ChefGEB

This has turned out to be the most entertaining forum yet!

I don't want to ruffle any feather, but when I think of a person who has brought Chicago international credibility on the culinary stage, as well as helped the community through numerous events, charities and programs, only one name comes to mind....Charlie Trotter. The fact that his restaurant has been the bench mark that all others in this city are judged upon for almost 20 years is a remarkable feat on its own. When you couple this with the number of cooks who have passed through his hallowed walls and gone on to run their own kitchens, it is another completely. Love him or leave him, you must respect what he has done....

Chef Virant is an awesome guy, and I can't wait to visit his restaurant. With regards to The Beard House, what could Chicago do to create something along the same lines for national Chefs to showcase their talents here?

Dined at Custom House on Sunday night. Chef Shawn sent out all kinds of goodies to our table. Food, service and dining room in general were all top notch. Chicago is quite lucky to have such a talent to call our own. Three awesome restaurants opened in less than 5 years?! I'm "Green" with envy

Chef Garrelts is in league of his own, and is an obvious choice for a 2006 Midwest Beard award. But sadly, if anyone looks at the results of the last few years, almost 85% of all winners/nominees are from NYC or California. And with regards to the districts that the Awards are given out to, the "Midwest" is almost always defined as Chicago, just as the "Mid-Atlantic" is Washington DC, the "Northeast" is Boston, and so on. Has anyone ever been nominated or received an award from Iowa, Vemont, the Dakotas, New Hampshire, etc? Now more than ever, the Beard Foundation must break the mold and truly start to reflect the diverse food cultures and regional chefs that make this country a culinary force to be rekoned with around the globe.

My hats off to Chef Rucker for not only sticking to his culinary guns in regards to what cuisine he believes in, but also for opening his first restaurant in a new market. Also, to pull it off before the age of thirty is a feat anyone should be proud of. I look forward to dropping by the great city of Houston sometime to try what sounds likely to be, some of the most thought provoking food in Texas.

I just happened to see this post and thought I would add my two cents. I believe you could get ducks tongues from either Hudson Valley Foie Gras or La Belle Farms (usually in a ten pound case at $9.00+/lb). Due to the extremely high concentration of natural gelatin, I find it is best to cook it ina way that is similar to pigs feet. First, braise the tongues, then, once cooled, remove the small, plastic tube like item from their center. Gently chop up the tongues with a Chefs knife until they are in a rougly uniforn size. Once you have the tongue meat set aside, saute some garlic and shallot in a pan with a little oil. Add the duck tongues and cook them down until the geltain renders them into a crispy texture. The finished product will yield an almost otherworldy flavor reminiscent of bacon. Enjoy!

Congrats to Chefg and his amazing team on receiving a coveted 4 star review from Chicago Magazine. Having just had the opportunity to experience Alinea first hand, I can honestly say it is truly in a league of its own. ChefGEB

I just wanted to be the first to congratulate Chef Achatz and his team on today's four star review in the Tribune. Way to go! ChefGEB

FYI, I had the pleasure of dining at WD-50 for the second time last this past weekend and it was sensational. Chef Wylie and Chef Mason were both off (Sunday night), but Dewey Dufresne more than made up for that with his wit and know how. The kitchen threw down on about 20 different dishes, all of which were mind blowing. All we need now is another outpost to open in Chicago! Regards, ChefGEB

When I was Chef up at The Jackson House Inn & Rstaurant last year (in Woodstock, VT), we would find tons of fiddleheads and ramps in the spring, and loads of matsutake/white pine mushrooms in the fall. They grow around an area known as the pogue right around Mt. Tom (if any of you are familiar). Just an FYI.

I just wanted to add an update here regarding Avenues. We are now offering four seperate six course tasting menus to choose from ("Vegetable", "Seafood", "Protein" and "Grand"), as well as our Chef's Palate Menu (9-12 courses). You can view the current spring menus with the following link. We look forward to cooking for you soon. http://chicago.peninsula.com/pch/pdfs/spring_2005.pdf Regards, ChefGEB

Of course, everyone is open to their own opinion, but it is sad to see cuisine turn into competition. Most chefs seem to put endless amounts of energy and passion into their cooking, that it evetually becomes who they are, rather than what they do. It is disheartening to see that the measure of your worth is the measure of your work. I personally think that we should all be extremely thankful that this city has so many great restaurants striving for culinary greatness. ChefGEB

The team at Avenues thanks all of the egullet community for their continued support in what we do. We look forward to cooking for all of you in the near future! Chef GEB www.gebowles.com

I have nothing but the greatest respect for this great chef and his wonderful restaurant, but it seems that for the same price, one can fly to Tokyo and have an amazing sushi experience for close to the same price. I am not trying to take anything away from what Masa is trying to do, but at what point does value come into the equation? ChefGEB www.gebowles.com

I hear they are looking at doing one for Chicago as well as one for San Francisco. Jean Luc Naret, the new head of the Guide, ate at Avenues, Tru and Charlie Trotters upon a recent visit to The Windy City. Mr. Naret seems to believe that what matters most in a restaurant is whats on the plate, and less so to do with the million dollar flower arrangements of the past. That said, I would not be suprised if their American guide is quite different in its approach to reviewing restaurants. ChefGEB www.gebowles.com

I apologize if my comments came accross in the wrong way, but I certainly do feel that the idea of working out of a cookbook is dead and gone. Personally, I look at cooking as any other art that is open to personal interpretation; both for the guest and the chef. I liken fingering through a chefs cookbook to observing great art in a museum. You can pull many things from it, and if your lucky, it can inspire you to create things of your own. Of course a lot of chefs are inspired by Adria, Trotter, Keller etc, but the goal always has to be to find your own voice. What Jackson Pollack, Pablo Picasso or Piet Mondrian painted at the begining of their careers was much diffrent than what they ended up being famous for. It takes time, and many chef are at the beining stages of finding thier own true path. With regards to the Techno Chefs article in Chicago Magazine, it is an honor to be included with such amazing talents as Chef Cantu and Chef Achatz. However, I would be willing to bet that if you dined at our restaurants (moto, alinea and avenues respectively), you would receive three totally diffrent experiences. At times, we may tend to share a lot of the same philosophies and approaches to cooking, but at the end of the day, all chefs cook from what seems right in their hearts. I am anxious to see the "forward thinking" cuisine grow, especially in Chicago. This city is among the most creative in the country, and I am truly happy to be cooking in it. Happy new years, ChefGEB www.gebowles.com

I just wanted to let everybody know that Avenues, which Chicago Magazine recently awarded four stars, is no longer considering itself to have seafood driven cuisine. With the new team in the kitchen, we are striving to be more of a contemporary restaurant. We feel that without the restraints that come with putting yourselves into any one category, we can be more open to change and spontaneity. That being said, I look forward to cooking for you all soon, and until then, happy holidays. ChefGEB

FYI, Aaron Elliott, the former assistant sommelier from Tru, has started his new position of Wine Director for The Peninsula Chicago. He will be focusing primarily on Avenues at the begining, creating wine pairings for our multiple course menus. Also, Brian Schoenbeck of the Greenbriar in West Virginia, has joined the Peninsula team as Executive Pastry Chef. You can view our current pre fixe, degustation and dessert menus by clicking on the provided links below. http://chicago.peninsula.com/pch/pdfs/degustationmenu.pdf http://chicago.peninsula.com/pch/pdfs/dessertmenu.pdf ChefGEB www.gebowles.com

Just wanted to let everyone know that Avenues has reopened this week and that the new team and menu format, three and four course pre fixe as well as six and twelve course tasting menus are in place. I invite all of you to come and and allow us the pleasure of cooking for you. Graham Elliot Bowles www.gebowles.com

I just wanted to take a moment and let everyone know that I will be taking over the Chef position at Avenues Restaurant in The Peninsula Hotel in downtown CHicago starting next month. Over the last year and a half at The Jackson House Inn in Woodstock, VT, I had the chance to truly cement my culinary philosophies and personal cooking style. It is with great pleasure and excitement that I am returning to what I feel is the most creative and forward thinking food city in the country. I look forward to cooking for you all in the near future, and until then, best wishes and warm regards. Graham Elliot Bowles www.gebowles.com

I had the pleasure of dining at Clio back in March, and am quite suprised to say that with the exception of the desserts you described, I had the same tasting menu as you had a few weeks ago. The meal was quite good, but there were some long waits between courses. Alex Stupak, the Pastry Chef, and I had the opportunity to work together at Tru in Chicago. I feel his pastries are some of the most thought out and delicious creations I have come across. Next time you are in Boston, I sugeest you skip dinner at Clio and simply go there for the dessert tasting. You will not be let down. ChefGEB www.gebowles.com

Sara, We wuold love for you and your boyfriend to join us in August. We have a three course pre fixe for $55 (app, entree, dessert), and a ten course tasting menu for $95. Burlington is about an hour and forty five minutes away, so I am sure you could make it if you had an early reso (dining room opens at 6pm). I hope this info helps some, and I look forward to cooking for you soon. ChefGEB

I have had the priveledge of working alongside Chef Cantu at Charlie Trotter's, and I must say, he is one of the most talented and creative people I have had the pleasure of knowing. Due to the fact that I am currently cooking in Vermont, I have yet to try his doings at Moto. I can only guess that it is just a matter of time before he begins to put the food world on its ear! Chef GEB www.gebowles.com

I completely understand whewre you are coming from, but here are a few thoughts on the situation. I think that if you are a small, independant artisinal dairy farmer, and someone of the likes of Thomas Keller wishes to use your product, the decision to sell to him and not to a local chef is a easy decision. Press/exposure, as well as the cache of being used by a "star chef", has less risk associtatd with it, than say, a 27 year old chef who is just starting out in a town of 3,000 people in Vermont. Also, with FedEx and overnight delivery, everyone is now your "local purveyor". Meaning, the world today is soo small, that you as a chef have the ability, as well as the responsibiltly, to seek out the greatest ingredients, where ever they are to be found. ChefGEB