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.

Balsan (Chicago, IL)

Balsan is one of two restaurants in the Elysian Hotel in Chicago. It is a the more casual sister restaurant to Ria, which got 2 Michelin stars last November. We decided to come for brunch, where they serve a 2 course brunch for $19.

The brunch starts with "Something Sweet, Something Savory" for the first course. Unfortunately, we didn't think to snap a picture until we ravaged half of it. Salumi and Cheese are served aside various breads and pastries. On this day, we received Sopressata and Comté for the meats and cheeses. The sopressata was delicious, salty, and porky. The Comté tasted to be fairy young compared to older Comtés that I've had, having a subtler nuttiness while retaining a very creamy texture. The breads we were served were sliced baguette, scones, and madeleines, which were served with housemade chocolate-hazelnut spread, lemon curd, whipped butter, and housemade strawberry preserves. Not surprisingly, our favorites were the thick housemade version of nutella and the lemon curd, which we slathered on everything.

To drink with our brunch, Kristen ordered a Bloody Mary and I had a Bloody Margaret. The Bloody Margaret was a riff on the Bloody Mary, substituting in gin, thyme, and cucumber. While interesting, we both preferred the original. Both drinks came with small glass of a pale ale. Though I'm not sure as to the reason that they serve it with the Bloody Marys, I am not one to turn down a beer.

For the main course, Kristen ordered the Farm eggs with Maple Bourbon Sausage and Fingerling Potatoes. Unfortunately, one of the two eggs was fully hard instead of the requested over-medium. I'm not quite sure how they managed to overcook one of the eggs so badly, as the other yolk was properly cooked and still runny. Additionally, the sausage more resembled a Kielbasa or other Polish sausage rather than a Maple Bourbon breakfast sausage. It tasted ok to me, but it seemed more of a savory lunch/dinner sausage, and Kristen was a bit disappointed as she was expecting a sweeter breakfast-style sausage. The fingerling potatoes, on the other hand, were fantastic. They were extremely crisp, likely from a deep fry job. They also had a citrus note to them. While some of the sausage and eggs were left behind, every morsel of the potatoes were finished.

For my main course, I chose the Grilled Lamb Leg. Medallions of lamb sat atop a cheesy potato puree, lamb reduction sauce, and mint. The lamb was perfectly cooked, and went well with the hearty potatoes and sauce. Carrots and peas added texture and sweetness, while the turnips added a welcome bitter note. It seems to be trend of lamb being more mild (I like the gaminess of lamb), but even so, I loved every bite of this dish.

I found Balsan to be a great option for delicious, if somewhat pricy, brunch food. For a return trip, we agreed at it probably isn't worth coming back for the simpler breakfast foods (especially if they aren't cooked correctly), but I would be happy to come back to try some more of the savory dishes.

Frank and Albert's (Phoenix, AZ)

On a late Sunday afternoon, Carli and I wanted to go somewhere for a quite bite and some good drinks in an outdoor area.  After a little searching, we came across Frank and Albert's at the Arizona Biltmore for their High Five Happy Hour.  It's nice they offer their happy hour every day (including weekends) from 5-7pm.  We sat outside in a gorgeous patio area looking over the Biltmore grounds.  To start we decided on a couple of their happy hour drinks: Lavender and Lemons (Rain Organic Lavender Lemonade Vodka, Lavender Infused Simple Syrup, Splash of Lemonade) and Chef Conor Favre's Basil Lemonade (Rain Organic Vodka, Fresh Biltmore Garden Grown Basil, Lemonade).  Both were refreshing drinks on a warm day.  I especially thought the Basil Lemonade was a good combination.

We then decided on getting one of each of their bar board specials: 4 choices for $5.

Red Tomato Gazpacho Shooter | Cooling Sour Cream

The Grilled Cheese Sandwich | American Cheese | Toasted White Bread

Rice Paper Roll | Sweet Shrimp | Sour Orange Dipping Sauce

Sweet Lobster Salad | Crisp Lettuce | Soft Roll

Gourmet Pretzel Bites | Cheddar Cheese Dip

BBQ Pork Slider | Country Style Coleslaw

Meatloaf Slider | Chipotle Glaze | Crispy Onions

Loaded Potato Skin | Aged Cheddar Cheese | Bacon | Scallions

Mini Root Beer Float | Vanilla Bean Soda

Watermelon Sorbet | Plump Summertime Blueberries

Moon Pie Slider | Powder Sugar Dust | Marshmallow Fluff

Carli's favorite was the Red Tomato Gazpacho Shooter, although it had a little too much sour cream compared to the gazpacho.  I couldn't decide whether I enjoyed the lobster roll or the watermelon sorbet more.  Carli decided to get another drink, this time going with the Oak Creek Brewing Company Hefeweizen.

This was a lot of great food and drink for not all that much during their happy hour.  It's definitely someplace we'll come back to, especially during the cooler weather so we can enjoy the outdoor area a little more.

Pork Tenderloin, Polenta, Kale Chips

Although I tend to grill year round, Memorial Day still feels like the beginning of grilling season. I happened to see some good looking pork tenderloins at the store, so I picked them up. I also decided rather than simply making grilled pork and a few sides, that I would make a full composed dish. Bit by bit, it started to come together. Continuing through the store, I saw some smoked cheddar, which would go great with the smokiness of the pork so I fit it into the dish in the form of smoked cheddar polenta. I also enjoy making Chinese char siu with pork tenderloin, so I thought to marinate it in the char siu-style, but I didn't baste it to keep it from having an overwhelming char siu flavor.

To go with the smokey polenta and sweet-ish pork, I thought some dark greens would add a nice bitter contrast. I made some kale chips by very lightly oiling kale leaves that had been torn from the fibrous stalk. Simply seasoned with kosher salt, they went into a 350 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes. They are finished when they are crisp and beginning to turn in color slightly. The kale chips remind me of the crispy bits of roasted broccoli. I also found some smokey braised collard greens at Real Kitchen, which we recently found makes tasty sides. While I can't see myself getting an entire meal there, I think they have great sides that can add another flavor note to a dish without any work.

After about a 10 hour marinade, the pork tenderloins were patted dry and thrown onto the grill. I grilled these over high direct heat to sear the meat, and finished them over lower indirect heat. Grilling over hickory wood chips gave the pork a nice, smoky aroma.

Thanks to the new FDA regulations that just passed, pork can now be cooked to the same levels of doneness as beef. Now I don't have to feel guilty for eating pink/red pork!

I made a simple batch of polenta by stirring coarse polenta into chicken stock. When the polenta has cooked for about 20-25 minutes and is the correct consistency, I added some grated smoked cheddar as well aged gouda. I also made a quick sauce by reducing homemade beef stock with a touch of the char siu marinade. The beef stock was full of gelatin, which aided in creating a silky sauce.

The final plated dish consisted of the smoked cheddar polenta, a bed of collard greens, sliced pork tenderloin, kale chips, and the char siu-stock reduction. The flavors worked well together, with the bitter greens providing a counterpoint to the smoky polenta and sweet pork. The kale chips were delicious with the dish, but I would leave them on the side next time to ensure they stay crispy.

The Butcher Shoppe @ Hobe Meats (Phoenix, AZ)

Groupon for The Butcher Shoppe at Hobe Meats.  $25 for $50 of steaks.  And the Groupon is only good for USDA Prime steak?  Sold.  Sign me up.

We ventured down this afternoon to cash in our Groupon deal.  To reach our $50, we chose two ribeyes (~18-20 oz each) and one filet (~10 oz).  And I couldn't help myself (especially with this being Memorial Day weekend) so we bought some freshly ground beef and a few jalapeño cheddar brats.  I went to the counter expecting to spend a small fortune, but all that food came out to (including the $25 spent on the Groupon deal) only $41!  While we were there, we noticed that Hobe Meats also was serving their Saturday Afternoon BBQ special.  So we grabbed a quick bite as well, ordering the Tri-tip sandwich (topped with provolone cheese on a sesame bun), potato salad, and a Coke for only $5.  This was certainly a worthwhile trip.

The steaks, originally intended for Memorial Day grilling, couldn't wait.  So they were coated with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper (and a few other seasonings) and thrown on the grill.

To accompany the steaks, we made two types of mashed potatoes (wasabi and cheddar) and asparagus with butter and Hawaiian sea salt.

These were certainly USDA prime steaks.  Both the ribeye and the filet had a pronounced buttery and meaty flavor.  We can't wait to grill the other ribeye and try the other meats from Hobe.  Although it wasn't quite Memorial Day, the long weekend got off to a great start.