![]() There are kebabs in various forms, accented by tzatziki sauce or zhoug (spicy green pepper sauce), as the case may be. Larger plates appear designed for more timid palates. As I alluded to earlier, Jacobson knows how to entice with vegetables. Stalky and vivid-green, this cauli-cousin is definitely worth your attention, especially in this preparation - lightly charred and very firm, dusted with powdered Aleppo pepper and plated over yogurt and honey. Romanesco is billed, redundantly, as "romanesque cauliflower," but Jacobson says no one ordered the dish under the "romanesco" title. Visually a bore, the dish abounds with nutty flavor and chewy texture I kept thinking what a great breakfast dish this would make. (Halloumi itself is rather bland, but the peppers compensate nicely.)Īlso unusual is the risotto of bulgur grains, with accents of Meyer lemon, black walnut, Parmesan and Honeycrisp apples in irregular chunks. The dish is served ice cold (placed over a bowl of ice, in fact), and while it strikes me as a summer dish (no doubt it'll be off the menu soon), between the vibrant red of the shaved granita and vivid-green peas, one could view it as a Christmas-wreath presentation, if one were to squint hard enough and drink long enough.Īnother favorite is the halloumi, a brined cheese with a high melting point and a cheese-curd texture Jacobson quick-fries it in chunks, to be tossed with dates, various peppers (Fresno, bell, piquillo, marinated in fish sauce) and chicory in a textural playground. English peas, mixed with tart, housemade yogurt and blackberry-sumac granita. One of Jacobson's oddest dishes is also one of my favorites. ("I didn't want it too Starbucks-ed out," Jacobson explained.) ![]() I assumed the recently added "pumpkin hummus" was a seasonal gimmick, but the spread, made from kabocha squash and drizzled with pumpkinseed oil, is delicious, accented sparingly with cinnamon and nutmeg. There are hummus spreads at different spice levels, including one fortified with lamb ragu and spicy harissa, and housemade labneh (Lebanese cream cheese) with crushed almonds, lightly grilled grapes and honey. You'll start with spreads, if only to get at that soft, warm, naan-like bread that's included. At Intro, Jacobson was serving, perhaps, 60 tasting menus per night Ema seats nearly 150 and offers an a la carte menu listing more than 30 dishes. If you dined at Intro during Jacobson's time there, you'll have just the barest inkling of what awaits you here. (Yeah, they're silk, but it's the thought that counts.) This is Lettuce's most resolutely summery interior since Summer House Santa Monica opened three years ago. Walnut-colored wood tables, linen napkins, plank-look flooring and woven-basket fixtures speak to natural materials suspended-ceiling hardware is repurposed as an industrial arbor, allowing green vines to snake overhead. Oversize windows, which slide open in good weather, coax in all available beams of sunlight, which bounce off the white-wood and white-brick walls. Lighting is generously, almost aggressively, bright. The staff at Ema can help you and you will be on your way to earn $ off your next dinner out.Chef CJ Jacobson, who was the inaugural chef-in-residence at Lettuce Entertain You Enterprise's groundbreaking Intro restaurant, is a California boy with a forage-friendly bent, and the restaurant, built from the ground up with Jacobson in mind, reflects that. If you do not know what “Lettuce Entertain You” is and you live in or visit Chicago often, sign up for an account. This is also a “Lettuce Entertain You” restaurant, so you can earn points. Reservations are recommended as I was here on a Monday night and we waited 15 minutes with a reservation. The cocktail Fog Over Rio impressed me and I was delighted to share a bottle of wine from Lebanon (I am part Lebanese) with my friends. Do not miss ordering the hummus and crispy potatoes. The menu is set up for each person to order a few plates and share. I picked Ema for a weekday get-together because the food is light but satisfying. Also, being close to downtown makes it easy for visitors to find in the city. ![]() Ema’s location makes it easy for me and my two best friends to meet up as we are coming from three different parts of the city. Ema recently became a favorite place to meet my friends after work and recommend to my family to try when they are in Chicago.
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