Renowned Chicago restaurant The Bristol is offering up a slew of new specials, centering on Chef Chris Pandel’s affection of offal.
Fried chicken hearts, pork heart mezzaluna, roasted beef heart as well as shareable plates of tuna mojama, a Spanish sun-dried tuna and pork ciccoli, an Italian pork “biscotti” join the seasonal Midwestern menu (from Mediterranean roots).
The chicken hearts, from Slagel Family Farm in Fairbury, IL are dredged in a cornmeal batter, southern fried with a buttermilk ranch dressing and melon pickle.
Chef Pandel’s pork heart mezzaluna features half-moon shaped mezzaluna pasta is filled with a rich ragu of pork veloute and pork heart from Michigan’s Swan Creek Farm and served in a chicken liver-red wine sauce with anchovies, capers and garlic.
Also hailing from Swan Creek Farm is the beef heart, which Chef Pandel pan roasts medium rare and serves on top of a mash of red-skinned Desiree potatoes and finished with raw shaved Brussels sprouts and sauce gribiche (a tangy emulsified egg sauce made with egg yolks, mustard, oil, pickles, capers and tarragon).
The tuna mojama’s arrival from Spain has been on Chef Pandel’s mind for some time now and he has been waiting its arrival from Spain since October. The tuna loins are dried in the sun for 45 days after a salt cure. The plan is to slice the tuna thin and serve it in saffron risotto as well as over a soft-boiled egg with toast and in pasta dishes as well.
As a way for Chef Pandel to use leftovers from pigs, ciccoli is perfect. A popular Italian item, where the pig parts are ground and made into a pork terrine, Pandel does things a bit differently. His version is served as crispy ciccoli bread or pork “biscotti” as Pandel describes it. The “biscotti” is served with a fried egg and polenta made from Hasselmann Family Farm cornmeal from Milledgeville, IL
The Bristol’s warm atmosphere and shareable plates make for a perfect evening out with family and friends.
The Bristol
Executive Chef Chris Pandel
2152 N. Damen Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 862-5555
