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Approaching Graham Elliott Restaurant
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Chicago has many chic and trendy restaurants. Some of them are chic because they say so and some are trendy because it’s the new “in” place. Diners are a fickle bunch. Business in some of the restaurants boom for a year and then business falls off dramatically because the crowd becomes sated and the chef stale.
This will never happen to Chicago’s River North restaurant,
Graham Elliott. It is named for the owner/chef
Graham Elliott Bowles, considered the youngest 4 star chef in America and three time James Beard Award nominee. Elliott is the former Chef de Cuisine at the glamorous Chicago Peninsula Hotel’s restaurant, Avenues. Graham Elliot opened in early 2008 to a plethora of rave reviews, and continues to amaze both in food and ambience.
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Entering Graham Elliott
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The restaurant is housed in a 19th century printing warehouse replete with beamed ceilings, brick walls, comfortable seating, the right level of illumination and just enough acoustics so you know you are out for a great evening. It’s in an area that is now considered one of the more “artsy” areas of town. It is one-half mile west of Michigan Avenue, often referred to as “The Magnificent Mile.” The surrounding neighborhood is noted for its art galleries. After dining at the restaurant and feeding your taste for great food you can stroll the district and feed another aesthetic sense by ducking into wonderful art galleries, one of which, the
David Leonardis Gallery that is directly below the restaurant, one level down.
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Graham Elliott filled with happy diners
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Chef Graham considers his cuisine to be fine art. His spoons and knives are his brushes, his plates, his canvasses. In my estimation his cuisine is the DaVinci, Michaelangelo and Rembrandt of culinary art with a bit of Monet, Jackson Pollock and Claus Oldenberg thrown in for surprise and humor. In other words, it is classic but not stuffy. It is art and poetry. Subtle flavors permeate each mouthful, culminating in some of the most flavorful food I have ever consumed. The flavors and textures of the ingredients combine beautifully.
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Rhonda at the bar
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I had the pleasure of the company of two of my dearest friends who are one of Chicago’s most respected public relations executives, Rhonda Sanderson and Candace Collins Jordan, a model and actress who now devotes much of her time to fund raising for some of Chicago’s most worthy causes such as the Joffrey Ballet and Common Threads.
Candace was unable to stay for dinner due to a deadline she had to meet for her recently launched blog, CandidCandice, which can be viewed on this publication (see the “New To Chicago” tab), but Sanderson and I dined ‘till we dropped. Our appetizers, and our entrees were shared experiences. We nearly came to blows fighting over the Foie Gras Parfait and the Gently Smoked Salmon. Two appetizers were not enough. Since the Foie Gras and Gently Smoked Salmon were cold appetizers, we naturally had to order the hot ones. We were, at that point, not only gourmets but gourmands. The challenge at that point was to spoon up the Baked Potato Bisque and try to equally divide the Spicy Buffalo Chicken. We again crossed forks over our entrees, Maple Glazed Scallops and the Crispy Pork Belly. Not only were they luscious but they were plated and presented as if they were works of art.
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Wonderful cold appetizers
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A brief description of the foods can not do it justice. But I’ll take a stab at it: The Foie Gras was served atop a rice krispie bar, just like your mother made when you were six years old and it was accompanied by cranberry compote, petite herbs and a yogurt sorbet. The Salmon was combined with hen egg, thinly sliced toasted bagel, pickled pearl onion and cauliflower sauce. The hot appetizers were beyond description. Our first main course, the Maple Glazed Scallops were perfectly seared and served over, believe it or not, oatmeal, with dollops of butternut squash, swiss chard and a bourbon emulsion. Our second entrée, the Crispy Pork Belly, which had been marinated in root beer, was served over grits and literally melted in your mouth. Collard greens and plum marmalade finished the dish with a flourish.
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Hot appetizers
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I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fabulous wait staff. Always there when you needed them, but not intrusive. The management which included a long time restaurant comrade of Chef Graham, Jim Colombo, as well as the reservation and front desk personnel made us feel like we were the most important patrons of the evening. From the moment we entered the restaurant to the moment we reluctantly left, the entire experience was delightful.
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Rhonda, Chef Graham, Candy
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As we left we were handed a menu with an autograph and quote by
Chef Graham. His quote summed up his philosophy as a restaurateur and chef: “Cooking Is Life Made Visible.” And, at his restaurant, we couldn’t agree with him more!
Graham Elliott Restaurant
217 West Huron Street, Chicago
Reservations: 312-624-9975
Websites:
www.grahamelliott.com
www.dlg-gallery.com
www.candidcandace.com
www.sandersonpr.com
www.joffrey.com
www.commonthreads.org
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