Chiyo
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I guess Chicago wasn’t ready for an all-kaiseki restaurant. Elaborate multicourse dining based on simple, pure ingredients chosen to philosophically coincide with the changing seasons was an ambitious idea, and the meal I ate at Matsumoto, Isao Tozuka and chef Seijiro Matsumoto’s Albany Park restaurant, was one of my most memorable. But despite intense media interest the place never seemed to be occupied by more than a few diners at a time. The doors closed late last year, ostensibly for vacation, and when it reopened a few months ago as Chiyo, the great Matsumoto–a man licensed to prepare fugu in five cities–was gone. Kaiseki is still available–ordered a week in advance–but now Tozuka and his charming wife, Chiyo, focus on more conventional Japanese fare: teriyaki dishes, tempura, sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki, and shabu-shabu with a choice of prime or Kobe (actually Wagyu) beef. The last two are showy performances in their own right, and Chiyo is still a restaurant where one can sample the uncommon, like ankimo, or monkfish liver, otherwise known as the foie gras of the sea. Fans of reproductive fluids might consider the fish egg tempura–actually the milt sac of a codfish. The sake list is impressive, and the standard array of sushi and sashimi items is available, prepared with skill though somehow lacking the pristine freshness that Matsumoto delivered. As far as customers go his departure’s made little difference–so far the place is as forlorn as ever. –Mike Sula
service is now offered Tuesday through Friday, and there’s a three-course prix fixe meal for $20 every Monday and Tuesday. –Mara Tapp
