Chef David Posey
By Nevin Martell
Unless you’ve had a chance to spend some time dining in the Windy City, you probably haven’t had a chance to enjoy David Posey’s award-winning cuisine. As Blackbird’s chef de cuisine, he focuses on highly refined dishes that focus on subtly woven flavors presented in artful compositions. Sounds like someone else we all know.
Reading over Blackbird’s menu, one finds a subtle synchronicity between Posey’s creations and those that RJ is earning acclaim for at Rogue 24. Both chefs enjoy taking something simple like a butternut squash soup, then elevating it to unscaled heights. A version of Cooper’s that I once enjoyed included fresh wild herbs and a delicate vegetable consommé, while Posey dots his iteration with bits of brined peach and roe. By no means are the two men doing similar dishes, but I’m guessing that Posey will feel right at home in the centerstage kitchen.
1st course
Smoked hamachi tartare/daikon/apple
The meal begins with a dish that Posey tells us is in development for the menu back home. Crispy cider-braised daikon accompanies a circle of hamachi tartare and a swipe of buttermilk puree. The flavors are clean – almost monastic – except for the acidic and apple-y radish.
2nd course
Sea bass/chorizo/parsnip/clam/pear
A hint of cinnamon, miniature bay leaves and a pair of snappy chorizo chips break off the shackles on this otherwise restrained dish. Pear and parsnip add a sweet undertone, which pairs well with the clam hidden below the tender fish filet.
3rd course
Octopus confit/chestnuts/fingerlime/fennel
Chef Posey comes over to introduce this dish, which incorporates chestnuts two ways (pureed and crisped), delicate chili threads, blanched baby fennel and a paper-thin sliv of fingerlime. The multitude of micro-ingredients fill the bowl with flashes of mantis and kelly green, carmine red and blush pink.
***4th course
Bay scallops/grapefruit/chiogga/peanuts
At the half hour mark, I’m presented with two tiny scallops – no bigger than a pair of dice – complemented by a beet spire, mini cilantro clippings, brûléed grapefruit segments and a soil of peanut and licorice. Each element contains a subtle sweetness, which bring the disparate ingredients together to create a surprising unity.
5th course
Creamed snails/lentils/quince/celery
Before I take a bite, I try a sip of the booze-free NGNT (Non Gin ‘N’ Tonic), which has a lovely botanical bite courtesy of fresh rosemary, coriander, juniper berries and star anise. Kudos to cheftender Bryan Tetorakis for the heady concoction, which cuts through the richness of the snails. An inexplicable celery boat sits atop the escargot, an unnecessary and distracting addition.
***6th course
Foie gras torchon/parsley root/pickled lime/sunflower
There is nothing out of place on this bourbon-cured foie dressed up with cracked grains of urfa red pepper, caramelized and candied sunflower seeds and a few tiny, see-thru panes of spicy pickled lime. My dining companion and I agree that this is our new favorite from the lineup (sorry, scallops!).
***7th course
Sea trout/smoked panisse/cipollini/soy/maple
Actually, hold that thought. This is the table fave. The fish is cooked perfectly, so it sloughs apart with a tap of the fork. A sparkling cracklin crowns the filet. Several dehydrated-then-rehydrated grapes (Posey calls them “fresh raisins”) dot the plate alongside a tiny brick of smoked panisse, a savory-sweet maple and soy glaze cipollini and a crackly saturnine ring of dried sweet onion.
8th course
Roasted lobster/polenta/king trumpet/carrot/coffee
This butter poached and roasted clawer is worthy of a Hipstamatic snap on the iPhone, which I quickly post to Twitter. The lobster pairs well with the golden nugget of fried polenta balanced on top.
9th course
Butternut squash soup/arctic char/baby peach/stout
I refer to this as “Butt Squash” in my notes, which I immediately realize does this splendid soup a disservice. A cloud of beery foam floats in the center, hiding a few pearls of roe that pop in my mouth like Spike Gjerde’s pickled mustard seeds. We’re at the hour and a half mark here, but I’ve got stomach space to spare.
***10th course
Barley risotto/broccoli/yolk/yuzu
A golden raw egg yolk covered with snippets of broccoli sits at the middle of a barley risotto bed. “It’s kinda like a Chia Pet,” notes general manager JP Featherston. “Not that you want that image in your mind.” Popping the golden orb with a flick of the spoon, I swirl it with the creamy grain. Delicious.
***11th course
Lamb belly/chicory/escarole/turnip/hollandaise
Our first land-based protein comes as a layered stack of nicely fatted lamb belly slabs with braised escarole draped across the top. The meat’s earthy profile lingers on my tongue until a few sips of 2001 Chateau Lanessan wash it away.
12th course
Pork shoulder/sunchokes/burnt leek/kumquat/horseradish
As this plate touches down, I realize that Posey has decided to present no dessert courses. A little disappointing, since he used to be the pastry chef at Alinea and his espresso sponge cake with blood orange, honey and golden turnip ice cream at Blackbird sounds lovely. Marmalade notes and the fleeting flavor of wasabi lurk in this pleasing pig presentation.
13th course
Happy endings/little things/small bites
Pastry chef Giane Cavaliere to the rescue! I will get a sugar fix after all. This week’s trifecta of treats includes her salted root beer float meringue, an amaretto-chocolate-almond confection that hides dark cocoa nib notes and a brandied apple gelée that recalls mulled cider.
Looking over the menu later, I can’t help but smile. RJ must be proud. He may be absent, but there was a kindred spirit in the house this week.
Book at seat at next week’s Rogue Session with John Currence.
To get live updates about my Rogue Sessions tastings, please follow me on Twitter @nevinmartell.
Read my play-by-play post on José Andrés and Ruben García’s Rogue Session.
Read my play-by-play post on Spike Gjerde’s Rogue Session.
Read my play-by-play post on Tim Byres’ Rogue Session.
Read my play-by-play post on Bryan Voltaggio’s Rogue Session.
