GT Fish & Oyster: Chef Week

Those of you residing in the East/West coast may scoff at the idea of having seafood in the Midwest, but really, what other choice do we have? I sure as hell am not flying all the way to San Francisco every time I get a craving for calamari.

Chicago Chef Week is March 17-21, which is essentially no different from Restaurant Week other than the fact that it's shorter and doesn't include the weekend. My friends and I decided to go to GT Fish & Oyster in the Near North Side for a luxurious lunch.

Image 1. House-made hot sauces

Every table had two bottles of house-made hot sauce, with one of them being a traditional red hot sauce and the other being a green. Though they didn't taste too special, I knew I liked this place just from the fact that they provided hot sauce at the table (everything I eat has to be at least a little spicy) and knew the importance of having both red and green sauces. So far so good.

I chose the clam chowder for the appetizer, which contained bacon and house-made oyster crackers.

Image 2. Clam chowder with a runaway oyster cracker

Holy crap, this clam chowder was amazing. I don't know what they did to the oyster crackers but they were unlike any other oyster cracker I have ever tasted; they were better than I could have ever imagined. The clams also had a perfect, chewy texture. I added liberal amounts of the house-made red hot sauce to the chowder and devoured it immediately.

Image 3. Lobster roll with pickled veggies & fried onions

The prix fixe menu stated that they offered a lobster roll, and I automatically assumed it was a maki roll. When I learned it was actually a sandwich, I won't lie - I was a tad disappointed. Once I tasted the sandwich, however, my fears were dispelled.

That bread. If you know me at all, you know I appreciate a good bread. It was perfectly buttered and toasted, and the lobster salad was great as well. Unfortunately, I could have done without the pickled vegetables (I didn't know what some of them were) and the fried onions (which just tasted like fried batter). I barely touched those; if I don't like something, I don't eat it (people always wonder how I never get fat, and I think this is why).

I finished the lobster roll in two seconds and immediately wanted another one in lieu of dessert. Alas, this was not possible, so I ordered the chocolate meringue tart.

Image 4. Chocolate meringue tart with raspberry apricot sorbet

With the first bite, I totally rescinded my wish for another lobster roll. This dessert was unbelievable. I could not stop talking about how good it was while I was eating it. I'm a huge fan of meringue and its airy texture, and also a huge fan of chocolate mousse, which was hidden beneath the meringue. Whenever the tart got a little too sweet, all I had to do was take a bite out of the sorbet, which was pleasantly tart and balanced out the sweetness of the chocolate. Amazing. I resisted the urge to lick the bowl clean, because we were in public and I didn't want to be frowned upon.

What was truly incredible was that the lobster roll on its own costs $28 on a normal day, but thanks to the Chef Week deal, I was able to get this three-course meal for $22. I'm so glad I got to enjoy this high-end meal at half price. I will visit again sometime, either when I am richer or when they are having another discount type thing.

GT Fish & Oyster

531 N Wells St

Chicago, IL 60654

(312) 929-3501

http://gtoyster.com/