HCH Review of Ceres' Table

We tried Ceres table last night as part of "Operation Use the 2011 A La Card Deck to Death" and I have to say it was a fine beginning to the year in that regard.

We had a reservation for 5:45 so the room was almost empty when we arrived. Parking was a breeze, and I could see my car from my seat as we were parked right in front of the restaurant. Between the not very large crowd and the installation recently of new sound absorbing tiles we had none of the noise issues that others have mentioned regarding previous visits.

There was only one waiter for the entire restaurant, but he was doing a good job of keeping up with all the tables as well as working the bar. I hope that at busier times they do not try to get by being understaffed, but with a few backservers helping out, things went pretty smoothly during our meal.

We decided to go for a few small dishes and split a main course. And here again I didn't find us dealing with an oft-mentioned problem, that being too-small portions.

The Beef Carpaccio ($10) was a reasonably sized serving of thinly sliced beef with cheese, greens, and a bit of truffle oil. The beef was flavorful with the cheese and oil as a nice complement to the meat.

Arancini ($9) was an excellent dish for my money. Three nice sized fried risotto balls filled with braised oxtail, fontina cheese. The oxtail was tender and the risotto slightly creamy under the crunchy outer shell. Very happy with this dish.

I only barely tried the scallops ($14) but I didn't think the dish was out of line from what most other places would charge for this plate. With crawfish, orzo, greens, and a couple good sized scallops. The review of the scallops from across the table was "nom. nom nom nom. And nom." So there ya go.

We split the 12 oz. Bison ribeye steak ($28). This was the highlight of the meal. The bison was juicy and full of meaty flavor. The sauce was slightly spicy without overpowering the meat in any way. The parmesan potato rosti was an interesting textural contrast to the hearty steak. This was one of the best meat dishes I have had in a while, and what for me pushed this up to a 4-star meal. Worth every penny.

For desserts we tried the chocolate chip cookie and the pistachio creme brulee ($5 each). The cookie was warm and tasty with chocolate ice cream. The creme brulee was a treat, really strong of pistachio flavor in a good way. The desserts may have been a touch small, but nothing that made me want to flip the table over and begin bellowing "Shenanigans!" in the middle of the restaurant.

So overall, a good experience at Ceres' Table. Nothing to complain about, and a few things to really be excited about.

Ceres' Table
4882 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 878-4882

HCH Rating - 4 stars