All three kids are officially on summer break now and it seems like we just celebrated Thanksgiving. I don’t know where the time has gone. On top of that, this summer is going to be crazy busy with travels, camp, and getting Jake ready for college, so I don’t doubt that it will fly in the blink of a eye.

Jake’s birthday is later this month, but he’ll be at camp by then. So we celebrated his birthday a couple weeks early last night at Intro. It’s housed in the gorgeous Belden Stratford, which I just love. I’ve been to many of the restaurants there, both past and present, for birthdays, Rosh Hashanah, and just for a break from the suburbs.

Intro offered a set menu of four courses, but we opted for nine a la carte courses. I was shocked it didn’t break the bank. This photo is blurry and does no justice to the caraway gougeres with whipped cheddar. The little bites of bread were crispy on the outside but like a popover on the inside. The whipped cheddar melted into the dough and together it tasted like heaven. We were off to a good start!

Next up was their spring pea toast. Dollops of goat cheese are on top. I assumed the portions would be much smaller than these, but they ended up being about four bites. Delicious.

Black truffle croquettes–they tasted just as amazing as they look and sound. We ate every single piece of lettuce, too.

I’m a sucker for arancini, or Italian rice balls. These did not disappoint!

The crispy potatoes were served with a chili sauce I forgot to photograph. These didn’t last very long.

Intro offers a number of raw dishes, so we chose this seared tuna encrusted with roasted rice. I liked the contrast between the tender tuna and crunchy rice.

After this, we stopped sharing until dessert. One of my favorite dishes all evening was this sugar snap pea salad with lime vinaigrette. I wish I could make this at home because I know I’ll be craving it for a long time.

For my entree, I ordered the prime rib beef short rib. It was accompanied by a soy lacquer, green apples, and rosemary. Jake ordered the hanger steak and my mom and Tom the pork chop. I should have taken photos of those, too.

We were more than stuffed by this time, but had to order dessert for Jake’s birthday. So Jake picked this cheesecake brulee, which the four of shared and devoured.

I strongly recommend Intro, especially if you are looking for a nice place with good food that won’t drive you to eat instant noodles for the next three months.

Intro is located at 2300 Lincoln Park West in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.