NL_111518

26 | November 15, 2018 | The New Lenox Patriot DINING OUT
newlenoxpatriot.com
The Dish
Fall menu full of surprises at Dancing Marlin
Max Lapthorne
Contributing Editor
This year’s fall menu at
Dancing Marlin was created
with the goal of putting
unique twists on classic
dishes.
The new menu, which
features changes or improvements
to 18 dishes,
debuted on Oct. 9, attracting
a large crowd to the restaurant
at 20590 S. La Grange
Road in Frankfort. Coowner
Tom Kara has seen
the restaurant cycle through
many seasonal menus, but
this was the first one created
by new chef and executive
director Corey Hageman.
“The Dancing Marlin
menu is seasonally inspired,”
Kara said. “ I think
we knocked this one out of
the park.”
The foundation of the fall
menu is the idea of moving
away from summer vegetables
in favor of heartier
offerings, but there is much
more to it than that, according
to Kara.
“We want to make sure
that we bring [diners] something
they haven’t had before,
but we also brought
back a couple of the classics
that they’ve tried in the
past that we will put another
twist on,” Kara said. “It’s
really to stretch out their
imagination, yet keep it approachable.”
An example of that effort
is the gnudi ($14), which is
a ball of ricotta cheese encased
in a paper-thin layer
of pasta. In the summer
months, the gnudi would be
served with smoked watermelon
and other fruits and
vegetables, but this fall’s
iteration of the dish comes
with butternut squash, herb
butter sauce, kale pesto, red
pepper and shaved Parmesan.
“[It’s] an item that we’ve
had on the menu for a long
time, but we’ve given it a
twist,” Kara said.
Another unexpected twist
can be found with the short
ribs ($21). Hageman wanted
to stray away from the typical
red wine braised short
rib. What he came up with
is a thick-cut Korean-style
short rib braised in gingersoy.
“We did our own spin
on that to create a Korean
sticky rib that isn’t actually
a Korean sticky rib,”
Hageman said. “It’s a blend
between the two schools of
thought.”
Kara pointed to the spaghetti
squash ($9) as a
“sleeper” item on the menu,
saying it greatly exceeded
his expectations when he
first tried it. Another popular
item deemed to be “untouchable”
on the menu is
the roasted bone marrow
($15), which comes with
sea salt, crostini and bacon
marmalade jam. For an extra
$3, patrons can take a
shot “luge” using the bone.
Other beverage options
include the 16 wines Dancing
Marlin has on tap. The
restaurant borrowed the
idea to put wine on tap from
an old restaurant in Chicago,
and there are a number
of benefits to it, including
less sulfites — which contribute
to headaches — and
a minimized ecological
impact, with each reusable
barrel holding more than 20
bottles worth of wine, Kara
said. Starting Nov. 1, Dancing
Marlin will also be offering
22 bottled wines that
are to be hand-picked by
season.
A special beverage called
stop and smell the rosés
($10) also is available for
the remainder of October.
The drink is made with
Dancing Marlin
20590 S. LaGrange
Road in Frankfort
Hours
• 4:30-10 p.m.
Tuesdays-Thursdays
• 4:30-11 p.m. Fridays
• 3-11 p.m. Saturdays
• 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Sundays for brunch
• 3-9 p.m. Sundays for
dinner
• Closed Mondays
For more information ...
Phone: (815) 464-6646
Web: www.dancingmarlin
restaurant.com
Chambord, rosé, Verdict
vodka and elderflower. And
100 percent of the drink
sales during October are to
go to the Cancer Support
Center in Mokena in honor
of breast cancer awareness
month.
“We have always been
very conscious and very
active in our community,”
Kara said.
The restaurant’s motto is
“eat. drink. share.” which
is exemplified by the shareable
portions. The small
plate aspect of the dining
experience at Dancing Marlin
sets it apart, especially
when it comes to other seafood
restaurants.
“It’s a well-rounded
menu, but it does feature
seafood, because you don’t
find seafood in a tapas style
or small plates,” Kara said.
“Nobody does that. Our
view is: Why not? People
like to go out and try new
things and share.”
Focusing the restaurant
on small plates was the
logical way to go for Kara,
who always coordinates orders
and shares food when
he goes out to eat with family
and friends. So, making
The short ribs ($21) at Dancing Marlin in Frankfort are thick-cut and Korean-style with a
soy-ginger glaze, wasabi mashed potatoes, green onion and sesame seeds. Photos by Max
Lapthorne/22nd Century Media
Gnudi ($14) is one of the most popular items on the menu. It is made with ricotta cheese
and topped with roasted butternut squash, herb butter sauce, kale pesto, red pepper and
shaved Parmesan cheese.
it easier for people to try as
many items as possible was
a no-brainer.
“When you go out, do you
really want to get stuck with
one item the entire night?”
Kara said. “If you’re going
out to a new place and trying
new things, you want to
be able to try a lot of new
things. American tapas style
just lets you do that.”