Has anyone eaten at Vermilion (Chicago and NY)?

[Jenise]

A recent episode of Iron Chef featured Vermilion's executive chef against Morimoto, I believe it was. She lost the battle but won my fascination with a fusion cuisine both East Indian and Nuevo Latino. Not a pairing that ever occurred to me before, but bridged by some ingredients central to both cuisines--cumin would be a big "for instance"--the not-dissimilar cooking styles and all around boldness of the foods in both worlds sounds like a natural marriage. And indeed, some reviews I just read suggest that it works very very well. Anyone been? Were I to show up in either town, this is a place I'd want to go--this is food I could learn from.

Here's a link to Vermilion's website, if you're curious:

http://www.thevermilionrestaurant.com/

The cuisines do have a lot of similarities. I've played around with some fusion things myself in the kitchen, there are some pretty similar/complementary spices and ingredients, and such an idea does have a lot of merit and could be very interesting if done well.

Unfortunately the one time I ate at Vermilion in NY it sucked. Dishes weren't really that innovative (the Indian dishes I was familiar with weren't particularly interesting or innovative, middle of the road stuff that wasn't done all that well with the pani puri being very, very disappointing, and the kebabs were average). Had gone with a friend (also Indian) who was equally unimpressed by both the 'Indian' and the 'fusion' items, and we ended up walking a few blocks down to Szechuan Gourmet after that exhibition of mediocrity for some good dumplings.

[Jenise]

Salil, I'm so disappointed to hear that. It sounds like such a can't-miss combination, and in fact one that could put a lot of fresh, raw playful ingredients from the Mexican, for instance, side of the aisle into the heavier Indian foods we love tastewise but which are sometimes plodding and monotonous in texture (in the average Indian restaurant). It's hard to imagine a blend of those cuisines that would turn out mediocre--and I do trust your palate.

I remain tantalized by the concept, though. Mexican food strikes me as a particularly good target for cross-over with all the flatbreads. I actually make a lunch dish I call Indian soft tacos. I buy ready-made masala-curry flavored soft rotis in Canada that get crisped up in an iron skillet then stuffed with a filling of a heavily seasoned mixture of ground lamb, green bell peppers and red chilis and topped with a chiffonade of cold romaine. If I ever opened a casual lunch place, these would be on the menu.

The 'soft taco' idea is pretty popular in India too. After all, chapattis/parathas are usually rolled around meat or vegetable dishes and then eaten with the hand. For the taco or burrito-like presentation, there are dishes like kathi kebabs which are pretty similar to what you describe - flat, thin breads rolled around either meat or paneer with various chopped vegetables and chutneys added. There are some fantastic variations on that dish - a couple of my favourite restaurants in Bombay would prepare kathi kebabs by cooking an egg white into a paratha (throw the egg white into a hot pan, and immediately pressing the bread down on it) - then would add the meat/seasonings/veggies on the side with the egg, and roll that up before serving.

Re. Indian foods being plodding and heavy in texture - sounds like a lot of typical north Indian restaurants (which tend to go pretty heavy on things like butter and cream). Off topic for a moment, but I've generally been very disappointed by Indian food every time I eat out in the US - the best Indian food I've had in the US has normally been at peoples' homes (either friends or my own cooking), or a couple of restaurants in Chicago, Fremont and NY where the food wasn't overly heavy and felt much more authentic, compared to what I've eaten in Delhi and Bombay.

The 'soft taco' idea is pretty popular in India too. After all, chapattis/parathas are usually rolled around meat or vegetable dishes and then eaten with the hand. For the taco or burrito-like presentation, there are dishes like kathi kebabs which are pretty similar to what you describe - flat, thin breads rolled around either meat or paneer with various chopped vegetables and chutneys added. There are some fantastic variations on that dish - a couple of my favourite restaurants in Bombay would prepare kathi kebabs by cooking an egg white into a paratha (throw the egg white into a hot pan, and immediately pressing the bread down on it) - then would add the meat/seasonings/veggies on the side with the egg, and roll that up before serving.

And don't forget that staple of S Indian cuisine, the dosa: paper-thin bread wrapped around damn near any filling you choose.

Mark Lipton

Jenise,
Sorry I didn't respond to your post sooner, but I was IN Chicago and on a very busy schedule that kept me from social networking. We work hard and eat well, as I like to say. I'm there at least once a year photographing in advance of NeoCon (which, though it sounds like something that might feature Newt Gingrich as a speaker is actually an huge interior design expo at the Merchandise Mart) and always stay at the Hampton on Illinois street due to its proximity to the Mart. Chicago is one of those cities where you can walk out of your hotel and find excellent food within a block or two, and I stumbled upon Vermillion a couple of years ago when a Thai place I wanted to eat at (now closed) was full. I think Vermillion is great. I've eaten there at 4 or 5 times now, most recently last week. Their menu is divided between what they call "truck stop" food - I think that's what they call it anyway - which is more traditional Indian and less expensive, and the fusion stuff which is what they push. The seafood stew especially is stellar. A lot of spicy food is just hot, and I like hot, but this dish is hot in a most complex and drawn out way such that you taste a succession of flavors, not just heat. Last week I had a lamb shank - also spicy hot, coated with a delectable mix of fiery complexity. If I were to go there just once, I'd do their tasting menu - you choose either seafood or meat, and maybe vegetarian I can't remember, then get a long succession of dishes including appetizers and dessert. An amazing, interesting and satisfying meal, though it's not cheap. Certainly if you are in Chicago you should go there. All the pictures on the website, by the way, look to be from the NYC location. The Chicago restaurant is nowhere near as swank and glitzy, though it's still nice. Around the corner from Vermillion is Brasserie Jo, another place I eat regularly when I'm there. Very good food, comfortable, beautiful bar that seems out of another era, great service, not too pricey or pretentious, a good regular stop, though their wine-by-the glass list is way too short and when I'm working a glass is all I really want.

[Jenise]

Bob, thanks for the report. Chicago is a city I've only been to once, but it's high on my list to go again. Brasserie Jo is also on my list of places to go when I get there--I've seen pictures of that bar, and that style of restaurant is perhaps my favorite in the world. I have fond memories of brasserie meals in Paris and Brussels. And for all that I enjoy three star elegance and attention, the places I'm most thrilled by achieve more by trying less hard.

Jenise,
We don't get to Chicago as often as we did before Andrew's birth, but we have eaten at a fair number of Chicago restaurants. Tops on our list at the moment are Spring, Blackbird (noisy, though) and its associated wine bar Avec, Frontera Grill/Topolobampo. It's been a long time (11 years, to be exact) since I ate at Charlie Trotter's, almost as long since I ate at Arun's and we weren't terribly impressed with Ambria or Tru, despite glowing recommendations by folks whose tastes we trust. Tops on my list for places to try are Moto, Alinea (duh!) and Grant Achatz's soon-to-open new venture Next. In fact, Next has risen to the top of list once it opens for several different reasons. The chatter about Vermillion's been quite mixed, but I'll be interested to hear your impressions if you go there.

Mark Lipton