boka

I had a wonderful meal at Boka last Wednesday and was really surprised how refined the service was. The room is very tastefully done and the food is delightful. The best meal I have had in the past 12 months.

Boka
1729 N Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60614
312-337-6070
www.bokachicago.com

I'd be interested in more details. Conventional "wisdom" when it first opened was "a less inspired version of Blackbird." I've never eaten there ... the location sort of turns me off. I tend to eat more at places on the fringes where I don't have to deal with constant congestion.

That said, I was there this Friday for drinks before catching One Arm at Steppenwolf. My party of 5 people arrived at 6:45, 45 minutes before the play was to start. We intended to order a few appetizers and were sort of taken aback when the waiter and bartender concurred that we didn't have enough time. I suppose I appreciate their candor rather than agreeing to take an order and then leave us in the lurch but 45 minutes seemed like plenty of time seeing as it's a 2 minute walk to the theater and they were relatively empty. They wouldn't let us sit at one of the empty tables either since we weren't ordering food ... so we were left to loiter in the bar, several people standing so that we could talk rather than hunch over the bar in a sullen line.

OK, so we asked if they had something to snack on with our drinks ... crackers, olives, nuts, bread? No. That wasn't "no, sorry." Just "no" - as if it was a completely acceptable answer and it shouldn't make a difference to us. The wines by the glass were nice ... but, when dropping in for 30 minutes and spending $80 (including an unjustifiably generous tip) it seems like some sort of apertif fare isn't too much to ask.

Service wasn't bad, but I'm really surpised that they didn't do any of the little things right. Particularly since a medium sized party stopping in for a before theater drink is probably the highest margin business that they do.

rien

I dined at Boka this past saturday and loved it.

We were sat in the front "dining room" Chairs are big and comfy, but seemingly designed so you can eat at them. Its very warm and great to watch the snow through the widows.

I thought the wine list was impeccably chosen. We picked a bottle of Selbach Oster Riesling and Sor Ugo from Tuscany.

First courses were a kobe beef salad, 6 Kumamota oysters with mignonette, and foie gras with pasnip puree and duck confit. All delicious. Great balance on the plates.

Entress were an incredible puffed rice covered snapper with beets and creme fraiche fondue and vension with sweet and sour cabbage and quince puree. All Lovely.

Service was calm, easygoing, friendly, and gave us what we needed.

Restaurant was busy and a little loud, but had a great feel.

Overall-excellent.

Not sure if it is still on the menu, but the pork shank braised in cabernet and maple syrup was a fantastic winter meal...but I'm a fan of anything braised.

Rien is "turned off' by location

Does that mean "Alinea" which is opening next door will be off your radar as well

cAN'T WAIT FOR THAT

Nothing absolute about my phrase: "sort of turned of by location." It's a traffic knot on any weekend evening. That said, it was still on my radar ... just waiting for an opportune moment to check it out.

So-called "destination" restaurants are another story. Alinea and Boka are simply not comparable. I've been following the development of Alinea via egullet for months now.

rien

Does anyone have any menu recommendations from Boka? I'll be there this weekend. Searched through the sites and found very few references - only this one which is prior to their new chef.

I was there on Saturday. Among the mains, the venison in mole and the salmon were outstanding; soft-shell crabs good. Among the desserts, pineapple upside down cake with a sweet curry sauce was really interesting, worth trying for that reason, but not mind blowing. The strawberry rhubarb crisp was surprisingly light and refreshing, served surrounded by some sort of chilled fruit soup. I thought it was terrific. Nothing stood out among the appetizers, maybe we were just unlucky. Overall, though, I do think things have improved under the new chef.

I went to Boka on saturday and was impressed with the overall meal; although I had not been to Boka before Guiseppe so hard for me to compare with improvement; i can imagine with his pedigree it is substantially better.
To start I had the Hamachi sashimi course from the raw bar which was presented very well with some edemame and a sort of pea-wasabi puree as well as a little bit of soy and hot oil. It was a pretty small portion but the freshness of the fish and the combined flavors was right on. I also had a taste of the scallop appetizer and again tasted great. For my main course I had the black sesame crusted salmon with green-tea soba noodles, shitake mushrooms and a wasabi foam. The fish I thought was good but not melt in your mouth fatty salmon like I have had at many other very good restaurants- that was the 1 lacking part because the dish as a whole when you put everything together was fantastic; all the flavors went very well together and i really enjoyed it. Also had a taste of the soft shell crab entree which again was flavored perfectly and tasted great. We had a South American Caberenet; Marlobourgh(?) and it went well with all the entrees from Salmon to Veal Cheeks. The desserts overall were good but not incredible; we had the blood orange creme brulee (my favorite), a strawberry-rhubard crisp (sort of lacking in the crisp department) and the pineapple upside down cake (again good but not great).
Overall a great dining experience, they do a great job at combining ingredients that work well together and are presented wonderfully; also the Mojitos are a must; probably the best i've had.

Went to Boka last weekend.

The room was very nice. Tables not too crowded together. We were in the main dining area, although there is also a side room and a patio area, both of which looked quite pleasant. Last time I was in this space it was Don Juan, and it looks like the new owners made a good investment in refining the decor.

Our service was just OK. The waitress had memorized the menu quiet well, but did not have much more to add. She was also a little slow in taking the order, picking up the check, etc. On the other hand, our server had a great in-depth knowledge of the food. I wish he had been our waiter.

Bread service was very efficient, but the bread itself was on the bland side. I tried all three options - Ciabatta, Whole Grain Roll, Organic wheat bread.

I found my appetizer outstanding - saffron risotto with proscuitto and basil oil. Risotto was cooked to perfection with a creamy sauce melting into the soft rice kernel with a slightly hard inner core. Mrs. WAK had the Scallop appetizer which was also excellent. We ordered wine by the glass, and both the Sauvinon Blanc and Chardonnay were quite good and good matches for the apps.

For entrees I had the Filet/Short Ribs plate. I am not usually a fan of Filet, but paired with the more flavorful short ribs it was good. Ordered medium rare, but served rare, which was fine with me. Short Ribs, one of my favorite foods, were good, if not great. The menu said 'licroice braised' although I didn't taste it. Red Potato pave was tasty, although a very small little portion. Also a slice of sauteed mushrooms wrapped in phyllo dough. It was all quite good, but the different elements didn't really mesh together into a single dish. More like four appetizers on a single plate.

I paired it with a glass of the Pinot which fell a little flat in comparison to the richness of the food. It would have been better with a Cabernet or something else with a little more body and flavor.

I also had a bite of the Salmon in wasabi foam with soba noodles. I didn't care much for the foam. The noodles were over-seasoned with sesame oil and didn't seem to really go with the fish and foam that well. I was much happier with my entree order.

Overall I enjoyed the experience, although I would not make this one of my regulars. For the price ($175 for two inclusive) there are other places that I prefer. If I went back it would probably be for appetizers at the bar since that was my favorite part of the meal.

My wife and I were big fans of Giuseppe the First. After moving to Chicago in April of 2005, we dined at Boka at least 15 times in 2 years. It’s close to home and we thought G1 melded multiple flavors brilliantly.

We wandered in for dinner one night in March, were greeted by familiar faces and sat down to enjoy dinner. Once seated, Rob (the manager, not co-owner) came over to say hello and announce that they have hired a new chef. We almost fell out of our chairs. We ordered and ate a somewhat enjoyable meal, our pleasure tainted by our disappointment that G1 was not in da’ house. We left unsure if we had enjoyed our meal and didn’t even speak of going back until last Friday night.

Our dinner was, in a word, kickass!

Greeted again by familiar faces (except my wife’s favorite waiter, Adrian), we sat in the semi-outdoor part of the patio. Our waitress (Molly?) was fantastic. As with all the staffers, she new the menu in great detail. We ordered the Big Eye Tuna and the Scallop apps. My scallop app was fresh, perfectly cooked and garnished with many wonderful flavors including bacon. The waitress, remembering that my wife couldn’t decide between the tuna and a tomato salad brought both.

Entrees were a soft-shell crab special for my wife and the Beef Tenderloin with licorice braised short ribs for me. Someone mentioned the lack of licorice flavor in the short rib and I agree I couldn’t taste it, however the dish on the whole was excellent. My beef was cooked to the degree of med-rare that I like…just a tad amount of uncooked flesh in the center, pink everywhere else. A well-recommended Grenache rounded out the meal.

Dessert was the Blood Orange Crème Brulee and a tour of the kitchen by Kevin Boehm.

We left with a different feeling this time. Although we’ll try to find G1 and see where he lands, we can confidently endorse Boka under G2. And I have to mention the staff. From the host staff to the bar staff to the wait staff, a very knowledgeable, well trained and eager to please group.

7 of us pounced at the chance to visit boka on a recent "dining out for life" day. while the menu selection echoed previous posters', i found the entire chowing experience, sans decor/service, to be extremely underwhelming.

knowing Giuseppe's previous employer and seeing boka's proximity to the high & almighty, we were expecting great things. there was no innovation, nothing jumped out and nothing convinced me of a return visit.

i'd rather spend half and sample more of the "retooled" menu at Scylla any day.

TonyC wrote:i'd rather spend half and sample more of the "retooled" menu at Scylla any day.

Well, you'd better hurry because Scylla is set to close on September 1.

=R=

We went to Boka last night. I thought it was good, but I wasn't blown away. Actually, I didn't really think it was markedly better than before the new chef took over.

I started with a quail appetizer, which was tasty but the quail was a tad overdone. It was served with a broccoli and almond hash and a fried ball of semolina/goat cheese, which made the dish at least a little bit interesting. For my main course I had the soft shell crab, which was served with sauteed spinach and a carrot/apple/shiso slaw. This was a nice summer dish, but the flavor of the slaw didn't really "pop" as much as I would have liked it too. The two softshells were perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. Dessert was a chocolate cheesecake which was really good.

Great atmosphere sitting on the patio. Service was a bit slow, except when it came to pouring the wine. Our waiter seemed to be much more interested in that than bringing any food to the table.

My wife and I dined at Boka this past Sunday. It looks much bigger on the inside than the out. The room is seperated in to a very pretty inside dining room, a bar with a small lounge, and a spacious patio. We sat on the patio and had what the waiter called "a deconstructed caprese" with a squash blossom, some soft imported mozzarella cheese, and tomato petals. Both visually appealing and tasty, we started out well. We loved the pea soup with beignets and spanish onions, and the moved on to a tenderloin with licorice brasied short ribs(great short ribs) and a whitefish with cauliflower puree(very nice). Service was spot on and we loved the overall vibe of the place. Dessert were not stellar but cheese plate was fab!

Last night was my first evening dining at Boka under its new chef (who I believe has been in place since March?). Dinner was good, but I did not enjoy it as much as I have in the past.

I started with an eggplant puree with goat cheese, cumin pine nuts, goat cheese and polenta. Overall, pretty average. Flavors did not really jump off the plate and the dish lacked any interesting combination of textures.

I also tried the squid stuffed with scallop and served with baby spinach, pineapple, black tapioca and curry. The presentation wowed me with colors. The dish itself was pretty good, but nothing special.

On the other hand, I quite enjoyed a friend's grilled octopus appetizer, which came highly recommended (recommended more than the squid which I ordered) -- sorry, can't remember more than that.

Another friend had the salmon with wasabi foam and soba noodles. The salmon was cooked beautifully and the flavors were very nice, although perhaps slightly heavy.

For dessert, I had the pineapple upside-down cake, which was served with thick strands of coconut, a thin curry sauce, coconut gelee and coconut sorbet. This was the highlight of the evening and one of the best desserts I have ever had -- wonderful combination of flavors and the cake's texture was perfect (very moist). I see others here have had this dessert and not been as enthused . . . I guess it was either right up my alley or just prepared better than in the past because it was fantastic.

I only wish the rest of the meal had measured up to the dessert. Nonetheless, service was excellent -- prompt, friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and ingredients. Also, the patio was a great place to dine.

However, I note that the restaurant had a lot of empty tables which to me is not such a good sign for a Friday night. My friends and I suspected that one problem they might have is that they are a little pricey for pre-theater dining, and not enough of a destination to draw their own crowd? Of course, they've been there for a number of years so this might just have been an aberration.

After reading Phil Vettel's review in the Tribune this morning, I really wonder whether we even ate at the same place. Dazzling? One of the city's best? Hardly! I'd say . . . good.

BR wrote:After reading Phil Vettel's review in the Tribune this morning...

Is it just me, or do others feel that a culinary mecca like Chicago deserves better than Phil Vettel and Pat Bruno? I rarely read a review from either one that impats any information or insight that I could not get by looking over the menu, so I've largely passed them by. They seem to be far too generous in their reviews, and Bruno especially seems to get sidelined by side issues - a quirk in the service, an odd appetizer, the coffee, etc.

And the aforementioned Boka review - it was basically a list of what he ate. No additional commnetary, context, or insight. To list the ingredients and say that everything tates good is, in my mind, something worth reading.

Fortunately there is LTH, the Reader, and other outlets for good food writing, but you would think that the two largest papers in the nations third largest city could do better. Or I am I being too harsh here?

wak wrote:Or I am I being too harsh here?

No, no you're not. This review was a joke, even by PV standards.

And (oh boy!), Philly-boy got "spotted"! How exciting!

wak wrote:

BR wrote:After reading Phil Vettel's review in the Tribune this morning...

Is it just me, or do others feel that a culinary mecca like Chicago deserves better than Phil Vettel and Pat Bruno? I rarely read a review from either one that impats any information or insight that I could not get by looking over the menu, so I've largely passed them by. They seem to be far too generous in their reviews, and Bruno especially seems to get sidelined by side issues - a quirk in the service, an odd appetizer, the coffee, etc.

And the aforementioned Boka review - it was basically a list of what he ate. No additional commnetary, context, or insight. To list the ingredients and say that everything tates good is, in my mind, something worth reading.

Fortunately there is LTH, the Reader, and other outlets for good food writing, but you would think that the two largest papers in the nations third largest city could do better. Or I am I being too harsh here?

Could be worse- Washington DC's reviewer Tom Sietsema wouldn't know quality food and service if it hit him in the head (ok, a bit extreme, he goes about 50/50). They really need to promote Don Rockwell to head reviewer for the Post or bring him here.

As long as we're dumping on Phil, let me point to what was an even greater demonstration of his poor judgment. From the very same issue:

Centuries ago, Cornish wives sent their husbands off to the tin mines with a pasty (rhymes with nasty, for a reason), a half-moon pastry filled with meat, onions, and potato.

Sigh. Another ignorant soul.

Went to Boka after a show at the Steppenwolf on Thursday night. We went with the intention of just grabbing a snack, but ended up talking ourselves into much more. Just a couple highlights (and one low):

Service was great...attentive, professional but not pushy. Plus her name was Molly so how can you go wrong?

Oysters - delish, tried both the Rocky Point with mango horseradish (our favorite) and the Kumamoto with Champagne Granita (too cold)

Ash Baked Eggplant & Stuffed Squid as described above. I really enjoyed the flavors and textures of the squid dish, but agree that the eggplant wasn't all that memorable.

Muscovy Duck Breast - Can't remember all of the elements, but this dish was spectacular (even though my sharing partner insisted on medium instead of medium rare). Very flavorful with a carrot puree and a duck confit topped with a perfectly crispy and delicious morsel of skin. The reason why my friend chose the dish was the promise of "summer truffle" - although visually apparent the truffle wasn't particularly truffle-y (not as earthy or as pungent as I'm used to).

Standard cheese selections, but cheese is good anytime so we had the Manchego (very rich and dense), the Valedon Blue (my friend described as "so strong it almost burns my tongue", but in a good way) and the Pont L'eveque (creamy and gorgeous).

We each had a glass of the 2004 Justin, Paso Robles, which was very tasty if not perfectly matched with our food selections.

Chef Tentori is amoung Food and Wines Top 10 this year, and I agree. We had another great meal at the bar last night.

The Kumamoto oysters with a Black radish migonette were just perfect, and the new take on the hamachi was incredibly flavor packed while still allowing the fish to shine. I had a third variation on the Smoked trout salad with cold smoked roe and have enjoyed all of them. Ended with a fantastic plate a crispy sweetbreads.

Congrats on your nomination guys.

What is Boka''s corkage policy?

mattshafferHP wrote:What is Boka''s corkage policy?

The best person to answer that is probably at Boka:

312-337-6070

Best,
Michael

It was my second time dining at Boka, with the span of about six months. Ian, the GM remembered both my fiance and myself making us feel warm and welcome. We started at the bar as we waited for a table to open up. After about 10 minutes we were seated and greeted by our extremely professional waiter whom made recommendations from the menu. We ordered several items from the two different kinds of oysters, the vegtable tart, extremely tender short rib, and our favorite the mac and cheese with edamame with a hint of truffle oil. Every dish exceeded our expectations and introduced us to unique flavor combinations. Chef Tentori displays his dishes in such a refined way that people buzz about the artistic presentation. I thought his food was great the first time we dined, and after eating there several months later I feel like we have seen him grow already. His flavors and textures left us speechless and satisfied. We topped the night off with the trio of coffee inspired ice cream, carmel, cocoa nib and orange. My fiance finished with the milk chocolate cremeux paired with the lemon gin fizz. The service was great, the food was great and the ambiance was great. I hope to be back soon!

Chef Tentori was named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in the current issue. We greatly enjoy his food. He uses little cream or heavy sauce and lets the pure flavor combinations come through.

We stopped in for dessert Saturday night after a fun evening at Shaw's Oyster Bar downtown. Sat at the bar with Daniel taking great care of us and enjoyed a couple desserts including the trio of coffee ice creams. They now have Inniskillin by the glass. ($20)

Boka continues to be one of my favorite Chicago restaurants.

Had dinner here last night (Sunday) before theater at Steppenwolf. We sat in the back outside area, which was nice and shady. They serve the water without ice, which is my usual preference but hard to get, usually. It was hot, and the couple next to us asked for ice, and the bus boy brought glasses with ice, but no water in them, and proceeded to try to take their water away! They protested, and poured the water into the ice. I guess the bus boy was planning to bring a pitcher, but it seemed an extra step not to have brought the glasses with ice AND water in them.

Anyway, the food was good, the service was nice. It was a bit expensive - not necessarily expensive for what it is, just in general. The wine list was interesting, and the mark ups weren't awful.

We did get the truffle mac and cheese with edamame, and it was fine, but a much wetter version than I prefer. It was definitely cheese sauce, no chunks of cheese or anything.

The restrooms are one-seaters, which seems a bit small for the size of the place.

mattshafferHP wrote:What is Boka''s corkage policy?

$25 per bottle (per their menu).

leek wrote: The restrooms are one-seaters, which seems a bit small for the size of the place.

There are restrooms down the stairs directly across from the bar as well.