(I fully realize this is almost a month late-whoops!)
Eric and I went to graham elliot in Chicago for Valentine’s Day this past year. I’ll keep the review succint, especially because I’m starting to forget some things.
There was a nice prix fixe menu with a floral theme. Each dish incorporated a flower in some way. I really loved all of the food we had, but the outstanding dishes were the toasted almond bisque with lavendar marshmallow, green apple, grilled onion and smoked salt; and the braised beef shortrib with black bean, palm heart, young coconut and hibiscus jus:
The portions were all nicely sized, and every dish included a little surprise, whether it was a soba noodle cake under fish, or the candied rose petals with the dessert. I really enjoyed Chef Bowles’s whimsical style.
The only serious downer about our meal was the service. It was possibly some of the worst service I’ve ever had, hands down. I made a joke at the beginning of the meal about how easy it would be to be a waiter on a prix fixe night. Apparently I jinxed us. The servers seemed like they were just having a good time, and if graham elliot wants to be a big player on the fine dining scene, they need to step up their game.
I would recommend going to graham elliot on a slower night where service might be more attentive. The food was lovely, and the atmosphere was downtown-chic.
food-25
decor- 22
service- 8
Also, I loved the take-home gift of caramel corn. Instead of bread, they bring you gourmet popcorn because Chef Bowles doesn’t think there’s a good bakery in the city. I’d say bake your own bread, but the popcorn was tasty. Eric and I enjoyed the caramel corn later that evening.
|#