moto-i

Rating:

A good dumpling is hard to find. Which explains why it's so easy to crush on moto-i.

The new Lyn-Lake-er's steamed dumplings come five to a plate, so tender and delicate that they require a healthy bit of chopstick dexterity to lift them in one piece. My favorite blends tiny cuts of crunchy carrot with snips of bright green pea shoots and bits of beefy mushroom, chased by the sneaking flavors of garlic and ginger. I could eat them all day long. That's not a knock on the ground pork-green onion or curried chicken versions -- they are delights in their own right -- but such thoughtful vegetarian cooking is uncommon in this meat-loving town.

Because it's more bar -- a brewpub, to be precise -- than restaurant, moto-i's food tends to get overshadowed by owner Blake Richardson's sake-making efforts. That's a shame, because chef Jason Engelhart's work more than stands up to Richardson's liquid counterparts. By drawing on experiences gained during his half-decade in the kitchen at Vincent, as well as a yearlong assignment at Avec in Chicago, one of the country's great small-plate operations, Engelhart is bringing a powerful skill set to his first Asian cooking assignment. Engelhart signed on in November, replacing opening chef Chris Olson, and since then he's slowly been making the mostly Japanese menu his own.

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