Parachute — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

To begin reviewing, one must bear in mind that this is a fusion restaurant. Therefore there shouldnt be any type of judgement call for “full-authenticity” to its Korean origin. the host was super attentive, i had a seat at the bar and she gave me a on-the-house appetizer. It was my fault to be late, but the restaurant was generous enough to care for a late customer. That’s exceptional service beyond a Michelin 3 star! The menu was quite limiting but so are most french cuisines. I then just simply order their Off The Cuff (tasting menu). And here are the plates in ordered: Free appetizer: tempura chilly with mozzarella, AMAZING! Coming from expert tempura chef restaurant in Tokyo, could make equivalent grade! The oil was fresh, excellent transparency to the breading. The pepper was fresh too, still watery within the layers of pepper, and no wrinkles on the outside. Mozzarella was just the right temperature and oil-drained. The presentation was perfect with the colorful contrast (except that could be better if it was on a parchment paper sitting on a basket plating). The taste has so many layers that it just devoured me on the bite! It was crunchy on the outside then juicy in the middle, and finally the melting cheese sensation... This could literally be a dish for $40 in a high class tempura restaurant in Tokyo. 5/5 totally original. Baked potato bing bread: this is the most ordinary out of rest of the menu tonight. But i would consider it better than the originals in Seoul since this is less oily, yet the outer layer remains its crisp. The butter on the side is kinda pointless - 3/5. Wild yellowtail: good presentation, the mint leaf had the nigiri in mystery. Yellowtail was fresh, but could be better if its a toro, lol.... and the mint leaf is kinda too large to go with the bite, therefore suppressing the freshness of the fish. The pepper was a good choice to kill the fishy smell (but not necessary for regular sushi eaters nowadays, unless the sashimi is not fresh). The mint leaf again is way too much in size for its proportional use with sashimi - 3/5 Gem lettuce: salad fillers for tonights meal. I would have gone mad if I ordered this individually for $16 a plate. Oh well, its green, and it serves its purpose. Smoked Yuba: another highlight for tonight’s meal. The contrast of different ingredients used on this dish is simply delightful. The english peas and spinach clears your palate every time so you can taste the defined octopus and the heavier flavour at the bottom, yuba. The sauce was excellent with a hint of sourness to the mouth which are addition to the contrast of the dish - 5/5 Grilled flank steak: my second favorite for the night. To have a flank steak taste this superior, the marinate must be on point! It was cooked to medium rare, the sauce was Soysauce based... with a hint of smoke shitake and crunchy lotus root, its such an asian way to make steak! Lol. 5/5 i would perfer this than some cheap A5 wagyu. Hwe dub bap: not my usual plate, but they made it quite alright. This dish is another green filler for me... typical sushi salad bowl with rice but wins again of their contrast. Maybe the steak before this is too amazing, i didnt have much room for this dish up to this point. 3/5 Carrot walnut cake with currant: Extraordinary Piece of Art!!! I havent had such nice piece of cake in sooo long. It wins most of the Michelin 3 stars desserts for me. *On the note, i am asian and i am not fond of heavy sweat dessert. This piece has just the perfect sweetness. The cake itself reminds me of chinese MaLai cake in Hong Kong, with the softness yet buttery filling.... omg... i almost ordered 2 togo, but too bad I already ask for check... 5/5 I would definitely come back again, amazing place. The restaurant would be up a notch if they use better kitchen ware and detailing on the plates. I hope this place can hold up its superb servicing when it...

Got allergies or aversions? Parachute is so not for you!

Yeah, I know. They got a Michelin star. (More about that later.) We gave them two stars rather than one because a couple of appetizers were good and the servers were helpful. Alas, their kindness does not extend to the kitchen.

What’s not on that online menu is buried in hard-to-read small print at the bottom of the menu at the restaurant: they will not make any substitutions (which I can understand) or other modifications. You cannot specify doneness of steak, level of heat, or omit from the plate anything you dislike or are allergic to. They also don’t mention that many of the dishes are fried, which is a problem if you’re trying to limit the amount of fried things you eat.

We checked out their online menu before making a reservation and we were looking forward to eating a scrumptious-sounding dish of udon noodles with crabmeat, both of which we love. However, what we did not know was that the chef sprinkles the finished product with lots of ground black pepper, something I really dislike (and why you’d obscure the delicate taste of crab with all that black pepper is another issue). You’d think that would be an easy fix for the chef, saving him/her the trouble of all that grinding. However, you’d be wrong. They refused to omit the pepper, so we had to find other entrees.

I get that artists want to do their own thing. However, they’re in the hospitality business and it’s incomprehensible that they’d refuse to accommodate such a simple request. We’ve eaten at over 20 Michelin-starred restaurants, mostly in Chicago, a couple in Lyon, France. Parachute is the odd one out. The other places were comfortable, treat you like a valued guest, and have mostly great food. Parachute was loud, crowded, potentially uncomfortable (there’s a 50-50 chance your seat won’t have a back), and unwilling to honor a simple request. Plus, the food that we did order was mostly disappointing and expensive for what you get. The bread and oysters were both yummy, but it was downhill from there. The tempura sesame leaves were less satisfying than the tempura at a good Japanese storefront restaurant. Our squash with Moroccan spices and couscous was boring, ungarnished, unappealing brown, and lacked for contrast in taste, texture, and appearance. The tri-tip steak was prepared to a perfect medium rare (happily, we like it the only way they prepare it), but there were only two small pieces, each of which measured about 1”x1”x2.5”, a very poor value at $26. You can have a lot better meal for less at Gogi, our favorite storefront Korean restaurant.

Bottom line: there are lots of great restaurants in Chicago who deserve our...

It makes sense Parachute lost their Michelin star.

I came here with my parter for the Valentine's Day Menu. I made a reservation three weeks in advance and asked for a secluded table. Not only were we seated at a communal high-top table, but also right by the door - literally maybe