Tru

On Thursday night, we left a sleeping baby Stuart to the care of his grandfather and set forth with Judy to enjoy dessert at Tru. Tru is owned by the very talented pastry chef Gale Gand along with Chef Rick Tramonto, whose dinner menu looks amazing (it should be, at those prices!). Chef Gand used to host a program on the Food Network, has published several cookbooks, and is world famous for her desserts. We came expecting to enjoy some very delicious food, and our expectations were far exceeded.

Firstly, I have to comment on the decor. The dining room is very sleek and modern with soft lighting; black and white without being stark. The effect is a very calm, urban atmosphere. Also, a comment on the service, which was impeccable, managing to be very formal yet relaxed. So far, so good.

We looked over the menu and, after much agonizing, ordered. Both Judy and I got the Cocoa Nib Macaroon, and Steve got the Chocolate Immersion. While we were waiting for the plates to arrive, our waiter brought a tray with three small glasses. These, we were told, were refreshers, meant to cleanse our palates. The glasses were filled with a Granny Smith apple soup, topped with a rosemary foam and some candied ginger. Both Steve and I hate apple juice, and so were cautious about the soup. It was fantastic. The rosemary foam is something I could eat a large bowlful of, though I freely confess I have no earthly idea of how it was made.

We were still talking about how good the apple soup was when our desserts arrived. My plate had a sandwich of macaroon cookies in the center, and, oh my, was it good. The cookie was a perfect meringue, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The cocoa nibs were crunchy and bitter, and the perfect compliment to the sour cream milk chocolate ganache that held the two cookies together. Said ganache was tangy and sweet. To the side of the cookie sandwich were three cubes of white chocolate chiboust. The texture of this was very similar to a mousse, and the taste was very subtle. Also on the plate was a lovely pool of milk chocolate sauce (very good), and my favorite part of the dish, the dark chocolate ice cream. A small portion of the best chocolate ice cream I've ever had, bar none, served on a bed of chocolate strusel. I was very happy with my dessert, and I do believe that Judy enjoyed hers as well.

Steve's plate looked incredibly tempting. He had a dish of chocolate creme brulee, rich chocolate and perfectly bruleed. On top of the dish was a small portion of chocolate sorbet, which I am informed was creamy with a potent flavor that played perfectly with the custard of the creme brulee. There was also a portion of chocolate anise ganache, wonderfully light and highlighting the anise flavor. Separating the sorbet and ganache were milk chocolate crisps, which were paper thin and gorgeous. On the plate was a smear of chocolate cardamom sauce, which I tried and it was delicious. We all agreed that our dishes were amazing, with a perfect attention to contrasting textures and to depth of flavor. We definitely felt we had got our money's worth ($15 each, a bargain for a world class pastry chef, and not that much more than you'd pay for a piece of so-so cake at any restaurant in Chicago. And it turns out, for what we got, it was an even better bargain!).

We were finishing our desserts when a waiter arrived at our table with a dish filled with tiny cinnamon madeleines, compliments of the chef. This was exciting, and an unexpected treat. They were delicious, and no sooner were they gone than another waiter came with three teeny tiny root beer floats! Chef Gand, it appears, makes her own root beer and ice cream. I don't even like root beer and I liked this! We were amazed by the extras that we had been given and were talking about it when all of a sudden an old fashioned candy counter pulled up to our table. No. Seriously. A waiter had pushed a cart over to us with homemade truffles, caramels, lollipops, and hard candies. And here's the best part - we could have whatever we wanted! I tried the chocolate truffle (out of this world!), Judy a caramel (she loved it), and Steve a passionfruit candy (he declared it perfect). At this point, I'd decided I was moving to Tru and never leaving. THEN(!) a waiter came around with a tray of chocolates - white chocolate filled with passionfruit, milk chocolate filled with peanut butter, and dark chocolate filled with rose. None of us could resist the dark chocolate. It was really good, with a soft, subtle, floral taste contrasting with the dark chocolate. Steve also tried the milk chocolate/P.B. combo and said it was very good.

Finally, the waiters stopped coming with food and brought the bill, and we paid and made our way to the door. But wait! the host stopped us on our way out and handed us each a small lemon cake, "for breakfast tomorrow", he said. Wow!

All said, we had an amazing experience at Tru. A great atmosphere, with a whimsical, well-executed dessert menu. We can't wait to go back (and maybe order something off the very tempting looking cheese cart that was wheeled around the dining room while we were there!). If you're ever in Chicago and want a great dessert, you really can't go wrong at Tru!