“The Ambar Experience”

***** I love dining out! In fact, I truly believe dining out is both exciting and rewarding. If one has had a great experience, they celebrate with dinner out, and often at a restaurant they would not consider except for that special occasion. As you know, over our years of reporting on theater, entertainment, and dining, we have experienced many great restaurants, some with amazing menus, and others with simple “plain folk food”, but well-prepared and fun.

Tonight, Frank, Cary, Jane and I went to a Balkan restaurant that has come to Chicago- AMBAR, where we truly enjoyed the Ambar experience! While the menu is filled with many items, at Ambar, the dining experience is quite different. Our sever/hostess, Frances, explained hos the experience works. The menu has a basic program- One price per person gives you “unlimited food for 2  hours! This can be upgraded to add six premium items and there is also an option for unlimited drinks, and I must tell you that they make one heck of a mean “House Old Fashioned”

The menu has sections: the begining:

We enjoyed the clotted cream ( a Balkan skimmed milk spread), Spicy Feta, White Bean Hummus, Roasted Pepper Spread, Marinated olives and Beet Tzatziki, some Veal Soup ( unbelievably delicious), a Balkan Salad ( sopska salata, pepper, onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta and a sherry vinaigrette). The bread basket offered several different types of bread for dunking in all the other “beginnings”- smooth, tasty, and truly delightful!

From the signatures section of the menu: Steak Tartare (tenderloin, tomato pesto, butter, smoked aioli, crispy shallots & toasted sourdough, as well as some Almond Fried Chicken (  Marinated chicken breast that is probably the tastiest chicken EVER!, and from the vegetables section, just the cauliflower ( marinated and fried- a delight. I almost forgot, we shared a bowl of the most fantastic soup ( other than Matza Ball), Veal Soup ( veal, with root veggies and creme fraiche ) a delight!

From the grill: Meat & Poultry section of the menu:

The Balkan Kebab: House ground beef kebab. traditionaly prepared and served on spicy feta and the amazing Pork Belly stuffed cabbage ( not what your grandmother made for you growing up): pickled cabbage stuffed with pork belly and winter vegetables.

That was the Meat & Poul;try section, but wait-there is more! From the seafood section, the wood-fired branzino ( a special treat) served with potato salad with red onion & olives and finished with a gremolata salsa. There are shrimp, mussel, and salmon dishes as well.

From the wood burning oven: Cheese Pie and meat pie, and from the PREMIUM MENU: Lamb Chops, Oxtail Gnocchi, and Scallops, as well as the veal cordon Bleu. For dessert, just a few of their specialties, each one shining and unique.

This is not a restaurant per se, but an experience that will take your breath away. One of our lessons was to learn how to eat slower and savor each of the amazing dishes that were served. These are not flavors you are used to ( unless you are Balkan), so it wise to savor each of the items you select, and understand this is a two hour experience that will not have you leaving the restaurant hungry. You will also not have leftovers to take home.