We went to Ruxbin Kitchen last night. It was our second visit to this small, interesting venue. We went the first time earlier this year with our friend Rodger. Last night, we took another friend Lin. We got a chance to taste the new "summer menu" this time so it was a diverse experience.
Ruxbin is located in a down an out area of town just west of the Chicago river on Ashland street. From the outside it actually looks like the restaurant is part of the local architecture -- the sign looks broken and you're surprised to find that there is even a restaurant to go to.
But the trip is worth it. Inside is a very small venue -- only 32 seats -- and they take no reservations. The kitchen, upstairs, is remarkably tiny. But the food they turn out is interesting.
We started with two salads that were a bit disappointing. Lin's pork belly salad had interesting textures and tastes, but she found that the pork belly itself was a bit too fatty. Katy had an apple and plum salad that was a pretty good arugula salad, but had modestly interesting tastes. The star of the appetizers was Paul's dish -- a cured smoked salmon that was garnished with a wonderful cardomon-honey yogurt and some tasty fruit slices.
The entrees were better. Lin had a pork loin -- she thought it was interesting but not as complex as she would have liked. The garnish of chickpeas and grilled peaches was better than the meat itself. Both Paul and Katy had the mussel bake -- with fine Prince Edward mussels in a coconut style broth that included some tasty tomatoes, corn and sausage.
The highlight of the meal was dessert. Katy and Lin shared a berry and shortbread concoction that they said was "intense" and "not cloying." A perfect end to a good meal.
One note: This is a BYOB bistro. We brought along a Goosecross Cellars 2008 Cabernet Franc. It was deep and tannic with a good depth of fruit. We recommend it highly -- so much so that Katy and Paul are members of their wine club.
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