There are restaurants, and then there are fine dining restaurants. Sepia is a fine dining restaurant helmed by an Iron Chef winner and James Beard nominee. You don't go to a fine dining restaurant for a meal, you go for a dining experience, and my night at Sepia was a very memorable experience. The restaurant is housed in an old 1890 print shop, and is decorated with a mix of modern at art nouveaux furniture. It is a beautiful space and a great place to have a special dinner.
In anticipation of our trip to Napa later in the week, we had a red wine blend called POV from Robert Sinskey Vineyard. It is a nice full bodied red that paired very well with the beef I ordered.
We tried a variety of appetizers, and my favorite was the sweet potato tortoloni with thinly sliced mushrooms and a light broth. It was a beautifully delicate dish that was sophisticated without being too over the top.
For my entree, I had the wagyu bavette with pastrami and potato. The wagyu bavette was served with bordelaise while the pastrami was on a bed of onion jam. The wagyu bavette was very tender and had a flavorful herbed crust, and was my favorite part of the dish.
At the end of the night, my plate looked like this. I ate every bite.
I finished things off with the pepper and chocolate mousse. The hint of pepper balanced the sweetness of the chocolate. The pecans and small crispy balls of chocolate added texture. This dessert certainly inspired me to play around with the combination of pepper and chocolate.
The service at Sepia was outstanding. The servers were very knowledgeable and provided thoughtful recommendations. They also have a sommelier on hand if you need a wine recommendation.
Sepia is located at 123 North Jefferson Street, in Chicago's West Loop.
