Restaurant week 2024 is wrapping up here in Chicago and we were lucky enough to score a table at Boka for dinner. Boka offers a prix fixe four course menu during restaurant week for $59, and offered wine pairings for an additional $40 per person. This is a great value for Michelin-starred dining in Chicago! Boka just celebrated its 20 year anniversary last year, has maintained their one-Michelin-star status since 2011, and there are obvious reasons why they’ve been around for so long. As the flagship restaurant of the entire Boka Restaurant Group, their space is welcoming and super cool, the food is flawless, and the service is attentive and adds a whole extra level to your experience.

I loved the space here, and there are several different dining areas, each with a different vibe. We were in the main dining room, and we had plenty of space to enjoy our meal. We were given just the right amount of time to review the multiple menu options, and decide if we were going to go for the wine pairing or not. It’s pretty rare that I’m going to say no to a wine pairing! We started off with a pair of Parker House Rolls with a delicious salty butter. We loved the rolls so much, that they kindly offered us another serving, which we eagerly accepted!

For the main four courses, we had multiple options to choose from, which was nice. Brian and I were able to choose totally different menu items to sample as much as possible. An awesome surprise was that the wine pairings were not made based on the course, but rather the option you chose, so we had 8 different wines as well. I thought this was super thoughtful and luxe. Our server was knowledgable about the food and the wine, and gave a great little intro to each wine we were poured. For my first course, I opted for the beet salad, and Brian had the beef tartare. I loved the beets, they were soft and the endive provided a nice crunchy contrast. Brian’s beef was tender and the crispy onions on top was a nice sweet-yet-savory addition to that dish.

Next up, Brian chose the scallops and I got the duck leg ravioli. I think the ravioli won this contest. Brian said the scallops were excellent but nothing earth-shattering. The tiny, nickel-sized ravioli were amazingly flavorful, and covered in a delicious butter sauce with a briny splash of olive and mustard seeds. The pasta itself was perfectly al dente, and this might have been my favorite dish of the night. I was served a very young syrah from the northern Rhone valley – a 2022, which gave me a bit of a pause, but when I tasted it, it was so fresh and fruity and lovely I couldn’t help but comment on what a surprise it was. Our server overheard me, and explained that it can be served so young because it was aged in stainless steel tanks, rather than oak, allowing the fruit to really shine, and avoiding the more heavy, bloody and leathery flavors. This was not a typical syrah, but I friggin loved it!

For the main course, Brian had the pork collar which was tender, yet substantive at the same time. I got the slow cooked cod, which seriously inspired me to learn different ways of preparing fish. It was soft, flavorful, and tasted way better than any cod I’ve ever prepared.

For dessert, I chose the whipped cheesecake, which was a serious scoop of extremely fluffy cheesecake goodness which I really loved. Brian had the black sesame brownie which was topped with some spice giving it a bit of a kick. Yum!

Our meal at Boka was excellent, although, I suppose I was expecting something truly extraordinary based on its longevity and reputation. However, I’m starting to realize that the options for restaurant week in Chicago, no matter where you go, are going to be pretty standard and not super innovative as the restaurants really want to appeal to the greatest number of people. That said, our food and service was so excellent, that I’m really excited to come back here for their regular menu at some point in the future!