***** (5 stars)

Blackbird has been nominated or received a James Beard award virtually every year for more than a decade, and there’s a reason.

We had the tasting menu, which consisted of ten courses plus a couple of extras. There were several home runs, and a couple of misses. Stellar items included the Foie gras in an amazing shitake broth, and a sweet and savory course of cheese and chocolate. Misses were the sturgeon and the striploin.

Service was super efficient, unobtrusive, and friendly.

The wine list is pricey and doesn’t have a lot of depth, but we found two reasonably priced half bottles that accompanied almost every course.

The place gets noisy, because there is no acoustic treatment, but we went early and had a front corner table that was quite intimate for the first couple of hours.

An excellent culinary experience.

Blackbird
619 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 715-0708
http://www.yelp.com/biz/blackbird-chicago