FESmag

Amelia Levin

IKEA Rules
September 19, 2008

I finally made it into Graham Elliot, the hyped-up outpost of the three-time James Beard Award nominee, Food & Wine best chef, and former executive chef of the four-star Avenues restaurant inside the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago. Elliot, one of the youngest chefs to receive such acclamations, made a name for himself at Avenues, where he focused on “inventive” or “experimental” American cooking (i.e., super creative, interesting ingredients). 

The press salivated over dishes that included Twinkies transformed into croutons for a Caesar salad, rice krispies with fois gras, and even Guinness-infused oatmeal that mysteriously, yet tastefully, made its way into the venison schnitzel dish. After opening earlier this summer, critics described the front-of-the-house interior as a “rejection of convention” with bare-wood tables and “unflattering uniforms” in the form of canvas sneaker-wearing servers “skidding” about the room. 

My first impressions were pretty different from these — I thought the FOH had much more clean, warm sleekness than indie-rock, despite at one point songs from the Clash played. Then again, there were some “retro” touches with ’60s-mod, tan-leather, square stools at the bar, mixed with Crate and Barrel-esque aspects like square, leather ottomans for bar area chairs, and lots of warm colors and straight lines throughout. The brown butter-coated popcorn served instead of bread was also another nice, playful touch. 

Of course, I had to do the “plate-turn” when I first sat down with my dining companion, who happened to be my mom, on one of those ottomans in the bar. We were only there for a quick appetizer or bite before heading off to a party at one of the art galleries in the immediate surrounding area (Graham Elliot sits in the heart of this artsy part of River North just northwest of the Mag Mile.). 

At first glance I thought the stark white coupe plate (something that tabletop experts told me this month is a growing trend) was simple, yet nice and the thin-stemmed fork added to the modern touch. Turning over the plate I found it was from none other than IKEA! At first, I thought, well that’s interesting! But in thinking about it, this is a brilliant idea, for this place in particular. Graham Elliot’s apparent goal was to tone-down the chef’s reputation as a fine-dining chef into a restaurant that’s more casual, more approachable. IKEA, the budget-friendly superstore that’s home to college kids; single, young professionals; and working families alike, fits well in this scenario. And if the plates break, well, who cares?

When our seared, sliced duck breast atop a goat cheese risotto came out, it did so on another, platter-style coupe plate in all white so as to enhance the painted-on aged balsamic reduction. My biggest complaint here was that the plate, and the food for that matter, was anything but hot. Might have been the server’s fault, might have been the kitchen’s fault, but either way that was kind of a huge problem in my book.

That aside, the tabletop experts aforementioned say — and as a culinary student I agree — that coupe plates are really popular right now because more chefs are experimenting with sauces and sides that with coupe, run into the center of the plate nicely instead of spilling out around an otherwise wide-rimmed plate, requiring repeated wipe-downs before service. Plus, they look cool. 

So, the take-away tabletop trend I’ve noticed here and elsewhere? Practicality rules these days, but clean, modern looks are still important.

Posted by Amelia Levin on September 19, 2008 | Comments (0)