April 21--After Tim Graham departed Travelle restaurant (330 N. Wabash Ave.) right after Valentine's Day, officials at The Langham hotel indicated that they wouldn't rush to name a successor.
The wait is over: Ricardo Jarquin, a Miami native who most recently cooked at resort hotels in Hawaii and San Diego, is on board as chef de cuisine.
"I've been here about 3 1/2 weeks," he said. "We hit the floor running. Chicago is a great city; I've been here on three separate occasions, and I'm just excited to be here and get this rolled out."
"This" is Jarquin's first menu, which quietly debuted this week. It's considerably more casual than the fare offered in Travelle's early days. Shared snacks include chicken and waffles, burrata with spring vegetables and merguez flatbread.
Jarquin said he's especially fond of his mushroom fricasse, which features morels sauteed with shallots and garlic, served alongside crispy potatoes, espelette and a fried egg. "Charred-tar," the chef's take on steak tartare, actually gets a quick sear (while leaving the middle raw) before being plated with fried quail eggs and A-1 aioli.
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.
