uhockey wrote:I'll note that true to their word I called today for a reservation on 3/17 and Chef Foss answered the phone himself, took down all my information (jokingly asking for the name of my first born child after collecting credit card info,) and within 20 minutes I got a confirmation e-mail from Allison.

Apparently they have moved to only one seating, 7:30, during the Friday/Saturday dinner service.

Looking forward to the experience for sure. Sandwiched between a truly gluttonous trip to NYC last week and a visit to Next - El Bulli on 3/18 it should be a great month.

Just an fyi that the single seatings are an anomaly and will not be a reflection of our hours going forward. Thanks and look forward to hosting you soon!

I assumed as much since I know for a fact you told me 9:30 when I originally called, however Allison assured me of the 7:30 seating when I e-mailed to confirm.

I'll just assume that the single seating means you're planning to serve us twice as much amazing food since there is no second seating to worry about.

Looking forward to the experience.

uhockey wrote:
I'll just assume that the single seating means you're planning to serve us twice as much amazing food since there is no second seating to worry about.

Looking forward to the experience.

Look forward to seeing you soon!

Thank you all for your input and we have gone live with a press release announcing our 'new' system.. open table will just have to wait for me to sell my soul.
http://thepickledtongue.com/el-ideas-press-release-changes-to-reservation-process/

Phillip,

How far in advance can we make reservations? Not looking at Christmas or anything, but something like last Saturday in May for my wife's birthday...

I'm confused by the last few posts regarding the seating times. I have a reservation this Friday for 2 for 9:30PM. Is that no longer the case? Has the seating been moved up?

pacent wrote:I'm confused by the last few posts regarding the seating times. I have a reservation this Friday for 2 for 9:30PM. Is that no longer the case? Has the seating been moved up?

phillipfoss wrote:Just an fyi that the single seatings are an anomaly and will not be a reflection of our hours going forward. Thanks and look forward to hosting you soon!

claypoolfan wrote:

pacent wrote:I'm confused by the last few posts regarding the seating times. I have a reservation this Friday for 2 for 9:30PM. Is that no longer the case? Has the seating been moved up?

phillipfoss wrote:Just an fyi that the single seatings are an anomaly and will not be a reflection of our hours going forward. Thanks and look forward to hosting you soon!

Got it! Thanks.

TCK wrote:Phillip,

How far in advance can we make reservations? Not looking at Christmas or anything, but something like last Saturday in May for my wife's birthday...

Anytime.

pacent wrote:I'm confused by the last few posts regarding the seating times. I have a reservation this Friday for 2 for 9:30PM. Is that no longer the case? Has the seating been moved up?

You are all good... see you friday at 9:30!

Let me encourage LTHers on this thread and elsewhere to consider using the Personal Message function for personal communications. Some of us get notices when there is a new post on a thread, and we hope that the post is a substantive contribution about the food. The question should be whether one's post is something that everyone needs to read or simply a communication for a single person.

Thank you and best success to EL Ideas.

Love the new website, it looks a lot better... Nice to have features on the food right there when you get in too.

Finally getting my first opportunity to come in tomorrow night, have to thank you again Chef for the new reservation system. I was struggling with the lottery before the change.

Coming with my father who is a Chaine member and he gets really geeked out about eating at restaurants of chefs who are also members, so sorry if he's a little overly excited tomorrow

Booked! Can't wait. hopefully i dont leave hungry!

Love the new website! Just got my booking for my birthday on June 9th... bringing my wife, son who's 15, and daughter who's 13. I'm gradually turning them into little foodies.

We can't wait! It all looks so *amazing*!

Agreed on the new site.

Looking forward to St. Patty's Day with EL Ideas possibly even more than the next day at Next.

Thank you chefs Foss, McMullen, Manley and gracious host Dave for a fantastic meal last night. With these tasting menus, there are usually a few courses that we manage to find that are not so great, but there wasn't a single course that we didn't thoroughly enjoy.

We were informed that the "movie snacks" (popcorn, twizzlers ice cream and on the vine "raisinets") course was a new item and we were both amazed by the twizzler ice cream. Well done on that one!

It's tough to choose favorites when everything else was so good, but we both agreed that the "roe" course was our absolute favorite! I wrote a review of Yusho and was lamenting how the food there lacked the fundamental core flavors of Japanese food, and the "roe" course at EL Ideas captured them in a HUGE way. Katsuobushi FTW!

Other favorites of the night were the "french onion", "foie gras", "kohlrabi" and "duck" courses. My wife loved her duck course so much that she almost knocked the wine glass over and spilled some wine (sorry for that Dave!)

We are really looking forward to making a return visit!

P.S. - I hope the kitchen enjoyed the cheese.
P.P.S. - The music selection was off da hook, fo' shizzle!

snk wrote:Thank you chefs Foss, McMullen, Manley and gracious host Dave for a fantastic meal last night. With these tasting menus, there are usually a few courses that we manage to find that are not so great, but there wasn't a single course that we didn't thoroughly enjoy.

We were informed that the "movie snacks" (popcorn, twizzlers ice cream and on the vine "raisinets") course was a new item and we were both amazed by the twizzler ice cream. Well done on that one!

It's tough to choose favorites when everything else was so good, but we both agreed that the "roe" course was our absolute favorite! I wrote a review of Yusho and was lamenting how the food there lacked the fundamental core flavors of Japanese food, and the "roe" course at EL Ideas captured them in a HUGE way. Katsuobushi FTW!

Other favorites of the night were the "french onion", "foie gras", "kohlrabi" and "duck" courses. My wife loved her duck course so much that she almost knocked the wine glass over and spilled some wine (sorry for that Dave!)

We are really looking forward to making a return visit!

P.S. - I hope the kitchen enjoyed the cheese.
P.P.S. - The music selection was off da hook, fo' shizzle!

Thank you for the kind words... and the cheese!! Made it onto our family meal tonight.
What was it again?

I've done a good amount of fine dining in the last few years and will simply say that EL Ideas is one of the best "bang for the buck" dining experiences out there. Eventually my full long-winded thoughts will find their way into my blog, but for now I'll say that overall it was the most fun I've had at a restaurant in quite some time and while not every dish worked 100% (the oyster dish would have been better as a single shot as opposed to being spooned and thus creating some bites too sweet and others too salty and the St. Patty's Day special ham was simply too thick to be cut with a butter knife) the majority took balls, showed great whimsy, and worked on multiple levels of taste, texture, and temperature in a manner similar to some of the best in Chicago (Alinea, Schwa, Avenues under Duffy.)

The ability to interact with the team, wander into the kitchen, watch (and even serve) dishes was a fun twist and while the music wasn't exactly my sort of thing it was at least tame and not face-melting loud like Schwa.

A big thanks to Chef Foss and team for a great night - and seriously, that cauliflower dish and the kohlrabi dish - holy shit.

We have been around the block a few times, too. EL Ideas is our #1 restaurant in the Chicago area. We hope it continues to evolve and flourish no matter what obstacles get thrown at Chef Foss.

I went to NEXT - El Bulli the following night and while eating all those classical dishes perfectly executed by Achatz/Berran/et al was exciting and something I'm glad I had the chance to experience I have the strong feeling that when I look back in retrospect at my "Year in Eating" for 2012 the great time, great food, and great fun I had at EL Ideas will feature more prominently in my memory than Next - and at 1/3 the cost.

I went in with medium-high expectations and walked out thrilled with the experience hoping to come back before I move west in July.

Totally humbled by these comments. And despite my own dyslexia re: names and faces, all of us love the connection we are forging with our guests that we never could have in a behind the scenes kitchen. Also cant say enough about what it means that the concept and cuisine are being so well received. Thank you!
Btw - ham course taking a twist this week... the st. paddy's day bonus course didnt cut it for me either (pun intended)

Wow, after reading all this I know that EL ideas will be next on my list of restaurants to try. Especially after reading most of the blog posts on the website (especially this one). Thanks for all the great pictures and information!

Appears that all the reservation problems have been solved, and being one of the ones that gave up, I got a reso. See you next week.

El ideas definitely exceeded our expectations. Delicious, creative, satisfying food. And just a fun experience; too many "foodie" destinations put on a pretentious air, but here you can just kick back and have a blast. My husband is already trying to replicate the first course, though I don't think we can justify buying a sous vide machine. Already planning a return visit.

El Ideas keeps getting better! I returned to El tonight and the meal was phenomenal. Such beautiful, creative food that tastes as good as it looks. In addition to having some of the best food in Chicago, the atmosphere is what really makes El Ideas one of my favorite venues. This is not just an outstanding meal, but an event. It really is like being at a dinner party. The chefs and staff are incredibly friendly and passionate about their work. It is such a cool experience being able to wander into the kitchen and hang out and observe them in between courses; you can even help with the plating! This is a must visit place for all foodies; can't wait to go back!

Amuse Bouche: Quail Egg with Cauliflower & Creme Fraiche:


Cucumber with Trout, Smoke & Hummus:


Fruit Cup with Squid, Lemongrass, Chili and Lime in the Coconut Powder (One of My Favorite Courses):


Lizarra: Pine Nuts, Meyer Lemon, Spring Garlic:


In the Kitchen: Preparation of Mushroom Course:




Lamb Tongue with Asparagus, Egg & Bagel Dust:


Veal Oscar with Spanner Crab, White Asparagus & Porcini Mushrooms; Chef Foss is still working on the presentation but the taste is spot on!


Potato Ice Cream with Leeks, Green Garlic and Chive - A Play on Chef Foss' Daughter's Enjoyment of McDonald's Fries dipped in a Milk Shake:


Royal Trumpet with Scallions, Goat Cheese Raviolo & Sunchoke Puree:


Helping Plate Coco Nibs for the Squab Course:


Chef Foss Photographing the Squab Course (Guess He Liked My Plating)!


Squab Course: Squab with Foie Gras Stuffing & Puree with Coco Nibs:


Prep of the Wagyu:




Waygu Course with Kimchee, Soy Sauce, Black Garlic and Short Ribs - Awesome Course!!!


Prep of Pretzel Course:


Pretzel Course served with a shot of PBR Beer!


Peppermint: Peppermint Ice Cream with Peppercorn & Strawberries - Also an Awesome Course!!!


Olive Oil Cake with Beets, Pistachio & Dark Chocolate:


The Menu:


Posing with Chef Foss after an Incredible Meal:

Gonzo70 wrote: I returned to El tonight and the meal was phenomenal.

We were sitting across from you (the table near the window) and I couldn't agree more. The food at EL is fantastic and the atmosphere/laid-back vibe of the restaurant makes it one of the most fun and welcoming venues I've ever dined at.
We made our next reservation on the way out the door.

Thanks turkob for recommending it (at the Viet Nam dinner)--I'd been meaning to try it for a while but you motivated us to seek out a reservation.

I was there on Friday and also had a spectacular meal. Thank you for taking the pictures Gonzo, I tried to do the same but my phone was clearly not as capable as your camera.

I was also there on Friday. The only miss for us and the tables next to us was the beef. So tough I couldn't cut or eat mine, and the short rib jerky underneath was so salty, it was also inedible. The potato soup was incredible, the texture and the hot/cold so full of flavor. My second favorite was the trout mousse and hummus, the cucumber made it so fresh and tasty. The amount of time the chefs put into each dish is just truly amazing. I also loved the concept and the friendliness of everyone. (the neighborhood-sketchy) The space and the atmosphere is cool and chill, really loved it.

Would love to get copies of these killer pix... if it's not too much trouble, can u send them to info@elideas.com?
And thanks for joining us and for the review!!!

Gonzo70 wrote:El Ideas keeps getting better! I returned to El tonight and the meal was phenomenal. Such beautiful, creative food that tastes as good as it looks. In addition to having some of the best food in Chicago, the atmosphere is what really makes El Ideas one of my favorite venues. This is not just an outstanding meal, but an event. It really is like being at a dinner party. The chefs and staff are incredibly friendly and passionate about their work. It is such a cool experience being able to wander into the kitchen and hang out and observe them in between courses; you can even help with the plating! This is a must visit place for all foodies; can't wait to go back!

Hi Chef,

Glad you liked the pictures! I will try e-mailing them to you tonight.

Edit: Just sent them to you; looks like they went through OK, in case you did not receive them let me know.