Charlie Trotter's at 20

I've been to Chicago one time in my life. One of the highlights of that trip - in 2001, if I remember correctly - was when I sat down for a 3-hour dinner at Charlie Trotter's Restaurant.

I was familiar with Charlie Trotter's work prior to my visit to his restaurant that brisk November night a half-decade ago. (I'd been a big fan of his cooking shows for a long while, and I owned a couple of his cookbooks.) My exposure from afar, if you will, did not fully prepare me for the experience of consuming food prepared by the master himself. I know Mr. Trotter prepared the foods himself that night because he made a couple of forays through the dining room, freshly stained apron wrapped tightly around his waist, to chat up some of the diners, including yours truly.

Charlie Trotter's Restaurant features a fixed multicourse menu of meats and seasonal vegetables. At the time of my visit, the a roasted duck breast was one of the menu offerings. Said duck breast was so tender and savory, it literally - and I mean literally - melted in my mouth. I've had duck breast many times during the past couple of years, but I'm still waiting to eat duck breast that was as good, as what I ate at Charlie Trotter's.

Charlie Trotter's Restaurant will be celebrating its 20th anniversary next month. Today's Wall Street Journal has a brief profile of Charlie Trotter, in which he discusses what his namesake restaurant is doing to celebrate its milestone birthday. A sample:

"Charlie Trotter is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his restaurant. The official fete will be a dinner for 80 prepared by six chefs of international enown Oct. 6. But Chef Trotter himself is also taking stock of those two decades. He's charting the way he has gradually changed how he cooks the same basic dishes or sets of ingredients. ...

"In Chicago, Chef Trotter is the dean of a scene that surpasses New York's as a thrilling place to eat. Alinea, Tru, Blackbird, Nomi and others sprung out of a restaurant culture started by Charlie Trotter's. The restaurant is as dignified as a blue suit, but relaxed, not flashy with two smallish dining rooms. The menu is a set, classic multicourse degustation meal costing $150 with astute wine pairings, but the kitchen is ready to react on a dime to a diner's request. Mr. Trotter likes to compare himself to Miles Davis, who 'never played My Funny Valentine the same way twice.'

Read the rest here.