Summerlicious @ Sorrel Restaurant

As part of our teambuilding day at work, we went to Sorrel Restaurant, situated in the heart of Yorkville. Frankly, I've never heard of this restaurant before, but it had very good reviews online. Lunch is $20 and dinner is $35 per person.

In spite of its basement location, there was still ample amount of sunlight that poured into the dining area. In fact, the room was quite spacious. The décor was elegant and classy, and I imagine that the restaurant would transform into an intimate, candle-lit space in the evening.

Most of us skipped breakfast in anticipation of the meal so we were starving by the time the bread basket arrived at the table. Luckily for us, the warm baguette was absolutely delicious- super soft in the inside! Honestly, serve me some good bread and I'm already a happy diner!

We also ordered a large pitcher of red sangria to share ($36)- wine, orange, lemon, fresh juices, berries, triple sec, and mint. Despite the abundance of fruits in the jug and in our glass, the actual cocktail was not fruity enough for my liking. I had a strong temptation to take a fork and mash up all the fruits!

One of the starter options was a beautiful arugula and fennel salad with radicchio, orange and chili vinaigrette.

Another option was a chilled gazpacho soup, a perfectly refreshing choice for a sweltering summer day. I'm not a huge fan of gazpachos in general, so I won't comment a lot about it. This one was particular chunky, to the point that I could scoop it up with my fork.

I opted for the caprese salad with basil pesto and extra virgin oil. The pesto was really tasty, though I wished that the cheese was creamier.

The first entree was seared tilapia fillet on a bed of sautéed french beans, topped with a citrus salseta. When the plate arrived at the table, I immediately had dish envy. Luckily for me, my colleague Emily gave me a generous slab of the fillet to sample. The fish was cooked nicely with a beautiful sear, and the bright citrus topping added a tangy punch.

The vegetarian option was a garganelli pasta with san marzano tomato sauce, bufala mozzarella, and basil. The pasta, cooked al dente, was not bad at all but Cherry made some unappetizing comment about how the garganelli resembled fingers. After that, the pasta became a lot less appealing.

I ordered the chicken milanese with shallot parsley butter, fingerling potatoes and wilted spinach. On the whole, I really enjoyed my chicken cutlet. The meat was not the most tender of cuts, but the breaded crust was absolutely scrumptious.

For desserts, one of the options was a simple dark chocolate mousse and fresh berries. I didn't try any of this but the presentation was very pretty.

I can never resist a good vanilla bean crème brulee, and this was certainly one of the best I've had. Underneath the expertly bruleed top was the creamiest, most delectable custard. I'd be happy to eat three of these for lunch and nothing else!

The last dessert option was an apple strudel. I did get to sample a little piece of the strudel, and I didn't like that it was served cold. The bottom was also slightly burned. I thought that the creme brulee was the better choice.

On the whole, it was a very enjoyable meal. The food was fantastic, the portions were good, and the creme brulee is a strong contender to make my top 10 desserts of the year! I'm very glad that my co-workers picked this place for our team lunch, and I would highly recommend the restaurant for Summerlicious!