THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Pluton

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Pluton Restaurant Review:

Chef-owner Jacky Pluton gave up his casual bistro digs in Evanston to open a fine dining restaurant at a time when we thought that fine dining of this magnitude had imploded. And Pluton did it in style. That mega-expensive French stove in the kitchen. Those expensive cream-colored draperies. The Christofle. The waitstaff turned out in dark suits and presidential ties. It all adds up to a sanctuary of savoir-faire (and a lot of vivre to boot). The food, which startles at times yet sparkles all of the time, has a sort of deconstruction attitude. For example, the onion soup. The hot onion bouillon arrives in a Pilsner-style glass with a crouton wafer serving as a cap. To the right of the glass is a nougat of tangy goat cheese. Just in front of the nougat is a long-handled spoon holding a whisker of apple jam. Luxurious in every way. Similar ideas are evoked in the chop and Cobb salad, all together, which is separated into four parts---guacamole, shredded lettuce, crispy pancetta and a cylinder of diced tomato and chopped egg. Is it contrived? Not at all. We enjoyed the wow as much as the whimsy. And if you want to take a culinary trip in grand luxe style, order the chef's tasting menu. This multi-course bit of seduction makes one understand the raison d'etre for that mega-expensive stove in the kitchen.