The Adamus Lounge opened this summer in the newly renovated Silversmith Hotel in the Loop and it is a beauty. Playing off the Jewelers Row District theme the interior has diamond table tops, jewel cut tables and large cut glass sconces. The place oozes glamour.
The Silversmith Hotel Lobby
Booth at Adamus Lounge
Diamond top tables Adamus Lounge
I was invited to a tasting on Monday and was greeted with a cocktail and a sampling of appetizers. The drinks are mixed with skill and care so take note you will not receive your drink right away. All the syrups are made in-house and the juices are fresh squeezed. Worth the wait the Cantaloupe Basil Refresher is vodka based and served with fresh cantaloupe, basil and lime juice. Yes, it was refreshing and not too sweet. I had a sip of the Bourbon Punch and I didn’t taste a hint of bourbon and loved it (not a bourbon drinker). This is probably due to thepomegranite, fresh lemon and orange juice.
BOURBON PUNCH & CANTALOUPE BASIL REFRESHER
A taste of the Yellow Tomato Gazpacho served with celery and fennel relish, Hass avocado, citrus crème fraîche is perfect for a light summer bite. The Broiled Wianno Oyster was a rich bite with Pernod Creamed Spinach, smoked bacon and gremolata. Last and definitely not least, the Lobster Croquette was rich and full of flavor and texture with crunchy corn, smooth gravy and roasted shallots.
The rest of the meal was served at the communal table off the bar. A nice antipasto boardwith rich Spanish chorizo, olives, pickled vegetables and house made sun dried tomato. The sweet Peppadew (pepper from South Africa) is stuffed with soft chevre and grilled ciabatta.
Antipasto board
The roasted vegetable fresh hummus and cucumber relish is with smoked paprika toasted pita “plank” bread.
I really enjoyed the diver scallop ceviche with its sweet and acidic mix of the lime and mango puree along with savory chevril and shaved fennel. The boniato chips, white yam, were thin slices of crisp goodness cooked on low heat to keep the white color, perfect for ceviche.
I do not have a picture of the Pacific Blue Prawn Mac & Cheese Casserole because it got snatched up pretty quickly. But the prawns were huge and cooked well and the mac and cheese was rich and buttery served in a cast iron dish with andouille sausage, smoked cheddar, Maytag blue and citrus gremolata.
The flatbread had an nice sweet taste and was light with artichoke hearts, bits of soft goat cheese crumble, sweet peppadews and a dash of garlic cream.
Artichoke Hearts & Goat Cheese Flatbread
My two favorite dishes (not counting dessert!) were the Creekstone Farms Short Rib Tortellini and the Citrus Brined Bell & Evans Chickent Breast.
The hand crafted tortellini is served with roasted baby beets, foraged mushrooms and horseradish cream. This is good to share as it is very rich. The garnish of horseradish root is pickled and crisped taking out the bitterness and leaving a nice crunch texture on top.
Creekstone Farms Short Rib Tortellini
The citrus chicken breast was cooked perfectly and was nice and juicy. The rich cippolini onion risotto was rich and creamy with added sweetness of the roasted plum and chewy spiced walnuts.
Citrus Brined Bell & Evans Chicken Breast
Who doesn’t love crème brûlée and the Summer Peach Crème Brûlée is wonderful. Add in some toasted marcona almonds, vanilla whip cream and this dessert is a dream.
I’m not a huge fan of cheesecake but the Bellwether Farms Fromage Blanc Cheese Cake with blueberry cognac compote was delicious. The soft cows milk was mild and the sprinkling of citrus meringue was perfect.
Alicia Tastes Life 