Review: Chef Christian Hunter evokes emotion at Atelier in Lincoln Square

Chef Christian Hunter moved to Chicago packing his knives and the potential of a James Beard nomination. He exceeded expectations by leading his new restaurant home to a Michelin star just nine months after opening. And he’s barely begun to tell his own story in food at Atelier in Lincoln Square.

All this in a space that still echoes with the energy of chef and author Iliana Regan. She originally transformed the small storefront on an unlovely stretch of Western Avenue into an unlikely dining destination. Regan named the restaurant, which specialized in eclectic foraged elements, after her late sister Elizabeth.

Hunter focuses on familiar ingredients from sustainable sources. He changes his 12-course tasting menu constantly. A dish might last two weeks or so then it’s gone.

And his school of food is just as elusive.

He’s opened with a four-course set he calls the Larder. When I went, a golden sunchoke tostone with an apple cider mojo stole the spotlight twice. By beautifully swapping out traditional plantains and orange juice, but keeping both crunch and brightness, the chef shows commitment to his ethos and deliciousness.

Hunter connects culinary threads across continents, countries and cultures at Atelier, often through a burst of heat from Latin America to India to Africa, and even a bit of giardiniera.

Yet as the courses progressed, I had so many questions. When we sit down to a tasting menu, the chef is telling us a story. And I’m not sure I understood what this chef was saying through his food. So I asked him later where he is in his story right now.

“It’s not something that I always think about in the sense of what story am I trying to convey as much as I try to create a menu that speaks truth to the season,” Hunter said. “I want to evoke emotion with food.”

A reminder of that one time you were at your grandma’s house, he added, this is his ode to food.

“This is my first 12-course tasting menu,” said the chef. And it’s not always trying to impress you, he added. Despite that, Michelin also named him a Young Chef Award winner this year. “I sometimes just want to give you a really good strong hug and say here’s some good food.”

So for Hunter, it’s not so much story, but emotion. That’s especially evident with his fish courses. They would be must-order dishes if available a la carte someday.

A silky smoked rainbow trout bite, on spoonfuls of squid ink grits, smothered in an aromatic étouffée sauce, finished with delicate trout roe and a crisp fish skin chip, could have been a main mic-drop dish that night.

That dish also reveals more about the origins of the chef’s food.

“I am inspired by my roots, which is my mother’s background,” said Hunter, who was born in Lexington, Kentucky, but his mother is from Cincinnati. “The split between Southern and her Midwestern roots.”

A fish course I missed was one that most intensely resonated with him.

“I really enjoyed the fish and chips dish that we did not too long ago,” he said. “We were using white fish, making our own lacto-fermented ketchup and serving it simply with fries.”

A stunning new trout schnitzel I haven’t tasted will be on the menu for a bit, garnished with a buttery beurre monté sauce and smoked trout roe eggs.

The pasta courses were perhaps my personal favorites though, hitting those emotional notes. A hearty mezzaluna dumpling filled with soft butternut squash on nutty brown butter granola recalled classic Italian fall flavors on one visit. On another visit, an earthy mushroom and fettuccine held nearly equal parts fungi, pasta and the most comforting cream sauce.

Atelier’s owner and veteran mixologist Tim Lacey creates the nonalcoholic pairings. Nearly all the lovely spirit-free drinks are mixed in-house, from the opening nonalcoholic Aperol spritz-inspired cocktail to a tiny coffee milk, touching back to Hunter’s last kitchen in New England.

A cassoulet course had me kicking myself for choosing a vegetarian menu on my second visit. That was until I reminded myself that the legendary French casserole is really more about the beans — and the breadcrumbs, which can be controversial.

Hunter cooks beans from Carlson-Arbogast Farm in Michigan, with a bunch of vegetables, he said. For the meaty dish, they finish with turkey that’s braised overnight, a housemade pork boudin sausage, super garlicky mayo and a bit of persillade crumb, he added.

For the vegetarian version, he subs in a promisingly plump mushroom and lentil sausage, which was just too soft, but not his intent. Consistency seems to be an issue with the ambitious menu. On one visit lavash was crackly around the edges, but on another, it was undercooked in the middle. And the mini cider doughnut was dry one time, then too sticky another.

The chef also inherited wonky-topped tables and awkward oversized silverware, along with the 12-course tasting menu format, that I’m not convinced are best for his food, which can be magical.

The servers, however, were always outstanding, balancing the friendliness and formality required for dinners priced around $300 to $400 per person including pairings, tax and tip.

I wish the brilliant sorbets (lemon thyme and apple cider) had been a dessert course, instead of a palate cleanser. And the tiniest piece of chocolate should have been a mignardise, instead of a take-home treat. That honor could have gone to a seasonal doughnut for the next day.

Speaking of seasonality, I asked the chef if he might bring back any dishes, possibly the fan favorite rutabaga Caesar, next year?

“I think there’s definitely room to explore that,” Hunter said. “Like bring a few dishes back from the opening menu just to celebrate us being open for a year. I think there’s definitely potential, but I haven’t thought about it yet.”

Atelier

4835 N. Western Ave.

773-681-0651

atelier-chicago.com

Open: Tuesday to Saturday 5:30 to 9 p.m.

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Prices: Prices: $165 to $190 per person, spirit-free drink pairing $85, standard pairing $125, reserve pairing $175

Noise: Conversation-friendly

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible with restrooms on single level

Tribune rating: Excellent, three stars

Ratings key: Four stars, outstanding; three stars, excellent; two stars, very good; one star, good; no stars, unsatisfactory. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.

lchu@chicagotribune.com

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