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Chef Mon Jul 06 2015
Intro Shows Off Chef Erik Anderson
The kitchen of Lincoln Park-based Intro is more of an artist's atelier than a service-battered workhorse: pristine surfaces, stately appliances, a buzz of focus and dedication. As part of Pepcid's second annual Tastemakers series, guests were given a privileged glimpse behind the scenes of a four-course French-inspired tasting menu.
As a restaurant cook myself, the idea of people wandering through the kitchen during service rattled me. There is always a distinct division between front of house and back of house-- at least in my world. However, the cooks at Intro were unfazed: crowd of curious strangers or no, the appetizers still needed to be impeccable. Not to mention the desire to impress Chef, looming watchfully over your shoulder.
Chef Erik Anderson, to be specific-- the current chef-in-residence at Intro's rotating roster of chefs who transform the space into their own vision for a few months at a time before moving on and making room for the next. His impressive resume includes time at The French Laundry and Nashville's the Catbird Seat, not to mention a James Beard award nomination. His upcoming project is to open a Minneapolis-based modern French restaurant called Brut. In the meantime, Chicago gets a slice of the action.
Created in collaboration with former L2O chef Matthew Kirkley, the meal was stunning. Highly technical but never sacrificing flavor, their combined talents shone through especially with seafood: a bite of fresh oyster with cucumber and buttermilk pearls, coins of smoked salmon that dissolved on the tongue.
Chef Anderson's tasting menu is still available through July 25. Visit Intro's website for further information on reservations.
