One of many outstanding desserts at Chicago's TRU. Picture courtesy of TRU
Chicago has long been famous for local specialties like, deep dish pizza, the Chicago hot dog, gyros, and Italian beef. But in the last decade or so Chicago has also become well known for having many of the countries top restaurants and for having more than its fair share of famous chefs. Rick Bayless’ victory on Top Chef Masters has brought him ever more into the public spotlight. He already has a long running PBS series “Mexico One Plate at a Time” and his Frontera Grill and Topolobampo are considered a must stop for foodies visiting Chicago. PBS Chef Charlie Trotter's award winning namesake restaurant has long been considered one of the world’s best. The Food Network's Gale Gand, Executive Pastry Chef and partner at TRU, creates some of the countries best and most innovative desserts. Famous chefs and top rated restaurants usually mean hard to get tables and high prices. But luckily you do not have to be an overpaid athlete to be able to try the amazing food offered by these chefs.
A great way to experience fine dining at its best and not have to dip into your daughter’s college fund is to make a reservation for dessert at one of Chicago’s and America’s top restaurants, TRU. Not only do you get desserts from the kitchen of one of the countries top pastry chefs, Gale Gand, host of the Food Network’s “Sweet Dreams” and 2001 James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year, but you also get what I and many others consider to be the finest dining experience in Chicago. While there are many great chefs who can make a claim to serve Chicago’s best food I have yet to find anywhere that comes close to offering the level of service, sophistication and the romantic atmosphere that you get at TRU. From the moment you walk through the door there is an unmistakable feeling of elegance. I have never dined at TRU without somehow feeling I was someone important.
Most people have probably not gone out to a fine dining establishment just for dessert or even had the opportunity to eat at one of the countries top rated restaurants. So what can you expect when you go to TRU just for dessert? First of all you can expect all of the same elegance and exceptional service you would get if you were there for the 9 course, $145 Chef’s Collection. You can order only one dessert for $15 but why go through all of the trouble of getting dressed up and then just have one dessert. Besides how are you ever going to be able to choose only one? The way to go is definitely the $40, 3 course dessert collection. Three courses is a misnomer. On a recent trip to TRU we received what they called a pre course, a dessert version of an amuse bouche, or in layman terms, a complementary nibble, followed by a plate of fresh out of the oven madeleine cookies. Which we found so irresistible we were forced to ask to have them removed before we devoured them all.
What comes next, the three courses of desserts, is decided upon by the French Pastry School of Chicago graduate Pastry Chef Meg Galus. Her creations change several times a year often coinciding with the change in seasons. This summers offering include many local fruits whose acidity is paired with the more muted flavors of things like lychee sorbet, Greek yogurt and pan-fried buttermilk cake. The best part is that if there are two of you they bring each of you a different dessert for each course. And if you are lucky like me and married to a woman who loves to share, you get to try six different desserts. The desserts tend to be strong on flavor but not heavy, until the last course which is almost always chocolate based. Then when you are feeling stuffed, they wheel over a cart of small, mostly one bite treats that all look truly tempting. I tried my best to not appear like a glutton and ask for all 9. Unfortunately my reserve faltered and the few I had not asked for I managed to pilfer a few nibbles of my wife’s picks. I can take small solace in the fact I did manage to pass on the chocolate covered short bread. Saving 20 calories on probably a 1000 calorie night is a small victory, but a victory none the less. My victory was short lived when the waitress brought one last bite. An exploding chocolate square filled with apple cream. I was denied my usual trick of leaving on bite on the plate to look like I did not lick my plate clean, by the fact that it had to be eaten in one bite.
World class pastry chefs Gale Gand and Meg Galus are creating wonderfully unique desserts that allow you to experience flavors in wonderfully innovative ways. So, next time instead of skipping dessert, skip dinner and head straight to TRU for dessert!
Dessert reservations are available Monday-Saturday, after 9 on weekdays and 10 on weekends. Jackets are of course required in the dining room. The dress code is a little more relaxed in the lounge
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