Food Mafia - EL Ideas

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EL Ideas

added by nujulie

2419 W 14th St
Chicago, IL 60608
United States

Phone: 312-226-8144

Website Link

Price: $$$$ ?

Neighborhood: University Village
Style: American
Head Chef:Phillip Foss

121

2 Reviews
0 Favorite
2 Recommend
0 Been There
1 Vault

Description: Things You Should Know:

We are taking requests for tables Wed-Sat seating anywhere from 2-16 guests. We do not take odd-numbered reservation requests.
-Cost of our progressive tasting menu is $135
-Be prompt. Service begins at 7pm sharp. Those arriving late will receive the current dish in the menu’s progression and may not be able to enjoy dishes served prior to their arrival.
SCHEDULE NOTES: Wednesday seating is at 8pm only.
Saturday seatings are @ 5:30 and 9:30.
-EL Ideas is BYOB. No corkage fee.
-Food allergies will be observed when possible, but unfortunately we are not able to accommodate dietary preferences.
-Enter our reservation lotto by filling out the form below or calling (312) 226-8144. Please keep in mind that as this is a lotto you might not be contacted, but if there’s a table open and your name is picked we’ll give you a call.
-TIP: Even though tables are generally booked months in advance, every now-and-then someone will cancel. In this case, we will send out emails to our entire lottery pool and the first to respond is awarded the table.

We are NOT a ‘pop up’ or ‘underground’ restaurant. We have already popped and are very much above the ground… ‘Back Alley ELegance’, would describe us better than anything else.
Please remember that as this is a very new and unique business model, flexibility as we define ourselves is greatly appreciated. This said, it is our unwavering ambition to provide the finest in cuisine and most interactive services all in one of the most unique settings in Chicago. Hope you can come along for the ride!

Hours: Dinner Wednesday - Saturday

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Reviews 2
Photos 3
Videos 0
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Recommend this restaurant or make it a favorite to add a review.

JeffHarms

"Unique fine dining with potential"

January 27, 2012

byob
fine dining

Food: Modern american
Decor: minimal, open kitchen
Service: Kitchen Staff serves
Cost: $$$$
Wine / Cocktails: BYOB

Overview:

I was invited to dine at El with a good friend who writes for the food industry. I didnt really know what I was "in for". What transpired was a very pleasant surprise. Chef Foss, formerly of Lockwood and Meatyballs, was extremely cordial and welcomed all guests at the onset of the meal to his "dinner party". The dining room is simply a small sectioned off area of the kitchen. While we were there, 12 were in attendance. Everyone eats each course together and is free to get up and wander into the kitchen to watch the guys prepare.

The presentation of each course is stunning, clearly trained well in this area. We had a 13 course meal, and each course was reasonably sized to allow you to make it through! I wont go through each course, but I would say about 75% of the menu was amazing. The remaining 25% needs some work. Sometime flavors come together in ways I've never experienced (Everything Bagel) and other times it's overpowering and heavy handed. Dessert needs some attention, but again the presentation was amazing.... rose petal essence under a bowl of chocolate cake, raspberries and rose ice cream.

Everything is very casual, and it's byob. The server was great, and played background music from his own itunes collection, very fun.

Overall a fantastic experience! Foss is still working out the menu, and in a few months I cant wait to go back to see where it has gone! While the location is very obscure, it's worth the journey to try this different take on a restaurant.

Recommended Dishes:

chicken salad, everything bagel, char, scallop

This Review has been recommended by 1 person

nujulie

"Extremely unique dining experience"

October 11, 2011

BYOB

Food: Creative
Decor:
Service: Extremely attentive
Cost: $$$$
Wine / Cocktails: BYOB

Overview:

I have heard that dining here is like being invited to a friend's dinner party...except those friends happen to be extremely talented chefs. I would agree. This is by far one of the most exciting and unique dining experiences that I have had in recent memory, because it is intended to be interactive. The kitchen is entirely open, and you are invited to come in and watch Chef Foss and Chef Brochu prepare and plate these intricate courses. This tiny restaurant seats about 10 people, is BYOB with incredible service, and serves highly creative food. I found that the majority of the courses were incredibly beautifully presented, but had ONE element that I could have done without. I would compare it to seeing an incredible outfit that just has ONE too many accessories. I found there to be usually one thing on the plate that generally conflicted with the other delicious flavors that had been meshing quite well. I would recommend it, but at $125 per person not including tax or tip, I would personally sooner try another restaurant.