Spring Restaurant
 

Spring Restaurant was mentioned by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine as being a "hot" table.

To quote from the Spring website:
http://springrestaurant.net/

(773) 395-7100
2039 W North Ave
Chicago


=

I just visited Spring this past weekend. I must say it lived up to my expectations and then some. The portions were very well sized. I had a scallop dish which had about 8 good sized scallops. I had the tuna tartare for an appetizer and that too was good sized. Overall, I didn't think it was that pricey either. We had a group of 8, we all had appetizers, dinner, and 3 bottles of nice wine and the bill was under $700 with tip. We didn't have desert as we went to Sugar afterwards. Overall I would put Spring right up there with the top restaurants in Chicago.

Friends of mine keep raving about Spring. They tell me I have to go there. I'm looking forward to it.

Went here last night, and all I can say...this is probably my favorite restaurant in the city right now. Makes Trotter's look like McD's, but that's MHO.

Took some friends (big foodies) -- and they did the tasting menu. Loved the whole thing.

I had the kampachi sashimi which was outstanding, coconut & lemongrass soup, and barramundi. All were excellent.

Also visited this place a few months prior and did the tasting menu -- awesome experience. ^ ^

ooo, how was it prepared ?

I believe it was pan-seared; nice and tender in the middle with a light crispness on the outside. Served on top of a pumpkin gnocchi and some greens that I think were coated in a lemongrass glaze. It was stellar. ^

Spring = ^^

It is one of my reliable choices in bucktown. It is definately one of the top neighborhood joints, but city wide there is some tough competition.

Agreed, I do like its Bucktown/Wicker Park location because, even though it's a nice restaurant, the surrounding area doesn't dictate a strict dress code and a great meal can be enjoyed in relative casual attire.

Finally went back to Spring. $75 Groupon was the catalyst:

Kusshi Oyster: 'bloody mary'/grated fresh wasabi, we are oyster fanatics and I don’t know why I ever think that a dressed up oyster is going to be better than just the plain shucked variety. Oyster was fantastically fresh but extra treatment didn’t wow.

Tartare of Prime Beef: 'pho spice'/lime & palm sugar dressing/crispy rice. Crispy rice was really a thin cracker. The tartare alone was delicious, add the pho spice & dressing, WOW.

Foie Gras Gyoza: charred tataki of prime New York strip/smoked apple. Not as good as we had hoped but hey how bad can foie gras be?!!

Crispy Pork Belly: Chinese steamed buns/ pickled cucumber/ Thai basil & cilantro. I thought this would be a very pedestrian offering, wrong. A stellar item.

Lemongrass & Coconut Soup w/prawn dumplings/Thai chili/shaved shiitake/kaffir lime. Incredible soup but got this nagging feeling I get this (sans dumpling) at my local Thai joint for 1/5 of the price.

Malted Sweet Potato Soup w/roasted pork shoulder/potato & apple fritter. The ehh item of the night. Where was the roasted pork shoulder? Fritter tasted a bit burnt.

Australian Barramundi: Korean spiced potato gnocchi/ Brussel sprouts/ almond/ grilled scallion. Spring dehydrates kimchi then pulverizes it and uses as a spice, really couldn’t taste it unless sampled gnocchi separately, but didn’t matter as the dish was a terrific finish to our evening.

Our lead waiter was warm & very informed. Serving staff was not knowledgeable and had no presentation skills, i.e. “here is the fish” (you think????). Bus staff was too quick to remove serving items they thought we wouldn’t need. The two latter service items certainly didn’t detract from our wonderful meal.

Price for the above w/4 glasses of wine was ~$160 w/o tip.
-

Willie, sounds like you had a good experience. The bad part is, this place used to be "great."

They swept the table. Every bite of food was amazing. Waiters were fun and casual yet extremely passionate about food.

While still a great place, it's dropped down a notch, unfortunately.

I am a sucker for the foie gras gyoza and pork belly. I, too, am not a fan of the new oyster preparations. The ones from 2007-2008 were spectacular -- they're the reason I now even eat oysters!

Unfortunately, I missed that Groupon! :mad:

I've not been there in a couple of years, but my memory of the portion sizes was that they were small to medium, IIRC. The quality of the food was very good, though.

got an email today - Spring to close after NYE 2010
 

QUOTE

----
NEW YEAR'S EVE TO BE SPRING'S LAST NIGHT

Shawn McClain To Focus on Expanding Green Zebra, New Ventures

One of this city's most celebrated restaurants, Spring restaurant will be closing after New Year's Eve service. Opened in 2001, Spring enjoyed tremendous acclaim from critics and consumers alike, and was a pioneer restaurant in the now well-established Bucktown neighborhood. With the success of Spring, Chef Shawn McClain opened the vegetarian-focused Green Zebra (2004) and later, Custom House (2005). In 2006, McClain was named "Best Chef Midwest" by the James Beard Foundation; three years later, he ventured west to open Sage at City Center in Las Vegas to widespread acclaim. "The close of the year seemed like the right time to let Spring go - our lease is up and my partners and I have decided to part ways. We had a great run and now, I look forward to focusing on upcoming projects," states McClain.

Through November and December, Spring will offer a special menu made up of some of the most popular dishes over the years. The four-course menu (with multiple selections to choose from within each course) is $59 (exclusive of tax and gratuity) and may be paired with wines for $26; a Grand Tasting menu is available as well. Details for New Year's Eve are being finalized and will be available mid-November. The restaurant is available for private parties. For reservations or further information, please call 773.395.7100.

SPRING
the favorites over the past decade

Pacific Kumamoto Oysters
rice wine mignonette/grated fresh wasabi

Charred Yellowfin Sashimi 'Nicoise'
Italian white anchovies/poached quail egg/black olive-coriander vinaigrette

Japanese Hamachi Tartare
roasted banana miso/ toasted cashews/crispy rice paper

Diver Scallop & Crisp Potato 'Ravioli'
roasted wild mushrooms/black winter truffle reduction

Chilled Agnolotti of Fresh Goat Cheese and Citrus
heirloom beets/apple cider vinaigrette/cara cara orange

_____________________________________

Lemongrass & Coconut Soup
prawn & Thai basil dumplings/Kaffir lime/shiitake mushrooms

Kabocha Squash & Honeycrisp Apple Soup
crispy potato croquettes/pickled ginger

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Housemade Thai pancetta/mustard vinaigrette

_____________________________________


Pacific Black Cod
Chinese black bean/peekytoe crab pancake/carrot-sesame emulsion

Maine Sea Scallops
braised oxtail/wild mushroom/sweet soy

Wild Alaskan Halibut
braised white asparagus/aged cannoroli risotto/black winter truffles

Roasted New York Strip Steak
braised shortrib dumplings/gingered port wine reduction

Toasted Sesame & Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi
roasted mushrooms/Chinese greens/preserved winter ramps
_____________________________________


Vahlrona White Chocolate Dome
peppermint bark/bittersweet chocolate crémeux

Chinese Five Spice Panna Cotta
pear cider gelée/sugar spiced donuts

Ice Cream Tasting
three seasonal ice cream flavors

---
end QUOTE

I was sad to hear about this earlier. I've only been to Spring twice but thoroughly enjoyed it both times.

If you can get here in the next two months you won't be disappointed. Make sure to stop by the Violet Hour pre or post dinner. Just a short 3 or 4 block walk and so delightful.

I feel a DO coming on!