Contemporary. Stylish. Vegan. With delicious food and a vibrant bar scene, Karyn’s on Green is making vegan sexy in the midst of Chicago’s traditional Greektown neighborhood. Serving lunch, dinner and drinks in an atmosphere so chic you’ll forget it’s good for you… and the planet. http://www.karynsongreen.com/
On my birthday Saturday, we visit Chicago's Karyn's on Green for the first time.
I like it the moment we walk in the door. The background music could be one of Harold's playlists, and the dimly-lit large open room is very inviting. The staff is friendly and helpful-- the best service I have experienced in a restaurant in a long time. Since we are exploring transitioning to a vegan diet, we still have a lot of questions. Our server goes out of her way to listen, explain, and also accommodate Harold's nut allergy, which is definitely more of a minefield in a vegan restaurant.
To begin, I choose the "Black Thai Affair"--Hendricks Gin, muddled blackberries, fresh Thai basil, fresh lemonade and Prosecco--cool, refreshing, bright start to the meal. Harold has a Manhattan with a full-bodied bourbon, made and aged in-house. Ever since, he talks about how great that drink was and how he'd love to have it again some day with a cigar!
I choose the Prix Fixe menu in my attempt to be brave and try selections way outside my comfort zone. The results, for me, are irregular. For the first course, I have to call on my inner-mother's voice as it tells me to finish what is on my plate. I'm able to eat it, but though I like mushrooms, I am not a fan of the squid-like wild mushrooms, really dislike the huckleberries, and never figure out what the roasted salsify is.
Harold creatively selects a "side" since all the appetizers have nuts in them. His first course turns out to be my favorite bites of the evening, "Quinoa Hush Puppies." I don't even like regular hush puppies, but these little meatball look-alikes have the lightest, most crisp outer shell, surrounding the most satisfying inner goodness--almost like a poppy seed muffin inside, but not as sweet--just right!
My second course far out-ranks my first. The special black bean soup of the day, with cayenne and three little tortilla strips is perfect. Lots of heat, but equally flavorful. Harold's butternut squash soup is the creamiest blend of fall flavors. Throughout the meal, I have to keep reminding myself there is no milk, cream, butter or eggs in anything. No animal products period. We switch soups half way through, delighted with each.
Third course, Rapini salad's Tahini dressing makes me think of a word I learned from the Food Network--umami. Umami has a mild but lasting aftertaste difficult to describe. It induces salivation and a sensation of furriness on the tongue, stimulating the throat, the roof and the back of the mouth. However, furriness could be misleading. I think of it as a very rich, thickly-smooth taste experience.
Fourth and main course finds me coveting Harold's selection again. The few bites of mine that have the apple butter and the sourdough puree are fine, but overall, the cauliflower and brussel sprouts are bitter to the point of distasteful. Harold's barbecue seitan (a vegetarian wheat "meat") and corn bread stuffing, while unlike any we ever tasted before, are very satisfying. We both look forward to revisiting that combination.
Finally, my chocolate torte takes top billing right up there with the hush puppies! I love chocolate, but not just any old chocolate. If I'm going to indulge, it must be strong and rich, making an impact that's more than worth the calories. This torte goes beyond anything I imagined it could be.
Arriving home at the end of the evening, puttering around as the meal completely settles in our bodies and our memories, I experience a new feeling. Not certain I have the right words for it yet. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I found myself saying, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but I sense something different than I usually feel after a meal. As silly as it sounds, I feel cleaner somehow. Ha! I feel good."
The mind is a powerful thing!
So is more careful, thoughtful, healthy, mindful eating.
I was fortunate to have two great birthday dinners this year. The first was a culinary discovery. The second was a family's loving gift, which also included a wonderful culinary experience!
Sunday, our grown children who live in the Chicago area prepare a home cooked dinner to celebrate. These are important times in life...the time when family comes together in appreciation of one another, to share a meal and continue nourishing relationships.
When I receive a tornado warning on my cell phone that afternoon, I call Melinda to see if she also received the, "Take Cover Now!" message. One whole wall of her place is windows and she is already cooking away in her kitchen across from them. With one look out her fourteenth floor balcony she can see the ominous weather coming from quite a distance. Minutes later it's on top of her.
My youngest, Harold M. and wife Leslie, live out of state. The rest of us gather at Melinda's place a couple hours later, Matt and Rachel bringing along the food he's prepared. They also received the tornado warning that afternoon. I sit watching their final preparations, so grateful for our time together, comfortable inside the darkened windows, peaceful as winds roar on the other side of the glass.
A twenty degree drop in temperature reminds me more than ever that it's October...the month I love the most, for it's colors, the apples and cider, pumpkins and jackets...the month I love the most -- for everyone in our family, all five of us, were born in October.
We talk, we laugh, ask questions, give assurances, and thoroughly enjoy the meal of specially chosen recipes created with love. I'll savor leftovers the next day, remembering our warm evening together.
Final note:
Melinda made a birthday cake from scratch for the occasion...a carrot cake, but of course with no nuts for her dad. We learn that Harold has lived his whole life without ever tasting carrot cake because of his nut allergy. He can't believe there are no nuts in the cake--there are always nuts in carrot cake! He gave up eating sugar in February this year. But Sunday night, for the first time ever, he experiences the warm
yum-i-ness of homemade carrot cake...and loves it!
We have to make exceptions once in awhile. I think after sixty-one years, he deserves to taste his daughter's carrot cake, sugar or no sugar...and we all join in.
Happy Birthday Family!
