THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Blackbird

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Blackbird Restaurant Review:

This high-flyer on the West Side's restaurant row draws patrons as hip as its austerely architectural setting. They crowd the sleek bar, waiting to settle down on high-tech chairs or high-backed banquettes at tables so close together only someone who eats like a bird can squeeze between them. But no one who eats like a bird could fully appreciate executive chef Paul Kahan's sophisticated dishes. Kahan taps both local producers and the world for ingredients. This translates into a changing, seasonal array of appetizers, lush salads and intriguing main courses, such as roasted sea bass with dandelion greens, fennel bread, bitter almond yogurt and caramelized chicken jus. One meal, you’ll enjoy miso-cured pork collar with salsify, black trumpet mushrooms, buckwheat and grapefruit; the next, perhaps oat dumplings with charred broccoli, spicy date and peanut consommé. The thoughtful, interesting wine list holds musts, though you shouldn’t be surprised when a tasting course pairs perfectly with an aromatic Belgian ale. When it comes to finales, expect the unexpected --- as in black raspberry sherbet with burnt vanilla Pavlova, banana pudding, shattered raspberries and licorice. Professional (but friendly) service helps compensate for the cramped, high-volume (and rather sterile) surroundings.