An Eight-Course Winter Tasting Experience
Kinzie Chophouse’s Odyssey Tasting Menu feels especially at home in winter, when the restaurant leans into flavors that are warm, layered, and generous. Offered every weekend, the eight-course experience moves with an easy rhythm, beginning with lighter expressions of the season and building toward deeper, more indulgent notes.
It opens with a fresh grilled oyster finished with hollandaise, a quiet nod to classic steakhouse comfort that sets the tone without weighing the palate down. From there, a vichyssoise velouté of leek and potato brings a softer, wintry richness, followed by Kinzie’s housemade herb brioche served with butter and a seasonal spread.
The menu shifts briefly back to the sea with a grilled tiger prawn dressed in extra-virgin olive oil and what the kitchen describes as an Ionian sea breeze, offering a bright, saline lift before the heartier courses arrive.
Signature Steakhouse Cuts at Kinzie Chophouse
The center of the meal is defined by two signature cuts: a wet-aged New York strip with asparagus and béarnaise, and a Rossini filet layered with fresh truffle, foie gras escalope, and a port wine sauce. These are the dishes that anchor the winter menu – their depth, texture, and balance speak directly to Kinzie’s long partnership with Meats by Linz and to the kind of steakhouse experience guests have returned to for decades.
As the meal winds down, the shift from savory to sweet begins with aged Gruyère and honeycomb, a small but expressive pairing that bridges the richness of the steaks with the smoothness of dessert. The tasting concludes with milk chocolate mousse topped with macadamia and salted caramel, a finish that feels nostalgic and thoroughly seasonal without being heavy.
Altogether, the Winter Odyssey is Kinzie’s way of embracing the colder months: thoughtful pacing, familiar ingredients shown with care, and a sense of warmth that builds course by course. It’s an evening meant to be lingered over, a reminder of why winter dining in Chicago can feel so special.
