Minta (was e + o) Mount Prospect

SueF and I dined last night at the new restaurant E + O in the revamped Randhurst mall.
I'm pleased with the quality of shops and restaurants they've put in, mostly going for a step above the least common denominator (Pei Wei instead of Panda Express, Panera and Jersey Mike's although there's also the ubiquitous Subway), but E + O is a surprising leap above the more pedestrian fare of the other restaurants in the core entertainment area of the mall (Billy Goat, Blackfinn, Eggsperience Cafe, Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Pizza).

According to The Eater Chicago the place is run by former chefs at Sunda including Aeron Lancero, and designed by someone from Sepia. I have not been to Sunda, so I can't compare, but they share some menu items. What they've created, though, is a very eclectic menu ranging from Japanese to Mediterranean, American to Southeast Asian. If they can lay off the sugar a bit, they've probably got a hit on their hands.

While perusing the menus we were given the chef's "offering" of the night, a pickled watermelon rind with some mesclun lettuces. Nice balance of sweet and tart, although the outer rinds were a bit tough (I'm not that familiar with pickled watermelon rind, so perhaps it's supposed to be that way).

The menu has snacks, small plates, soups, salads, several divisions of entree including grill, and "raw... and not so raw" which includes sushi, tartare, poke and similar items (I was curious about the seared steak tartare -- isn't that just a burger?). Having just had sushi recently, we stayed away from that end of the menu, but tried to hit several other areas. A couple next to us had the "real crab" California roll, and for $8 it appeared to be a very good deal in a decent-sized roll, as I've paid that much for krab.

The Caramelized Onion Bisque was delicious, with a corn crema and crisp onions on the top... but quickly grew cloying. It's waaaay too sweet with no heat or sour to balance it. A dose of sherry vinegar would be a start, but I'm not sure it can be fixed easily (hmmm... maybe spicy corn-nut croutons?). (Price forgotten)

Patatas Fritas is really Papas Bravas with another name: red pepper aioli for fried small potatoes dusted with paprika were spot-on. A little spice, lots of crunch. $6

Duck and Daikon Hash was the hit of the evening: not really a hash at all but more of a salad of crispy roast duck bits, frisee, and cubes of a chewy daikon-pork-shrimp cake with a vinaigrette that was still a little on the sweet side -- without the soup it probably would have been fine, but we were getting sweetened out at this point. $12.

The only entree we ordered was the Pork Loin, which was two nice-sized tender boneless chops for $16 (I think, or was it $18). It was labeled as having an "al pastor marinade" but it could use a kick of chile, onion and pineapple. Accompanied with a couple seared shishito peppers and a creamed corn polenta (again with the sweet), it was very good, but could still use a little work.

After all that sweet, I discouraged dessert, but Sue ordered the Churritos anyway. Nice little doughnut bites with a chocolate dipping sauce, and really, not too sweet at all.

It's very possible that we ordered from the Willy Wonka side of the menu -- I want to give the place another try, definitely. Service was attentive, if a little rushed: they were relatively empty when we got there, as it was a Wednesday night and they've just opened last week, but having all the courses we ordered on the table at once was a bit awkward. I did let the manager know we thought it was a bit too much sweet, and we were thanked for the feedback.

I'm hoping this place does well, and manages to bring Randhurst out of the mall-food image it has had.
(I still need a replacement patty melt in the area, though)

e + o
125 Randhurst Village Drive
Mount Prospect IL 60056
eofoodanddrink.com
847-398-3636

[Note: As of 21-Feb-2013, the website is obviously preliminary, there's only one page, no menu, and almost all the text is currently pictures (can't copy and paste the address)]

Randhurst Village Center doesn't have the same ring as River North, but the people who created Sunda restaurant still took the plunge for Earth & Ocean, which opened last week for dinner in Mt. Prospect.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130221/BLOGS09/130229964/sunda-team-opens-earth-ocean-in-mt-prospect

I concur with the comments re sweetness.
One selection really stood out for me, "smoked pea hummous." The interesting combination of sweet green peas that had been smoked along with crunchy, lightly fried cauliflower and a sprinkling of almonds was delicious! I wanted to lick the plate.

Also tried: ricotta spinach dumplings - okay/bland, two way potato tarte - needed salt and accompanying greens had a sweet dressing when a savory/dijon vinaigrette would have matched better for me. "It's like that" roll was a nice size, but sweet sauce ultimately detracted for me.

Seating on bench/sofas is comfortable and service was friendly. Including wait staff, two management types stopped by to check on us. It felt truly interested/not intrusive.

I'm a long time lurker and have discovered some great restaurants because of it. This is my first post and I wanted to share my experience at this restaurant because there hasn't been much discussion.

We arrived at this restaurant and was greeted warmly. We ordered from the small plates side so as to sample as many dishes as I could. Service was excellent as they refilled waters and continuously gave us clean plates as each course came out. Our server was quite friendly and explained everything well.

We started out with the Chef's sample of pickled cucumbers. It was very good with the right balance of sweet and sour. This must change regularly as I was hoping to try the pickled watermelon rind I had read about.

The next course was heavenly...the smoked pea hummous with fried cauliflower just unbelievable. The pea puree had just a hint of smoke and went beautifully with the crunchy cauliflower. Next up was the popcorn shrimp, again very well done with just a little spicyness.

The chicken wings came out next and hit all the right notes. The glaze was sweet and more spicier than the shrimp. Next up came the onions with the roasted pepper and corn. There was not actually corn but more of hint of corn flavor to the sauce. It was good but something I probably wouldn't order again. With all the outstanding dishes before the onions, this just didn't reach that level. Again, the dish was still good.

Next out was the largest crab cake I had ever seen. It was deep fried and had a lovely lemon aioli drizzled around it. This was my hubby's favorite dish and he is usually not a fan of crab cakes. It was good but I found the texture not what I was accustomed to. It turned out that they actually use snow crab and not the jumbo lump maryland crab that is usually used. I guess I prefer the maryland crab better.

While I wanted to order more, my stomach was telling me no. The portions were generous and quite satisfying. Still I couldn't leave without at least trying a dessert. I chose a blueberry crumbled, ricotta cheese dish. I can't recall the exact name. It was quite good with a sweet vanilla creme over the ricotta. The crumbles and blueberries were each served in separate dishes to be applied by yourself. My only complaint...for a dish to be described as having blueberries...they were quite stingy with the blueberries!!

Still overall the best restaurant I have eaten at in a very long time. I cannot wait to go back.....hmmm my birthday is next month...

Heading here for dinner tonight, has anyone been recently?

I had a couple bites there two months ago. Menu is way too large IMHO. I am much less enthusiastic than the previous poster. Cool space though.

thanks, yeh, i skipped the place last night.. i will be back in a couple of months and maybe give them a shot.

Recently had a dish @ an event from their chef John Wayne "Duke" Formica that was best of show for me. Smoked Seared Scallop, Celery Root Puree, Pickled Grape Tomato finished w/some excellent XVOO. A perfect balance of rich and smoky playing against the acid from the tomato and the peppery o oil. Haven't been there though, so no idea how the restaurant is.

I've been to this restaurant a few times now, having initially hesitated, because the menu looked strange to me. But a year or so ago, they advertised a cooking demo with the chef, Rodelio. Everything he made was from the vegetable section of the menu, which turned out to be incredibly vibrant. A brussels sprouts-kale salad; the cauliflower-pea dish mentioned above, etc. When I go there now, I always get that sort of thing, and maybe a bowl of their excellent clam chowder.

On one visit, the general manager stopped by and mentioned the sweetness issue to us. It's obviously something that's come to their attention but I think they're happy with the flavor balance they have arrived at. They are absolutely charming staff and it's a lovely place to visit, a real asset to that area in my opinion. If you are nearby or passing through, I would definitely suggest you stop by.

Sadly, nothing else in Randhurst appears to be taking hold, restaurant wise. Well, it's sad but not a surprise; Randhurst is hell to get in and out of and the renovation made it worse, which is really saying something. At least there is ample parking.

I've eaten at E+O numerous times (four or so), one lunch and the rest for dinner, and enjoyed it each time. They have a nice variety on the menu, with global influences and diverse flavor profiles. We've enjoyed all of the food we've had - maybe not every single dish, but almost all of them were at least pretty good, and some of them were downright terrific. We never felt that any of the dishes were overly sweet at all.

The only caveat I would make is that the dining room can be VERY LOUD when it's full (we ate there once on a Saturday night at prime time). If this is an issue for you, then you may want to request a quieter table when making an advance reservation. More specifically, there is a glassed-in room at the far end of the main dining room and it is much quieter than the main dining room. (They sometimes use it for private parties so it is not always available.)

Also worth mentioning, for those who haven't been there yet - go to their website and you'll see an offer for a $10 gift card just for signing up for their e-mail list (which is free).

I look forward to returning and, for those who haven't been already, I recommend trying it. There aren't very many places that aren't close to home but which I like so much that I return over and over again, and this is one of those few.

nsxtasy wrote:Also worth mentioning, for those who haven't been there yet - go to their website and you'll see an offer for a $10 gift card just for signing up for their e-mail list (which is free).

offer still going.

We've been twice now to E + O with the latest being this past Fri night in the blizzard. Restaurant was surprisingly busy for such a terrible weather night.

Island Style Tuna Poke w/guacamole & chilies on round wonton crisps. While a tad sweet, this is a really delicious starter. Mrs Willie & I both recall more tuna poke being present the first time we had this.

I detest brussels sprouts, well that is at least the way my Mom used to prepare them. That said I keep trying them and have found a delicious version of roasted brussels sprouts which I posted about at Monarch. I've now found a second favorite at E + O, their Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Kale w/minced shrimp, sweet chili vinaigrette, peppers & shallots.

Soups are homemade so I decided to try the kale soup/chicken stock. Too salty for me & lots of dill. Not a hit but not a miss. I'd be curious about some other soups here.

The Roasted Duck & Daikon hash w/60 degree egg, crispy onions, toful and frisee was too sweet, shame as this could be a very good dish.

House made pappardelle w/beef ragu and sour cream. This was excellent.

This 2nd dinner was much better than our first, so we will try it again, especially with the $10.

Mrs Willie & I dined this past Friday night at E & O in Mount Prospect.

Started out with the tuna poke, too much vinegar, not a good rendition.

Then the Chicken Sisig, made with chicken thighs, chilies, red onion, served with runny egg. This was terrific, savory w/a bit of heat.

Main course we shared the crispy pata (pork shank), served with both a chicken liver sauce as well as a garlic pepper vinegar sauce (both in their own cups). We also chose a side of pork belly fried rice.

Because the pork shank & sauces were so rich, the pork belly fried rice (which was quite good) was actually overkill, some plain rice would have been better with this dish. Pork shank was extra crispy and the two sauces were a great contrast to each other. Another good dish.

One of the partners of this restaurant group, Aeron, was making the rounds and we spoke to him for awhile. He mentioned that in Oct there will be a multi-course Filipino dinner offered at E&O.

We arrived at 5:45 and by 6:30pm the place was packed. BTW, the $10 deal nsxtasy mentions above is still going.

Closed, being changed to Minta Restaurant and Social Lounge to reopen Saturday March 30.

It turns out Minta isn't that big a difference from e+o. We stopped there for a post-Avengers snack, and a lot of the old favorites are still there: the sushi (using real king crab in many rolls) -- perhaps a smaller selection; the bone marrow (although now served with carne asada to make tacos); the wings (still the same Korean-style).

But they've added pierogis and a Moldavian pie called Placinta (cheese or potato on both of those items); solyanka soup; I don't remember burgers on the menu previously but they might have been there.

One item they've dropped is the duck hash, that was something we'd always ordered when we were there.

Since it was just a light meal, we had one shrimp-and-crab sushi roll, the wings, and a bacon jam quesadilla. All were excellent, although the quesadilla is probably the smallest such I've ever seen. I wish them luck in continuing operations -- their 'closed for renovations' was a couple weeks tops.

Randhurst's core area has had some turnover since the start -- Billy Goat became Smokey Bones, Tony Sacco's pizza became an eyeglass place and has been vacant for a half year now, and Truco Tacos (whose sign is still at the south end of the strip) was replaced by the less-imaginative Salsa Street -- although Truco went through several dumbing-down iterations. Losing the Carson's department store can't help business, it's going to be a tough ride. That end of the mall is pretty much driven by theater traffic and that's it.

JoelF wrote:Closed, being changed to Minta Restaurant and Social Lounge to reopen Saturday March 30.

Mrs Willie & I went to Minta this past Friday evening prior to movie. We ordered a number of items

Bacon Jam Quesadilla - rendered bacon, tomato jam, fontina cheese, on white corn tortilla served with avocado cream. Sounded much better than it was, pass on this.

Chicken Sisig - boneless chicken thigh, spicy aioli, chilies, onions, 60 degree egg, scallions. A delicious dish, and plenty of it.

Crispy Brussel & Kale - shaved Brussels sprouts, kale, shrimp, Asian slaw, Fresno peppers, jalapeno peppers, fried shallots, chile-lime vinaigrette. Delicous, and again, plenty of it (doesn't reheat well the next day)

Minta Salad - cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Feta cheese, fresh oregano, EVOO - enjoyable, sizing of cucumbers was off, they were very large compared with rest of salad

Tuna Poke - slightly heavy on sauce but still delicious, served over chopped avocado

Short Ribs & Mushrooms - braised short ribs, Shemeji mushrooms, mamaliga, short rib jus - very tasty would have liked the ribs cooked a bit longer but still a very tasty dish

Will be back to try other items for sure.

Ordered carry-out from Minta during the lockdown. They've got a meal for two that could easily fill four (sure it's mostly starches) for $22: with choices of appetizer (spicy wings that have been great since their origin at Sunda), salad (arugula and burrata, toast with balsamic drizzle), entree (short ribs with pappardelle), two sides (mashed potatoes and mamaliga [moldavian polenta]} and dessert (molten red cake with not-pictured ice cream). Their entrees normally start at $20. #eatlocal