BOKA: THE NUMBER OF MUST-ORDERS ON THIS LINCOLN PARK RESTAURANT’S MENU IS SHOCKING IN A GOOD WAY
The Cost -$75 per person
The Atmosphere – When you walk into Boka, you walk into a dimly lit, lively, modern and trendy space with a lot of dark décor features. It’s got a sexy, masculine feel to it with some elegance and glamour. Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Boka makes for an incredible spot to celebrate a special occasion or for a nice night out. The restaurant only offers indoor seating but that’s par for the course in Chicago. Reservations are highly recommended and night out or business casual attire would be the way to go dress wise.
In its nearly two decades of existence, Boka has cemented itself as a premier Chicago dining destination. However, it took some time for Boka, owned by the Boka Restaurant Group which also owns Girl and the Goat, All Vita, and Cabra among others, started receiving praise on the national and international stage. Since 2011, the restaurant has earned a Michelin Star every single year and since Chef Lee Wolen took over the kitchen in 2014, Boka and its chef have received an impressive number of James Beard award nominations. It is impressive just how long Boka has remained at the forefront of the Chicago dining scene and part of the reason it has is due to Chef Wolen and his modern, yet timeless, American cuisine that has had locals and tourists salivating for years.
The Order – Dry Aged Beef Tartare, Grilled Spanish Octopus, Sweet Potato Ravioli, Roasted Chicken, Whole Roasted Dry Aged Duck, Caramelized Hazelnut, and a Chocolate Angel Food Cake.
The Fantastic – We don’t give out Fantastics very often and so it is quite remarkable that Boka earned three of them. Choosing the best dish of the evening is tough but that honor is going to go to the Sweet Potato Ravioli. Served six to the order, the circular ravioli in this appetizer had an exceptional sweet potato filling and were topped with a scallop dust after being mixed in with an incredible sage butter sauce that had pieces of black trumpet mushrooms mixed in. It was an incredible dish and is a must-order, as are the next two dishes.
The Whole Roasted Dry Aged Duck was the second best dish of the evening but it truly doesn’t deserve anything but high praise. When ordering it, you have a choice between a portion for one or two and we chose the portion for one, which was enough for three people to get a good taste of. The duck breast was wonderfully prepared and the standout was the crispy and spiced skin which was out of this world. The duck meat was also delicious with a good amount of fat and excellent flavor. It was served with a bit of duck leg mixed with Jerusalem sunchoke cream and a very nice combination of dates, sumac and turnip. One of the best ducks I’ve ever had.
The third and final dish to receive our Fantastic rating was the Roasted Chicken. The name of the dish might not invoke much excitement but this is not your ordinary roasted chicken. This beautifully prepared chicken breast was moist and full of flavor, leaving me to wonder how Chef Wolen got it to taste so good and where he sourced his chicken from because it sure as hell wasn’t from anywhere that most U.S. restaurants get theirs. Served with Jerusalem artichokes, maitake mushrooms and a brown butter sauce the combination of the veggies, the sauce, and the chicken was a true delight.
The Great – Landing in this spot was the second best appetizer of the meal, the Dry Aged Beef Tartare. A colorful dish comprised of 45 day dry aged raw beef, mixed with carrots, horseradish sauce, and toasted buckwheat which was then topped with fresh dill and parsley, the tartare was very enjoyable. It featured some nice textures provided by the crunchy toasted buckwheat and the creamy horseradish sauce, though the creaminess of the sauce did overpower the meat a bit. The dish had a small kick to it but would be acceptable to anyone that can handle a mild level of spice.
The other Great rated item was the Caramelized Hazelnut, one of two desserts that were ordered. The better of the two, the dish features a praline mousse with a goat cheese cajeta sauce drizzled on top and accompanied by a small scoop of whole milk ice cream and some hazelnuts. The mousse was really delicious and the combination with the crunch and nuttiness of the hazelnuts and the cold sweet ice cream was thoughtful and tasty. When you add in the awesome goat cheese cajeta, a type of caramel sauce, it was a winner.
The Good – The Chocolate Angel Food Cake was the other dessert that was ordered. It came with a large scoop of matcha ice cream that was sat atop the chocolate angel food cake. The ice cream itself was topped with a thin chocolate and matcha crisp that had a chocolate crémeux on top. This decadent dessert was good, but it wasn’t the chocolatey end to the meal that I was looking for, mostly because the matcha really took over the dish and because there wasn’t a ton of chocolate. I didn’t regret ordering it but I do think this dessert looked better than it tasted.
Though it was a solid dish, the Grilled Spanish Octopus was my least favorite of the evening. The copious amount of cucumbers and dill made it look like salad upon first glance and the white cream on the bottom which appeared to be a yogurt sauce was actually a smoked cauliflower puree. The octopus was buried in between the two layers and was a bit charred and neither silky nor soft in texture. The cucumber and dill were an interesting and uncommon pairing for an octopus and while I appreciated the creativity, I didn’t love the result. With so many other amazing dishes on the menu, this is one I wouldn’t order again.
The Verdict – Dinner at Boka was truly an incredible experience and it really lived up to the hype. While it certainly isn’t the least expensive restaurant in town, the restaurant is still a great value for the food, service and ambiance that it offers. It was easy to see why this Lincoln Park restaurant has become a celebrated mainstay in the Chicago food scene and I already can’t wait to return on my next trip back to the windy city.