EL Ideas

Interior

Kitchen

Wagyu

Kampachi

Cuttlefish

Asparagus, cheese, mushroom

Kitchen

French fried frosty

Rabbit ragu

Quail

Lamb’s tongue

75 day strip loin

Foie gras and banana cotton candy

Earl grey ice cream

German chocolate cake deconstructed

Menu 5-5-2017

***** (5 stars)

Unlike other fine dining restaurants, the goal of EL Ideas is to create an environment resembling a dinner party with friends. But instead of crowding strangers together at a communal table, EL Ideas provides conventional seating and achieves its goal through a casual approach that encourages guests to wander into the kitchen. This works really well, allowing the extroverts to gather by the prep table and converse, while the introverts and lovers can have a private experience at their own seats.

The meal gets off to an eclectic start from the first course, which was wagyu beef served with a sauce but no utensils, and the instruction not to use your fingers. Once you’ve licked your meal off your plate it’s hard to be stuffy.

The environment is spacious and trendy, the music an eclectic mix that isn’t too loud, and the chefs and servers are all welcoming and conversational.

The only aspect of EL Ideas I can’t be wholly enthusiastic about is the food. We had twelve courses, and almost every single course contained at least one really wonderful ingredient. But almost every single course included many other ingredients that rarely seemed to combine to create a result greater than the individual parts. In this respect it reminded me of 42 Grams, where a tremendous amount of work had obviously gone into the dozens of exotic components and preparations, but didn’t quite justify the end result.

The exception was “French Fries and Ice Cream,” a truly stunning course that I would rank with some of the greatest molecular gastronomy ever produced at Moto. An old-fashioned malt shop glass was filled with a frozen concoction resembling a vanilla shake, with a liquid nitrogen frozen cap. When we plunged our spoons into the top, a geyser of vapor erupted, caused by the hot potato soup in the bottom. The combination of hot and cold, soft and crunchy, sweet and salty was absolutely sublime. And yes, it tasted like a vanilla shake with french fries in it. This one course was worth the price of admission.

EL Ideas is BYOB, with individual ice buckets at each table. I suggest bringing a Blanc de Noir Champagne, which will match nearly all the food. If you want a second bottle, a lighter red would work best, such as a Burgundy.

EL Ideas
2419 W 14th St
Chicago, IL 60608
(312) 226-8144
http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-ideas-chicago-2

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse

Exterior

Dining room

Porch

Bread service

Crab avocado

House salad (included)

T-bone

1/2 creamed spinach

**** (4 stars)

I’ve tried nearly all the independent steakhouses in River North so that you don’t have to. This is the one you’re looking for.

Gibsons is a very old school steakhouse. The classic starters and sides are here, without any pretensions. And Gibson’s is all about the meat. Their meat isn’t just prime, it is their own designation of Gibsons USDA Prime, the only restaurant in the US to have one. So of course the meat is very flavorful and tender. As you would expect, the sirloins and the sirloin sides of the T-bone and Porterhouse have all the flavor, while the filet sides are very tender but comparatively bland. My steak was beautifully seasoned and seared, but cooked a bit beyond the requested medium rare. Of course, my server would have been delighted to replace it, but I can’t stand to waste a perfectly good $52 steak. By the way, I had the T-bone, which is essentially a baby porterhouse.

But what about the other dishes? My favorite item was actually the crab and avocado appetizer. The very generous serving of delicious crab was lightly dressed and served with creamy avocado slices. Really nice.

I was going to order a half salad, but my waiter suggested I go with the complementary house salad that comes with all the steaks, and it was a great suggestion. Crisp lettuce and tomatoes were topped with an excellent creamy blue cheese dressing.

I did have a half order of creamed spinach with my steak. I liked the fact that it emphasized the spinach, with just enough cream to give it a smooth consistency, but allowing the focus to be on the flavor of the spinach.

Service was both friendly and professional, a delicate balance. Pricing is fairly reasonable considering the inclusion of a salad, and wine prices aren’t unreasonable either.

The place is very, very popular and therefore packed at all hours, so be sure to make reservations. Ask to sit in the “porch”, a side room with windows looking out on the park; it’s much quieter than the main dining room or deafening bar.

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse
1028 N Rush St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 266-8999
http://www.yelp.com/biz/gibsons-bar-and-steakhouse-chicago

Bub City

Exterior

Interior

Burnt ends

BBQ sauces

*** (3 stars)

If you’re looking for a country western bar with late night live entertainment that happens to serve BBQ, then you’d probably like this place. I was looking for good BBQ food at lunch, and was a bit disappointed.

The problem is partly pricing and partly interpretation. It’s true that you can get a meat and three sides at lunch for about $18, which seems steep, but is probably the way to go. But I wanted burnt ends, and they aren’t one of the meat choices on that deal. So for a bit more I got the burnt ends.

Burnt ends are the charred tips of the beef, and since they are the outside they have the most flavor. At least that’s what burnt ends are supposed to be. In all fairness, Bub City describes them on the menu as the “bacon of beef” whatever that might mean. In fact, they were more like the pork belly of beef–large cubes of layered fat and beef, served in an iron skillet with a thin sauce. The result was a fatty, succulent dish that wasn’t bad, but wasn’t like any burnt ends I ever had.

What do you think Texas Toast is? A thick piece of bread, maybe with some butter and garlic, cooked on a griddle, right? Nope. Not at Bub City. It’s just a piece of bread. I assumed it was a mistake, so I even asked the waiter. Nope, a completely plain raw piece of bread is Bub City’s Texas Toast. What makes it “toast”?

I also received a tiny serving of very good cole slaw and four sweet pickle chips. No other sides came with the almost $20 meal.

On the other hand, Bub City is true to the country theme, with three different BBQ sauces on the table that are all Southern Style and quite good.

If you’re looking for country western music atmosphere, Bub CIty is a good choice. If you’re looking for BBQ, there are better choices in the area.

Bub City
435 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 610-4200
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bub-city-chicago

Francesca’s On Chestnut

Exterior

Interior

Caesar Salad

Anchovy and onion pizza (don’t judge me)

***** (5 stars)

This is the third Francesca’s I’ve been to, and it’s my favorite. I like the fact that, although it is a chain, it doesn’t feel like one. This space is light and airy, and feels like a European bistro.

The menu offers Italian standards, prepared in classical ways, some with a slight twist. For example, the Caesar salad is topped with a large pimiento.

Warm bread and a bowl of grated parmesan are presented at the start of the meal. I used the parmesan and olive oil to make myself cheese bread while I waited for my meal.

I created my own pizza, with anchovies and onions (don’t judge me) and really enjoyed it. The crust is thin (my preference), but has a bit of that cracker flavor I associate with Chicago style pizza.

My server, Linda, was truly excellent, as was the bussing service. Both really elevated this meal to a five-star experience.

Francesca’s On Chestnut
200 E Chestnut St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 482-8800
http://www.yelp.com/biz/francescas-on-chestnut-chicago

Bad Hunter

Exterior

Turmeric panna cotta

Carrot cake with sorghum ice cream

Grilled ramps

Sunchokes

Lemon and sweet potato tempura

Grilled sour dough

Interior

**** (4 stars)

The concept here, as the clever name suggests, is mostly vegetarian, but there are a surprising number of non-vegetarian items, too. The menu focuses on interesting preparations, so you won’t find the kind of items offered at most vegetarian restaurants–no piles of tofu or seitan disguised as meat, no raw vegetable platters. Instead, there are thoughtful preparations that just happen to be vegetarian.

By far the best item we tried was the grilled sourdough, which was perfectly charred and served with a wonderfully creamy sunflower puree.

Also excellent were the grilled ramps, a relatively simple preparation that allowed the garlic yet slightly sweet flavors of the ramps come through.

Lemon and sweet potato tempura was interesting. The tempura batter was light, and the uniqueness of whole lemon slices served tempura style was fun.

Fried sunchokes were less interesting. They just seemed heavy.

The least impressive dish was the fluke crudo. The fluke floated in a marinade that imparted little flavor, and accompanying onions didn’t really go with the dish.

We tried two desserts. Panna cotta served with black coconut ice cream was just okay. The ice cream didn’t really taste like coconut, and the black color, produced by activated charcoal, is a fad I’m ready to be over. (Note that activated charcoal is used when pumping someone’s stomach, and can seriously interfere with many medications.)

The better dessert was the carrot cake, which wasn’t too heavy and was served with a delicious sorghum ice cream.

Because of its interesting menu I’d definitely be inclined to go back to Bad Hunter, but it should be noted that it’s not a place for conversation. The hard surfaces and crowded space make for a very noisy environment. Service was efficient and informative.

Bad Hunter
802 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 265-1745
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bad-hunter-chicago

Pickwick Coffee Roasting

Exterior

Interior

Macchiato

***** (5 stars)

This is a charming little shop (the building is the smallest in the loop, at 19 feet square) with no indoor seating. Service is equally charming. The can’t do decaf espresso, so they made be a cortado using chicory and warm milk.

Pickwick Coffee Roasting
22 E Jackson Ave
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 285-2786
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pickwick-coffee-roasting-chicago-4

RPM Italian

Interior

Garlic bread

Kale

Artichoke

Ravioli special

***** (5 stars)

Lettuce Entertain You has done a really brilliant job with this restaurant. It is stylish, comfortable, noise levels are reasonable, and the food is superb. It also avoids a lot of the Italian restaurant cliches, with interesting twists on everything from appetizers to pastas.

We started with the truffle garlic bread, which was perfectly toasted, and not overladen with truffle or oil, and nicely toasted, with crisp edges. The serving size was plenty for two to four people, depending on how much you like bread. In other words, I could have eaten the whole loaf myself.

The kale salad was very refreshing, with a dressing composed mostly of lemon juice, but plenty of other complexity.

The artichokes were unlike any I’ve seen before, more like the blossoms they truly are, with long skinny stems. They were fried to a crispy consistency, but not oily at all.

I had the day’s special pasta, a wonderful cheese ravioli that incorporated a whole egg yolk. When broken open it perfectly blended with the accompanying, asparagus, peas and mushrooms.

The only disappointment was dessert. We kept it simple with gelato, Although they were very creamy, neither had much of the supposed pistachio and creamsicle flavors.

This is definitely my favorite of the Italian restaurants I’ve tried in River North, and I’ll be back soon.

RPM Italian
52 W Illinois St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 222-1888
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rpm-italian-chicago

Cindy’s

Interior

View

Tart

Falafel

**** (4 stars)

This is a pleasant, high-ceiling and airy space with a great view of Millennium Park, and a nice, if pricey, selection of small plates and entrees.

We didn’t have a lunch reservation and even though we arrived before noon the only seating was “high top” which turned out to be a bar. But it was pleasant enough.

We had three appetizers, each costing around $18 each. Falafel consisted of three oval pieces of falafel served with assorted veggies such as cauliflower, and some harissa. The goat cheese tart had a delightfully delicate crust and was served with a good sized green salad.

My favorite was the smoked fish plate. The very moist and tender fish had a great smoked flavor. It was accompanied by pickled onions, gherkins, creme fraiche, salmon roe, stone ground mustard and sesame crackers.

Service seemed a bit brusque, but it was efficient.

Cindy’s
12 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 792-3502
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cindys-chicago

Jellyfish

Interior

Tuna tartare

Spicy crab mini tacos

Banging sweet Thai chili chicken

Spicy salmon, kiss of fire, black diamond

*** (3 stars)

Jellyfish is divided into two distinct spaces. The inside is a long bar with facing booths. The bar is backlit with a spectacular wall of sliced geodes, and the blue lightning is very cool. Then there’s a sort of outside space that is like a solarium, with a glass ceiling that lets in the sun. It’s like sidewalk dining, but indoors.

The highlights here are the small plates, both cold and hot.

Our favorite was the tuna tartare, which was served on very tasty guacamole, accompanied by wonton chips.

The mini crab tacos were also very good.

We also tried the “bangin'” chicken with a sweet Thai chili sauce, which was fine but not remarkable.

Much of the menu consists of sushi, of course. Prices seem very high, with each individual piece of fish costing about $5. There was nothing we observed about the quality of the fish that seemed to justify the premium.

We opted for three rolls: spicy tuna, kiss of fire, and black diamond. All were fine, but none were that magic combination of flavors that would qualify them as “signature” rolls, as listed.

Service was good, as it should have been, since we were alone during Sunday at lunch. I suppose this is due to the second floor location, which makes it a bit non-obvious to the casual traffic on the busy street below.

Jellyfish
1009 N Rush St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 660-3111
https://www.yelp.com/biz/jellyfish-chicago-2

Elske

Exterior

Kitchen

Interior

Tea of lightly smoked fruits and vegetables (part of the tasting menu)

Beef tartare (part of the tasting menu)

Duck liver tart with buckwheat and salted ramps (part of the tasting menu)

Leeks vinaigrette with toasted oats and blue mound cheddar (part of the tasting menu)

Orange and egg white foam (one of the non-alcoholic pairings)

Roasted skrei cod with sunchokes and black trumpet mushrooms (part of the tasting menu)

Grilled leg of lamb (part of the tasting menu)

Frozen fennel chew with mint  (part of the tasting menu)

Citrus sundae with toasted milk, barley malt caramel and satsuma (part of the tasting menu)

Fireplace on the patio

**** (4 stars)

This sleek yet laid-back new restaurant offers a creative eight-course tasting menu at a very reasonable price. We particularly liked the cod with trumpet mushrooms, and the citrus ice cream. Portion sizes are modest, so you won’t leave feeling stuffed. I suggest starting with an order of the delicious sourdough bread to supplement the tasting menu.

A wine pairing is reasonably priced, but only the Burgundy impressed. However the non-alcoholic pairing knocked it out of the park. Each offering was delicious and matched the food perfectly. Highlights were a modern take on an Orange Julius, and a chilled sparkling espresso. In fact, this is the best non-alcoholic pairing we’ve ever encountered, including the original at Charlie Trotter’s.

Sadly, the reason this is a four-star review is that the noise level is simply too loud for conversation. There’s no attempt at acoustic treatment whatsoever, and all the glass and wood guarantee maximum racket. Be sure to hang onto your mini-menu, as you won’t be able to hear the descriptions of the dishes as they are served.

Elske
1350 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 733-1314
https://www.yelp.com/biz/elske-chicago