The simple yet artfully executed seafood dishes at the executive chef Matthew Kirkley’s L2O restaurant in Chicago present a challenge to even discerning oenophiles—how to choose a wine that is bold on its own but will not drown out the rewarding nuances of lean fish. “By choosing the wrong wine with fish, especially flat fish, you are really at risk of losing the complete flavor of the dish,” says Kirkley.
As for any chef, Kirkley’s top priority is to hone the flavors in high-quality foods (he even went so fa…