ChefGEB

****congrats to chefs colby and megan, as well as the talented team at bluestem for this badass achievement****

just wanted to let everyone know that graham elliot will be accepting june reservations by the end of next week (312.624.9975).

Thank you everyone for the continued support over the years at Avenues. I just wanted to say that I have nothing but the utmost confidence in Chef Duffy's abilities, and am excited to see a someone of his caliber step into the kitchen and lift the restaurant to a new level. Also, moving forward, perhaps any and all comments regarding Graham Elliot would best be written under a separate topic. Regards,

This has been one of my favorite places in NYC since the first time I visited almost 8 years ago. I am so happy to hear that Chef Anthony and his team are doing great. I can't wait to get back and try it myself!

I thought that was the only "card" they honored...

I can't comment on the food scene, but there have been some great bands to come out of Lawrence, most notable being The Get Up Kids. For that alone, Lawrence has a place in my heart!

What kind of credentials do you think one must have to be a critic?

I bet they will still find a way to award someone from NYC the Best Chef Midwest award!

Just to clarify, Aaron Elliott departed Avenues and The Peninsula Hotel earlier this year. Michael Muser has proved to be an amazing addition to the team, and we are looking forward to his continued success.

Maybe this is selfish, but I for one would love to see Chef Randy come on up to The Windy City!

I found out that I would need only 132 signatures on my petition to get on the ballot for the City Council elections in February. The idea of running sounds better all the time!

There is word he will be doing London next, and may come to Chicago in a year or so. With regards to a NY Times review and overall success, what impact do you think his having other outlets will have in the long run?

Todd Jurich is the is the first Chef I had the priveledge to work under over ten years ago. His cuisine is as fresh now as it was then, and his restaurant is not to be missed. He recently moved to a new downtown location. Hope this helps....

Went there the other night....food was tasty, but they had one server on the floor and one cook in the kitchen. It took forever to get our order taken, and even longer to recieve our food, so I am in no hurry to return.

It is my understanding that the ordinance is currently being rewritten due to the many loopholes associated with its effectiveness.

Awesome shots! I was out in DC last week for the annual Heart's Delight event. We dined at Minibar on Friday the 12th and it was amazing.

As a conservative at heart, I always try to follow the idea that good government is less government. To pass an ordinance that has so many loopholes that it is unenforceable, is simply a waste of political capital. Bieng from Roger's Park (Alderman Moore's domain), I can honestly tell you that there a few things that are more important to his constituents (education, crime, energy prices, etc) than an ingredient that isn't sold in one of the local restaurants. If you want to get into the "humane" aspect of foie, simply take a look at the chickens, turkeys, cows (beaks/feet cut off, saline injections, growth hormones), etc you are eating on a daily basis. Hell, I would have even been open to putting a luxury tax on foie, thereby adding another viable stream of revenue to the city. Only one part of the larger stroy was told, which is how we ended up with such a lopsided vote.

BYOF?

Perhaps restaurants will start becoming BYOF...bring your own foie?

I was thinking of that it might be fun to run an all foie gras tasting menu for a while, but now I wonder if my time and energy might be better spent trying to run a campaign against Alerman Joe Moore. I wonder what my chances of winning would be?

On that note, I guess now is as good a time as any to let everyone know that Avenues will be closed from July 1-10 for redecorating. Chandeliers, wallpaper, uniforms, carpeting, art, curtains, etc will all be redone to allow the dining room to more closely resemble the cuisine we are doing.

I just wanted to congratulate Chef Carlson on his being named one of Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chefs for 2006! I look forward to dining at Schwa in the near future, as I have heard nothing but good things. The team of Avenues wishes you continued success.

I am not sure who is currently using her butter, but when I moved back to Chicago and asked if we could use her product at Avenues, she said that all of it was going to be used by Chef Keller (between the Laundry and Per Se). She may in fact be selling to others, but I think they are her main clients. Even better than the butter, if you can find it, is her ricotta. It is unlike anything I have ever had!

Diane also provided her awesome butter to us at the Jackson House while we were in Vermont. We were introduced to her by ChefG at Trio, who was using her prodict as well.

As Tom Friedman pointed out in his latest book, "THE WORLD IS FLAT". With the internet, email, cell phones, FedEx, etc, we are now more interconnected, and thus closer than ever. I think that cuisine is now experiencing some issues with globalization that have been affecting other industries for a quite some time. Once you try to take advantage of new technologies, whether it is to create a new dish or to help promote your cuisine, you inevitably put your cards on the table for the entire world to see. I am not trying to condone what anyone has does (or what everyone has done for that matter) in regards to copying, but I feel that one has to realize that it will continue to happen as access to information is readily available. Does one take an isolationist approach and limit his exposure to the public for fear of being copied? Or does one race to the press with every new idea to prove to the world that he thought of it first?