There are a number of things I like about Graham Elliot, a new restaurant in the River North part of town. And there are a few things that drove me bonkers.
The music is too loud and does not relate to the average age (40-plus) of the clientele. I am not asking for Sinatra, but retro rock played too loud doesn't cut it while dining mighty fine.
Bonkers No. 2 : The first two or three words describing each dish are written on the menu in a fancy script that makes many of those words hard to read -- and my eyesight is quite good. Eventually, after careful study, I managed to decipher each word. Should we be forced into this kind of exercise in reading just to order a meal?
Bonkers No. 3: A restaurant with appetizers that average $13 and entrees that average $32 should serve bread. Graham Elliot serves a small bowl of popcorn (with some Cheetos mixed in). That's cockamamie at best. We are not watching a baseball game or a movie at home in front of the TV; we are in an expensive restaurant.
Bonkers No. 4: The unpainted plywood boarding up a door across from the greeting podium does not present a good first impression. This space has seen more restaurants come and go (the latest was Allen's) than Taste of Chicago. This is loft space, which is fine, but how about perking up those dark and dreary corners?
Nothing bonkers about the food, I'm happy to report. In fact, Graham Elliot Bowles, the chef and owner, is one good cook. I enjoyed his food with zeal and awe when he was heading up the kitchen at Avenues in the Peninsula Hotel, and I enjoyed it just as much here.
Bowles is an master of originality when it comes to combining texture and flavor with a dash of whimsy. For example, the Caesar salad was a whimsical deconstructed version of the classic. All the parts were there, but they are separated (as if each were an unruly child), so you get the crisp romaine here, the lush white anchovies there, the croutons are literally blocks (called "brioche Twinkie" on the menu), and the dressing called "Parmesan fluff" became a dipping foil. I have seen Caesar salads served in a lot of different ways, but this was quite something.
Another starter, "Chilled Cucumber Gazpacho," couldn't have been better and unlike any I have ever had before. Layers of flavors and textures flowed from the Maine crab right up and through the shaved radishes, whipped avocado and curry foam. Excellent and most refreshing.
And still another starter had it going in the direction of Buffalo wings. It's listed as "Spicy Buffalo Chicken," and, indeed it was spicy (and I loved it). A chunky and meaty chicken breast (boneless portion) glazed with hot sauce rode atop a tangle of crunchy celery slaw that got an extra kick from crumbles of blue cheese. But the real kicker was the foam ("Budweiser bubbles," the menu notes) that frizzed atop the chicken.
Main dishes were mighty good, too. A fillet of Hawaiian mahi-mahi got paired with forbidden rice (a plump, black rice) and bok choy. A mango salsa added a zesty extra, as did the peanut froth atop the fish. Looking at this dish in regard to harmony in flavor, it made beautiful music, but the real joy was in the eating. The perfectly cooked fish, the silky bok choy, the black rice and that little extra flavor whimsy, the peanut froth.
"Pork prime rib." The name alone demands attention. But when you read that it comes with grits, collard greens, watermelon chutney and corn nuts, you sit up and take notice. The pork (chop) was 3 inches high and cooked to perfection. It's not easy to cook a chop this thick and get it right. Right so that the meat is not dry, so that the moisture is intact. The kitchen nailed it. And the accompaniments were as good as one could want.
Desserts were but four choices. If but one is on your radar, have the roasted peach cobbler with its dusting of brown sugar and peach caramel ice cream. If two desserts are part of your evening, the vanilla creme brulee (served as a free-form block rather than in a dish) with a dice of stewed pineapple, candied ginger and a toss of coconut should do it. A bit pricey at $10, but worth it.
Pat Bruno is a free-lance writer. E-mail brunoeats@ aol.com.
