Argent Restaurant & Raw Bar

It's unfortunate this place seems to have no business.  The food is delicious.  My friend and I shared two sushi rolls and split the scallops.  We also had great wine and beer.  However, there were only 3 tables taken at 8pm on a Saturday night and it didn't get any more crowded.  The service was great since we were practically the only people in there, but I would have loved a better vibe for a Sat night out.  I also thought it was a bit expensive based on similar restaurants.

The atmosphere is dimly lit, with a nice fireplace in the back of the restaurant which is a nice touch. There was a decent but not overwhelming amount of drink options, and a good selection of beers. The menu is different to say the least but we were all very happy with our choices. My friend got a sushi roll from the raw bar menu and loved it,my boyfriend got the striped bass that came with an awesome presentation and was delicious, and I got the crab cakes with cabbage and I was blown away! The service was great, the decor was modern, and the prices were a little up there but we definitely got what we paid for! I'll be back for sure.

Ever wish you could have eaten Paul Leibrandt's food before he was at Corton?  Looking for that diamond in the rough?  Want to turn your friends on to the best restaurant they've never heard of?

Argent Restaurant & Raw Bar, located in the Dana hotel, looks like the kind of place a foodie might turn their nose up at. The trendy decor suggests you might be in for the kind of meal would get from a million other small hotels in a million other cities.  The shock of how wrong your assumptions are is enough to give you whiplash.  We started out with the Pork Rillette and Foie Terrine.  The menu description for each suggests simple, almost boring presentations of these classic dishes, but when they arrived, my wife and I knew we were in for something special.  The rillette were formed in perfect quennelles, each coated in a thin, rich layer of pork fat which kept the meat moist and spreadable for the grilled bread. Contrasting sweet and sour of the blueberry preserves refreshed between each bite.  The combination of the rich foie terrine with toasted pbj was exciting. I want to pack these little bites in my daughter's lunch box.  

Our server mentioned that the housewares convention in town had meant they had been very busy the night before, but you would never have guessed it by the prompt succession our dishes arrived.  Next came Hamachi Foie and the Escolar dish.  Miso enriched these perfectly cut slices of supremely fresh hamachi, while the tart raspberries balanced the rich foie snow which seemed to dissolve on the palate.  The spice of the cure for the escolar was perfect for such a rich, buttery fish.

Probably the best of the night were the scallops. My wife is always hesitant to order scallops, as frequently they are overcooked or have the distinct flavor of weird preservatives. These were some of the best, freshest, most tender scallops I've ever eaten. The briny combination of the clam chowder and the crunch of the tapioca crisp served as the perfect foil for the natural sweetness.

Striped bass was unavailable (probably because it was a Sunday after a busy convention weekend), but the salmon prepared in the style of the bass was perfect.  I'll have to go back to try it with the bass, because I loved the subtle richness of the black walnuts mixed with the carmelized romanesco.

I couldn't have been happier, and then the 30 ounce steak arrived. I had overheard a table near mine recommending it to another group. They had gotten it the night before, and had returned to have it again.  It lived up to the hype.  Chef Jason came tableside to plate the dish for us on a large glass plate that covered most of our table.  So many flavors and ingredients, each intricately swirling around our table as Chef Jason delicately and meticulously explained them to us.  Someone should give this guy a show!  While we were enjoying everything, a group of people from upstairs came down to the table near us that had recommended the steak to thank them profusely.  This steak was getting the love that night, and it deserved it!

Not sure we could handle another bite when dessert arrived.  There are to few superlatives left to describe the chocolate orb.  Spice from the chocolate sauce is balanced by a powder of coconut.  There is crunch, there is rich, its too much to describe.  Now I was grabbing strangers and making them promise me to order the chocolate.

Service was friendly.  The bar made one of the best nonalcoholic cocktails my wife has had in Chicago.  As a pregnant lady married to a bartender, she has suffered several overly acidic or causticly saccharine toss offs as drink makers served up careless beverages because they couldn't be bothered with a nonalcoholic option, or been relegated to ginger ale, but the bar at Argent went out of their way to make something special.  My biggest disappointment of the night was that the pictures I took turned out too poorly to attach to this review.  Guess I'll have to go back!