Crain's Chicago Business Trumpeting Gabriel's August 30--Sepember 5, 1993

Gabriel's is the hottest news in North Shore dining and one of the metro area's most exciting new restaurants.

Former Carlos' chef Gabriel Viti's Highwood spot opened in May, and word of his Mediterranean cooking spread like wildfire. Now, the handsome room is packed even on weeknights, and you often have to reserve a couple of weeks in advance for Fridays or Saturdays.

Chefs in toques work in an open kitchen peppered with delightful food tiles, whipping up wonders in scores of copper sauce pans that are scoured shine-bright after use and hung in decorative rows.

Familiar French and Italian influences pervade the menu, but the novelty customers are talking about - and that's catching on elsewhere - is the chef's whim degustation. Everyone at the table has to order this modestly priced ($26.95) four-course meal, but diners get different selections, with extra plates for sharing. The chef chooses the dishes (some of them drawn from the regular line-up), so if you have any dietary restrictions, remember to say so.

The degustation might begin with tender though oily fried calamari set off by spicy tomato sauce and lovely-marinated cucumbers coated with mustard-spiked crème fraiche. Crespelle, soft pasta rolled around spinach puree and ricotta cheese, sparkles in a light but rich Parmesan cream, while slightly gummy gnocchi studded with earthy sausage bask in robust tomato sauce.

One evening's sautéed soft-shell crabs rest on a delicious mix of shredded cabbage, fresh baby artichokes, cherry tomatoes, olives and capers, with buttery mashed potatoes dabbed with pesto as a garnish. Rack of lamb is a real Gallic classic: two tasty chops, rare as requested, with excellent ratatouille on a pool of dark, limpid sauce assertively seasoned with thyme.

The dessert sampler may include a slice of roasted pear atop mascarpone cream, a square of tiramisu, a triangle of chocolate pave (a satiny terrine) in Grand Marnier sauce and a scoop of ice cream, such as ginger-vanilla.

Enjoyable as the degustation is, enticing a la carte options make it difficult to put yourself entirely in the chef's hands. Cold appetizers range from prosciutto di Parma with fresh figs to dainty oysters and Little Neck clams topped with a colorful dice of fennel, peppers and herbs. Roasted langoustines with stewed red peppers are a noteworthy hot option.

Unusual pastas compete for attention, among them cortece (two little strips twisted together) tossed with green beans, tangy sun-dried tomato and toasted pine nuts in pesto laden with olive oil, and maccheroni alla chitarra (square spaghetti cut on a device that looks like a guitar) with Prince Edward Island mussels, jumbo shrimp and clams in a sprightly tomato sauce.

Of the fish entrées, papillotte of Chilean sea bass - the mild fish baked in parchment paper with layers of thinly sliced redskin potato, artichokes and roasted red peppers - beautifully highlights the flavors of the ingredients, especially with a drizzle of herb-laden olive oil. Equally good grilled duck breast is paired with a rich confit of leg in rosemary sauce, and all sorts of inventive accompaniments fill the plate. Even the salad included the main courses - exotic greens with julienne beet in a creamy vinaigrette - shines.

American wines outnumber French and Italian on the small list, and a half-dozen wines can be had by the glass. The staff is large, and service generally matches the level of the food, despite minor gaffes. All in all, Gabriel's is a welcome newcomer that should be around for the long haul.

- Anne Spiselman