Food Fanatics Assemble!

Baume & Brix

Perk up, tired gastronomes – a fresh culinary breeze is sweeping through the Windy City. Thomas Elliot Bowman, Ben Roche and Nate Park are the A-team at the hob of one of Chicago’s most hotly-anticipated openings of the year, Baume & Brix, and if the unabating crowds following the October opening offer any indication, it’s that the trio look to have one successful venture on their hands.

The four-way split menu comes brimming with internationally-inflected signatures that playfully juxtapose sweet and savoury. Small plates from the ‘Explore’ section include unshelled lobster with sweet vanilla-potato foam, while the ‘Summit’ list comprises entrée dishes like beef short rib in red curry paste with coconut congee, lemon chips and goji berries. Larger groups or those with big appetites can pre-order pork shoulder or whole fish sharing plates from the ‘Divide’ selection, while the ‘Conquer’ dessert menu features unconventional but well-executed creations like Frostee and Fries, a curious concoction of potato ice-cream, chocolate mousse, banana and cherry ketchup. Add in a 120-name wine cellar, natty classic-with-a-twist cocktail selection, plus a warm fitout of russet brown furnishings and rich wood flooring and beams, and it’s easy to see how B&B is breathing a zesty new life into the Chicago dining scene. So cool, it’s hot!