Autre Monde

To celebrate our friend “S” passing her pharmacy board exam Viv and I brought her to Autre Monde, specializing in pan-Mediterranean cuisine. This is a special moment for S and Autre Monde is a well-deserved and unforgettable place to celebrate.  Autre Monde means another world in French.  Her passing the much coveted board license surely will open a new world for her.  This is just the beginning and she should look forward to a bright future ahead.

Autre Monde didn’t disappoint. Trip Advisor along with leading food critics in Chicago and the country gave them glowing reviews.

I have long complained about the lack of any fine dining options in Berwyn. People who discovers Autre Monde are even surprised that it is actually in our midst and not in our tony neighboring towns like Oak Park or Riverside. Well, it is a gem and it is much welcome in Berwyn.

Photo grabbed from Autre Monde website

For starters we ordered the pulpo gallego, 3 pieces of baby octopus, tender and tasty.  It was grilled presented with a delicate sofrito, the flavor so complex that it is hard to place what ingredients went in it.  There were charred grape tomatoes, olives with slight undertones of acidity.  The sauce was so good that we wanted every drop of it, we asked for some bread to sop them in.

Next was a flat bread with duck sausage, manchego cheese, smoked tomato and basil oil.  The flat bread was the right vehicle for the ingredients – the sausage was perfectly cooked and just enough.  It was perfect for sharing among three or four people.

Photo grabbed from “S” FB page

For entrée we ordered pan roasted Idaho trout with Spanish Marcona almonds and citrusy beurre blanc.  We finished the whole fish, which wasn’t that big for us.  For starch we had the shrimp tagliatelle.  Loved that the shrimp was cooked just right – am very critical of restaurants that overcook their shrimps.  This was so fresh that I could almost taste the brine from where it came from.

To finish it off, we shared a small chocolate hazelnut pot de crème.  Everyone raved how heavenly it was.  Well, actually we all agreed we could finish a pot each by ourselves.  It was light and silky, decadent but you could easily forget yourself.

From “S”‘s album

I can see myself ordering one pot of the dessert accompanied by a cup of strong coffee.

Note: I lost all the photos I took of our dinner while transferring to my computer so I had to grab some photos from the internet and from “S”‘s FB album. Her photos were taken with her phone thus the grainy appearance.