Kinmont

This past weekend Kevin and I dined at Kinmont for a late dinner with a couple of our friends.  Kinmont has been on our restaurant radar since it opened earlier this year.  It is the first entirely sustainable fish and seafood restaurant in Chicago and is the sister restaurant to one of our favorite spots in Chicago – Nellcote.

The restaurant itself has a very dark, rustic ambience and almost feels like you are in a cabin and about to eat the fish you just caught yourself.  The menu is almost completely pescaterian with very few items that contain meat.

We started our meal out by ordering a couple of items to share as a table.  The first thing we split was the soft-scrambled eggs appetizer.  Almost every review I read said to order this starter and it definitely did not disappoint.  The saltiness of the smoked whitefish was the perfect combo with the creamy eggs.  This would be a perfect brunch dish!

 Soft-Scrambled Eggs + Smoked Lake Superior Whitefish + Salmon Roe + Chives + Country Bread

We also shared the hand-cut french fries which were absolutely delicious paired with their homemade tartar sauce!

Hand-cut Fries + Tartar Sauce + Ketchup

For my entree I opted for the Pan Roasted Halibut which was incredible!  It had the perfect salty crust on the outside and was light and flaky on the inside.

Pan Roasted Halibut + Grilled Scallions + Rhubarb + Baby Turnips + Garlic

Kevin ordered the Rushing Waters Trout from the Catch of the Day section of the menu.  The trout was prepared with brown butter, lemon, capers, and parsley.  One of our friends also ordered the trout and everyone at the table collectively agreed that the trout was the best thing we tried that night.  The brown butter sauce gave the fish so much delicious flavor – definitely a must have!

Rushing Waters Trout + Brown Butter + Lemon + Capers + Parsley

Kevin and I shared two vegetables to accompany our fish entrees.  We ordered the Smoked Carrots and the Sauteed Kale.  Both were really good, but the smoked carrots definitely stole the show.

Smoked Carrots + Hazelnuts + Cumin

 Sauteed Kale + Pickled Mustard Seed + Onion + Cider Vinegar

And because there is always room for dessert, Kevin and I split the Coconut Rice Pudding which was amazing!  Normally I am more of a savory than sweet person, but the dessert was one of the highlights of the meal for me.

Coconut Rice Pudding + Strawberries + Toasted Pistachios

Kinmont is one of the best new restaurants of 2014.  The service was great and the food was fantastic!  Do yourself a favor and make a reservation today!

Kinmont is located at 419 W. Superior in Chicago’s River North neighborhood