Vegan by Valerie

Restaurant Review: Chicago's "Everest"

*** Don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win a year’s subscription to Vegetarian Times, here! ***

How gorgeous is this view from Everest Restaurant?!?!I would be lying if I said that I took the above and below pictures myself – I was too nervous, starstruck, in-awe to take too many pictures – these are courtesy of Google Images.  But it’s still breathtatking!Mike and I dined at Everest last night to celebrate my birthday.  It was nothing short of spectacular!! Until I recently had the pleasure of dining at Tru as part of the FoodBuzz Featured Publisher event last month, I had never had the privilege of dining at one of Chicago’s true, honest-to-goodness 5-star restaurants.

So I felt very lucky to have had the opportunity to not only attend one, but TWO of Chicago’s fine dining establishments in the past 2 months.  According to their website:

En routeSo, when Mike was reading reviews of Everest over the past couple days, he heard many people discuss how elusive it is in the way that it is simply hard to find – much like the Schaumburg Ikea – you Chicagoans know what I’m talkin about

Well, we certainly found this to be true!!! It was literally like being in a weird, cryptic movie like the Matrix!  First we entered the Board of Trade building, then we were directed through to another builidng, then we walked down many hallways including this one….Then had to clear our reservation with a staff member at another building, then had to take an elevator to the 39th floor, then had to take ANOTHER elevator to the 40th floor, then had to walk down this very secretive-looking hallway….And then we finally arrived!

Sorry guys, I wish I could have gotten a lot more pictures of the actual inside – the restaurant was stunning and there was a very cool bar that I would have loved to take pictures of, but I just felt slightly awkward playing the excited-tourist-with-a-camera role.It’s hard to see with the glare, but we had a lovely view of the Sears Tower as well as a view to the west and south of the city for miles and miles.I got my own, personalized vegan menu!!! When Mike was deciding where to take me, part of the way that he narrowed down his decision was because Everest actually has a vegetarian menu on a daily basis.  They also were very accomodating, and it was great to be presented with my own vegan menu! I got to take it home with me too! The amuse bouche course: I wasn’t taking notes like I was at Tru, sadly, so it’s difficult to be as detailed as the dishes deserve, but I can tell you that the first was a tomato dish, middle a potato soup, and the right a cucumber foam.  They were all very tasty… and yet again I was amazed at how flavorfull such small bites can be!Braised Artichokes in Virgin Olive Oil and Coriander

(Les Artichauts Confits a L’ Huile D’Olive)I didn’t get the full description for this since it was Mike’s dish, but he described it as “succulent scallops”.  He was in love with this dish!!Fricasse of Wild Forest Mushrooms

( La Fricasse de Champignons Sauvages)Mike’s lobster tail

Smoked Yukon Potato, Spelt and Farro, Fall Vegetables

(Pomme Yukon Fumee, Epeautre, Legumes du Jardin d’Ete)Mike’s lamb, which he enjoyed but said wasn’t as good as his Yaya’s

Emulsion of Granny Smith Apple

( Emulsion de Pomme Granny Smith)Mike’s dessert plate:  the chocolate platter! He said it was amazing!!

My broached pears with some type of a caramel emulsion, and an adorable chocolate Happy Birthday card!

Once we thought the meal was over, there was still even more delights…. the mignardises were beyond fantastic, particularly the chocolate hazelnut!!

chocolate hazelnut. 

(I will mention, in all honesty, that I did briefly take a hiatus from veganism to enjoy the mignardises course.  I purposely made a choice to request a vegan dessert, and enjoyed my broached pears.  However, once they brought the mignardises course, which was unexpected, I decided that it would be alright to have a tiny, bite-sized dessert.  I know this does not make me a die-hard vegan, but I know myself and I know that this is not something I plan to do often.  This was truly a once in a lifetime experience for Mike and I, something that we do NOT do often and will most likely not have the opportunity to do again for a very, very long time!  I will make just one other exception, when we eat the top layer of our wedding cake next month on our anniversary.  After that, I plan to never again stray for the land of veganism and conscious eating!)

And that sums it up – Everest was an exceptional dining experience, and if you ever have the opportunity to go there, I highly recomend it.  Similar to Tru, it is both a culinary delight, a night of entertainment (the service was remarkable). and a cultural experience all rolled into one. 

Thank you, dear husband of mine, for taking me there for my birthday! You’re the best! <3

***

Question of the night:

What is your favorite restaurant, and why?

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.