Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/461818
going down With its neon signs, risqué art, and extensive bar menu (don't miss the uni toast and tuna airbread), the dimly lit, cavelike downstairs space, Izakaya, transports diners to Tokyo's seedy back alleys for a taste of adventure. Pull up a barstool for your own Lost in Translation experience. to your health Head bartender Allie Kim shakes up the vodka-based Monk's Journey ( shown) with matcha green tea and aloe liqueur, evoking a time when Japanese monks brewed the tea for nobility and samurai as an appe- tite suppressant. "Matcha is rich in antioxidants, so in a sense, it's a guilt-free cocktail," says Kim. For the recipe, go to michiganavemag.com. photography by neil burger clockwise from far left: Kaze Chan, one of Momotaro's talented sushi chefs; chefs at work during a meal service; a silky curry udon dish. "We've had 1,500 Japanese meals during the years we've been partners." The concept took nearly 13 years to come to fruition as Katz and Boehm opened their other restaurants. While doing a Japanese concept seemed inevitable, the timing had to be just right. That meant tapping two-time James Beard Award–winning New York design house Avroko, which is renowned for creating stylish spots like Beauty & Essex and Quality Italian in New York and RN74 in San Francisco. "Design is critical and a passion for us," says Katz. "You have to push the envelope forward in Chicago or you'll get passed by." Avroko's design takes a page from Japan's history. "We were inspired by an era of Japanese history called the Economic Miracle, a period of time right after WW II," says partner Adam Farmerie. "This was a time that the notion of the 'salaryman' [or white-collar worker] was born, so we decided to make Momotaro an homage to this force of Japanese nature." That inspiration is visible throughout the 8,500-square- foot space, down to the bar's handwritten drink menus reflective of vintage Japanese stock exchange boards. Chicago's modern version of the salaryman comes to life each night at tables filled with young finance and creative types, digging into sushi and sake; sophisticated foodies; and international Japanese travelers who feel right at home with Executive Chef Mark Hellyar's cuisine, which draws inspiration from day-to-day dining in Tokyo. "It's seasonal Japanese food with a Tokyo flair," Hellyar notes of the menu, which features everything from hibachi king crab and robata- grilled meats to steaming udon and ultrafresh sushi. "We get a lot of Japanese diners, and [our food] reminds them of Japan." Hellyar, who most recently opened Makoto in Miami and Le Diplomate in DC, wowed Katz and Boehm during his first tasting audition with an entirely vegetarian tomato- based dish that mimics a traditional meaty, mustardy steak tartare. "We knew from the first bite that Mark would be the guy," Katz asserts. Hellyar's second in command is Michelin-starred sushi chef Jeff Ramsey. Their skills are on full display in dishes like a beautifully marbled and seared A5 Miyazaki Wagyu wrapped around decadent sea urchin, meltingly tender robata-fired diver scallop, and silky curry udon with ground pork. Hailed by critics as an instant classic, Momotaro has already been called one of the city's best Japanese restaurants. Was the 13-year wait worth it? There's no question in the owners' minds. "It's always worth the arduous journey if the end result matches the vision," says Boehm. "And in this case, it certainly did." 820 W. Lake St., 312-733-4818; momotaro chicago.com MA "You have to push the envelope forward in ChiCago or You'll get passed bY." —rob katz 86 michiganavemag.com taste