Executive Chef Nick Dostal and the culinary team at Sixteen invite guests this spring to the two Michelin star, fine dining restaurant at Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago to relish Chef Dostal’s culinary creativity of a new contemporary American cuisine with distinctive wine pairings.
Now available, the nine-course tasting menu serves as a unique platform for the highest-quality ingredients to tell their own stories—from origin and heritage, to texture and flavor profile for an epicurean experience that guests can enjoy.
“This new chapter of Sixteen naturally falls into the season’s theme of renewal and growth,” says Chef Dostal. “It is an ideal time to launch our new menu, in which we strive to innovate while staying true to the integrity of each component of every dish.”
Chef Dostal and his culinary team pride themselves on procuring products only from responsible farmers, ranchers and fishermen nationwide.
“For us, it all starts with the sourcing and understanding of from whom and where an ingredient comes,” he says.
Guests will enjoy preparation of the highest quality items such as wild grazing lamb from the Rocky Mountains; Dungeness crab from Washington State; white asparagus from Holland; Heritage duck from The Hudson Valley; soy and ramps from Chef Dostal’s home state of Illinois; Yellowfin tuna from Hawaii; spring peas from Oregon; rabbit from California; Fiddlehead ferns from the pacific northwest; and more.
“Having deep connections with growers and their ingredients enhances our team’s respect for their origins and the products themselves,” says Chef Dostal. “We can’t wait to share this philosophy with our guests and really let the ingredients shine through a memorable dining experience.”
As the weather warms, Chef Dostal will also take advantage of reserved areas of the expansive, 16th floor terrace adjacent to Sixteen to plant an organic vegetable and herb garden that will supply his team with fresh bounty for future food and beverage creations. He led an initial growing experiment in 2016 to much success, and his plot this year has doubled in size. Planting begins in May.
Chef Dostal was named executive chef of Sixteen in January 2017 after serving as chef de cuisine in 2014 for nearly two years; he previously held the position of executive sous chef in the kitchen at the acclaimed Grace restaurant. In his training, he has been heavily influenced by classic French, regional Italian and new American cuisine. Through personal travel, he has also been stirred by the sensibilities grounded in Japanese culture. These collective inspirations fuel Chef Dostal’s artistic pursuits in the kitchen.
His new menu, which includes imaginative desserts crafted by Pastry Chef Evan Sheridan – includes:
Spring Snacks
Lamb Tartare | Fava Tendril | Chamomile
Dungeness Crab | White Asparagus | Verbena
Or
Heritage Duck | Soy | Cinnamon Basil
Skipjack Tuna | Wild Onion | Tiger Lily
Or
Provitello Veal | Cipollini Onion | Provencal Herbs
White Rabbit | Castelmagno Gnudi | Nettle
Or
Burgundy Snail | Morel Pasta | Green Garlic
Rocky Mountain Lamb | Endive | Citrus Blossom
Or
Chinook Salmon | Fiddlehead Fern | Green Coriander
Green Almond | Cucumber | Nepitella
Sicilian Pistachio | Honey | Meyer Lemon
Or
Vietnamese Chocolate | Soured Coconut | Saigon Cinnamon
Spring Flowers & Origin Chocolates
The nine-course tasting menu is priced at $175 per person, with an extended chef’s tasting available for $245.
To complement Chef Dostal’s spring menu, a variety of wine pairings have been selected by Sixteen’s Sommelier, Parag Lalit. Calling upon his thorough understanding of culinary cultures across the globe and their effect on contemporary cooking styles, Lalit has thoughtfully arranged a selection of wines that achieve harmony with the menu. Wine pairings may be added for $125 for the Cru pairing, $250 for the premier pairing and $750 for the Clos pairing.
