Like wabi-sabi, yūgen is a concept from traditional Japanese aesthetics. While the former refers to beauty in imperfection, the latter describes a profound grace and subtle mystery. It’s a fitting description for Yūgen, Chicago’s newest fine dining restaurant run by an ambitious, young team of women.
“While there are many definitions of the word, the simplicity in beauty as well as the finesse that are associated with yūgen resonate the most with our ideology,” executive chef Mari Katsumura says. “We have adapted the zen meaning to our own definition embodying the harmony of the food, ambiance and overall approach to service.” The 32-year-old chef is the face of the restaurant and her colleagues include 32-year-old beverage director Olivia Noren and a pair of 24-year-olds – general manger Morgan Olszewski and pastry chef Jeanine Lamadieu. In a city with just a couple of Michelin-starred restaurants run by women, Yūgen makes a big statement, thrusting the newcomers into the national spotlight.
One of the many definitions of yūgen is the “sad beauty of human suffering,” which is also apropos to Yūgen, considering the sudden closure of Grace, the nationally revered three-star Michelin restaurant that this space was originally conceived as. Much of the minimalist décor remains the same – chairs, the stunning kitchen and artfully designed bathrooms themed on the four seasons. For the restaurant’s second iteration, they’ve added charcoal wood table tops for a more natural feel, removed the table linens, added a living green wall and new custom ceramic plates from Japan.
“It is an absolute honor and pleasure to revitalize a space that has accomplished so much in the past,” Katsumura says. “There is a familiarity that is comforting.” She worked at Grace for three years, followed by Blackbird, Acadia and Entente, building a star-studded pedigree that has prepared her for her first executive chef opportunity.
It’s a little disconcerting to walk into such a familiar space, having dined at Grace quite a few times, and see new faces and new dishes served on plates I recognize. Katsumura’s food though, is an excellent fit for the understated elegance and simplicity that this restaurant was designed for. The lighting, dining room layout and plateware are all meant to focus your attention squarely on the food in front of you. For this strategy to work during a 13-course tasting menu, the food must be especially compelling and intrinsically delicious. Katsumura excels on both counts right out of the gate. Just one month after opening, my meal was as impressive as any of Chicago’s Michelin-starred venues.
Chicago has had several omakase-only sushi spots open in the past year, including Kyōten and Omakase Yume, but Yūgen is the first to take Japanese fine dining in Chicago in an entirely new direction. There’s no traditional sushi here – although the hiramasa sashimi course is absolutely divine and rivals any sashimi in the city.
Instead, Katsumura describes her style as “contemporary Japanese with avant garde technique using seasonal Midwestern ingredients.” Think crab rice with crisp puffed grains, trout roe and voluptuous egg yolk. The final savory course of the evening, a Japanese curry with beef cheek, uses her late father’s recipe from legendary Yoshi’s Cafe.
“All of the dishes are inspired by food I grew up eating,” Katsumura says. “Things my dad would prepare for me, or meals that I had traveling abroad with my mother. I love making approachable and familiar food that perhaps is deceptively plated otherwise.” The final dessert, simply described as milk and cookies on the menu, is an excellent example. Caramelized hojicha milk, buttermilk and chocolate are all shielded by thin shards of meringue. And then, in a nod to her classic French training, never mind that this is supposed to be a Japanese restaurant, Katsumura and Lamadieu throw in textbook canelé and mini hazelnut macarons as mignardise.
Beverage Director Olivia Noren’s wine pairings are global and unexpected. Choosing a dry Spanish sherry with foie gras ganache, Santa Barbara uni and chawanmushi is my surprise favorite. “It’s a somewhat controversial pairing,” Noren admits. “I love the textural interplay of the richness of the sherry and the creaminess of the custard. And the sherry has some saline elements to match the oceanic quality of the uni.”
There’s a sake pairing and a couple dozen Japanese whiskeys on the spirits list too. Noren also has a soft spot for champagne, so Fridays in Kaisho, the front lounge that serves an a la carte menu, are champagne Fridays. Each week, she’ll offer a different by the glass special to pair with Japanese fried chicken karaage. Recent offerings have included 2000 Dom Pérignon P2 and 2007 Salon blanc de blancs.
It’s nice to see another fine dining restaurant in Chicago offer an alternative experience to the full tasting menu. Acadia and Smyth also serve nice lounge menus for those who want a taste of their food without the tasting menu commitment. The Yūgen team hopes that Kaisho will develop into a hangout for industry friends and locals. For the time being, reservations at Yūgen are still easy to come by, but I don’t know if that will last for long.
