by Adam L Stanley | May 28, 2016 | Food
Foodie Review
El Ideas
2419 W 14th St
Chicago, IL 60608
Summary: Highly Recommended
Approaching the restaurant you may think that you’ve gone the wrong way. If you drove, you would likely struggle to find parking and if there is snow, you will probably have difficulty walking to the restaurant. When you walk into the restaurant itself you will wonder how you could possibly have paid so much for a meal in what looks like an old workroom for a mobile phone company. However, from the first bite that you taste, the first song you hear, you feel at home, comfortable, well fed, and very much satisfied with your decision to dine at El ideas.
I have now been here three times and this review is based on a combination of the visits. To establish my “street cred”, I have dined at the following restaurants that I think are in the same genre: Elizabeth, Goosefoot. Also, I have dined at the more formal versions: Grace, Acadia, Alinia, Everest, and Tru. I would recommend El Ideas over most of these places.
DECOR: 5
The concept of the restaurant is very unique. Come into our kitchen and watch us cook the food. Enjoy each others company and pretend as if you were in your own home with good friends you have known for quite a while. While there are some that sit in their chairs and remain at their table the entire meal, many of the guests wander around and share stories while watching the food as it being prepared. I thoroughly enjoy the overall experience.
The kitchen is easy to access and you can see all the action. Yet, unlike places like Girl and the Goat or other such spots, being near the kitchen does not mean smokey overkill and the need for dry cleaning. I also love that the kitchen staff plays awesome music throughout the night, turning it down each time they announce a course. You’re listening to “Bubble Butt Funk” while eating.
SERVICE: 5
It would be so easy for this place to have all kinds of attitude. The food is incredible, the prices are high, and the reviews consistently good. but there is absolutely no attitude. The team seems to truly enjoy their work and their art. The service is stellar, with each course served with an explanation and a buzz of excitement. Chef Phillip Foss is friendly and welcoming, not the prima donna style chef I have seen elsewhere. Stepping into his kitchen, you feel welcomed and they genuinely enjoy showing you their spices and maybe occasionally sharing a shot with you.
Bill, the front of house manager, is a no nonsense get it done kind of guy. He keeps things flowing smoothly and makes sure everyone has a great experience. I don’t recall seeing him smile but he made sure service was stellar.
FOOD: 5
In talking with some of the guests it was clear that they were a lot of frequent diners to fine food establishments. People like myself who have had tasting menus at Tru, Everest, the now defunct L20, and even Alinea. To some extent the menu here is similar. Smaller portions of flavorful creative cuisine. But the food here is much more like Elizabeth than those other places, with each course beautifully presented in a very creative manner. The food is playful, complex, and delicious.
My favorites include the one item that has been on every menu since the place opened, a play on french fries and ice cream that is pretty much impossible to describe so you just have to take my word for it. According to Eater, Foss “pours liquid nitrogen-chilled vanilla ice cream over a classic potato-leek soup, turning the vichyssoise into a creamy slush for a split second, before the heat of thrice-fried yukon gold nuggets at the bottom of the bowl melts everything back to liquid.” I’m not entirely sure what all that means, but it is a very interesting dish.
An amazing deconstruct of shrimp and grits would certainly be on my list, and the Uni was delivered with the lick your plate requirement. One of the few times you can lick the plate in fine dining without being given nasty looks, this was a fun part of the meal and certainly an equalizer.
Added plus: the restaurant is BYOB.
VALUE: 4
The fact that this restaurant is BYOB is fantastic and allows you to have excellent wine without paying 3x markups. That is fantastic. However, when I think about the fact that you still pay about $150+ per person I must say that this is pretty high end for a meal without alcohol. It’s fine dining so I would not expect it to be cheap, but would knock it down a peg simply because one could have an amazing meal at Momotaro or Brindille with wine for less per person. I would consider El Ideas about the same value for money as Grace, however, which is of course more of a true peer comparison.
OVERALL: 5
Overall, I would give El Ideas top marks and consider it amongst my favorite restaurants in Chicago. I would recommend it for friends, family, business colleagues, and potential romances. Frankly, it could be a very disarming first date as you two watch each other lick a clear glass plate. For food, the environment, great service, and the uniqueness of the experience, it is well worth trying to get a ticket for a special occasion or to splurge.
In relationship with #foodies,
Adam
Adam L. Stanley Connections Blog
Technology. Leadership. Food. Life.
AdamLStanley.com
Follow me on Twitter | Connect with me on Linked In | Like me on Facebook
L’Anima (London) Food Review | Grace Food Review | Other Food Reviews
by Adam L Stanley | Jan 24, 2014 | Food
Clearly I love food. Anyone that follows my blog or my tweets on Twitter understand this more than most. I love to eat, I love to dine out, and I love to experience new cuisines and restaurants. I have a low tolerance for bad food and no tolerance for bad service. Of course I can’t write a blog for every restaurant that I visit. So I’ve decided to do a series of comparison reviews. In some, the connection will be obvious. In others, perhaps less so. In the first of the series, I set out to find two restaurants that were of similar quality in food, decor, value, and service albeit different cuisines. In this case, also looking for strikingly different levels of activity and, likely, different levels of competition and long-term success. For the first pairing, I chose two upscale restaurants.
Today I focus on the first of the upscale restaurants, Grace, one of the West Loop’s premier dining establishments. As a comparison, I dined at Acadia and will subsequently do a full review of that South Loop spot.
A tale of two city restaurants … Grace and Acadia (Part 1)
Foodie Review
Grace
652 W. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60661
Summary: Recommended / Special occasions only.
This is one of the restaurants I have wanted to visit since moving back to Chicago. Everyone has heard of Chef Duffy’s fascinating and tragic history and rise to where he is now. You kind of want this place to thrive. But, this is Chicago, so backstory or not, the food and service must be stellar. And I was impressed. The food was spectacular. It was showy without being too over the top (I don’t really want a pillow on my plate). And I left more satisfied than when I dined at Alinea, albeit less so than L20 or Everest.
FOOD: 5
Very interesting presentations of each course. We all had the menu with meat and lots of it. We loved the heirloom tomato dish with a delicious whirl of sauce. There was an amazing oyster dish that my friend Sherry thought was superb. An artichoke dish could have been skipped but the meat dishes were amazing, including both lamb and beef. Wine pairings were good but not great, and I have yet to find a wine guy as good as Dan Pilkey, formerly of Ria. It is perhaps because of him that I find so many not up to par. (Let’s be clear here, I am not an expert and they certainly know more than I do, but the good ones bring you along with them and the wines fit perfectly with the meal.)
When I dine at these showy places, I often worry that the emphasis will be so much on presentation and flare that the food will be bad. Or, that the temperature will be off. That was not the case at Grace, and all of the dishes came out at good temp and high quality.
SERVICE: 4
Service was exceptional and well coordinated, albeit a bit practiced and “obvious”. My friend summarized service as “quite good but a little bumpy given the prices. Â Could have been more precise.” I agree. At Les Nomades, service is amazing and the servers are there when you need them and almost invisible when you don’t. Here, and maybe this is more due to newness of the restaurant, the service seemed too much like they practiced and wanted to get it right like a routine. I kind of want them to seem a bit more like they are simply happy to serve us. Â Overall, I think service was great. Nothing we needed was ever held back, transitions were smooth, and timing was on point. If I felt they were happy to be hosting us, I would have felt a tad better.
One note: The sommelier, as I mentioned above, was good but not the best. IMHO, she needs to learn to be less intrusive and a bit more nuanced in her interactions with the diners.
DECOR: 5
This is a beautiful, understated, classy establishment. I love the open and airy kitchen with bright woods and colorful spices on display. It’s fun to watch the activity in the kitchen without being overwhelmed by it as can be the case in some restaurants (I sat sweltering in front of the kitchen of Little Goat recently.) The room is small and thus not many patrons. You can have a conversation without screaming or worrying that your neighbor hears every word. Everything is tastefully presented.
VALUE: 3
This is a very very very expensive place. And I knew that of course before dining. It is in line with most places of this style and caliber but I still feel it is pricier than it needs to be. One caveat is that it has been a few years since I dined at Alinea and thus cannot vouch for whether that place and others have also gone up significantly. But, you get what you pay for and Grace is an experience more than a meal.
OVERALL: 4
Grace is a great addition to the West Loop culinary scene and its nice to have another high-end restaurant over there versus in the Gold Coast / River North area. Grace is ideal for a very special date, not business in my opinion. More for celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary. Given the prices, this clearly could not be a regular dining spot for most people and I personally would not see myself returning anytime soon given the tremendous number of other choices in Chicago, many of them significantly less pricey. That said, the chef’s story, the great food and tasteful decor, and the strong level of service make this highly worth trying if you are a foodie.
Stay tuned for review of Acadia in part 2 of this tale of two city restaurants.
More on the chef >> http://graphics.chicagotribune.com/grace/
Adam Stanley and Chef Curtis Duffy
In relationship with #foodies,
Adam
Adam L. Stanley Connections Blog
Technology. Leadership. Food. Life.
AdamLStanley.com
Follow me on Twitter | Connect with me on Linked In | Like me on Facebook
L’Anima (London) Food Review | Grace Food Review | Other Food Reviews
by Adam L Stanley | Mar 24, 2012 | Food
Bishopsgate Kitchen Review
Summary: NOT Recommended / Abysmal Service with subpar food.
Bishopsgate Kitchen
230 Bishopsgate
London EC2M 4QH
SHORT VERSION: Â I have reviewed DOZENS of restaurants and out of over a hundred reviews, I only have 5 places rated one star. I can only guess the reviewers of this place are either friends of the staff or owner or infrequent diners. Or I was just here on a VERY BAD NIGHT. This place is awful and I would recommend you walk right on by.
Service: 1
The great host that greeted me and took order, a guy that was friendly and fast, seemed to disappear and leave two amateurs on the floor. He left two women who walked around and chatted to the two guys who were hitting on them while ignoring everyone else.
After a half hour of trying to use their butter knife to cut the overlooked steak, one of the servers finally brought me a steak knife.
After ignoring me for the hour I was eating, a different server, the one that was chatting it up with the likely married but ringless diner, came over to ask me if I wanted anything else. Get this: the kitchen was closed by then so if I wanted either of the hot desserts I was plum out of luck. First of all, the fact that the restaurant’s posted closing hour is 10pm and they close the kitchen at exactly 10pm is pretty pathetic. That basically means they should stop accepting patrons at 930 pm latest. Second, if chatty Cathy had actually come over during my meal perhaps she could have gathered my dessert order BEFORE the kitchen closed.
Food: 1
My meal consisted of quite possibly the worst steak I’ve had in a year. I’ve had better steaks at Disney World and strip mall food courts. Â Absolutely no flavor and if this is medium, well done must resemble a charcoal briquette. Incredibly bland food. Even the bread was just ok.
Decor: 2
A nice space except whereas I typically enjoy seeing the kitchen, seeing the cook open a container of uncooked food and smell it was less than appealing. One of the cooks approached what looked like a more senior guy and appeared to suspect something was off. The other guy smelled it, looked at it, and smelled again. I was sick wondering if he concluded it was “acceptable”.
Value: 2
Really bad food at moderately expensive prices. Fail.
Overall: 1
I suspect this is the type of place that gets clientele who don’t feel like walking farther than across the street RBS. There are WAY too many restaurants in London to waste time or money on a place like this. In Chicago, this would be one of those places I would predict would be out of business soon. Not sure if here in London a crappy restaurant can survive due simply to convenience of location. Maybe so!
I was looking for my first failure of a restaurant in London and, alas, I’ve found it. Not only do I not recommend this place, I urge you to go out of your way (which really is only about 4 blocks toward Spitalfields) to find a decent meal. Do not go to Bishopsgate Kitchen. It should be closed.
Note: while waiting for my bill, I overheard another guest tell the server he ordered lamb and got tuna. She laughed and he laughed. Interesting. I wouldn’t actually find that funny.
AVOID THIS PLACE.
In relationship with #foodies,
Adam
Adam L. Stanley Connections Blog
Technology. Leadership. Food. Life.
AdamLStanley.com
Follow me on Twitter | Connect with me on Linked In | “Like†me on Facebook
L’Anima (London) Food Review | Grace Food Review | Other Food Reviews
by Adam L Stanley | Mar 18, 2012 | Food
Vivat Bacchus
47 Farringdon Street
Holborn
London
EC4A 4LL
Overall Verdict: Highly Recommended
YOU: Have enough money to eat pretty much anywhere in London or other major cities. You love great food, fine wines, and great service and want to know the place in which you dine is attractive and cozy enough for both business dinners or romantic nights out.
OR
YOU: Money is not running over but you want to have a great night out from time to time. You love good food and wine and are proud to say you know some of the best values in town. You want a nice spot without attitude.
OR
YOU: Can only afford to go to one or two “really nice” restaurants a year and have a special someone you wish to take on a romantic date. You want it to be special, memorable, have amazing food, and not completely break the bank.
Message to ALL OF THE ABOVE:
Go. To. Vivat Bacchus. Now. Really.
Long Version:
I actually dined here on Valentine’s Day so am way overdue writing this review.
FOOD: 5
Before starting our meal, we were given a bottle of sparkling wine to excite the palate. Good stuff but the smells in the place were already stirring up my taste buds so the champagne just went straight to my head.
Pan fried scallops paired with Quinta de la Rosa Branco 2010 from Portugal came next, with the first and only hiccup of the night. The wine did not show up at our table until the scallops were almost done. This was the only major show of amateur service though I will get to service later. That said, the scallops were great and we forgave her for getting out of sync with the wine as the next course came.
The main course consisted of Grilled venison cutlets with squash and beetroot gratin. The venison was bone in and this was the first time I ever had it like that. JUICY. FLAVOURFUL. PERFECTION. The sauce complimented the meat splendidly and the venison was prepared to just the right temperature. At this point in the meal, I started checking out the chef and making eye contact. Really, can we be friends? You cook for me, and I will …. Buy the ingredients? Wine? Serenade you and run a bath with rose petals?
For dessert, I had the MOST amazing chocolate trio with a decadently rich torte and a gluttonous stem ginger mousse. It was paired with a Banyuls from Roussilon. This French version of port is absolutely perfect with chocolate and the choice of this bottle was inspired. …. Banyuls Rimage ‘Les Clos de Paulilles’ 2008. … I seriously considered asking the chef to marry me at this point but thought I was way unworthy so decided instead I would just have to become a regular!
SERVICE: 4
The team here seemed happy to welcome us and the other guests. They were friendly and prompt. While there were a few signs of amateur servers, the manager continued to oversee the meal and typically was able to keep things on track and flowing smoothly. The courses were well timed and our glasses were always filled. Even when she screwed up the wine match with the first course, we actually still had water and champagne so were ok.
DECOR/AMBIANCE: 4
This restaurant is apparently one of a few owned by the same team. I am very interested in seeing the others. The layout of this place was quite odd, with a long and narrow column of tables somewhat crammed in like a bowling lane. (yes, I go bowling sometimes). It was a bit loud yet still allowed us to have a decent conversation, get a decent amount of people watching in, and enjoy watching the chef work kitchen magic. It was a unique restaurant that did not follow the format of other restaurants. Rather, it seemed content to be unique, a bit quirky, a bit disorganised, and full of good wines. As is my preference, the open view of the kitchen less the flames and smoke was a nice addition.
VALUE: 5
Having recently dined at La Chappelle in London and Graham Elliott in Chicago, and especially after my Michelin Quest of 2011, I have been excited to spend this year finding contrasting restaurants that offer similar quality food and much better prices. I found one such restaurant n Vivat Bacchus. The meal was approximately £140 for two, compared to about 3 to 4 times that much at La Chapelle.
Would I go to a Michelin starred über expensive fine dining establishment again? Of course! Those places do tend to offer a level of service unparalleled by most places, interesting and innovative cuisine, and enough posterior region kissing to impress your guests without turning them off. But, and I find myself somewhere between person 1 and person 2 above, this is where I would go for a guaranteed good meal at a good price. I have enough money to dine at the finest places but why do that when I can dine at great value spots and donate more to worthy causes? Happy stomach. Happy heart. Happy Adam.
In short, this place is a great value.
OVERALL: 4
I love great food and great service. Vivat Bacchus had great food and good service. I want to know the place in which I dine is attractive and cozy enough for both business dinners or romantic nights out. I would take a date or colleague to Vivat Bacchus. I am proud to say I know some of the best values in Chicago and am excited to build my list for London, my new home. Vivat Bacchus has made that list early in my transition. There is no attitude, they have amazing food and one meal here will not break the bank for most people.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Vivat Bacchus and would be more than happy to go there regularly, with friends or colleagues. And I look forward to getting to know the chef. If you are reading this, Chef, you are welcome to come over to my flat anytime. I will provide the wine if you cook! But, no bath. That might be awkward. Smile.
In relationship with #foodies,
Adam
Adam L. Stanley Connections Blog
Technology. Leadership. Food. Life.
AdamLStanley.com
Follow me on Twitter | Connect with me on Linked In | “Like†me on Facebook
L’Anima (London) Food Review | Grace Food Review | Other Food Reviews
by Adam L Stanley | Feb 17, 2012 | Food
La Chapelle
35 Spital Square,
London, E1 6DY
United Kingdom
Reviewing: La Chapelle Menu Gourmand (£110 per person for tasting menu with seven courses, paired with wine)
Overall Verdict:
RECOMMENDED WITH MINOR RESERVATIONS
So for those of you who were following, I must confess I abandoned somewhat my 2011 quest to dine at all 23 of the Chicago restaurants awarded at least one Michelin star. See all reviews of the list here http://bit.ly/nGR9Vc ….. I was able to review over a dozen of these top spots from Michelin’s guide.
Frankly, I think the Michelin rating system is flawed at best and a fraud if you’re really a cynic. And I know I will get in trouble for that, but I will save that for another post on another day. That said, I was quite bemused when I selected La Chapelle for dinner on the last night of my last stay in London as a “visitor”(1) and found it too was part of a family of restaurants that included Michelin stars. Despite my lack of faith in Michelin’s ability to fairly pick quality restaurants without bias of marketing and fad, I stayed!
As is often our preference, my partner and I decided on the tasting menu, in this case the Menu Gourmand. There is simply no better way to get a sense of a restaurant, sampling what the chef feels are his or her finest delicacies (or what was on sale at the butcher?’ said the cynic). This tasting menu had seven courses ranging from a light lasagna to a meaty pigeon I’m afraid made me think of Trafalgar Square. Including cocktails, deserts and wine pairings, the bill for two of us came to around £350. And overall it was a fine meal.
Long Version:
FOOD – 4/5
Flavourful and well presented, the menu was creative yet filling. Beginning with a lasagne of Dorset crab and cauliflower velout̩, we were treated to a gastronomical journey through fish and foul as well as a FANTASTIC but salty risotto of Perigord truffle and Jerusalem artichokes. While a bit salty for my taste, and therefore also bad for my blood pressure, the food wowed me from start to finish. Temperatures were on point, the flow was spectacular (getting heavier each course without extreme jumps), and the wine was perfectly paired. Drawbacks: In addition to slightly salty courses, dessert was awful, like a store bought sponge cake with sour cream on the side and apple compote slathered on top. BONUS РMilan born bartender makes a mean Vodka Martini that allowed me to formally end my day before starting the meal and my evening. I watched and learned from a master.
SERVICE – 4/5
You go to this place for the service and you pay for the service with the fairly exorbitant pricing. But if you don’t want to take a chance with that key client, special date, or the boss, you choose a place like this. The host was pleasant, the managers present but not overbearing and our table constantly attended to. The all-male waitstaff (sadly all too common at these high-end restaurants that seem to feel gender diversity only matters at the host stand) were friendly and prompt. They were not personal at all, though perhaps one or two slipped up and let loose for 10 seconds or so. But they were good. And our food was always hot, glasses full, table clean, etc.
Drawbacks: The explanation of each course got progressively lazier as the night wore on. By the end of the menu, the wine was simply being placed on the table and the courses explained as if we were suddenly at Pizza Express. The place was emptying out and perhaps the team members were tired, but unless you’re going to reduce the cost of a tasting menu for your late night patrons, you must keep it up until you close the doors!
DECOR/AMBIANCE 5
The place is beautifully appointed without being gaudy or austentatious. It is vibrant yet quiet enough for a conversation. It is classy but not pretentious. But it is a bit boring and, despite the romantic sound of the name and the very romantic menu, the place is above all a business restaurant. Bankers and bankers, basically. No evident diversity in either gender, age, ethnicity, or professions. And, I will admit here that I am assuming. You’re right, I did not conduct a survey. The entire restaurant might have been full of bohemian artists wearing bespoke suits for the very first time while discussing Occupy Wall Street.
VALUE 3
I love food and I love trying new restaurants, and I am blessed to be able to afford a variety of spots from inexpensive value restaurants to some of the world’s most exclusive and expensive. My value ratings are based on the relevant class of restaurants; a relative rating versus a pure value rating lest all exclusive restaurants would get a 1. Let’s face it, all other things being equal, I would always recommend someone eat a great meal for £50 per person and donate the difference to a local charity. HOWEVER, for a restaurant of this caliber, La Chapelle is appropriately priced on the “border” of too expensive. The tasting menu with wine includes more wine with every course where some have begun pairing one wine with two courses or serving half pours. And you leave feeling well fed. Believe me, I don’t plan to go here again anytime soon, but if looking for a place to splurge for a special occasion, you will likely enjoy this place.
OVERALL 4
With consistant service, great food, a charming decor that allows for conversation and interaction whether with two or twelve, I rate La Chapelle a 4 out of 5 and RECOMMEND WITH MINOR RESERVATIONS. If dining with business colleagues, I highly recommend it. If dining out with good friends, going on a date or looking for romance, I would likely suggest somewhere else. The place is somewhat too business oriented due to location. Despite officially being in Spitalfields, you might feel more as if you are on Bishopsgate, the closest main street. So that’s my reservation. I like food and I hate attitude. There are awesome restaurants like RIA in Chicago that are fantastic AND relaxed. I would recommend those types of places first.
In relationship with #foodies,
Adam
In relationship with #foodies,
Adam
Adam L. Stanley | ALSWharton Connections Food Review
For more reviews, go to my yelp profile here or find me on TripAdvisor with username ALSWharton.
Follow me on TwitterÂ
Connect with me on Linked InÂ
“Like†me on Facebook
1) This is my first UK restaurant review here and will hopefully be first of many. I am relocating to London and excited about experiencing more great food, especially Indian, French, and “eclectic European” cuisines.
Â
In talking with some of the guests it was clear that they were a lot of frequent diners to fine food establishments. People like myself who have had tasting menus at Tru, Everest, the now defunct L20, and even Alinea. To some extent the menu here is similar. Smaller portions of flavorful creative cuisine. But the food here is much more like Elizabeth than those other places, with each course beautifully presented in a very creative manner. The food is playful, complex, and delicious.
VALUE: 4
