Graham Elliot

Came here during a trip to Chicago.
We opted for the Chef’s menu with wine pairing. This review is on the Foielipops. I’ve never tasted anything like this. Pops were rich and creamy. After they evaporated inside my mouth there was an explosion of watermelon Pop Rocks. Truly amazing!
We also had the pleasure of taking a few photos with the man, GE.

I consider myself a bit of a foodie and this was my best dinner ever!!! But I can see why some people were not overwhelmed, unless you went for the whole tasting many with parings, you probably did not have the same experience. Me and my husband came for the anniversary dinner. It was superb from start to finish, truly a unique culinary experience. Well done chef!!!

Looking for a place to dine in Chicago, a local Fort Lauderdale chef recommended Graham Elliot. Michelin Star? Done! Let’s do it.
First, the wine. Given a $ 25 corkage fee, we ended up taking two bottles of wine to the restaurant. They did a nice job decanting them.
As for the food, we did a tasting. The oysters were great as was the lobster… so am told. It was so small when the wife offered a taste I politely declined in fear of eating half her lobster in one bite. Part of the problem with the food was not the quality of the food but the temperature. The execution was just not there as we had some our plates come out barely warm. I remember my wife telling me she left hungry which was disappointing. Chicago has so many good restaurants we doubted we would ever return.
The restaurant is now closed… so I guess we won’t!

***While my first Graham Elliot experience was a little disappointing, my most recent experience with their tasting menu included some of the best and most progressive cuisine I’ve had in Chicago***
My first experience with Graham Elliot several years ago was fine but definitely a notch below the other great Chicago restaurants I tried at the time (Ria, Avenues and Longman & Eagle). I ordered a la carte though and did not opt for one of their more ambitious sounding tasting menus. I always felt I missed out on something by not trying their tasting menu; in addition, the restaurant has received so much more acclaim since my first dinner there. Because of these reasons, I was intrigued to give Graham Elliot another shot especially since my experience with their cuisine actually faded and became less impressive over the years.
I am glad that I gave Graham Elliot another shot because the restaurant is truly one of the very best restaurants in not only Chicago but the U.S. Their tasting menu unveils one excellent, exciting and creative course after another with each course utilizing fresh and high quality ingredients. Presentations reveal the kind of inspired by nature and attention to detail that are hallmarks of great West Coast restaurants.
Their spot prawn course was both a showcase of the very progressive cuisine you will find in San Francisco as well as the fresh and vibrant ingredients you get from California farms. The spot prawn was perfectly cooked (tender and moist) and it was paired with really good caviar, prawn mousse, lightly crispy plantains, and exceptionally cool and vibrant avocado ice cream. There was also great diced fruit and vegetables to brighten everything up.
I also really liked their showcase of various beets in a beautiful presentation. Their smoked salmon with cream cheese, dill and bagel crisp was a perfect bite; it was also fun how they maintained a tried-​and-​true flavor combination while moving it forward by intensifying the flavors as well as introducing new textures.
Their corn soup was perfectly sweet and velvety, but there were also upscale garnishes like panna cotta and incredibly soft poached lobster to elevate this popular summer soup. Octopus was nicely cooked here and came with saffron and pepper to provide a good spicy note.
Their melon sorbet and cucumber intermezzo was one of the best palate cleansers I’ve had – a very refreshing course but also a truly distinct celebration of the mild cucumber and the unique flavor of melon.
The second half of the menu revealed more great courses including crab with really nice morels (a great ingredient that is local to Chicago) as well as a creamy and beautiful snail risotto. The fish (halibut) and meat (lamb) entrees were both nicely cooked and presented, but they did lack the wow factor of the other courses. Still, they combined with all the other plates to create a truly generous amount of high quality food.
Their cheese course was one of the best I’ve had. It was a fun take on a cheese plate served as a soup-​like presentation with warm, gooey and pungent-​in-​a-​good-​way epoisses cheese (my favorite cheese) with crunchy pecans sweetened by orange and vanilla.
Desserts were perfectly satisfying though not exceptional. There was a very good blueberry mousse (not too tart), which came with a really good, fragrant and very creamy basil ice cream. There was also angel food cake highlighted by raspberry, rose petal and lychee.
There were several other tasty courses throughout the dinner like a fun foie gras ice cream sandwich.
The dining room was the same as my last visit. It is a nice room that is upscale but still casual with lots of attractive wood. It is located along a great looking street.
Service was very good – very pleasant and polite staff and even pacing between courses.
Prices were high but given both the amount of food, the variety of ingredients and the many premium ingredients used, Graham Elliot is actually a much better value than several of its peers (both in Chicago and San Francisco).
Graham Elliot seems to have really evolved over the years (they have done away with a la carte menus); the food was both exciting as well as just simply delicious food cooked and plated with precision (while utilizing the very best and freshest ingredients). Of the many great restaurants in Chicago, only a select few are able to match the great fruits and vegetables of California and Graham Elliot is definitely one of them. Graham Elliot is closing temporarily to make way for a new interpretation elsewhere. I really look forward to trying whatever it becomes. Graham Elliot is one of the few restaurants in the U.S. worth a special trip.
I am not sure what the parking situation is.

Glad I got in before it closes. Ranks right up there with the best of them. Service was great, food was inventive and delicious. The 15 courses were spread out enough to allow time for the flavors to dissipate and my stomach to process the food.
Only thing I fault them on is the beer selection, while it was great and I had a few different styles I would have thought GE would be able to get some collaboration brews from one of the great local breweries.

Immediately upon entering, we marveled at the spacious, open layout that allowed seating for 115 people. With its exposed brick walls and ductwork along with artwork featuring found moss and other items from nature, it was much more modern than your typical upscale restaurant.
As our server approached us, it became evident that this would not be one of our typical upscale experiences. The server was wearing jeans and a sport coat with funky black and white sneakers. Elliot apparently wants to buck the idea of fine dining by playing indie rock and having his staff wear more relaxed attire. He feels that his restaurant should be an artistic outlet that is constantly evolving and what you witness at Graham Elliot is his expression.
We went with the 15-​course tasting and then it began.
The first course was orange with blackberry, thyme, and tarragon flower.
The second course was a beautiful, artistic presentation of radish, kohlrabi, yellow & red beets, and chamomile with vinaigrette. This was a very complex dish that we found to be very good.
Next, was one of the coolest looking dishes — a tofu disk served on avocado mousse with cilantro and on either end was a tofu mousee in a crispy plantain with pickled jalapeño. We thought the tofu mousse had a great texture that went well with the avocado mousse, but the tofu disk needed something else — maybe a little more herbs.
For the fourth course, we had tiny circular grilled egpplant with crispy fennel and ratatouille in a bell pepper sauce. The eggplant was meaty and when paired with the smoky sauce, was quite delightful — a hearty dish.
For the fifth course, we were served a cold carrot soup with crushed almonds, chervil, and tarragon along with a saba vinaigrette. At this point, we were super impressed.
Next, we had an intermezzo of cucumber sorbet, coriander, melon, and compressed cucumber. Delightful.
For the seventh course, a simple dish of cherry tomatoes with cucumber, olive oil and flowers was served.
This is the point at which I started feeling full and realized we were only halfway through! Next, we had grilled summer squash, kombasu, and samphire (a sea vegetable) in a ponzu sauce.
The ninth course was when they brought the spongy morel mushroom dish out. I love the distinct taste of morels. There were full morels standing on the plate with some morel slices, crispy artichoke, borage (an herb), pickled pearl onions, and dollops of black garlic sauce. What really surprised us about this dish is that there was some sort of morel-​based paste inside of the morels — completely unexpected and delicious.
We marveled at how minimally cooked all of the dishes had been thus far. The chef cooked them just enough while preserving the texture of each vegetable and mushroom and never overcooking anything. It was pure perfection.
The tenth course was a risotto cooked in a vegetable stock with runner beans, and pea shoots in a parsley sauce topped with crispy onions. So many tastes that meshed together well.
The eleventh course was one of my favorites. Here we had seared cauliflower with lobster mushrooms, artichokes, and purple potatoes. The mushrooms were served over a delicious potato purée. Besides being on the salty side, I absolutely loved this dish.
The twelfth course were tiny little bites of elderflower panicotta with compressed rhubarb and celery set in an agar gel. You can’t really see it, but all of those little bites are sitting in a sort of vegan jello that caught us off guard!
As we finished our wine, the server offered to pour us one of the dessert wines to pair with our dessert courses. We thought that would be great. I must say these next three dessert courses really blew us away.
For the thirteenth course, we had apricot sorbet with an olive oil gel over crushed hazelnut served with meyer lemon gel and a vanilla bean skewer.
Next up, a lavendar streusel with strawberry gelatin served with sorbet, compressed strawberries, and borrage flowers.
And finally, the grand finale — just the picture of this makes me say «wow» all over again — a chocolate explosion. Here we had chocolate mochi made with cashew butter and gold leaf, chocolate ganache, chocolate sorbet, chocolate powder, and passion fruit gel.
So despite our first reaction to the casual atmosphere, I would say we were pleasantly surprised and incredibly impressed. Each dish was impeccably prepared with minimal cooking and presented flawlessly. The service was beyond excellent — everything was on point as we were served on right and dishes collected on the left. I mean, the service was completely flawless. After our meal, they even presented us with a list of vegan restaurants to explore in the city — they really went above and beyond. The sommelier was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. And the price for all of this was reasonable at $ 165 per person. All-​in with a $ 140 bottle of wine, tax, and tip, we spent about $ 660, but was one of the best meals we’ve ever had.

It’s not often I track down 2-​Michelin star restaurants when dining on vacay so this super short trip to Chicago last week was made that much sweeter by the visit to Elliot’s namesake establishment in the heart of Chi-​town. I’m sure many of you recognize his moniker from MasterChef, Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef, and multiple James Beard Foundation nominations, but what you probably don’t know is that Elliot garnered so much attention this year with an extra Michelin star (added to his previous 1 star in 2011 and 2012) that the restaurant even hosted an intimate birthday dinner for President Obama himself. Oh yeaaaaaah, sounds like the swanky kind of joint I’m totally into!
Refined yet unpretentious, the clean modern interior is totally not what you’d expect from all that star power, but celebrities and locals alike frequent the spot for Elliot’s take on fine dining with an artistic culinary twist.
Lollipop starters… a perfect balance of flavors to cleanse the palette before 19 courses of pure decadence!
Salmon– their take on bagels and lox. I love smoked salmon so this pinky-​sized portion was all I needed to get the flavor packed in just one bite. Such a focused effort for something so teensy!
Radish– beautiful presentation of all the radishes in season… fresh and tangy, I could start off all meals this way…
Spot Prawn– my FAVE dish of the night! That avocado schmear was cut to precise perfection! Nary a line out of skew and prawns served 2 ways impressed me to the core. A little caviar never hurt anyone, right?
Octopus– It wasn’t quite as charred and crispy as I’d like and the smoky flavors overpowered the dish; however the presentation was stellar. So much so that I instagrammed the *ish outta this stunna and received rave oohs and ahhhss…
Carrot– Chilled soup with marcona almond crunch. So nutty so gooooooood! Now I crave cold carrot juice all the time. Handful of honeyed nuts on the side and I could re-​create this sucka with some Naked and it’s ON! ;D
Cucumber– Sorbet tastes like it looks… fresh and healthy.
Foie– Their take on a fancy fig newton. Fresh fig paste sandwiched between a luscious creamy cut of round foie gras. Since SoCal banned this baby, I take all I can get! Ingenious concept, incredible presentation!
Halibut– the BEST Halibut I’ve ever had in my life! The fish was cooked perfectly and those homemade halibut noodles had me wondering what else they could make with just one protein…
Morel– mushrooms served with fresh dungeness crab. At this point I was sooooo FULL so anything heartier than the fish above I forced down along with some cava. Not my favorite dish since I’m not a fan of the spongy fungi but a definite substitute for a meat dish… eh, next!
Snail– with risotto and crispy rice. You can’t tell but the little chunks of snail were peppered throughout the rice. You get hit with that woodsy fragrance first then slammed with the creamy texture. So rich and vibrant, what I imagine summers in Provence would taste like.
Lamb– served with purple potatoes and mash. Too bland for my taste, the protein could have used a tad more seasoning but by this time I didn’t care… I was craving desserts already!
Epoisses– unpasteurized cows milk cheese served with nuts and honey. OMG I’ve died y’all. Literally DIED as the server scooped a dollop onto my bowl and I nearly fell over from the fumes. Now I want this dish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner… and dessert. Mix it all up: Heaven in a bowl!
Strawberry– cheesecake, sorbet, and yogurt-​covered served with pistachio sponge cake. Beautiful summer presentation, light, bright, and refreshing paired with the milk crackers.
All-​in-​all I felt the culmination of the experience coupled with the stellar presentation outshined the cuisine itself. The most memorable dishes for me were the prawns and the melt-​in-​yo-​mouth, I-​could-​die-​and-​call-​this-​my-​last-​meal cheese bowl. The desserts seriously had some points of sheer brilliance with the chocolate plate containing more than 15 various elements and the strawberry perfected to showcase a myriad of techniques and flavors. If you’re looking for a fun-​filled 3 hour meal that’s ALL about culinary skill and prowess, you’re sure to find it here at Graham Elliot.
*Insider’s tip: They take same day reservations but be forewarned, these spots book up fast. Come early with a party of no more than 4 people and enjoy the Chef’s tasting menu which may include little extras that they add just for kicks. As traditional tasting menus go, all guests must order from the same menu (Tasting 12 courses/Chef’s 20 courses) but tell your friends this doesn’t come cheap. At $ 165 a pop you’d bet I’d lick the plate right down to the porcelain hunnies!*
Bön appétit mes amis!

My wife and I ate here for our 5^th anniversary. It was an amazing experience for the both of us. We had the 15 course chefs menu and each dish packed an amazing amount of flavor! A great deal of care and thought was put into each plate. They even gave us an extra course of 2 chocolate covered caramels with gold leaf just for our anniversary. We really appreciated that! The service was amazing and staff was very friendly and explained every dish. Many people say it was not enough food, but we left FULL. Neither of us could even think about eating more. We would definitely recommend eating here.

Great food, come before it closes.
Amazingly expensive, although you wouldn’t know it by the seeming disdain the host staff has for guests. Being told that we couldn’t be seated until our reservation time (in a nearly empty restaurant) because «the kitchen can only handle so many tables an hour» seems like a recipe for insolvency. Bar staff was aloof and not particularly engaged; he seemed more interested in the art of the cocktail than making a good drink.
We had the tasting menu + pairing. The wait staff was nice, if a bit pretentious (as is the food, truth be told, but tasty all the same). They even threw in a course from the nicer menu because we asked about it. Well done.
The sommelier was eager to explain the pairing and engage in a way that was *not* douchetastic. Finishing with some really excellent and unexpected sake was a great touch.
All in, dinner was *really* expensive. And we left with the distinct impression that Graham Elliott would prefer we thank them for the opportunity to experience their chef’s vision than thank us for our very generous patronage.

I wish there is a 0 star for this restaurant.
If you want to waste 4 hours and 300 bucks and leave hungry, then this is the perfect place to go.
For all the «high end» pre fixe menu dinner place, like alinea, you need to make a reservation maybe two month before you go. for this place, you can walk in any day including weekend without a reservation. there is a REASON for that! it SUCKS!
1. The food are SMALL, OMG, the portion cannot even feed my cat
2. They are extremely slow. for all the 10+ items (let me call it items instead of dishes, because really they cannot be called dishes or courses), I waited 4 hours, 4 whole hours. I was starving!
3. The food are cold. Most of the items are served cold even the soup given the fact the waiting time is terribly long, the cold food really hurt my empty stomach. my stomach is still in severe pain right now.
4. The food are not tasty at all. The main course, the lamb was very mediocre. among all other items, the only one left me impression was the cucumber. sweet and refreshing, but again, it is ice cold. For all other items, they are salty, the fish was soo overcooked. one of the seafood made my friend, vomit, literally.
to be honest, it was a torture towards the end of the 4 hours, i cannot wait to ask for the bill WHEN they served the last item lollipop. I actually did.
we spent 900 bucks for 4 people without alcohol. I left with pain, empty stomach and went directly to another restaurant to get a warm noodle soup.
This was the worse 450 bucks i have ever spent in my life.
UPDATE, i started Diarrhea since last night…

Graham Elliot was a disappointment, to be honest. My group of 3 opted for the Chef’s Menu with wine pairings. We left hungry, drunk, and a little bored. At $ 250 per person, there’s no excuse. I should’ve known something was off when the restaurant was only half-​full on a Saturday night.
The Good: The food was pretty good. I have no complaints about the flavors– balanced, super refined. You can taste the expertise behind each bite. Each teeny-​tiny bite…
The Bad: I read the reviews here before I visited GE, and let the complaints about portion size slide off my shoulder. Uh, mistake. All of these reviews have a point. The vast majority of the portions consist of 1 – 3 humble bites. It’s like a meal of 15 amuse bouches. By the time I realized that all of the courses were minuscule, I actually started laughing when the staff would bring out the next one. These people have to be joking. For reference, Alinea left me stuffed and my average B-​Dubs intake is 12 wings.
The menu selections were also too light for my taste. We got to the «bulk» part of the meal at the 8^th course. There was halibut, mushroom soup, snail, and lamb. I really wanted more red meat, a bird, something!
We were hesitant about ordering the wine pairings, because we didn’t want to leave drunk. The sommelier assured us that the pairings added up to only 2 FULL GLASSES OF WINE PER PERSON. This is a lie. Point blank. There was a lot more wine than that (which some people may consider a plus, party on). The barrel of wine coupled with inadequate amounts of food even led one of my friends to throwing up right after dinner.
And my final major complaint: They pace the courses verrrry slowly. It really emphasized the unpleasant feeling of hunger throughout the experience.
UPDATE 7÷9÷2013: Ugh, some butthurt Unilocal user by the name of Gabe G. sent me a note regarding my review: «Stick to steakhouses.» Is it a coincidence that Graham Elliot’s pastry chef’s name is Gabe Geers? Probably not + I effing love the internet. Totally classless move. I tweeted them and wrote on their Facebook page. They said they would speak to upper management about it, and I never heard from them again.

Loved GE. Very casual chic.
Servers dress in a blazer, tie, dark denim and cool sneakers. The décor reminds me of an Anthropologie boutique. Me and the gfs were oohing and ahhing.
I am really big on having a variation of textures in courses. GE did this with a deft hand. The meal was light, I’m sure there was butter, but I could not detect it. It was nice to see all the micro herbs and a variety of vegetables in the courses. A lot of tasting menus can be very protein focused.
Butternut squash soup is usually cloyingly sweet, GE did it perfectly and made it a spectacle by dramatically pouring the soup a top a gorgeous ‘glass’. A lot of typical ingredients, but done in fresh ways.
The meal flowed together seamlessly and the portioning was right. Overall my favorite this trip.

I am really unclear as to how GE has earned their Michelin stars… I am also very confused as to how fellow Unilocalers think this place is better than Alinea…!!!
So my husband brought me here for my bday and I was so excited since I have been dying to try this place for so long. Loved the casual vibe, open feel, and music… But was confused by our server… Although he was dressed casual like everyone else, he was awkward and formal? As the courses arrived, they were explained so quickly I barely heard what everything was. Chef was no where to be seen and I got no special treatment for my bday like others, hmph. lol.
On to the food. The soy dish made me a bit nauseas to be honest. The sunflower course was excellent. And that’s pretty much all I remember from the tasting… That’s right. Nothing was horrible (except the soy dish) but nothing was memorable. I felt like this would be a good choice for newbie foodies who haven’t had a lot of exposure to other fine dining establishments. I would choose Moto, alinea, or Next any day before I would choose or recommend GE. Again, it wasn’t horrible but there was nothing that seemed innovative or impressive… :/

Two weeks till our 4^th anniversary… non-​season tickets to Next didn’t happen…6:30pm reservations to 2-​Michelin star restaurant in Chicago = WIN!!!
The big question mark menu is the way to go! Portions are quite small, but after 3 hours of bites, we were definitely full. Seemed like salt was prevalent in all the dishes, even dessert.
I wish we could have bottomless bowls of «pasta» sheets made of flattened lobster, the duck, tri-​tip, shrimp, shortbread w/​foie gras & cherry jam, and a phenomenal butternut squash consommé (how do you make broth from a creamy vegetable?!?).
The dishes came out fast –a relief between small bursts of flavor.
I was surprised by the muted décor — would expect GEB to have a more lively interior. The browns, greens, and lichen seems to fit better at Sprout in Lincoln Park.
Complimentary sparkling wine and sherry for our anniversary (fantastic service!) and a visit from GEB himself were the cherry on top!

Came here for the tasting menu. Overall liked the creative/​tongue in cheek touch with food, and the laidback yet trendy atmosphere. The foielipop was an interesting experience, but super-​rich, which explains the lollipop portion. Loved the truffle butter popcorn so much I almost put up a fight when the waiter took it away. The food was a tad rich, so by the 9^th course I was about ready to burst. The fish dishes were all very well-​executed, and the wagyu tartare had a hint of smokiness that really took it to the next level. Desserts were a little too adventurous for my traditional palate.

Brought my friend here for her first Michelin starred restaurant experience. The service was definitely Michelin star worthy, though I would say L2O has them beat.
The dress code is «smart casual» but while we were there it was definitely more on the casual side. That’s actually my preference, so note to self for the future: no need to break out the fancy jeans.
Food wise we only had time for the prix fixe menu as my friend had to leave to catch a flight. I had:
— Amuse — white soy jelly I think with yuzu. I really didn’t care for this at all. The flavor reminded me of Chinese herbal jelly medicine or something.
— Pear — this was beautiful and the flavors complemented each other really well. I loved this dish, my favorite of my 3 courses.
— Beef — I would’ve tried the duck but I had that the night before. The meat was tender and well flavored, but overall didn’t make me feel as though I was trying something new and inventive. The dish came with pine needles and a pine cone for presentation and aromatics. While it looked attractive, it was a little annoying to avoid the pine needles when I was trying to combine all the flavors in one bite on my fork.
— Carrot — This dessert was perfect for me as I’m not a fan of the overly sweet. This dish definitely had more character than the beef and was not as rich as the chocolate.
— Ending Yuzu — they brought another bite with the jelly and said that this bite was sweet rather than savory (maybe I mixed up which one was sweet/​savory between this and the amuse) but I really hesitated to put it in my mouth. It again was really not good.
My friend had, (and I tried bites of):
— Cauliflower — this was stellar. The cauliflower terrine in particular was inventive and delicious. Gave the dish a richer quality. An absolute standout.
— Monkfish — The monkfish and rutabega were cooked to perfection, though similar to the beef I’m not sure that I would say the flavors were very exotic.
— Chocolate — the ganache was very rich and while it complemented the flour-​less chocolate cake well, there was a little too much of it. My friend left some on the plate as it got a little too rich for her.
She agreed with me on the amuse and the ending yuzu. We just really didn’t care for the flavor profile at all.
For the price I think it’s worth a try. No need to wear your stretchy pants as the portions will not leave you overstuffed, but rather pleasantly satisfied.
I’d be more inclined to try the tasting menu if the amuse and ending flavors weren’t so off. On the plus side, all the actual selections we made were superb.
Probably would’ve gotten 4 stars if not for the miss on the yuzu.

My wife and I were joined by another couple tonight at Graham Elliot and indulged in the 14 course repertoire menu. We arrived a bit early and took a seat at the bar while waiting for our friends. Walking in I noticed that Graham Elliot is considerably larger than most of the fine dining venues I have frequented in Chicago (referencing the restaurant, not the owner). The tables fortunately are spread out a bit, but the restaurant and bar area were a bit on the noisy side. There is a modern, funky vibe. I perused the cocktail list (which had some interesting combinations) and ordered a Port Royal consisting of whiskey, rum, allspice, and some citrus which was very pleasant. In addition to cocktails there are several craft beers and a nice wine list (cocktails run $ 13 and wines by the glass average $ 16).
We were seated on time and handed menus; there is an a la carte option, a nine course tasting menu and the fourteen course repertoire; I strongly would discourage anyone from ordering a la carte as you would have to spend far more than the cost of the tasting menu in order to have enough food to suffice as a meal. The entire table must opt for the same menu; the tasting menu is the size of a small to moderate meal in a more traditional restaurant and the repertoire adds up to the size of a moderate to large meal — make sure you are in for the long haul though as you should expect at least a three hour culinary journey with the repertoire. Dinner includes complimentary still or sparkling water and at the end of the meal French Press coffee is available for $ 6.
Our server got off to a bad start in that three in our party do not eat foie gras and this was one the only course on the repertoire we wanted substituted. Our waiter informed us that no substitutions were possible for this course. We were rather taken a back as most restaurants are more accommodating of what seemed such a reasonable request and the server came across as rather smug to not at least check with the chef. We informed him that we would opt for the tasting menu instead (as no foie was on the shorter tasting menu). He departed and the mood at the table was dampened. A few minutes later he came back and announced that the Chef had informed him that he would be willing to make a substitution for the foie. Fortunately for the rest of the evening service improved aside from a couple of minor gaffes (i.e. one course was delivered and explained while one member of our party was in the bathroom). On a positive note the service was very attentive and on one occasion when my wife accidentally spilled her nearly empty glass of sparkly our server replaced it with a full glass without charge (I was tempted to spill my glass of wine as I was down to the last couple of sips, but opted to not push my luck).
In general the food was quite interesting and had beautiful plating and some exotic flavor combinations. We learned that they had just rolled out several new courses tonight as part of their Fall menu. Chef Brochu took over the kitchen a few months back and his influence was pronounced; this was definitely a high caliber meal. At this price point ($ 145 for the repertoire) I had lofty expectations and while this was overall an excellent meal, I have had slightly better tasting menus in recent months at lower price points such as at Goosefoot, Boka and Next. For me there was definitely some courses I loved, some that were decent and a couple that were just OK. My favorites on the night were the broccoli course that had the most delicious cheddar cheese powder, the cheese course coated with ash and the dessert course with sassafras, root beer powder, almond cake and plum sorbet. The egg course with truffle and Parmesan and the pork belly course with chicory and huckleberry were quite good as well. The food (but not the experience) reminded me of Sprout and of El Ideas (which happens to be the venue Chef Brochu worked at just prior to transitioning to Graham).
Graham Elliot was nearly at capacity tonight and Chef Graham himself was in house. He is a larger than life figure and made rounds mingling with lots of the patrons. I was able to spend a few moments with him on the way out. I am glad to have finally experienced this venue and in most cities this would be among the very best, but Chicago has so many awesome restaurants that at this price point, as much I as enjoyed myself, I just do not see myself becoming a regular.

It’s hard to know where to begin with this review. First, I am perplexed at the negative experiences described by some of the reviewers. I don’t know where you ate, but you must be getting GE mixed up with someplace else.
I took my wife here to celebrate our 5^th anniversary, and we’re still talking about it days later. It was great in every aspect. The service here is like a well oiled machine. The wait staff is extremely attentive and on top of your every need, but manage to do so without hovering at all. They were all friendly, and knowledgeable.
As for the food, it’s really an experience more than a meal. For those who «left hungry,» you must be morbidly obese. We were both prepared to need to get more food after leaving here when we read the reviews, but neither of us were hungry at all.
We did the tasting menu, and had a hard time picking a favorite. The presentation is immaculate, and the flavors are hard to express in words. I’ve never before wanted to savor every bite as much as I did at GE.
The tasting menu is on the high end price-​wise, but very, very worth it.

Perhaps I expected too much. When it comes to fine dining, I have been lucky to have tried a lot of amazing places (Per Se, French Laundry, Eleven Madison, Gary Danko and the list goes on) so forgive me if this is me being a little picky.
Had a 9pm reservation. They were not ready for us. The guy at the host stand was wrestling with the curtain in front of the coat check trying to find someones coat. He sent us to the bar while he wrestled some more and eventually found that coat. Good for him. Why was I still standing? By 9:20pm we finally sat. Things must have changed. The music was not ridiculously loud as reported here on Unilocal.It was absolutely perfect. We did not order until 9:45pm.
The menu was set and as such our waiter balked at my request to add some of the famous popcorn to our tasting menu (which we offered to pay for of course). He went back and forth, getting it «approved» and such to finally come back and say they would do it. Phew. Did not realize it was such a hard request. For the record, that was one of the meal highlights! Incredible.
We brought our wine and the corkage fee was a good rate of $ 25.00
The tasting consisted of the following:
oyster– great
pea– went perfectly with the Iberica ham
lobster– my absolute favorite. It was awesome
carbonara– was amazing but would have liked it hotter. It was barely warm.
The rest: redfish, jidori, cheese and milk was just OK.
Now I know these places have small portions. Been there done that. I usually get upset when people complain at leaving hungry. I always tell them they are not grasping the concept and that this is not meant to be an all you can eat buffet. Thing is that this time around, I DID leave hungry. Most fine dining places bring out some intermezzo items which when combined with your amuse bouche and maybe bread, round out a meal. This time around, not so much. As much as I was able to enjoy the courses I favored, I was left wondering «what if this is as good as it gets». It finally came a point where I said «yup, that was as good as it got».
It started lukewarm, became sizzling hot and died out only a lonely cold memory.
Therefore, 3 ½ stars to the good courses, the service and ambiance.
Next time, will spend my time and money elsewhere.
Disappointed.

No

I thought that my meal at Alinea would have been the main highlight of my dining experience in Chicago, but a last minute decision to eat at Graham Elliot ended up in two visits for two different tastings within the span of four days (they changed it up for me my second time there). I was not disappointed either time!
This is definitely a casual place with upscale food. You would feel comfortable showing up in shorts or jeans, but once the food hits the table, you find yourself looking over your shoulder for the maitre’d who has noticed how underdressed you are and is now bringing you a jacket and tie (no, the maitre’d never came). Yes, the music is loud, but it’s a great way to shatter any notion of pretention when you’ve got Metric and Postal Service blasting the night away.
But onto the food. You can’t go wrong with the 5 course tasting. The brioche twinkie in the deconstructed caeser provides a fantastic bite as you break through the crisp, fried crust and into a warm, oozing center of marscapone cheese. The tuna sashimi, however, takes you in a whole other direction with the light, acidic notes of passionfruit barely gracing the fresh pieces of fish, and then kicked into overdrive with a spicy passionfruit sorbet laced with roasted red pepper and red fresno chili!
The sweetbread hushpuppy was good, but the corn bisque was the show stopper and an absolute surprise. Who wants hot soup on a warm summer night? This guy does, if it’s laced with corn nuts and chipotle adobo! The lime crema added perfect notes of acidity in addition to the spicy and crunchy bits, but nothing could compare to the huitlacoche marshmallow — an amazing blend of earthy and sweet that catches you off guard when sampled on its own, but melts beautifully into the creamy, decadent bisque and enhances the natural sweetness of the corn even more.
The Alaskan halibut was really the most well executed piece of fish I have had in a very, very long time. Although I loved the earthiness of the chanterelles and the sublime smoky champagne beurre blanc below, this dish really shone in my eyes because of how well it showcased the halibut and the perfection in execution. The Hawaiian ahi was my other «sea» dish, was also nicely done, but nowhere near as transcendent as the halibut.
Both the wagyu steak and grilled lamb were phenomenal. Even the fingerling potatoes were basted in the wagyu steak juices and dressed with truffle oil, making them a strong contender for my utmost affection. The lamb was simply outstanding — sous vide’d and perfectly seared, this lamb was unequivocally AS tender as the wagyu beef, and equally as delicious. You can’t go wrong with either one here.
And finally, dessert. The strawberry shortcake was pleasant and certainly fun with the addition of lavender gelato and a balsamic reduction, but the chocolate torte took savoury sweetness to a whole new level. There was a bold intensity to the salted caramel underlying each bite of cream cheese ice cream and dark chocolate torte. Although not an unusual concept to salt your sweets, there was just something about the way they brought out the deep richness of the chocolate that made me stop and take notice.
What can I say. I still play these meals over and over again in my head. The perfectly executed proteins, the breath taking flavour profiles — very few places have caught my attention like Graham Elliot has, and I can’t wait for the next time I get to go back.