was quite tasty, overall what was supposed to be a sweet event resulted in a sour experience (Kill me Slowly should have been the event's name). As this was a special event I will not hold it too strongly against Trenchermen (it likely is not representative of the typical experience), but I do have to say that the execution of what was a terrific idea was abysmal. While I will not avoid Trenchermen because of this experience, I am definitely not in a hurry to return. Trenchermen deserves an A for the idea, but a D- for execution.

Photos of the Event:

Cool Looking Bar Area Adjacent to the Dining Room:


Our Dinner Table:


Noma's Pastry Chef's Savory Course Featuring Beef Heart:


Momofuku's Savory - Cuban Pork Butt:


Braised Oxtail Angolotti:


Food Porn (i.e. I forgot what this one was):


Passionfruit, Celery, Coconut (Trenchermen's intermezzo course):


Unfortunately by the time the rest of the desserts came around my iPhone (which I used for the photos) battery ran out. Will try to procure some dessert photos from a friend that was present and will add them later if I am able.

Was this an industry event for which you were comped? If so, please either be more forthcoming about what you paid for the experience, or have the post deleted.

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Food & Flowers: Andre Jordan's sweet doodle for a cold winter's day; diary of an unhappy restaurateur, circa 1881; winter project - try a terrarium

Tickets for this open to the public event were $100/person (Gonzo acknowledged a 25% discount)

I don't see why this post should be deleted regardless what Gonzo paid. This was the most critical post I've seen from him. Your tone/implication seems a bit harsh.

Did you read his post? If he was comped and that's what he wrote I'd hate to see an "unbiased" review

FWIW I thought the post was interesting.

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

No, this was not an industry event and my wife and I do not in any way work in the food industry - we are just food enthusiasts but have totally unrelated careers. We were planning on paying full price ($100 per/person for the food and $50 for wine pairing) but when they delivered the bill there was a 25% discount (which I am assuming was done because my wife complained when she asked for our coats before the end of the event and the hostess inquired as to if everything was OK). The other three people at our table do work in the industry; as far as I know they paid full price.

Thanks boudreaulicious and milz for your comments.

Zoinks! Sounds like you had an experience more like what I too often fall into!

As a big huge gigantic fan of momofuku milk bar (I bake way too often from the cookbook and lunch at Ko is one of my all-time favorite meals), I was at first disappointed not to have gone. But now it looks like I would have been disappointed if I HAD gone.

Overall, I thought the food from Killing Me Sweetly was excellent. Hopefully the thumbnails are a nice reprieve for mobile users, but you can click them if you want the full image.



Pickle tots - Mike & Pat Sheerin: A reasonable start to the meal. Nice crunchy, crispy exterior and soft interior on the tater tot. Nothing groundbreaking, though.



Beef heart, roasted beet, white grapefruit, currants, nasturtium - Rosio Sanchez & Carol Choi: A mouthful of astringent tartness only slightly reined in by a couple tiny roasted beets. The beef was underseasoned to the point of almost being bland. I would have much preferred more beets and less currants.



Rye porridge, apples, pickled onions, creme fraiche: Dana Cree & Anna Shovers - The combination of rye, apples, and pickled onions created a perfect balance of savory, sweet, and sour that made my taste buds dance. The flavors reminded me of a great tortellini dish I had at Schwa that had a green apple reduction.



Cuban pork butt, mustard broth, pickle puff pastry, fried shallots: Christina Tosi & Lisa Ludwinski - My favorite of the night by a mile. The deftly braised pork was somewhat marred by a tough puff pastry, but that's being very nit picky. For me, the mustard broth was a revelation: a simple yet wonderfully addictive concoction of vegetable stock, mustard, pickle brine, and black pepper.



Braised oxtails agnolotti, celery root, red wine sauce, horseradish foam: Rebecca LaMalfa - The second bite of food prepared by a cook from the Trenchermen. This being my first time to the Trenchermen, I would happily return if this dish (and the next one) are indicative of the food they can consistently serve. The agnolotti had a nice chew to it, and it's hard to go wrong with oxtails with red wine sauce. However, the horseradish foam added nothing to the dish because it was flavorless.



Passionfruit, celery, coconut - Lisa Bonjour: The third Trenchermen bite, and one of the best sweet courses of the night. At first the combination sounded bewildering, but as you ate it, it worked well. My guess is that the bridge between coconut and celery was made via peanuts. Coconut goes nicely with peanuts: coconut milk with peanuts is a common topping for certain Vietnamese ches. Peanut butter goes nicely with celery: ants on a log.



Warm potato puree, plum preserve, kernel ice cream - Rosio Sanchez: To me, this tasted like a purple yam dessert I used to have growing up made from powdered purple yam. That's not a knock on the warm potato puree, bur rather an endorsement for how good reconstituted purple yam powder can be. The theme for this dish and the next was vegetables.



Radicchio sorbet, elderflower granite, shaved pine nuts, elderflower vinegar - Carol Choi: The most thought provoking dish of the night. The radicchio sorbet was extremely bitter, only to be tasted on its own at one's peril. When all the components on the plate were combined, though, the bite was very well balanced and everything worked in harmony. I appreciated that if constructed properly, you could get a bite that was sweet, savory, sour, and bitter.



Mt. Blanc, roasted chestnut ice cream, vanilla poached pears, hot chocolate - Dana Cree: You really got a nice, deep roasted chestnut flavor throughout this dish. The pears were a fresh and vibrant counter to the dark nuttiness of the chestnut. The theme for this dish and the next was chestnut.



Chestnut buckwheat cake, caramelized milk, toasted buckwheat ice cream, burnt cinnamon - Anna Shovers: Any fan of buckwheat would enjoy this dish. Thankfully I am a fan of buckwheat. I didn't get much chestnut flavor considering that was the theme of the dish, but I thoroughly enjoyed the toasted buckwheat ice cream.



Pumpkin ganache, Stilton, pear sorbet, cornflake crunch - Christina Tosi: Straight out of Momofuku Saam Bar and the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook, this was my favorite dessert of the night. The Stilton was nice and poopy and went well with the pumpkin. The pear sorbet kept the earthiness of the Stilton and pumpkin in check by cutting right through it, and the cornflake crunch added much needed texture.



Pear hand pie, hazelnut, goat cheese, rosemary cream - Lisa Ludwinski: The crust was well prepared, but I wish there was about twice as much filling.

We were sent home with a goodie bag: sol tartlette, compost cookie, ginger-rye shortbread cookie, ginger chip cookie, cornmeal cookiewith dried cherries pistachios, and bone marrow caramel. The sol tartlette (Carol Choi) and bone marrow caramel (Rosio Sanchez) were noteworthy. The sol tartlette tasted like a chewy seaweed or kelp candy, and from a quick Google search it does seem like sol is a type of Nordic seaweed. The bone marrow caramel had a nice roasted flavored to it.

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Agreed. The hostile vigilantism has no place in our forums. If anyone here has an issue with any given post, please use the report feature, which is the little red exclamation point at the bottom of each post.

Now, back to the Trechermen thread.

Thanks,

=R=
for the moderators

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

It seems like logistics for these kinds of events can be difficult. I've been to similar sorts of dinners elsewhere and sometimes things go as planned and sometimes it all goes off the rails.

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Given that The Trenchermen has received just as many rants as they have raves, I wasn't sure what to expect going into my meal. Though there were definitely misses, the 4 of us walked away mostly pleased with our decisions.

We split 4 small plates, 2 entrees and 2 desserts:

Salmon Tartare / brown butter creme fraiche, brioche


Lisa's Focaccia / hot sauce and seasonal jam

Eh, this was fine. If you're going to charge for bread, I expect there to be something really outstanding offered, like what Vera or GATG are doing.

Potato Gnocchi / ricotta cream, black winter truffles, Trenchermen country ham

Sadly, the gnocchi was slightly overcooked.

Brussels Sprouts / coppa, kimchi aioli

My favorite dish of the night. A satisfying salty and smokey dish.

Fried Chicken Thighs / popcorn grits, hot sauce, mushrooms

Everyone else at the table enjoyed this dish the most. I picked the short straw and didn't get much chicken by the time it got to me. What I did taste (the grits and mushrooms), I enjoyed a lot.

Lamb Chop + Pork Shoulder

Lamb chop was cooked pretty well, but the pork shoulder was far too dry.

Coffee Cake / chai tofu ice cream, fried chocolate, smoked ‘meringue’


Cognac Brown Butter Cake / cranberry, orange marmalade, ginger ice cream

Best part of the desserts were the ice cream - both cakes were also a little too dried out.

Total for these 8 dishes, 2 cocktails and a beer came out to about 190 dollars, which was fine. I probably wouldn't dine there again with the wife for dinner, but could easily see grabbing a drink and some small plates with a couple friends.

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DearestChicago on Twitter

Great shots . . . between them and your report, I feel like I should probably get back there soon.

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I had a great dinner at The Trenchermen a couple of weeks ago. The highlights were beets with burrata, the pickle tots, a pork shoulder preparation that was amazing - very tender and flavorful meat - and the duck breast. This was my second visit and I enjoyed the dinner much more this time. If you've been staying away because of the mixed reports, give it a try.