Chicago style part 2

On halloween night, we ventured to Graham Elliot for what we hoped to be a delicious meal but left with a just a few highlights and a lighter wallet.  We secured our reservation for 5:45 so we would have time to return to get ready for the night's halloween festivities.  I was happy to see that even though Graham elliot is a fine dining establishment, they allowed their servers to dress up in costume.  We were greeted by a female version of beetlejuice who had zombie make up that was actually quite shocking.  Zorro and Flash gordon zipped through the dining area but my friends were delighted when Harry Potter dropped off a basket of popcorn drizzled with truffle oil.  As we muched on the pre meal treat, the menu featured meat and seafood dishes throughout the first and main courses but lacked few vegetarian options.  There was also several tasting menus ranging from $75-$120 dollars.  We decided on 2 appetizers to share and 3 main courses

The 2 appetizers featured below were 

 

the mac and cheese risotto with beer braised brawtwurst and apple gremolata and the bruleed figs with ricotta, microgreens, proscuitto and balsamic.  The creamy risotto was solid but I personally enjoyed the cold appetizer of figs a little more.  The sweetness from the caramelized figs paired well with the drier and saltiness of the ricotta, the crunchy proscuitto crisp and the acid from the balsamic foam.  I did not enjoy what i presumed was an arugula puree (green blob) which was far too bitter for my palette.

The main courses

were solid in certain elements within each dish but provided no cohesion in flavor and contrasts in texture.  The waygu beef was grilled and seasone to a perfect mid rare but i was bored with the accompainments of chopped carrots, turnips and potatoes in truffle jus.  The suckling pig dish was a fusion version of the classic korean bimbimpap which a variety of meats and veggies of rice.  Graham Elliots preparation of the suckling pig was dry but the scallion noodles, kimchi and pickled radishes, and enoki mushrooms enhanced the overall flavor profile.  I can't remember the scallops....

Plate score: 6

The next morning, we wheeled our suitcases to urban belly, an asian fusion dumpling, noodle and rice joint located in a strip mall next to a laundromat.  This James Beard Award winner did not disappoint and it only cost us each $13 to stuff our faces after a night of halloween fun.  We ordered the chicken and mushroom, and duck and pho spices dumpling, the shortrib and scallion fried rice and the urban belly ramen.  I was expecting steamed dumplings but the chicken dumplings were panfried and the duck ones were deep fried.  Both were quite delicious but my palette gave the top honors to the rice and noodle dishes.  The shortribs were braised in korean style marinade of presumably soy, ginger, garlic, sugar and scallions and grilled to juicy perfection.  There were 3 ribs, cut against the bone lay over a heaping pile of fried rice stir fried with scallions and egg and no soy sauce (which is how it is supposed to be!).  The ramen was served with mushrooms and slices of pork belly submerged in a sweet and savory soy broth.  It reminded me of the amazing ramen experience at Ippudo in NYC.  All three of us agreed that the rice and noodles were the stars as we boarded the L to O'hare with a full belly!

Plate score:  9