Graham Elliot (Chicago, IL)

When Chris told me he was going to be visiting Chicago, I began to look for restaurants for us to try. Once my parents told them that they were also going to join us, Chris and I chose to try Graham Elliot, for its fine dining yet casual atmosphere.

Graham Elliot considers itself the first "Bistronomic" restaurant in Chicago, serving contemporary American cuisine, and was awarded one star in the November Michelin guide. As soon as we sat down, Parmesan-truffle popcorn was brought to our table. The popcorn was lightly tossed with black truffle butter, chive, and Parmesan cheese. We devoured both bowls within minutes.

To drink with our meal, we ordered a bottle of Izadi El Regalo Reserva 2004. This is a Tempranillo / Rioja blend that was a nice, slightly dry red.

New York Sour / Buffalo Trace / Lemon Squeeze / Orange Bitters / Claret Float

Chris ordered a New York Sour cocktail, a riff on a Whiskey sour. This was a nice drink, quite smooth with the proper tartness.

We started the meal with Graham Elliot's famous Foielipops. Foie Gras and madiera mousse was coated in watermelon pop rocks, and topped with a pinch of fleur de sel. The pop rocks lightened the rich foie, while loosely keeping the classic fruit and foie combination.

The formal amuse bouche was brought next. A sorrel panna cotta was topped with steelhead roe and chive. To accommodate my dad's non-dairy request, he received a sorrel and chive salad with the roe. Surprisingly, we all enjoyed the non-dairy dish better, as the salad matched the roe better than the panna cotta.

Deconstructed Caesar / Gem Lettuce / Brioche Twinkie / Parmesan Fluff / White Anchovy

Both Kristen and my mom ordered Graham Elliot's signature dish, his take on caesar salad. Romaine hearts are dressed and topped with Parmesan and anchovy, while a twinkie is filled with garlic marscapone cream. My mom's was fantastic, but unfortuately Kristen's was slightly less so, as there was very little garlic marscapone in her twinkie.

Charred Octopus / Preserved Turnip / Liquid Olive / Smoked Potato / Cured Orange

I had forgotten that this was listed under the cold appetizers, so the temperature surprised me when this was served. Both my dad and brother ordered and enjoyed this dish. There was a very nice brininess when the octopus was eaten with the olives and olive gel.

Foie Gras / Compressed Rhubarb / Wild Strawberry / Caraway Crumble / Candied Angelica

This seared preparation of foie was served over a sweet caraway crumble. There were a number of different forms of strawberry and rhubarb, including compressions and foams. While tasty, I think I'm beginning to prefer cold preparations of foie, as it typically seems richer but less greasy, if that makes sense.

A few of us ordered a second round of appetizers, as suggested by our waiter. This dish is not listed on the online menu for its description, but it was a spring onion bisque, with pickled ramps. A log of what appeared to be a spring onion cream came in the bowl with other onion components, and a warm onion soup was poured in tableside. We were told to try the soup on its own, and then stir in all of the components together. Initially, the soup tasted purely of onions and ramps, but the other additions added more richness as it was stirred in.

Farm Egg / Green Garlic / Fiddlehead Fern / Wild Watercress / Pebble - Moss - Soil - Stone

Let me take a moment to note how comically large the plates were in relation to portion size in some of the courses. I have no complaints on the portion size, as I was quite full following the meal, but there was a lot of white space on some of the plates. As for the dish, it tasted very fresh and green. The egg seemed slightly overcooked, as the yoke began to harden slightly, but created a dressing of sorts for the vegetables.

Crab Cake / Soft Shell / Old Bay / Kohlrabi Slaw / Grainy Mustard

Our last appetizer was a deconstruction of a crab cake. Soft shell crab was fried in a hush puppy batter, and came with old bay foam, kohlrabi coleslaw, celery gelee, and a tangy mustard sauce. A thin sheet of lardo also covered one of the pieces of crab. This was one of our favorite dishes of the night, with the flavors combining together like a traditional crab cake.

Oh Fiddlesticks / Hendrick's Gin / Exchange Vodka / Cucumber Lillet / Orange Bitters

For dinner, Chris ordered a gin concoction. I enjoyed the lightness of this drink, which was also quite smooth. I love Gin, so I preferred this out of the two cocktails, but Chris liked the New York Sour more. Both were tasty and easy to drink.

Veal Loin / Sweetbread / Green Asparagus / White Asparagus

I chose the veal loin, which was recently changed from the old dish containing veal breast. Server with the veal were sweetbreads cooked schnitzel-style. I wasn't very keen on this preparation of sweetbreads, as they were overcooked, likely due to how thin they were cut. The veal and asparagus was very well cooked.

Jidori Chicken / Israeli Couscous / Baby Carrot / Granulated Honey / Chamomile Essence

Kristen picked the Jidori chicken, and surprisingly, this was probably my favorite entree. The chicken breast was perfectly cooked and juicy, likely sous-vide. Jidori chicken is a specific type that is known for being a very flavorful bird, and this chicken was one of the best that I've had. The israeli couscous had a nice touch of acidity that went well with the chicken. I also believe this was my first time having purple carrots.

Colorado Lamb / Pea Cannelloni / Morel Mushroom / Homemade Lambcetta / Eucalyptus Froth

I only had a few bites of this, but the lamb was tasty. The lamb was cooked on the rare side of medium rare, and the eucalyptus froth evoked the traditional mint and lamb combination.

Skate Confit / Cornmeal / Fava Bean / Ham Hock / Pecan Oil

The skate was also one of my favorites. The skate was rolled into a cylinder, paired with orange peel and pecan purees, and topped with a ham hock sauce. There was also a fava bean salad on the side. I enjoyed trying the skate with each of the accompaniments.

Chocolate Framboise / Jivara Ganache / Manjari Cremeux / Coffee Earth / Ancho Chili

We ordered two desserts, and this was Kristen's favorite. There were multiple forms of chocolate (chocolate raspberry sorbet, cremeux, ancho ganache), as well as delicious coffee bean nibs, powdered raspberry, and balsamic glaze. A rich, but decadent chocolate dessert.

Lemon Cake / Citrus Curd / Blueberry Gelato / Poppy Ribbon / Violet Foam

This dessert was my favorite of the night. Similar to the chocolate dessert, lemon was in many forms (cake, ribbon, gels). The blueberry gelato was especially flavorful, as well as the lemon gel. This was a terrific, light way to finish the meal.

We ended with brownie bites as the mignardise. Graham Elliot is a fantastic choice for an upscale, yet casual dinner. There are different and creative flavor combinations that you will not find in many other restaurants.