Nov. 20--White truffle season is here, when the prized fungus shows up on menus as an expensive (I mean VERY expensive) supplement, shaved sparingly over pasta dishes and the like.
Boka (1729 N. Halsted St., 312-337-6070), in an unusual but no doubt welcome move, is selling its white truffles at cost.
Not that we're complaining, but why?
"I dunno," said executive chef Lee Wolen. "Just to sell more. For fun. They're very expensive, and people probably can't afford to spend $100 more (to add truffles to a dish). So to give guests something they normally wouldn't get, for about $30, I think it's pretty cool."
Starting tonight, adding white truffles to a dish will cost an extra $32 (for 4 grams) or $64 (8 grams).
The temptation would be to order the truffles with the homemade tagliolini or cavatelli pastas, but Wolen said you can add that bit of luxury to just about anything you want.
"The short rib would be good," he said. "Or the beef tartare."
Wolen said the restaurant has access to plenty of truffles, so isn't likely to run out. But why risk it?
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic
