Michael. That's it. Not the possessive Michael's to indicate that Michael Lachowicz is the owner/chef of this fine restaurant in Winnetka. Let there be no doubt as to who is in charge here, however. Chef Lachowicz, a bear of a man, is a constant presence both in the kitchen and on the dining room floor. If he isn't inspecting every plate before it leaves the kitchen (one night my seat was such that when the door to the kitchen swung open I could see him doing just that), he is working the room, checking with patrons on how things are going.
Lachowicz, along with his brother Tom, operated Les Deux Gros in Glen Ellyn with great success. They sold that venue (it is still going, and still a very good restaurant) and took over Le Francais in Wheeling. (At one time, Michael worked -- for something like 15 years -- at Le Francais under the tutelage of its founder, Jean Banchet.)
Taking over Le Francais, didn't turn out the way everyone thought it would. Exit the Lachowicz brothers. A short while later, Michael took over the space once occupied by the Winnetka Grill.
Lachowicz is an excellent chef, yet he doesn't get the respect he deserves. Solidly fine cooking triumphs here from start to finish.
While that approach -- cuisine that is real instead of surreal -- may not get Michael the national recognition it deserves, it does allow for an enjoyable, often unforgettable, dining experience, one that might begin with an amuse, a taste-tickler, of cheese puffs (think mini cream puff dough, or choux pastry), stuffed with creamy Gruyere cheese, served warm, and just plain delicious.
The menu has titles of interest. "To Begin" is all about appetizers. "Or Perhaps" has to do with soups and salads. "And Now" focuses on entrees. And "Finally" is, yes, all about desserts. That departure from the usual headings for menu segments serves as a metaphor for the kind of restaurant Michael is, which is that it takes its food seriously but does not ask that you bow down and worship at the temple of haute.
While some dishes are complex, nothing is overwrought. Ingredients are paired (sensibly) to allow for total enjoyment without the angst of trying to understand what it is, exactly, that you are eating. For example, triangles of duck pate -- firm, flavorful, studded with pistachios -- sidled up to a scoop of silky chicken liver mousse. Alongside the chicken liver were thin coins of delicious garlic sausage. Here and there on the plate were cornichons, a rubble of black olives, and a splash of tangy mustard. On a separate plate were slabs of toasted bread (croutes) studded with fennel and raisins. Classically simple, indulgently wonderful.
Two flavors of soup in the same bowl is nothing new, but when the duet is as pleasing in harmony as they are solo, magic happens. It's as simple as chilled tomato on one side of the bowl and chilled fennel on the other side with a warm puck of sweet crab cake smack dab in the middle. Tomato, fennel, crab. Each on its own was wonderful; taken as a whole (all the way to the bottom of the bowl), it was grand.
Two basic ideas drive much of the menu at Michael: Keep it interesting, but keep it real. Salade Lyonnaise is a prime example. Michael goes at this salad in a classic style, using frisee, lardons of bacon, croutons, and an elegant red wine and shallot vinaigrette to jazz it all up. A poached egg usually sits in the middle of this salad nest, but Michael offers the option of soft chevre, instead of the egg, which is a great idea, one that makes the salad much more appealing.
"And Now." Roast breast of duck was simply great, and as simple as a meaty breast of duck, neatly sliced, perfectly medium-rare, reassembled, and lavished with all kinds of good ideas: Tart, lightly poached "Door County cherries" were strewn across the duck, rissolet of potatoes (roasted potatoes), haricots verts and a cherry tomato gratin adding to the enjoyment. A fresh fruit gastrique (a sauce reduction that employs fruit) added a special touch of interest.
The duck was wonderful, but outdone (in a fashion) by the grilled fillet of wild escolar. Escolar, a k a "white tuna," despite being a fatty fish, has fast become the fashionable fish du jour. In the wrong hands escolar isn't much more interesting than canned tuna, but when done right it is great. Michael poached one side and grilled the other side. That technique reduced some of the fattiness of the fish and brought out the natural sweetness of the flesh. Laid over a woodsy morel mushroom sauce, topped with a shingle of gaufrette potato, and plated with baby root vegetables, this entree evoked more than a few wowee! moments of enjoyment.
Two desserts not to miss are the lemon mascarpone cheesecake and the fallen chocolate souffle "Les Deux Gros." Lachowicz has been carrying that chocolate souffle around with him from restaurant to restaurant, and it seemed to be none the worse for wear. A rich chocolate crust was the foundation for an even richer well of warm chocolate that, in consistency, was somewhere between a pudding and a syrupy hot chocolate. As a knob of almond ice cream sank slowly into the warm chocolate, it was important to get right into some serious spoon work down to the last sweet bite.
The cheesecake was picture perfect and perfectly delicious. Pyramid in shape, with a quartet of fresh raspberries whimsically placed at each corner, the light and lusciously rich cheesecake (mascarpone was all about its triple-creme richness) sat on a shingle of shortbread ... but not for long, as this dessert, too, was dispatched with the same enthusiasm as the chocolate souffle.
As if those two desserts aren't enough to do you in, a pair of very fat chocolate truffles were offered gratis to enjoy with coffee.
Pat Bruno is a local free-lance writer, critic and author E-mail brunoeats@aol.com.
