Chinn's 34th Street Fishery

Chinn's 34th Street Fishery JetFresh Seafood and BYOB Picque-Callou Blanc

Casual Monday night dinner with Sister Jan visiting from SoCal, we took her to a local favorite dining site, Chinn's 34th Street Fishery in Lisle (IL) featuring their JetFresh Seafood. Chinn's is a local treasure that is under the radar and under-rated.

As I've written in these pages, Chinn's features "jet fresh" seafood, literally jetted in daily from quality providers in the leading seafood markets - Hawaii, Alaska, the Atlantic, the Pacific, Florida, Louisiana and other centers where they have something to offer on any given day. 

Having a taste for something light and refreshing on a Monday night, and hosting Sister Jan in from Huntington Beach, it was a challenge worth taking, to showcase seafood selections in the flyover Midwest interior to someone living adjacent the California Pacific coast.

The menu at Chinn's is prepared daily, featuring that day's catch from the source seafood markets. I've often said that if you live in a coastal area that is a seafood producer, you are subjected to the day's catch from that port. Here, we have access to the day's catch from a number of ports from all the coasts.

Chinn's not only offers the broadest variety of fresh seafood, but they prepare a daily special 'Seven Ways' in their daily "7-way fish" - PREPARED ONE OF 7 DIFFERENT WAYS - CHARGRILLED • BLACKENED • BATTER FRIED • SAUTEED • BAKED GRECIAN • STEAMED ORIENTAL • STIR FRIED.

This nights fresh seafood offerings included:

The fresh catch, served CHARGRILLED • BLACKENED • BATTER FRIED:

Hawaiian Ahi Tuna

Arctic Char

Pacific Grouper

Florida Swordfish

Hawaiian Monchong

Alaskan Halibut

and Tonight's 7-way fish

Pacific Grouper

Also a selection of crab & lobster:

Alaskan King Crab Legs - 16oz or 20oz

Alaskan Snow Crab Legs

Marylyn Crab Cakes

2lb Whole Maine Lobster

Cold Water Rock Lobster Tails

Louisiana Blue Crab Claws

Twin Lobster Tails

Medium shrimp

Jumbo shrimp

Scampi - Grilled, Stuffed, Dejonghe, Stir Fried, Chili, Coconut

Scallops, Grilled, Fried, Sauteed, Coconut, Baked, Stir Fried

On this day, three of us ordered the Hawaiian Monchong, the fresh catch from Hawaii. Tacked to the wall in the entryway was the bill of lading showing the shipment arriving at O'Hare overnight delivered the previous day's harvest. It was delicious and the portion was huge - easily sufficient to share. Sean and Michelle order the Grouper, blackened. It too was delicious. Dinners are served with choice of potatoes, coleslaw and Chinn's signature garlic bread rolls.

Lastly, to top of the dinner, we brought BYOB from our cellar this French White Bordeaux. Chinn's have a liberally generous corkage policy making it an even greater dining bargain value.

Château Picque Caillou Blanc, Pessac Leognan, Graves, Bordeaux 2011

We hold a half dozen bottles of this White Bordeaux Blanc, too oft overlooked in the cellar, passed over for something more exiting as we're Red Bordeaux drinkers. Tonight, we pulled this to try and actually brought a back-up wine in case it wasn't up to the call. The gals liked it a lot.

Golden colored with slight brownish hues, nose of citrus and stone, notes of mineral melon with a layer of slightly grassy undertones, yet pleasant with nice balance and acidity. A nice match for the seafood entrees.
Time to drink.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=1372699

https://chinnsfishery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Chinns34thStFishery/

Davis Estate Hungry Blonde Carneros Chardonnay 2016

Davis Estate Hungry Blonde Carneros Chardonnay 2016

Following our discovery of the 2015 release of this label this summer and acquiring all the remaining inventory in local merchants, I had to special order the new vintage release. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, after the accolades and positive reviews of the 2015 release, the market price for the 2016 increased 40% to obtain the new release.

This has happened so many times over the years, where a wine gains notoriety and dramtically increases its price as a result. Several times, one of our favorite regular drinkers increased in price such that it was no longer reasonable at the new QPR - Quality Price Ratio!

This may be such a case where this offered high QPR at the lower price point for the 2015 vintage, but the new release at the higher price is no longer a significant value. This point is exacerbated by the fact that I consider the new release less appealing.

Never-the-less, even at the new price, this is a reasonable price point and worth trying for a distinctive profile and character of wine. Such was the value of the earlier release!

Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com  said of this wine, "There's 2000 cases of the 2015 Chardonnay Hungry Blonde, and it's one seriously good Chardonnay.  It's the real deal and will keep for 5+ years. At 30 bucks it's a killer value." He gave it 94 points.

James Suckling gave the 2016 90 points. "A chardonnay with plenty of butter, apricot, flan and bread dough. There is good density to this and the acidity gives some form and clarity'"

Davis Estate Hungry Blonde Carneros Chardonnay 2016

Winemaker notes for the 2016, "Our Hungry Blonde Chardonnay is the perfect expression of cool-climate Napa Valley Chardonnay from the Carneros region. Inviting aromas of lemon zest and white flowers make way for waves of bosc pear, Tahitian vanilla, and baked apple tart. All held together with fresh acidity and a supple texture inviting another sip."

I found the 2016 to be not as balanced or polished as the 2015 with a bit of an 'edge' that leaves it less approachable and easy drinking than the 2015. Perhaps with some further time in bottle it will soften, which remains to be seen, however I suspect it will not.

According to Wine Country Connection, Hungry Blonde is made by the well known Napa producer Cary Gott. The fruit comes from the Poe Vineyard, which sits adjacent to the world renowned Hyde Vineyard. Larry Hyde’s HDV Chardonnay, sells for $60.

I loved the 2015 - Full bodied, so buttery it emanated a sense of butterscotch notes. The 2016 is a nice sipper but not so captivating and extraordinary as the 2015 at its sub-$25 price point. 

Pick some up, try it, and if you're lucky, you might get some 2015 and do your own comparison!

We took this BYOB to Chinn’s 34th Street Fishery in Lisle (IL). This under-rated restaurant specializes in the freshest seafood available. They offer “jet fresh” fish and shellfish from all over the world, flown in literally the night before from the seafood ports from around the globe. On the wall in the entryway are the bills of lading of the container shipments of fish from the airlines showing the shipments that came in that day with the selections offered on that day's menu. They pride themselves in providing the highest quality food at most affordable prices. 

Another enticement of Chinn's is their liberal corkage policy of $10 corkage fee, which is appropriate for suburban independent restaurant dining. 

This Chardonnay was ideal and a perfect match with our entree selections. I had the Halibut served sauteed over spinach and tomatoes which was delicious. I had a side of Pasta - Fettucini Alfredo, which was also delicious. 

Linda had the Halibut tacos which were good with the ample avocado, tomato and spinach. 

https://hungryblonde.com/

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3289150

@Hungry_Blonde

https://chinnsfishery.com/ 

Beringer Private Reserve Napa Chardonnay 2014

Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014 BYOB at Chinn's Lisle

This outstanding release of this label is widely available at deeply discounted prices around Chicagoland merchants offering a substantial QPR - Quality Price Ratio in this highly rated release. We took this BYOB to Chinn's 34th Street Fishery in Lisle (IL) and it was spectacular with the Chargrilled Hawaiian Monchong and the Grouper. 

The fruit for this label is primarily sourced from their Gamble Ranch property in the Oakville AVA of Napa Valley. Only the finest lots were then selected for inclusion in this Private Reserve bottling. Each lot was kept separate from harvest all the way through the winemaking process. The wine was aged for 9 months in predominately new French oak with full malolactic fermentation, and the lees were stirred weekly to enrich the texture and profile. 


Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014

I picked up a few bottles, then picked up a few more. I should've grabbed more but I waited till I actually tried it to come to this conclusion, not based on the review. 

This got ratings for 95 points from Decanter and James Suckling, 92 points from Wine Spectator and 91 points from Vinous.


The Winemaker's tasting notes: "A richly layered wine with aromas of crème brulee and rich citrus and fruit flavors."   

This was butter colored, medium full bodied with bright lively buttery creamy notes of crème brulée, notes of caramel and hazelnut with apple and citrus fruits accented by spice and toasty oak with hints of vanilla apple and peach on the long nicely balanced finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2256991


https://www.beringer.com/

http://www.chinnsfishery.com/ 

Nickle & Nickle Chardonnay for Chinns Seafood Dinner

Nickel & Nickel Chardonnay for Chinn's Jet Fresh Seafood Dinner

We dined at Chinn's Fishery Seafood in Lisle (IL) and took BYOB a robust full bodied Nickel & Nickel Chardonnay to pair with the 'Jet Fresh' seafood. Chinn's offer seafood that is flown in daily from the various seaports around the world. They actually post on the wall the bills of lading from the flights from Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, the West Coast and East Coast ports. This provides the freshest specialties; fish, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, scallops and more, flown in fresh daily, bringing in the days' catch at the ports, packed and served within 24 hrs. Stan & Kim Chinn and General Manager, Robert Blaese, have been operating at the Lisle location since 1995.


Tonight's "Fresh Fish - Flown in Daily" menu, shown left, featured Hawaiian Monchong, Hawaiian Ahi Tuna, Arctic Char, Florida Swordfish, Pacific Grouper and Holland Dover Sole.

They also feature daily their "7-Way Fish" that can be prepared any one of seven ways: chargrilled, blackened, batter fried, sauteed,  sauteed oriental, baked grecian, and stir-fried with vegetables. Tonight's 7-Way Fish feature was Hawaiian Opah.

Chinn's was lively and hopping when we arrived for our six o'clock reservation. We were seated promptly. The restaurant was full and most tables turned over and were filled for a second seating as we were leaving. The atmosphere is bright, well lit with a marine motif and atmosphere somewhere between a coffee shop and harborside seaport bar and eatery. I believe it was the best dinner we've had there in the twenty years we've dined there, with the impeccable food, hospitality and service.

They also feature the traditional seafood faire of lobster, crabs, shrimp, mussels and a raw bar of fresh oysters. Steaks and pasta selections are available including a broad surf and turf set of options. Our server Stephanie provided attentive, friendly, knowledgeable and professional service.

I opted for the Holland Dover Sole which was delectable, grilled in lemon white wine butter sauce. Linda had the Crab Cakes, and Sean and Michelle the Daily Special Hawaiian Opah. All were excellent. I featured Dover Sole in these pages recently that I had twice in NYC at an upscale fine-dining establishment. There it was $70 for the entree. Tonight's was better!

To pair with our diverse seafood dinner, we brought from our cellar BYOB Nickle & Nickle Russian River Valley Sonoma County Chardonnay. Big, full bodied and robust, it was a perfect pairing.

Nickel & Nickel Stiling Vineyard Russian River Valley Sonoma Chardonnay 2013

We toured the Russian River Valley during our Napa Sonoma Wine Experience 2017 year before last. We stayed on the coast in Bodega Bay and traveled the back roads between there and Santa Rosa to witness and experience the climate and topology that comprises the notable terrior of the area.

This is from the Green Valley AVA in Russian River Valley where, the grapes benefit from a cooling coastal influence that helps them ripen slowly and develop complexity.

From the Green Valley AVA site: "Green Valley is one of the smallest appellations in Sonoma County. It lies in the southwestern part of the Russian River Valley, bounded by the towns of Sebastopol, Forestville and Occidental. It is very tightly delineated, both geographically and climatically, and is the most consistent and distinctive of any North Coast appellation in terms of soil, climate and flavor. The fog is Green Valley’s trademark."


The 2013 vintage was a fantastic growing season in the Russian River, with dry, moderate temperatures and cool foggy mornings

From the winery: "The 2013 Nickel & Nickel Stiling Vineyard Chardonnay is consistent from year to year. Passion fruit and floral aromas offer a mere hint of what’s on the palate: flavors of Muscat and Meyer lemon enhanced by flint and stone. A pleasant oiliness adds suppleness to the mouthfeel, but the vibrant acidity cleanses the palate and adds a succulent quality that makes one eager for another sip."

This was golden butter colored, full bodied, very forward, almost obtuse with its firmness and intense buttery and oaky tones and structure that almost overpowers the fruits - passion fruit, melon, floral, lemon, flint and stone.

Linda liked it a lot, classic (over-the-top) California Chardonnay style, I found it a bit much, almost overpowering for my more delicate sole entree.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2028407

https://nickelandnickel.com/wines-vineyards/single-vineyard-wines/2013-stiling-vineyard-chardonnay/

https://nickelandnickel.com/

http://www.chinnsfishery.com/

Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay for Raymes Seafood Dinner

Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay for Raymes Lisle Seafood dinner

Friday night out for a casual dinner we dined at Raymes Steak and Fish House in Lisle (IL), blocks from where I got off the train commuting home from the city. While Raymies is the primary fine dining restaurant in all of Lisle we have only dined there a few times in the decades we've lived in town.

Readers of these pages know we place a high emphasis on wine as part of our dining experience. Raymes have a minimalist, barely adequate wine list, and as such, we had not planned ahead so as to bring a bottle BYOB so we ordered from their winelist. Indeed, they promote themselves as 'Home of the King Sized Cocktail', and their logo even features a martini glass. So it shouldn't come a surprise that this is not a wine oriented restaurant. Hence, one of the reasons we don't frequent there. Based on this evening's experience, though, we will definitely return, presuming we can arrange BYOB to accompany the dinner.

Raymies Seafood Special - Grilled Sea Bass in lemon butter

This was our first time in the 'new' Raymes, totally rebuilt from the ground up on the location of the old restaurant on the site along the commuter rail blocks from downtown and the commuter station.

The new restaurant is open, airy and cosmopolitan in its black furniture contrasting the white tablecloths on the tightly packed grid of tables. When we arrived for early dinner at 530 we got the last window table and the dining room was wide open. By 700 the dining room was full at this point was lively and boisterous but not excessively noisy.

The American style menu has a great selection for our tastes; steaks, chops, ribs, meatloaf, pot roast and a great seafood selection with a half dozen entrees. Entrees come with potatoe or rice, soup or salad and a basket of fresh hot bread. The seafood special was Grilled Sea Bass served in basic lemon and butter. Other choices included Lump Crab Cakes, Sea Scallops, Grouper in crusted parmesan, and fresh water selections Blue Gill or Walleye.

We opted for the Grilled Sea Bass, Scallops, Crab Cakes and the Grouper. To accompany our entree selections we chose from the wine list the Cakebread Chardonnay which was an ideal compliment to the fresh seafood selections.

We tasted the Reserve version of  this wine during our private tasting at the Cakebread Cellars Estate during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. This is a popular restaurant wine, quality, dependable, a well known brand that is widely available so as to be a safe and easy choice fpr consumers. For our taste and preference, it was the only premium selection on the wine list that offered only three wines at pricepoints of $30, $50 and the Cakebread at $75, winelist prices based on ~2 times retail.

Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014

This is a French-inspired elegant wine with a bit more acid and mineral quality than the big fuller bodied oak infused buttery style commonly produced in California. Almost clear, light almond colored, medium bodied, crisp, clean, predominate lemon citrus tones laced with minerals and stone fruit.

RM 89 points. 

This is sourced from 91% Carneros district and 9% Napa Valley fruit. Grapes grown in the cool-climate Carneros district at the southern tip of the valley are subject to fog and cooling breezes from nearby San Pablo Bay. Hence, Carneros typically has a long growing season that ripens the fruit fully while retaining the bright acidity that gives Chardonnay freshness and vitality. Added to the Carneros fruit is grapes from warmer sites further up the valley that yield a bit riper, fuller chardonnay, the combination resulting in richer, more elegant and complex chardonnay, but not the fuller, highly oaked, big buttery fruit bombs that are predominantly Napa Valley fruit from the hotter upper reaches of the area.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2220445

https://www.cakebread.com/

http://raymessteakhouse.com/

Raymes Lump Crab Cakes and Asparagus

Raymes Sea Scallops Appetizer

Raymes, Lisle, IL - Lincoln Hwy (Rt 53) at Burlington

Bouchaine Estate Chardonnay at Chinn's Fishery Lisle

Bouchaine Chardonnay Estate Vineyard 2011 at Chinn's 34th Street Fishery in Lisle, IL

For an impromptu casual weeknight seafood dinner we dined at Chinn's 34th Street Fishery in Lisle, IL. Many people are aware of the legendary Bob Chinn's Crab House up in Wheeling, IL, one of the top five grossing restaurants in the United States serving more than one million diners per year! 

Chinn's is known for "jet fresh" seafood, jetted in daily from quality providers in the leading seafood markets - Hawaii, Alaska, the Atlantic, the Pacific, Florida, Louisiana and other centers where they have something to offer on any given day. 

I recall there is a connection with the famous Bob Chinn's and Stan (shown left) and Kim Chinn, owners of Chinn's 34th Street Fishery, nephew and Uncle as I remember. Whatever the connection is, it is readily apparent in Bob Chinn's 'jet fresh' approach also employed by Chinn's in Lisle. Like Chinn's Wheeling, they showcase the day's arrivals with the actual Air Bills of Lading (pictured below) from the major airlines - Alaska, United, American, Southwest ... showing arrivals that day from the seafood centers around the globe. The philosophy provides the best seafood catch of the day from all the centers. Both preach a deliver fresh catch selection, quality and value with a simple direct straightforward presentation in a no-frills setting.

A reminisce side story - I digress ... Stan and Kim Chinn cite on their website that they "landed in Lisle, a place they were both familiar with. 10 years prior to opening Chinn's Fishery, they both worked at the same location they would later purchase for their business." 

Jet Fresh Seafood !

I would bet a paycheck that very few can recall a restaurant that was there previously. Before then, going back many years (circa 1980), Linda and I enjoyed dining at this location at a restaurant called Bully's. We dined there often and rejoiced having such a quality venue with such great food in such a cosmopolitan yet comfortable setting so close to home. We dined there often. I still remember some of our favorite entree selections.

Then, we had a sub-standard visit, followed by another, and then again. Noting the trend, I summoned the MOD - Manager on Duty to inquire if there had been a change, citing our experience of notable diminution. We were advised that the property had previously been purchased and taken over by the notable restauranteur (Peter) George Makris, whose Flame Restaurant had literally burned to the ground. He took over the local eatery and established Bully's to keep his staff and business operations intact whilst he rebuilt the new restaurant in nearby Oak Brook Terrace. Then, when the restaurant was finished, the whole lot moved into the new venue and Bully's was taken over by a new owner and staff. (Makris also had 'Flame' steak houses in Chicago, suburban Countryside (closed in 2012), and West Palm Beach, FL).

Chinn's 34th Street Fishery - Lisle

Researching this further, my recollection is correct .. checking his obituary from the archives, according to the Chicago Tribune March 24, 1997, "In 1964, he (George Makris) opened the Flame, in Oakbrook Terrace that burned to the ground in 1979 but was reopened around the corner in 1982. In 1994, Mr. Makris changed the Flame's name to Bully's Chop House & Tavern Room..." It was during that interim period that we availed ourselves of team Makris in Lisle in the site that today is Chinn's. Stan Chinn took over the follow on flailing restaurant in 1995 and founded Chinn's 34th Street Fishery and are celebrating their twentieth year.

Back to the two Chinns. Another indication of the connection between the two Chinn restaurants is their common feature selection preparation options - Bob Chinn's "Eight Way" (shown) and Chinn's 34th Street Fishery "Seven Way" fish preparation - 1) Steamed, 2) Chargrilled, 3) Blackened, 4) Beer Batter Fried, 5) Sauteed with lemon, 6) Broiled Grecian Style, 7) Sauteed with capers, and 8) Stir fried with mushrooms. 

If you need further proof, try their garlic laced bread rolls common in both sites! 

From the simple, basic winelist, we selected this Bouchaine Estate Chardonnay for our dinner. Beth ordered the stuffed shrimp, Bill the sea scallops, grilled, and Linda, the crabcakes. I took the prize for the best dinner entree selection, the Hawaiian Mongchong, chargrilled, one of their signature dishes and a fresh catch of the day, which was delicious. 

Note that Wednesday nights, bottle wines are half price (except premier selections). We'll note that for our next visit!

Visitors to the Napa/Sonoma Valley region that have traversed the Napa Sonoma Road that wraps around the bottom of Mount Veeder that separates Napa and Sonoma valleys, where it approaches the top of San Pablo Bay, the area known as Carneros, will recall passing Domaine Carneros on the main highway. What is notable about that elegant stylish Chateau, is that it sits at the top of the bottom-land that reaches down to the water, San Pablo Bay, which is the north end of San Francisco Bay. Turn South towards the water there and there are a number of vineyards and wineries that feature Carneros Burgundian varietal wines - notably Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Besides Acacia Vineyards and Etude, one of the major producers in the area is Bouchaine. 

Bouchaine state they are the longest continuously operating winery in the Carneros, going back to the turn of the previous century, and under the same current ownership since 1981. The story goes that the property was originally settled by a Missourian with the colorful name Boon Fly who grew grapes and fruit trees on the property in the late 1880s.  In 1927, the parcel was acquired by an Italian winemaker named Johnny Garetto who sold to Beringer in 1961.

The current owners Gerret and Tatiana Copeland were part of a partnership that purchased the winery and surrounding land in 1981 and proceeded to develop and renovate the property. Bouchaine Vineyards was born in 1993 when they became sole proprietors. Around 1990 they added 60 acres to the original thirty, contiguous property that includes the two hills which have become icons of the Bouchaine Estate and are featured in their label design.

Today, the Bouchaine’s Estate is 100 rolling acres  planted in 7 clones of Pinot Noir, 5 clones of Chardonnay, along with some Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris. They produce a wide range of labels with a couple vineyard designated selections. This label is their baseline Estate bottled Chardonnay that is targeted at providing a high QPR large production wide distribution bottling to introduce and establish brand awareness for the line.

Note that Bouchaine Winery will be at Chinn's 34th Street Fisher October 6th for a wine dinner. 

Bouchaine Napa Valley Carneros Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2011

With its cooler and rain shortened growing season, being picked early, this Chardonnay is less rich and deep as vintages allowed to ripen further - resulting in higher acidity and forward citrus lemon predominating, that the winemaker states serves as a great palate cleaners between bites of buttery sauce laced foods with simply grilled dishes. Its light, butter colored, clean crispness finishing with subtle tones of pear and almond was a nice compliment to our seafood dinners.

RM 87 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1885260

http://www.bouchaine.com/

http://www.chinnsfishery.com/