EVER
Chicago
Growing up as an only child, I spent a lot of time with my parents. And one of the ways we would spend time together was through meals. And even at a very early age, many of those meals included tasting menus.
Tasting menus were always something we could do together. We could sit, enjoy a meal without having to make choices and try things we normally wouldn’t reach for. While there was certainly a “my parents aren’t cool, I don’t want to hang out with them” high school phase in my youth, I can safely say hanging out with my parents is once again one of my favorite things to do.
No tasting menu has ever been built up with more personal lore than Ever, a Chicago based space recently experiencing a spike in popularity following season three of FX’s The Bear, which featured not only the space but highlighted a fictional, but similar, version of the restaurant.
My parents always celebrate their wedding anniversary, December 21st, ironically the shortest day of the year, with an extravagant meal and Ever has been that choice for the previous few years. Ever is the brainchild of Chef Curtis Duffy and co-owner Michael Muser, who I learned over our meal is a huge fan and close confidant of my parents. Beyond just The Bear, Ever is nationally acclaimed and known for not only its food but its exceptional level of service and detail it pays to its patrons.
Tasting menus were one of the first things that ever made me feel mature and like an adult. I felt so special, getting these intricate dishes and all this attention focused on me and my experience.
Because this meal had been truly 10 years in the making of hearing about how wonderful Ever is and how one day “you’ll finally be able to appreciate it”, I wanted to memorialize the art gallery of dishes and overall experience. While you unfortunately can’t taste it, I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy the Ever tasting menu.
THE FOOD
THE WINE
THE MEAL
Course 1: Liquified toasted brioche, piped into a ring filled with Oscietra Grand Reserve Caviar, garnished with lemon balm and filled with a huckleberry puree
Paired with NV Charles Le Bel Inspiration 1818 Chamapagne
Course 2: Delicata squash, served with a vibrant herb sauce, granola, kumquats, oxalis and salty pork fat
Paired with 2021 Au Bon Climat “Hiledgard” Pinot Gris, and Aligoté Santa Maria Valley
Course 3: Warm coconut kaffir lime broth, served over crispy coriander blooms, pickled miniature mushrooms, sous vide chicken breast and crispy chicken skin
Paired with 2022 Javier San Pedro Ortega “Viuda Negra Blanc” Rioja
Course 4: Pan seared Hiramasa, served with mandarin orange, mustard seed, raw fennel, fried fennel and fennel pure
Bread course 1: Fennel pollen roll, served with homemade salted butter and herb infused butter (butter was used with all breads)
Paired with 2023 Domaine Bunan Moulin des Costes Rose Bandol
Course 5: Japanese egg custard, topped with eel, watermelon puree, kombu and burnet
Bread course 2: seaweed bun, served with butter
Paired with 2016 Marotti Campi Castelli Di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva Classico
Course 6: potato and olive stuffed ravioli, served with a mushroom foam and petite mushroom leaf. The potato and olive slices above the ravioli are meant to represent the filling and be a simplified version
Bread course 3: a classic pretzel bread twist
Paired with 2022 Bruma “Plan B” Grenache Blend Valle de Guadalupe
Course 7: Australian wagyu beef steak, served with pistachios and a piped pistachio cream, filled with a red wine reduction
Bread course 4: A classic French Madeleine.
Paired with 2021 Luis Seabra “Xisto Ilimitado” Tinta Franca Blend Duoro
Course 8: The first dessert course. A banana rice pudding, with hibiscus, passion fruit and Hoja Santa purees, topped with a granulated sugar disk.
Course 9: An olive oil cake, served with chilled sweet cream pastry cream, topped with fresh blueberries and verbena lemon.
Paired with 2022 Max Ferd. Richter “Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr” Riesling Spatlese Mosel
