The Overbeys Take Chicago, Part 1: The Food

When my P's come to visit us in Chicago, we feast. This trip, we decided to try a fairly new restaurant that's getting a lot of buzz -- Graham Elliot -- and also visit an old favorite from my parents' days at Northwestern -- Gulliver's.

Graham Elliot
I first heard about Graham Elliot a few months ago when Dana and Natalie came into town. We popped in for a drink and ended up staying for 3. The vibe was definitely cool -- exposed brick walls, old school Chili Peppers playing at the bar -- but then I took a look at the menu and realized we were in a fine dining establishment. Interesting!

The plot thickened when Graham Elliot (the chef) showed up on Top Chef Masters a few weeks later. He didn't win, but came in second, and his food looked amazing. And he's kind of got this nerdy punk-rock nice-guy personality that I just fell in love with. And then we saw him at Lollapalooza. I mean literally, saw him! The restaurant was serving food at the festival and we spotted Graham at one point, catching some shade off to the side in his chef's jacket. Jason of course popped over and struck up a conversation with him and it fueled our desire to dine at his establishment.

Anyway, on to the food! We showed up on Saturday for a 7:30 reservation and were ushered over to a semi-private table in the back corner. Perfect! We all decided to get the tasting menu and I am so happy that we did. Every dish had its own interesting presentation and unique combination of flavors and it was fun to discuss what we liked for each course. Kind of like the judges' table on Top Chef :)

My favorite dish was the second course -- a corn chowder with real corn nuts, chipotle sauce, lime-flavored creme fraiche, and a garlic infused marshmallow. Yum! They served the dish with all of the dry ingredients and sauces in the bowl and then poured the corn chowder on top. Even after mixing it up, you'd get a hit of lime in one bite, and then that spicy chipotle flavor in the next, making every spoonful a tasty delicious surprise.

The other highlight of the night was, oddly enough, the cole slaw that was served with the root beer BBQ bison entree. The root beer BBQ sauce got mixed reviews (I loved it!), but our entire table was obsessed with the cole slaw! I've never tasted cole slaw that was so good. I think it also helped that it was served in a tempura-battered onion ring. But nevertheless, that was some darn good cole slaw.

I think Jason and I will definitely be back to Graham Elliot. And next time, I may even try the famous pop rocks/foie gras "lollipop" that we were all too chicken to order :)

Gulliver's
Now on to Gulliver's. Back in the late '60s/early '70s while at Northwestern, my mom and dad discovered the best pizza joint in Chicago -- Gulliver's at 2727 W Howard. Both Susie and I continued the tradition while we were at Northwestern, but since moving to the city, we have not made the trek. What were we thinking???

Gulliver's pizza is unbelievable -- similar in style to Lou Malnati's, for those who are familiar with Chicago deep dish. And the restaurant itself is a wonder to behold. Imagine a place where every spare inch of ceiling and wall space is covered with an antique light fixture or painting (1860s-1920s). It's kind of creepy, kind of kitschy, and very awesome.

Although I always order sausage pizza in the pan, I should mention that Gulliver's serves Italian, American, and Mexican cuisine. My friend Laura was addicted to their burritos in college. And my friend Jon ordered the tri-colored tortellini with blackened chicken almost every Sunday. Check it out. You will not be disappointed!

http://www.gulliverspizza.com/