ThinkiNG, TastiNG, TrippiNG, AmaziNG

 You may ask yourself what this title is about.  You may not care, and have just been patiently anticipating another exciting adventure in eating.  You may currently be being held captive and  forced to read this jibberish and truly not give a rats ass of the contents here.  Whatever your motive for reading this, I do hope to change your mind and entice you to explore this true adventure in dining.  Of course, it’s not me that makes this an adventure.  The person at the center of attention here is Chef Homaro Cantu.  Now, go grab a beer, glass of wine, spirit of your choice, milk, water, or coffee and sit back while I attempt not to sound like a super fan, but to spread the word on what Chef Cantu is attempting to do.

Let’s start with a little history of Chef.   Chef Cantu was born in 1976 in Tacoma, Washington.  From the ages of six to nine, he lived with his Mother and Sister, homeless.  This experience helped him to develop a passion to fight world hunger.  He graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institutehttp://www.cordonbleu.edu(Western Culinary Institute) in Portland, Oregon.  

His professional career, shortly after graduation Chef worked in nearly 50 restaurants on the West Coast until his move to Chicago in 1999.  In Chicago, Chef Cantu worked for Chef Charlie Trotter until 2004, when he set out to open his first restaurant, Moto.  And this is when Chef put himself on the map.  Although I have not had the opportunity to dine at Motohttp://motorestaurant.com(it’s just a wee bit out of my budget), I have not heard a negative review come from anyone that has dined there.  Inventive, Ingenious, Impressive, Impeccable are four of the words I’ve heard that describe an experience at Moto.  From the time you sit and are presented with your menu, an edible menu by the way to the table side preparation of cookie dough(you are given ingredients and a recipe card and you make the magic happen), you are not only getting a great meal, but a fantastic experience.  Now, in the basement of Moto is a laboratory, yes, a real lab.  I did have the opportunity to see it, and you can also if you check out youtube and enter Future Food Moto.  I couldn’t find complete episodes, but there are clips available.  In the lab, there is a centrifuge, hand held ion particle gun, helium, and liquid nitrogen just to name a few items.  All the things that make Chef Cantu, well, Chef Cantu, a true culinary madman.

Forward to 2010 and Homaro Cantu’s third restaurant venture.  There was a second, Otom, however, I don’t know much about that one, but it’s life span was short lived.  Chef Cantu’s next restaurant, iNG(Imagining New Gastronomy) was opened as a more accessible dining experience for everyone.  It was also his way to introduce the Miracle Berryhttp://mberry.us to the masses.  Miracle berries are organic, non GMO, and an all natural plant, native to West Africa.  The berry, when eaten, causes sour foods, such as lemons and limes to taste sweet.  Without getting too deep and scientific, the effect of this berry is due to what is called Miraculin.  Miraculin works by binding to sweet receptors on the taste buds.  It’s really something that you need to experience to believe.  Chef Cantu started working with the M-berry roughly 6 years ago, when a friend of a friend was going through Chemo and lost her taste buds.  When told that everything that she ate tasted of metal and rubber, it was suggested that Chef Cantu explore the M-berry.  He and his Pastry Chef, Ben Roche hit the ground running.  They experimented with everything they could, and continue to do that to this day.  They spent time sucking on tin foil and trying foods, discovering that the M-berry neutralized the metallic taste in foods.  In the process of experimentation, Cantu also began to realize that this berry could also be used to reduce the need to use refined sugars, processed and artificial sweeteners.  Chef Cantu and his dedicated staff have put together a book that you can order, buy at the restaurant or I believe it's available at Barnes and Noble, called The Miracle Berry Diet Cookbook.  Check it out, pick it up, and experiment with it.  It may change your health.

Ok, I’ve strayed from my original point of the above paragraph. but now you know why iNGhttp://ingrestaurant.com is, so you should know what iNG is.  Here you will be introduced to the M-berry and the Flavor Tripping experience.  In the beginning, the menu was only offered at the Chef’s Table, but after an overwhelming request from customers, the menu was offered to everyone and became the only menu offered at the restaurant.   The creativity contained in this restaurant is amazing and overwhelming.  Listening to Chef Cantu speak, during a recent visit, you begin to really understand what is happening in the mind of this Chef.  Below, you’ll see photos and descriptions from my last visit to iNG.  I am still working on figuring out my lighting problems, but you’ll get the idea.  And the next time you visit Chicago, make reservations or make a special trip to Chicago, just for this experience, it’s well worth the drive to experience a menu put together by a Culinary genius/madman.

Capon Puff-Feta~Nectarine~Cherry.  Served in a rich broth.  I could've eaten a bowl of these.

Lemon Drop Gin Sphere - Break that icy sphere with your spoon and you have a nice cocktail to start you off.

Pizza - Pepperoni~Kalamata~Mushroom~Fontina.  Served on a piece of charred bourbon barrel.

Venison Bratwurst - This hickory smoke filled sphere contained the venison bratwurst.

And what was revealed after the sphere was lifted?

Venison Bratwurst-Venison Brat pieces on a bed of sauerkraut~Spicy Brown Mustard~Peanuts

                                                But wait, there's more below!!!

Korean Beef-Short Rib~Lemongrass~Ginger.  This was the most tender short rib I've ever had, with rich deep flavors brought up a few levels by the cucumber kimchi.

I am sorry again for the photos.  The short rib was perfectly cooked and the color of it was equally as impressive.

Short Rib

Orange Creamsicle-Vanilla~Orange~Vodka.  And yes, after the M-Berry, it tasted just like a creamsicle.

Yogurt Parfait-Yogurt~Prickly Pear Sorbet~Granola.  Now this is something I could devour, every morning for breakfast.  It was really amazing and the flavors were bright, especially the sorbet.  If you haven't had prickly pear, I highly suggest you try it as soon as possible.

Buckeye-Peanut Butter~Chocolate~Elephant Ear.  I tried this pre M-berry and it was bloody awful!  But after the berry, it was like peanut butter ice cream, chocolate, and the elephant ear.  It was like being at an upscale carnival.

Buckeye

Fin

I urge you all to try this and see the innovation that is Chef Homaro Cantu.  This really is something to be experienced.  There is no feeling of pretentiousness here, no stuffy collars.  iNG is fun and interactive, so come here with an empty stomach and an open mind.  Oh, don't forget your camera and your smart phone because social networking while dining is encouraged, by everyone here.  So get your Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Yelp ready to roll.  And I want to see and hear about your experiences here.  I do have more photos from previous experiences, so are better and some not so much than what's above.  If you'd like to see them, I'd be more than happy to share them.

Until next time,

Ciao, Ciao