Moto - Homaro Cantu

Above photo credit: Musings of a Fat Chick

Dinner at Chef Homaro Cantu's Moto was an interesting experience, to say the least. On our first night in Chicago, our VW group made its way to the Fulton River District, an area of Chicago that resembles NYC's meatpacking district - though the Fulton River District still seems as though it's used mainly for that purpose. Inside Moto, the decor was white with a few color accents, a background for the more striking appearance of the food to come.



Our meal began with chips and salsa - an edible menu being the chip. The menu was created with a standard inkjet printer, using edible paper and food-based inks, and read 20 items long...intimidating, to say the least!



The evening started quietly with some interesting tastes. Liquid center scallop and kalamata and feta were first. Followed by the liquefied greek salad - a shot of cucumber and tomato flavors distilled to a clear liquid, which was actually quite tasty. A nitro sushi roll and oil spill was next. The oil spill was a commentary on the state of ocean pollution, including an edible packing peanut, exxon edible paper and squid ink masquerading as crude oil. Biscuit creme brulee and ants on a log with foie gras passed without much interest. The next three were the start of the more diverse experiments. Seared buffalo hot wing flavored edible paper with the lime and mint syringe mojito complimented each other nicely.



Cuban missle crisis was the most interesting presentation of the night. A cuban sandwich in the form of a half-smoked cigar served on an ashtray. Fresh from the garden was a quail dish that was a nicely done conventional dish as was the smoked brisket and cornbread.



Following those was the roadkill of fowl which included pulled duck and ornaments of a mushroom brain and some blood colored dressing and marshmallow. The fajita and aromatic utensils were an interpretation of the form of the fajita. Peppers and onions were cooked into a small bouillon-like cube that was to be smeared with the beef. The coriander within the spiraling handle of the fork is tasted with the nose instead of the tongue.



The desserts lent themselves to a playful "under the sea" presentation as well as a reversal of conventions because there is less expectation of what desserts should look and taste like. Deserts of note were the jellyfish shaped coconut and ginger milk ball, and the delicious white coconut and peanut dessert (complete with pop rocks!).

My biggest criticism of the meal is that there was no way to see how the food was constructed. Having seen Chef Cantu on Iron Chef, I loved the different processes his team used to create the dishes. At Moto, the food is stripped of its larger narrative, leaving only the end product without relieving one's curiosity about how it's created. Would I go back? Maybe in a few years. Molecular gastronomy is a fascinating field and I support everything they are doing. But when it comes down to a good meal, our dinner at MK was more what I expected and I enjoyed my phenomenal bison steak and beer there, without a second thought. In the end, however, Moto was a great experience and it's something that I'm glad we were able to experience.

Photos of the meal at MOTO on our flickr