Ahead of their opening for spring 2021, Executive Chef-Partner, Donald Young (Temporis, Les Nomades, Bistrot Saveurs) has provided a sneak peek of his forthcoming menu at Michigan Avenue’s Venteux, a French brasserie and café featuring an oyster and Champagne bar, opening downtown in the city’s Carbide & Carbon building.
“I want to take how people perceive French cooking and flip the script,“ says Executive Chef-Partner Donald Young. "Every dish has an unexpected element to it, whether it's a yeasted hollandaise to mimic brioche alongside escargot, or mussels served with sheep's milk yogurt and harissa spiced merguez, a sausage I first fell in love with when I discovered it a local farmers market in Castres, France, and of course — one of my signatures, surprise pickles throughout the menu.”
A peek at what Executive Chef-Partner Donald Young has planned for Venteux this spring can be found below.
EGGS FIVE WAYS — A FRENCH OMELETTE TRANSFORMED WITH TROUT ROE + SALT-CURED YOLK: One of Young’s signature dishes, the omelette at Venteux is filled with a mixture of lightly scrambled egg and Delice de Bourgeon cheese, a soft-ripened triple-cream cow's milk cheese from the Burgundy region of France. The dish is topped with trout roe and a yeasted hollandaise that brings in elements of fresh brioche bread, sprinkled with grated salt-cured egg yolk and a fine herb salad.
DOVER SOLE MEUNIÈRE — WITH DEHYDRATED BROWN BUTTER: Inspired by Chef Young’s time working at Chicago’s French restaurant Henri, the Dover Sole Meunière at Venteux incorporates modern techniques to transform a well known oily dish, into something entirely new. Instead of being bathed in a traditional butter sauce, the anglaise style pan-fried Dover sole is dusted with a dehydrated brown butter powder, then dotted with a lemon puree and topped with caper leaves, umami-forward pickled lemons, parsley oil and a parsley bread crumb.
WHOLE ROASTED DUCK -- DRY-AGED IN HOUSE: Duck is one of Chef Young’s favorite ingredients and he dry-ages his version of the whole roasted duck in house to help tenderize it and create flavor. Prepared in the style of Peking duck, but remaining French in flavor by way of sauce Bigarade (Duck A'la Orange), the duck is brushed daily with a black walnut syrup while dry-aging, finished with sauce Bigarade, orange marmalade, pickled vegetables, and local seasonal options like fermented sunchoke puree and celeriac slaw, as well as savory scallion crepes served on the side.
BRAISED SHORT RIB -- FIVE-DAYS SOUS VIDE: The Braised Short Rib at Venteux begins braising in a passionfruit and lemongrass caramel, then is cooked sous-vide for five days until tender. Young then grills the ribs to add a touch of bitterness to balance out sweetness of passionfruit, emulating a barbecue flavor and texture experience. The ribs are served with a slow-cooked onion soubise puree and comte cheese custard and bring to life the classic flavors of a French onion soup. Young finishes the dish with black sesame and house-pickled blueberries and corn, as well as a dusting of portobello and red wine powder and sauce Perigueux.
BAHN MI — A VIETNAMESE LUNCH WITH DUCK LIVER MOUSSE TWIST: A Vietnamese dish that draws from French influence, Young drew inspiration from his time working under chef Roland Liccioni, a Vietnamese/Corsican chef with a French cooking background, to create his homage to this dish. The sandwich features a five-day braised short rib, a rich duck liver mousse in place of mayonnaise, Vietnamese style slaw and a mix of fresh cilantro, mint and basil, served between a lightly toasted, housemade baguette.
GRAND MARNIER SOUFFLÉ — AN OLD FASHIONED REIMAGINED WITH FOIE GRAS: A nod to Young’s celebrated history of creating soufflés at Les Nomades, one of Venteux’s signature desserts is the Grand Marnier Soufflé. Inspired by an Old Fashioned cocktail, this dessert boasts angostura and orange bitter creme anglaise, black sesame seeds, cocoa powdered sugar and a rich foie gras to cut the sweetness.
Ahead of their opening for spring 2021, Executive Chef-Partner, Donald Young (Temporis, Les Nomades, Bistrot Saveurs) has provided a sneak peek of his forthcoming menu at Michigan Avenue’s Venteux, a French brasserie and café featuring an oyster and Champagne bar, opening downtown in the city’s Carbide & Carbon building.
“I want to take how people perceive French cooking and flip the script,“ says Executive Chef-Partner Donald Young. "Every dish has an unexpected element to it, whether it's a yeasted hollandaise to mimic brioche alongside escargot, or mussels served with sheep's milk yogurt and harissa spiced merguez, a sausage I first fell in love with when I discovered it a local farmers market in Castres, France, and of course — one of my signatures, surprise pickles throughout the menu.”
A peek at what Executive Chef-Partner Donald Young has planned for Venteux this spring can be found below.
EGGS FIVE WAYS — A FRENCH OMELETTE TRANSFORMED WITH TROUT ROE + SALT-CURED YOLK: One of Young’s signature dishes, the omelette at Venteux is filled with a mixture of lightly scrambled egg and Delice de Bourgeon cheese, a soft-ripened triple-cream cow's milk cheese from the Burgundy region of France. The dish is topped with trout roe and a yeasted hollandaise that brings in elements of fresh brioche bread, sprinkled with grated salt-cured egg yolk and a fine herb salad.
DOVER SOLE MEUNIÈRE — WITH DEHYDRATED BROWN BUTTER: Inspired by Chef Young’s time working at Chicago’s French restaurant Henri, the Dover Sole Meunière at Venteux incorporates modern techniques to transform a well known oily dish, into something entirely new. Instead of being bathed in a traditional butter sauce, the anglaise style pan-fried Dover sole is dusted with a dehydrated brown butter powder, then dotted with a lemon puree and topped with caper leaves, umami-forward pickled lemons, parsley oil and a parsley bread crumb.
WHOLE ROASTED DUCK -- DRY-AGED IN HOUSE: Duck is one of Chef Young’s favorite ingredients and he dry-ages his version of the whole roasted duck in house to help tenderize it and create flavor. Prepared in the style of Peking duck, but remaining French in flavor by way of sauce Bigarade (Duck A'la Orange), the duck is brushed daily with a black walnut syrup while dry-aging, finished with sauce Bigarade, orange marmalade, pickled vegetables, and local seasonal options like fermented sunchoke puree and celeriac slaw, as well as savory scallion crepes served on the side.
BRAISED SHORT RIB -- FIVE-DAYS SOUS VIDE: The Braised Short Rib at Venteux begins braising in a passionfruit and lemongrass caramel, then is cooked sous-vide for five days until tender. Young then grills the ribs to add a touch of bitterness to balance out sweetness of passionfruit, emulating a barbecue flavor and texture experience. The ribs are served with a slow-cooked onion soubise puree and comte cheese custard and bring to life the classic flavors of a French onion soup. Young finishes the dish with black sesame and house-pickled blueberries and corn, as well as a dusting of portobello and red wine powder and sauce Perigueux.
BAHN MI — A VIETNAMESE LUNCH WITH DUCK LIVER MOUSSE TWIST: A Vietnamese dish that draws from French influence, Young drew inspiration from his time working under chef Roland Liccioni, a Vietnamese/Corsican chef with a French cooking background, to create his homage to this dish. The sandwich features a five-day braised short rib, a rich duck liver mousse in place of mayonnaise, Vietnamese style slaw and a mix of fresh cilantro, mint and basil, served between a lightly toasted, housemade baguette.
GRAND MARNIER SOUFFLÉ — AN OLD FASHIONED REIMAGINED WITH FOIE GRAS: A nod to Young’s celebrated history of creating soufflés at Les Nomades, one of Venteux’s signature desserts is the Grand Marnier Soufflé. Inspired by an Old Fashioned cocktail, this dessert boasts angostura and orange bitter creme anglaise, black sesame seeds, cocoa powdered sugar and a rich foie gras to cut the sweetness.
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