The hibiscus ice cream-stuffed churros are worth the trip.
Worth a trip: Churro ice cream sandwich ($10) at Sable Kitchen & Bar
505 N. State St. 312-755-9704
There’s something effortlessly nostalgic about ice cream sandwiches. No matter which variety is your favorite (I’m a sucker for pure white vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two soft chocolate chip cookies), the tasty treats are part of many happy childhood memories. That’s one word to describe how I felt when I spotted the churro ice cream sandwich on Sable Kitchen & Bar’s new menu—happy. Other words that come to mind aren’t appropriate for print.
The River North spot, which specializes in American small plates, recently overhauled its menu to reflect new executive chef Lawrence Letrero’s cooking style. Additions include lobster rangoon with plum sauce ($10), grilled peach salad with candied pecans and champagne vinaigrette ($12) and the Night Cap, with mascarpone mousse, espresso sponge cake, cocoa nib meringue kisses and a shot of Hennessy XO ($25). But perhaps the real star of the show is the churro ice cream sandwich ($10), which is filled with creamy hibiscus ice cream and drizzled with housemade dulce de leche.
Churros and bright-hued ice cream—both easy to find at summer fairgrounds—aren’t usual suspects at upscale hotel hideouts. Letrero explained that he wanted to stick with familiar, comfortable desserts and add an unexpected twist. There’s no denying that ice cream sandwiches are a hot trend at the moment, but adding a churro to the mix is something new to Chicago.
“I’m not a pastry chef, but I love pastries in general,” Letrero said. “I love coming up with desserts and really evolving something simple and something people can identify with. Everyone is familiar with ice cream sandwiches. And then churrros—I love that kind of street food.”
The flaky churro disks are fried to order, dusted with cinnamon and sugar and filled with several scoops of sweet, tangy housemade hibiscus ice cream. The plate is garnished with a healthy drizzle of dulce de leche (which is made in-house the old-school way by boiling cans of condensed milk), colorful seasonal flowers and chunks of candied hibiscus.
“We’re not a huge garnish restaurant, but with the color of the hibiscus ice cream, it just lends itself to that kind of beauty,” Letrero said.
Each bite was better than the last, but my favorite part was the center, where the churro was soft and cakey—not like the dried-out versions you buy at a state fair. Still, that’s where the inspiration for the dish came from, so I can’t totally knock it. “We thought about it like you’re going to a festival,” Letrero said. “You’ll go and grab some churros and then … a milkshake, and then you end up dipping it in.”
I don’t care what Letrero does with churros and ice cream at festivals as long as he continues to fry up these outrageously delicious ice cream sandwiches dangerously close to my workplace.
Reporters visit restaurants unannounced and meals are paid for by RedEye. redeye@redeyechicago.com | @redeyeeatdrink
