Housed in the former Prasino space, Taus Authentic Food & Drink ( 1846 W. Division St.; www.tausauthentic.com/ ) has a lot to live up to in terms of reputation—and pretty much succeeds.
Any discussion of Taus has to start with the chef himself, Michael Taus. The last time I reviewed a place of his, it was the upscale River North restaurant Zealous. With Taus Authentic, he seems to have recaptured the quality of the dishes—but making the place more accessible.
The decor of the space warrants mentioning. A lounge fills the front part—and it's a luxurious one at that, filled with couches, bookshelves and chandeliers. It's a great place to chat after getting a drink from the adjacent bar. ( By the way, the drink I ordered was a Hot Buttered Bols, a delicious and heady mix of Bols Genever, St. Elizabeth, aromatic bitters and apple-cider butter. )
The lounge then gives way to the main dining room, which has a very inviting feel, thanks to the woods and dark colors ( the tiles on one wall notwithstanding ).
Then there's the cuisine, which Taus described to Savor as "modern French with global influences." My experience started with diver scallop with warm truffle vinaigrette, poached quail egg and green apple—and it was simply wonderful. The same can be said of the beef tartare, served with pickled daikon and XO sauce with sesame-scallion brioche on the side.
A ricotta tart ( with heirloom tomatoes, olives, arugula pesto and lavender honey ) had the right amount of lightness, while the seared foie ( in a mini-brioche sandwich with apple-smoked bacon and Japanese pickles ) was masterfully done. Similarly, cavatelli with duck, kohlrabi puree and trumpet mushrooms was another skillfully done dish.
Then, there's the award-winning burger, cooked with havarti cheese and tomato remoulade on a housemade dill roll. For some reason, it didn't grab me during the restaurant's soft opening, to be honest. However, this time around, it was clear to me why it's been named one of the best burgers in Chicago.
And THEN there are the desserts. They range from vanilla panna cotta to the To Be Named Chocolate Cake ( bitter chocolate flourless cake with milk-chocolate mousse terrine, chocolate meringue and Turkish coffee ice cream ) to what I tried: the market fruit tart, complete with bourbon caramel, lemon thyme syrup and buttermilk ice cream—scrumptious.
I didn't try Aunt Reba's fried chicken, as I honestly was as stuffed as a pinata at this point. However, considering the raves I've heard about it, I will have to return to see if it measures up to the chicken that has set the gold standard for me: Table fifty-two.
There are some options for vegetarians, such as creme of cauliflower soup, sunchoke dosa ( with red curry, golden raisins and toasted pumpkin seeds ), baby greens and the aforementioned ricotta tart.
However, the name of this place couldn't be more fitting. Taus Authentic is the real deal.
