Background:
Chicago’s Chef Michael Carlson began his career working under Paul Bartolotta at Spiaggia, Valentino Marcattilii in Italy, Grant Achatz at Trio, and Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck. In 2005, Carlson was offered a Sous-Chef position under Achatz at Alinea, but right around the same time, the opportunity came to buy Schwa, and he took it. Out of everyone he’s worked with, Carlson counts Achatz as his biggest culinary inspiration, so it was interesting to come here two nights before we dined at Alinea. It perhaps would have been best the other way around, but allora.
Schwa has an interesting reputation that’s all over the map. This article sums it up nicely, but essentially Schwa is known for the wonderful – a consistently-held Michelin Star since 2011 and one of the hardest reservations to get in town, to the less than – rumors of a drug-filled kitchen and canceling diner’s reservations at the last minute. However, per the article above and in our experience, Schwa has moved away from any shenanigans. Our dinner was seamlessly executed and felt very professional and high-end. AKA, no one offered us any cocaine (#rude).
We were initially introduced to Schwa by Chef Mike Noll of our beloved Bardo, who worked under Carlson for a time (and now we can see many Schwa influences in Noll’s dishes!). We were in town so Jason could run the Chicago Marathon, and it was a joy to fit Alinea and Schwa into the same weekend of culinary debauchery.
Our experience was only slightly sullied by having just checked into a disgusting and unacceptable room at the Congress Plaza Hotel (never, ever stay here – I don’t care how great the location is), and we were a little stressed out with trying to find a new hotel and rush from the marathon expo to Schwa with enough time. We made it only about ten minutes late, which felt like a miracle. Of course, then Jason had to run to the Mexican grocery down the street to procure my booze, because no way I’m dining at a BYO restaurant sober, lateness be damned. I digress. Onto the food.
Eat This:
Schwa serves a seasonally rotating tasting menu. Here’s what we had on October 11th, 2019:
Arnold Palmer
½ tea, ¼ lemon, ¼ sugar
Presented on a giant piece of astroturf, this dish had 25 elements of tea, citrus, and sugar that were designed to be mixed and matched and then taken as a dry shooter in the provided shot glass.
Embarrassing story time: one of the chefs brought out the shot glasses prior to the astroturf, and it was right at the same time that I opened my bottle of tequila. I said to Jason, “Surely this shot glass is for the dish, right?” And he betrayed me and said, “Nah, I’m sure that’s for the tequila.” Suffice to say he was wrong, and we both embarrassed the family as the chef shook his head and brought us a new one.
We found this dish both visually and literally entertaining, but we weren’t overly wowed by the flavors. It was also pretty difficult to take the leaves and other dry elements in the shot glass, as they just sat at the bottom or got stuck on the edge, so we mainly just piled two or three pieces on our spoons. I also have a lot of questions about how they clean the astroturf. Jason said he thinks they might just throw it away. LMK if you have any thoughts on the matter.
Raviolo
Quail egg, truffle, ricotta
This dish was also designed to be taken as a shooter, which, spoiler alert, I also found difficult because it was a pretty big bite.
My issues aside, HOLY CRAP. This was one of the single best bites I’ve ever had in my whole entire life, and this is when I knew we were in for a treat.
Also, at this point the tequila was kicking in strong and I was quickly moving past our hotel difficulties. Jason, however, was not so quick to forgive and forget. Oh well. Who’s happy? I’m happy.
Agnolotti
Maize, whiskey, popcorn
This dish could also be called corn 58 million ways. Seriously, it had corn pasta, corn consommé, freeze-dried corn, corn shoots, cornflowers, popcorn puree...WHEW. It also was topped with whiskey and popped sorghum. It’s a delight that I’ve moved past my corn fear even at an American restaurant, and I didn’t turn down either this dish or the corn-forward extravaganza the next night at Alinea. Who says you can’t grow and change as a person? Hallelujah.
With all of the sweet and light elements this was a fun dish with a lot of interesting textures in each bite. I dug it.
CAviar
Potato, onion, malt vinegar
The pureed potato was topped with gooseberries, (my favorite food, in case ya don’t know), and also onions, malt vinegar, an ice lettuce gel, and, of course, sweet, sweet, caviar. I love a good onion dip with potato chips, and that’s exactly what this dish was a high-end replica of. Even better, Jason liked it, and vinegar isn’t usually his favorite flavor profile. A win all-around.
Shad Roe
Sour tomato, allium flowers, Genmai
Whoa – this shad roe potato was such a nice, light twist on traditional pâté. The popped Genmaicha rice with sour tomato gel and fennel pollen added a tangy crunch to each bite. We loved this dish, and it was unlike anything we’d tasted before.
PS, I had zero idea what our server was saying when he introduced this dish. I was like, who is Shadro, and is she related to Sinéad O’Connor? We had to just straight up ask him what the heck he was talking about. In case you’re keeping track, that’s two times we embarrassed the family name thus far.
Black Cod
Mole amarillo, stinging nettles, white copal
This charcoal-grilled and smoked fish had a richness from the mole, and the pickled Chayote squash and coriander brought a lovely bite. This was scented with copal, which we had never heard of before, but it’s a tree resin that’s often used to make incense. So cool!
Jason liked this dish more than I did – I didn’t hate it, but it wasn't a stand-out to me in any respect. However, I did like how this dish and the corn course reminded me so much of flavors we had in Peru. There was a lovely earthiness that permeated every element, likely from the Aji Amarillo, which is a Peruvian yellow chili pepper. The more you know.
Oyster
Crab apple, lychee, horseradish
A classic oyster bite. Not much to say here – it was well-executed and we enjoyed it, but we wouldn’t have missed it if it wasn’t served, or remembered it if we hadn’t been writing this post. Moving on.
Sweetbreads
Salsify, Matsutake, Chinese Five Spice
Oooh honey. Some of the best sweetbreads I’ve ever had. It was so light and crispy, and the mild umami of the salsify gave it a great kick.
Plus, I always love seeing salsify on menus, since it reminds me of our meal at Funky Gourmet, which was the first time I’d ever tried this adaptable root vegetable (and we’ve since seen it on tons of tasting menus all over the world!).
The sweetbreads were made from veal, and a Meyer lemon spruce gel lended an additional layer of flavor to the otherwise rich earthiness.
A5 Wagyu
Cordyceps mushroom, pickled ramp, yuzu bernaise
This is for sure the first time I’m seeing an adaptogen on a tasting menu, and I’m not mad about it. However, the chef taught me more about cordyceps – did you know that it’s a fungus that actually grows on top of a caterpillar?! I thought it was just your average mushroom.
Jason and I were both in heaven with this one, and the accompanying bao buns (next dish). It’s always a treat to get Wagyu, and we were so happy to get a good meaty course. We often miss it when restaurants skip the red meat, and this one would have been a shame to leave out. Top notch.
My “Is there bread in there?” face
Bread
Wagyu bao, tamarind, koji
A few courses prior, a bamboo steamer was brought out containing these buns, but we were instructed not to open it until after eating the above plated Wagyu, so it was a delightful surprise to see these little guys waiting for us inside.
I love a bao bun, but sometimes the meat or filling can be subpar quality, so it was a real treat to get a bready, delicious bun tucked with the finest meat on the planet.
Our only complaint? We were getting to the end of the tasting and we weren’t quite full, so we think they should give each person two bao buns. Or maybe we’re just fatties. Also likely.
Butter
Radish & turnip, shio kombu, Wagyu fat
Gah, I love love love a good butter, salt, and radish pairing. Maybe it’s the 11.9% percent of me that’s French (sponsor a girl, 23andMe), but this is truly one of my favorite combinations of all time.
In this version, instead of butter, they glazed the radish with Wagyu fat. Oh yeah buddy. This light and bitter course not only delighted by showing how much of the Wagyu was used, but it served to cut the richness of the previous two courses nicely.
Things took a strange turn when Jason ate the radish leaves, however. Normally I’d be proud of him for eating his greens, but radish leaves are straight disgusting, and I don’t know how he got them down. We never asked the chef if what Jason did was intended, but I know the answer in my heart. That’s gonna be a no from me, dogg.
Parmigiano
Banana, nori brittle, Manuka honey
I don’t care if we got dragged on Instagram for eating a banana topped with cheese – you’d have to taste this one to believe it’s absolute exquisiteness.
The wild Thai banana was dried and a bit chewy, and the thin aged parmesan shavings on top were such a good complement. The salty nori and the sweet, freeze-dried honey continued on the sweet/savory play at work here, and we were in heaven eating this. You can expect this one to make our Top Five lists this year for sure.
Abalone
Melon, yuzu-kosho, arugula
This dish was a play on the classic prosciutto and melon, and was a nice bridge course before full-on dessert. While the fermented tanginess of the yuzu-kosho added an extra bit of pizazz, this course wasn’t the most memorable.
Dessert:
Apricot
Taleggio, brown butter, marigold
And here we have my favorite dish of the night, and definitely my top five favorite courses of any restaurant we’ve been to.
The Taleggio pound cake was baked around a baby wheel of Taleggio and topped with citrus-laced marigold and a sauce with a light white wine flavor.
It was at once satisfying and light, and the different flavors played together beautifully. Oh my good heavens. This was everything to me. The portion was generous, but I still wanted so much more.
Drink:
Schwa is completely BYO – we didn't know if that meant just alcohol (you know Jason needs his mocktails), but it indeed means everything. To quote our server, “We may have a can of Coke floating around somewhere in the back.” So, whether you’re looking to get lit or a teetotaler, come prepared with your beverage of choice.
I enjoyed a quarter or better (!) of this bottle of Patron, and Jason enjoyed a Tamarind soda from the trusty Mexican grocery. Just in case you’re like us and run out of time to prepare your beverage options, this nearby option is legit and worked in a pinch to help us create our own pairing experience. Looking back, I wish I had gone with some wine, but I’ll never be sad about some tequila. Put that on my tombstone. Also, Jason picked up a lovely guava roll for us on his field trip. My husband, he always brings me food treats, even when we’re already sitting at a 14-course meal. Love him.
Atmosphere:
Schwa is located in Wicker Park, one of Chicago’s hippest neighborhoods. The inside is tiny (only 26 tables and the bathroom tucked back in the kitchen) and moody – the walls are painted mostly black with black-painted lightbulbs and pulsing rap music.
Both of us love a casual atmosphere like this, and I actually find that the juxtaposition can make me enjoy the food even more than an upscale dining room. Maybe subconsciously it lowers my standards and then I am happily blown away? I’m not sure, but I can tell you that I loved bopping to the jams while sipping my tequila in jeans, and it is up there as one of my favorite restaurant experiences of all time.
Cool Kid Hospitality:
One of the interesting things about Schwa is that there aren’t any servers, dishwashers, or front of house staff. The chefs do it all, from food running to cleanup. This is pretty exciting as a diner, since you get a chance to talk to the chefs and learn their background in bits and pieces (we swear we tried not to hold them up too much).
Taking the new Moleskins for a spin at Schwa
Also, the dish explanations were perhaps as detailed as any we’ve ever had, which makes sense since the chefs are intimately acquainted with everything on your plate. Some of the servers were chattier and more friendly than others, but none of them were rude.
Frankie’s Notes:
We want to do the full Chef Noll Chicago “This is Your Life” tour; I will never make assumptions about a shot glass at a Michelin-starred restaurant ever again; My tombstone: “Here lies Yvonne. She loved pugs & tequila – but maybe not in that order.”; Jason running to the Mexican grocery with with negative ten minutes to spare was a harrowing moment for me, but since he came back with that guava roll, all is forgiven; Jason is not the most fun to dine with after I’ve refused to stay in the hotel he booked – is that on me?; I might be 11.9% French, but never forget that our son Ollie is 2% dog, 98% other.
Rating: 5 out of 5 with Two Michigan Pugs
