Hello! Welcome to the Culinary Compass! Our goal is to provide positive insight on restaurants, give food tips, and post recipes that we feel might be of interest to others in order to help navigate the culinary world. We would like to start out by introducing ourselves so you can get a feel for who we are and a little bit about our backstory.
My name is Troy and my wife’s name is Mia. We are husband and wife that have been working in the service industry for Bloomin’ Brands for over 10+ years. We have worked every single job that restaurants have to offer from working as a host to hopping in the dish pit and everything in between. Believe me, we understand what it takes to run a successful place of business and the struggles that come with it.
We have a huge passion for food and just absolutely love the emotional impact it can have on people. There is nothing better than having that perfect bite and it brings nothing but a big smile to your face. We want to bring our experiences to others that share the same passion for food and hopefully lead them in the right direction that is catered to their taste but also to places that just have great food.
Gilt Bar
The first restaurant we want to give a big shout out to is Gilt Bar located in River North, Chicago. The owner & executive chef, Brendan Sodikoff, wanted to bring back fun restaurant experiences. His goal was to open a place that wouldn’t break the bank but still had the upscale feel. The food ranges from truffle mozzarella sticks & brie with toasted bread to handmade pasta & one of the best burgers you’ll ever eat. We had heard some really great things about this place and decided to go for our anniversary dinner. It did not disappoint! They do have reservations that become available 3 weeks before your desired day. Jump on it fast because those slots go away quick and we highly recommend getting a reservation.
We started our food adventure with the Tenderloin Steak Tartare and the Délice De Bourgogne. The Tenderloin Steak Tartare is served with an egg yolk custard, calabrian chile, and toasted country bread. This is exactly what you look for in a tartare. The beef was tender and sung through the entire dish. The yolk on top was almost like a jam to spread over the whole thing. The egg yolk custard and calabrian chile complimented the steak so well and brought that slight bit of heat from the chile. The country bread was absolutely amazing. It was warm, soft, and very light. Perfect vessel to build on. Combine it all together and you get the perfect bite. The Délice De Bourgogne was the best brie you will ever have. It was so creamy that you just wanted to slather the entire piece cheese on one slice of bread. The truffle honey that comes on the cheese was a great addition to the brie and don’t worry, the truffle just came through enough to enhance the cheese rather than overpower it. They have many other starters for you to try like truffle mozzarella sticks, wood fire roasted bone marrow, and even a few crudo options that we will definitely be trying next time around. Both dishes that we started with we delicious and really let us know what was in store for us next.
Between the appetizer and main course, we got the Smoked Salmon Caesar. I was originally against getting this salad because I knew we would both be getting entrees and did not want a big piece of salmon along with my entree. I could not have been more wrong! It was one of the best caesar salads I’ve ever had. The smoked salmon was basically shredded and evenly distributed throughout the entire salad. They also tossed the salad with potato chips and I don’t think I can have another caesar salad without them. The smokey salmon just worked so well with the dressing and did not overpower the salad whatsoever. When I was a kid we would go to my grandparent’s cottage in Michigan. There we would get a smoked salmon dip with crackers that I was obsessed with. This hit that note for me and if we didn’t order anything else I would have been perfectly happy. 3/3 thus far!
Finally, onto the main course! Mia had the Truffle Mafaldine and I had their famous Double Waygu Cheeseburger. Truffle lovers rejoice! The Truffle Mafaldine is exactly what the name implies. Beautifully al dente, homemade mafaldine pasta tossed in a truffle cream sauce and finished with fresh parmesan. The truffle just screams with every bite. It is a rich and decadent pasta dish that keeps you wanting more and more every time you go back in.
I had hear so many good things about their Double Waygu Cheeseburger and let me tell you, it lives up to the hype. It could quite possibly be the best burger I’ve had. Everything about this burger is just right. The beef is amazing quality and they season it perfectly, allowing the beef to be tasted. Served with pickles, special sauce and in my opinion, the best cheese for burgers; American cheese. They take a simple burger, elevate it and make it the best possible outcome that you want with any burger. It was juicy, it was filling, and worth every bit of the cost. The kicker; the french fries! It does not say it on the menu but I did confirm that they use truffle oil on their fries. It was a delightful surprise when I took a bite. Dip that in their garlic aioli and you have some deliciously gourmet fries!
All of the dishes we had really tell you how special a place like Gilt Bar is. Affordable food at an elevated standard and it really met the expectations that were laid out to us by friends and research. There are so many more items on their menu that we wish we could have tried and will be returning at some point to do so. If you are looking for a special place where you can get amazing food and a great drink then this is the place for you. 10/10 and highly recommended!
Seasonal Stop
We want to include a segment in our first post that is dedicated to what is in season for the month of May. These are the items that will be best selections are your local food stores or if you have a farmers market you like shopping at. We are in peak spring produce season right now and below you can find a list of veggies that are great in the month of May. Local stores will have most, if not all, of the produce you look for when cooking but buying in season will ensure that you are getting the best quality out of each item and in turn results in a better tasting dish overall.
Fruits/Vegetables in season (May):
- Asparagus
- Leafy Greens: spinach, arugula, kale, swiss chard, and lettuce
- Root Vegetables: radishes, carrots, beets, and turnips
- Alliums: green onions, scallions, leeks, and garlic
- Broccoli rabe
- Pea Greens
- Rhubarb
- Strawberries (season starts towards the end of May)
In future posts we will be including some recipes and tips on seasonal items for you to try out!
I hope you have enjoyed our first post and hope to see more! We just want to be a positive place for people who love to navigate food. If you have any feed back or have anything specific you would like to see then please feel free to reach out! Until next time!
Culinary Compass 
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