blackbird.

Went to dinner at Blackbird in Chicago last night. This is under the same umbrella as avec., and the newly opened Publican, where we had some beers and some hams before heading to Blackbird to finish up.

Decided to check out Blackbird because the food was such a departure from the kind of stuff Proof cooks, and the kind of stuff I'm accustomed to eating. It's certainly not a full fledged nosedive into the realm of 'molecular gastronomy,' but the chef, Mike Sheerin, came from wd-50 in New York, and obviously has a great skill at combining some very intriguing flavors and textures.

To start I had grilled octopus confit with coconut-horseradish, fingerling potatoes, granny smith apples and candied black olives. This was one of the best octopus dishes I've had in a long time.

We had a mid course of grilled sturgeon with celery root puree, anjou pears and sauerkraut gnocchi - again, an exploration of some really interesting flavors.

My entree was a seared duck breast with confit of thigh, with smoked cauliflower, salsify, fried chocolate and celery. Can't explain it, but it was damn good.