Fornetto Mei Chicago

As of June 2023 this is now called Kirei. It's a Japanese-American fusion restaurant in the Whitehall hotel. We had an excellent breakfast and others around us gave equally high praise on their breakfast. Looking forward to returning for dinner.

Timing - friendly for a Friday night: A friend and I ate here for Restaurant Week. We made same-day reservations through Open Table for a Friday night at 8:00 pm, although it seemed they had available tables even without the reservations. ----- Location - tucked away and intimate: The restaurant is in the back of the Whitehall Hotel - the signage wasn't so clear, but the staff were helpful and it felt like a bit of an adventure finding it. The setting is simple but quiet and good for a nice conversation. ----- Cuisine - tasty and simple: We started with the beef carpaccio with micro greens, capers, and sea salt. The sea salt was a lovely crunch, the carpaccio was soft and delicious. I would definitely get it again. It isn't served with bread, so we had to ask for it, but ate it on its own and would probably have it that way again, it was so good. For the main course, we both had beef short rib with creamed polenta. The flavor was lovely and I ate it easily. I could tell my friend was a bit put off my too many soft textures, so it could be accompanied with something crunchy for people with similar sensibilities. For dessert, I had the lava cake, which had a nice flavor and came with a good raspberry sauce. It could have been more melty in the center. She had the tiramisu, which also had a good taste, but after all the rich and soft textures, it was probably a bit too much for her. ----- Drink Selection - choose wisely: We had a bottle of the lowest cost chardonnay, which wasn't a great choice, and the wine service left a bit to be desired. ----- All in All - great spot: All in all, this was a great value for a solid meal that I wouldn't hesitate to repeat. Definitely a good spot during Restaurant Week.