Topaz Cafe : Burr Ridge Illinois

Topaz Cafe, a new restaurant in Burr Ridge, turned out to be a nice surprise. The stark gray facade belies the subtle elegance of the rather upscale interior. And its location at the far end of the Burr Ridge Village Center (basically a shopping mall) isn't exactly a prime spot. But once you set foot in the door, it's like being in another world.

This is a casual cafe in substance, but there is definitely a touch of luxe going on here. (A sister restaurant called Amber is in Westmont, so it seems the owners have a thing for gemstones.) And with prices that scale up into the fine-dining category, with entrees averaging $26 (the range is from $18 for goat cheese ravioli to $34 for New York strip steak), you are not likely to get out of here without dropping a few bucks.

The cuisine is straightforward contemporary American, but there are just enough surprises -- frog legs, grilled calves' liver, potato gnocchi with rabbit confit, smoked sable carpaccio -- to whet the appetite and sharpen a deeper interest. And some thought went into the flavor profiles. For example, the potato gnocchi. These properly chewy nubbins were in the fine company of tatters of rabbit (the confit part), a light tangle of caramelized shallots, pencil-thin asparagus and pine nuts. The essence of sage was enhanced with a light butter sauce. All of that might sound overwrought, but it ate light and was most enjoyable.

Similarly, the crab cake appetizer had all the right moves. One chunky all-crabmeat crab cake was spiced up just enough to deepen the flavor (the menu reads "Spanish spiced crab cake"). A little more fire came into play with the piquillo pepper coulis (piquillos are just slightly hot) and slender chips of garlic. A taste-tempering fluff of microgreens added a touch of texture and lightness.

I usually don't get into salads in my reviews, because for the most part, greens are greens. But when a salad boasts young leaves of arugula, shaved fennel, endive, goat cheese and Meyer lemon preserve vinaigrette, I sit up and take notice. This salad was a winner. All of the ingredients made sense and worked in harmony.

Entrees had as much going for them as the appetizers. My favorite main course was the roasted chicken. The breast (airline cut) was meaty and moist, and mighty flavorful. Four rounds of tender and delicious roasted potatoes flanked the chicken, as well as a bite or two of wilted spinach, crumbles of feta cheese, and oven-roasted tomatoes, all of which gave the dish a distinctive Mediterranean flair.

Two additional entrees tried -- veal tenderloin and halibut -- fared equally well. The veal tenderloin, a plentiful cut, though cooked medium (medium-rare had been asked for), was tender and flavorful (a brandy and green peppercorn sauce gave the veal a proper boost). But it was the elegant creme fraiche mashed potatoes, the baby carrots and the haricots verte that gave the veal the great company.

The halibut was as good as halibut can get. The pristine, snow-white fillet had been cooked just right, so the goodness hook had been set. It was served with a sauce that was listed as "New England clam chowder," the whole of which was gussied up with chanterelle mushrooms, lardons of bacon, and celery leaves. Delicious.

Come dessert time, we were eyeing the "chocolate cake and shake" and the blueberry pie and the "crazy crepes" as possibilities. But then our waiter pitched the carrot cake with gusto. OK, bring it on. And let's try the strawberry-rhubarb crisp, as well. The carrot cake was quite good, though not as "fantastic" as the waiter suggested. Two layers of moist and flavorful cake sporting veins of cream cheese and a toupee of carrot strings. The strawberry-rhubarb crisp was served warm, and I watched as the knob of vanilla ice cream slowly sank into its depths. Despite a need for a bit more crisp, there was deep-down goodness in every bite. I am practically salivating as I write the description.

Pat Bruno is a free-lance writer, author and critic. E-mail brunoeats@aol.com.

Topaz a 2-star spot, says Vettel
Amber team rocks with ambitious Topaz
By Phil Vettel | TRIBUNE CRITIC July 3, 2008

Topaz Cafe is a Serbian-owned American restaurant with an Italian soul. The physical property (in the upscale Burr Ridge Village Center mall) is all outsized, broad-shouldered ambition, a beautiful space with room for scores of expensively dressed patrons. But the food is pure simplicity, thanks to chef Giuseppe Scurato, who believes the best food is manipulated least.

This is the second restaurant by partners Bruno Palikuca and Walter Veselinovic, who also own the adorable Amber in Westmont, and thus seem to be working their way down a list of yellowish, semi-precious materials. (If they open a third restaurant, my money's on Citrine.)

I never reviewed Amber, partly because Palikuca's wife is employed by the Chicago Tribune. But now that Palikuca and Veselinovic are making bigger ripples in the west-suburban dining pool, I feel duty-bound to weigh in.

Not everything works at the 3-month-old Topaz, but the pluses comfortably outnumber the minuses. The first visit, the bread server visited our table early and often; the next time, we had to ask. Twice. One night we were served by a waitress who could barely make herself understood; on a followup visit, our server was a charming fellow who knew every nuance of the menu and conversed breezily on the merits of the good-sized wine list (which, while stocked with good names, could use more below-$40 options).

Scurato's kitchen is more consistent. We did experience a somewhat dry NY strip steak, and the curiously flavorless Kobe carpaccio was an $11 disappointment, but everything else on his menu rocked.

For instance, the Caesar salad was a huge hit with my younger son, a Caesar aficionado. Scurato's version is an exercise in zero-excess; the tender, baby romaine leaves are scantily coated in a dressing whose principal flavors are carefully balanced—no garlic burn, no Parmesan overdose.

I don't quite understand the presence of rabbit confit in Scurato's foie-gras appetizer—the liver, over parsnip puree, cherries and Armagnac sauce, hardly needs any help—but I love its inclusion in another dish, where the shredded rabbit meat adds textural interest to pillow-soft gnocchi accented with sage.

Though I didn't care for the NY strip, the ribeye is a winner, abetted by fingerling potatoes and a cabernet-laced reduction. Porcini-flavored risotto and a medley of cherry tomatoes, black olives and fiddlehead ferns add color and interest to a generously portioned rack of lamb. The tender and rich veal tenderloin, in a brandied green-peppercorn sauce and crï¿½me-fraiche mashed potatoes, is a big hit, and probably the kitchen's best meat dish.

But do not overlook the fish, particularly the day's special. The first visit it was pan-seared escolar, draped over an Italian guazzetto of tomatoes, calamari and black olives; this rustic stew would make a fine dish on its own.

Another time the feature was whitefish, and again, the accompaniments made the dish—in this case, chunky lobster hash browns and a smooth, lightly sweet lobster nage.

Pastry chef Leticia Zenteno adheres to Scurato's less-is-more dictum for the most part, but she makes an exception with her aptly named Crazy Crepes, a bit of chocolate hedonism that includes chocolate mousse wrapped in chocolate crepes, with chocolate and caramel sauces, toasted coconut, marshmallows, pecans, chocolate chips, ice cream, raspberry sauce and a few ingredients I've undoubtedly forgotten. "When she showed me the recipe, I said, 'This is crazy,' " Scurato says. "But after the first bite, I was in love."

Less-exuberant sweets include a cute Cake & Shake, a dark- and milk-chocolate cake paired with an exceedingly rich vanilla milk shake; a good (and simple!) rhubarb crisp and a fine carrot cake that, unlike many in town, is actually sensibly sized.

The dining space is divided among several smaller rooms. The front room, with its views of the open kitchen (shielded by glass panels) and bar, is by far the better seating option. And while it's hardly quiet, it's not as noisy as the back room, which often is home to larger (and louder) parties. The best place to dine may well be the outdoor patio; that awning-topped space, which will have its own bar, should make its debut within the week.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Topaz Cafe in Burr Ridge: Worth the Effort to Find (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 67)

Chicago Magazine recently listed Topaz Cafe as a hot new restaurant, so despite the fact that we sometimes strongly disagree with Chicago Magazine's assessments, we decided to give Topaz a try. If you are going to this restaurant, be prepared for a difficult time finding it. While it is convenient to the Stevenson expressway (I-55 for those not as enamored of the roads as Steve), the address does not even come up on the mapping sites and the restaurant is at the very end of a well-hidden strip mall (although the strip mall is actually quite nice).

We loved the decor, which was geometric, with an open feel and light hardwood floors. We started with a bottle of Hundred Year Old Vines Shiraz. For a reserve wine, we were expecting a bit more flavor than what we got, although the wine did grow on us as it breathed more. For an appetizer, we ordered the smoked sable. It tasted a lot like smoked salmon, but juicier and a little saltier. We also liked the accompaniments, which included creme fraiche (which we love). Steve's wedge salad was extremely good, with tasty bleu cheese crumbles and excellent cherry tomatoes. Lisa's field greens salad was little busy (lots of things), but she liked the greens and the tomatoes a lot.

We both had the bone-in filet, which was on special that night. We thought this was the weakest part of the meal. Both were cooked medium rare, as we like it, but the meat wasn't very flavorful except right at the bone. Steve loved his strawberry rhubarb crisp with vanilla ice cream dessert. The strawberries were sweet, as he likes them. Lisa tried the Crazy Crepes. These were crepes filled with chocolate pudding and accompanied by almond ice cream and chocolate sauce. Though the pudding was not dark chocolate, she really loved this dessert. It was fun, and the flavors combined well.

The bathrooms were very nice, both were quite clean and well kept. The only problem was the ugly tile, which made the floor look dirty though it was quite clean. The restaurant also has a very nice outside deck which the waiter showed us although it was not quite ready for use. It looks like a very nice area in which to eat outside or have a party, and we may come back and brave the insect world to try it.

Dinner for two with a bottle of (expensive) wine was $275 and would have been about $160 with wine by the glass. We thought this was well worth the price and the drive. We agree with Chicago Magazine that this is definitely an excellent new addition to the Chicago dining scene.

Our ratings for Topaz Cafe, 780 Village Center Drive, Burr Ridge, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Labels: smoked sable crazy crepes wedge salad

posted by ChicagoDining at 10:22 AM

Apr 16, 2008

Get Twisted (Chicago Magazine Online)

By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby

Nice Surprise

Pollack had an unexpectedly good meal at the brand-new Topaz Cafe (780 Village Center Dr., Burr Ridge; 630-654-1616)—the place with Giuseppe Scurato (formerly of Boka) in the kitchen. It’s a pretty dramatic restaurant: high ceilings, a circle motif, beautiful wood pillars, glassed-in open kitchen. The menu and wine list are decidedly American, and the retro cocktail list is pure fun. She adored the juicy, inch-and-a-half-thick pork chop topped with masterfully breaded crispy shallots and blue cheese potato gratin, not to mention the strawberry shortcake with Cognac strawberries. Topaz just opened two weeks ago, so service is still a little raw, but very endearing. All told, it’s a real find, and well worth floundering your way through the prefab-looking shopping-center community that surrounds it.