I’ve been to this restaurant before: Jimmy’s on the Park. In fact, I frequently lunch there, when I’m not lunching at Schlafly. And last night was just a night; no special occasion, no cause for celebration, no reason to reward good behavior with fancy food, no reason to wear an extra dab of perfume or get a pedicure. Just Sunday dinner with Mom and Dad. Mom didn’t feel like cooking vegetables without butter for me and so we went out. But were we in for it…First, let’s set the stage for this romance: the weather was absolutely gorgeous—70 degrees and sunny. It had been raining and raining for weeks, and then before that was winter, of course, so this was our first beautiful day. We considered eating outside, but the umbrellas weren’t on the patio tables yet and parents didn’t want to squint. Dad wanted to go home and fetch his table umbrella for their patio table, but the maître d' made a funny face when he said that, so I suggested we eat inside. We were the only people inside, but actually, it was quite nice. Since there was a big crowd on the patio, we still felt like we were in a bustling environment, but instead of it being loud and crowded, it was quite intimate. And the sun was shining right on the table for the duration, so we still got to take advantage of the spring day.
The menu boasted a very impressive looking vegetarian menu item; of course I was intrigued, and of course of course, I was pleased that this restaurant didn’t try to offer me eggplant parmesan. But I didn't order it. Why didn’t I order the impressive and unusual vegetarian menu option you ask? I don’t know. I guess I had not yet been wooed. Plus I felt like a salad and I couldn’t justify an entrée and two sides. Maybe it was the siren song of spinach… But also, I like being a person that subsists solely on sides. I think that says something about me. Hm…. I’m going to have to put philosophizing on my list of to dos for later so I can figure that one out.
Anyway, I ordered one to share and two for me. The one to share was flash-fried spinach. Jimmy’s calls this their specialty, and boy they really do it right! I’ve had it before where it’s kind of dried and crumbly and you don’t know if you’re eating an overfried leaf or potato or just some gunk from the side of the fry bin. But not this one: these were huge, glorious, fresh spinach leaves still intact and bright green and slightly crispy. They tossed them with olive oil, lemon, and parmesan cheese before serving, which made them really tasty. We tore into this plate like you’ve never seen three grown, respectable people do before, and I was grateful that we were alone in the restaurant, because boy, we were on fire!Then I ordered a salad and gnocchi. Most of the salads they offered were pretty blah, but on the café menu there was a true gem: pear salad. It was arugula and some red and green leaf lettuce, poached pears, candied walnuts, and gorgonzola. Well, I don’t eat blue, so they subbed feta. Perfect. When it arrived, it looked tasty, but whatever, right? Greens, feta, nuts. The same old salad story.
But this was so not bad! So not bad! Not bad at all! In fact, this was a little magic! The lettuce was really nice and fresh and not too cold like it can be sometimes. The nuts were so fresh too, nicely toasted and just barely coated in a little brown sugar/cinnamon/spice glaze; their texture was so light and crispy and not crunchy or chewy at all. But those pears—OHMYGOD. They were dark red like beets and had obviously spent some time in cahoots with a really nice red wine. They were tangy and sweet and peary and tart and, well, winey and delicious. Unlike the lettuce, they were ice cold, which was a really interesting contrast. And it was all tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette, but no too sweet or too strong, just a very subtle red sweetness. I mean, this salad was really looking for love!!
Needless to say, after the spinach and the salad, and after the fresh
bread dipped in house-made herb-infused olive oil, and after the fettuccini sticks coated with cajun spices, and after 2 glasses of a fabulous red zin, I wasn’t really hungry. But gnocchi came a knockin’ and so I answered.
Now, having loved and been heartbroken over some seriously good gnocchi in Chicago, I was wary: I asked the waiter if the gnocchi was vegetarian, if it had any chicken stock in it, if it harbored any secrets at all. I just didn’t think I could take another chicken stock led down. He “was pretty sure it was vegetarian,” but I said, “listen dude; I need you to be fully committed to this.” And he agreed to ask the chef. The chef concurred, so that’s what I picked.
This gnocchi was hand-made with fresh herbs and was topped with a wild mushroom ragout in a cream sauce. Delicious. These mushrooms were so flipping good—they were nice and meaty (but not like olives) (or meat) and wild and forresty and amazing. The surprise twists were these: the gnocchi must have been baked topped with breadcrumbs, because the sides of some of them were nice and breadcrumby and crunchy. Odd surprise, but oh so yummy! And then the plate was garnished with a smoky tomato sauce. It was unlike any tomato sauce I’ve ever had—nice and fresh and tomatoey but the smoky was really interesting; it was maybe chipotle or something? Dunno. Something tall, dark, and handsome anyway…. yum!So I’m blabbering. Obviously I’m infatuated. My heart is pounding and I feel a fluttering inside. Let me just tell you about the vegetarian menu option that looked so intriguing (Mom actually ordered it!). This thing was some sort of crazy veggie bonanza. Called a veggie stack, it was just that. But the mix of veggies and flavors was so strange and delicious!
First layer was ginger-flavored spaghetti squash. Wow. Then it was topped with an artichoke-heart-potato-rosemary cake that was nice and creamy inside, but seared to a crisp outside. Uh huh! Then the next level was a nice big chunky grilled portabella mushroom that appeared to have been marinated in red wine. For real? Then steamed spinach. Oh my! On the side, grilled asparagus spears—nice and firm but deliciously charred. Come on, now! And all of this was garnished with that same smoky tomato sauce. Yeah Baby!!!!! This was some feat, putting this insanity on one little white plate. It was shockingly good. It almost made me wish I hadn’t gotten just sides…But parents shared and we all tasted everything. Well, I
didn’t eat the 10oz pork steak or the bacon potatoes that
Dad ordered, but I did taste his yummy side of apple
cider-braised red cabbage. Anyway. Oh my. I think this
is the one. I can feel the stars aligning. It’s most certainly love.
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