Tru: An Experience to Remember (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 39)

Every year, at the end of December, we try to go to one of the destination restaurants in the area to celebrate both of our birthdays. This year we chose Tru, which is famed for being owned by celebrity chefs and is always booked months in advance. Tru's reputation is well deserved, as we had a great meal in a great setting.

To start, we ordered an Oregon Pinot Noir. We liked it because it was light and fruity with a grape aftertaste. The meal started with an amuse bouche with pears and fennel. We found it interesting, as an amuse bouche should be. The second amuse bouche, however, was not so good. It looked like a giant eye and was gelatinous (like an eye), so obviously eating it was a bit strange, although it probably didn't taste like an eye. The highlight of the meal came next -- the caviar staircase. This was a beautifully arranged painter's palatte of caviar with the most expensive at the top, going down to the "least" expensive on curving glass levels. The accompaniments included creme fraiche, capers, onions, egg white, egg yolk, and great brioche. We ate all the caviar and could have had even more, and there was plenty of creme fraiche, which we've noticed is a bit skimpy at some other places.

Next, we had a cheese course. Each of us had three cheeses, one sheep's milk, one goat's milk and one cow's milk. Five of the six were extremely good. The only one that was questionable was one of the cow's milk cheeses because it was a bit hard. The rest were delicious with just the right combination of mild and sharp.

For appetizers, we had the lobster soup and prime beef tartare. The soup was very good, though a bit fishy. The prime beef tartare, however, disappointed. We knew it had red pepper, but we didn't think the red pepper would totally overpower the beef. Unfortunately, it did. This is the result of a combination of peppers that were too strong and beef that was relatively tasteless.

Our entrees were Hollywood entrees -- lots of style, but little substance. Lisa's salmon was average at best, though it looked really good with its accompanying apples and coconut. Steve ordered the braised beef short rib. He expected it to be falling off the bone tender, but was surprised that it was somewhat tough and definitely lacked flavor.

For dessert, Lisa had flourless chocolate cake (called Dense Chocolate on the menu), which was, in fact, dense and dark chocolatty, though very small. Steve had vanilla pot de creme with lemon curds. He thought this would be right up his alley, since vanilla and lemon are two of his favorite flavors, but the directions must have been wrong, since there was very little taste. There were many dessert amuse bouches, including cups of dark hot chocolate, which were very creamy and good. The macaroons were a little too sweet but fun, and we loved the other little cookies.

We both were very impressed with the bathrooms. The women's bathroom was very clean and well-decorated, with dark gray marble or granite floors and sinks. The men's room was also very clean and had towels near the doors, which Steve likes.

The total bill, with a bottle of expensive wine, was $900 and would have been about $750 with wine by the glass. Despite the fact that we've panned a few of the courses, Tru is definitely a great dining experience that everyone should try for a special occasion. The decor is very relaxing, as the tables are well spaced and the room is large, and service is informed.

Our rating for Tru, 676 N. St. Clair, Chicago, Illinois:

8 of 10 Steak Knives; 3 of 3 Bathroom Brushes