Avenues Restaurant To Get 2004 F&W Best New Chef

[ChefGEB]

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

[mikeczyz]

I feel is the most creative and forward thinking food city

will you be changing your food style?

[GG Mora]

When are you leaving Jackson House? Is there I chance I can still get there for dinner under your regime?

Congratulations on your new job; I'm sure it will be Vermont's loss.

Edited August 20, 2004 by GG Mora (log)

[ducphat30]

Chef,

Welcome to Chicago. Your website is quite engaging, and your presence in the Chicago food scene definitely adds to the forward thinking movement that has quite a presence here. Best of luck at the Peninsula, it is a gorgeous hotel.

ducphat30

[mckayinutah]

Congratulations chef. The windy city is getting a great talent.

I just read that your wife is a pastry chef and that she worked with you at the Jackson House Inn. Will she be joining you there at Avenues ? ( I ask since I had just read that their pastry chef left for the Phoenician in Arizona ) I was also wondering if she is joining you there, did this make the decision to leave Vermont easier, or were you going to go to Chicago even if your wife wasn't working with you.

I used to work with a husband /wife team in Michigan ( he was an executive chef, she a pastry chef ) and they always seemed to be in dire straits when one was leaving a job because they typically worked at the same places. They opened a new casino in Michigan, and he was fired after they realized they didin't have the money to pay him, not because of his ability. She in turn had to leave as well.

So, in your opinion, is it a good or bad thing to work with your spouse?

Take care,

Jason McCarthy

Executive Pastry Chef

Thanksgiving Point Resort

Lehi, Utah

[yellow truffle]

ChefGEB,

Welcome to Chicago and welcome to the gullet. I cant wait to try some your cooking. You are going to have world class service to accompany your dishes. It maybe too soon to ask, but will the menu also take on a change? Good luck.

[ronnie_suburban]

Chef,

This is very exciting news! Let me join everyone else here in welcoming you to Chicago. So nice to have you with us.

=R=

[Lactic Solar Dust]

Chicago is quickly accumulating its fair share of young, talented, and progessive chefs. With Grant Achatz, the chef at Moto, and ChefGEB mixed with the old gaurd dining in Chicago is going to be very fun. Any chance that the chef from WD-50 or the Fat Duck could come to the Windy City?

[yellow truffle]

Chicago is quickly accumulating its fair share of young, talented, and progessive chefs. With Grant Achatz, the chef at Moto, and ChefGEB mixed with the old gaurd dining in Chicago is going to be very fun. Any chance that the chef from WD-50 or the Fat Duck could come to the Windy City?

Welcome, Lactic Solar Dust. Chicago hosting the olympics of progressive dining. Let the games begin.

Graham Elliot Bowles - Avenues Restaurant

Grant Achatz - Alinea

Homaro Cantu - Moto

Wylie Dufresne - WD-50

Heston Blumenthal - The Fat Duck

[ronnie_suburban]

Chicago is quickly accumulating its fair share of young, talented, and progessive chefs. With Grant Achatz, the chef at Moto, and ChefGEB mixed with the old gaurd dining in Chicago is going to be very fun. Any chance that the chef from WD-50 or the Fat Duck could come to the Windy City?

Welcome, Lactic Solar Dust. Chicago hosting the olympics of progressive dining. Let the games begin.

Graham Elliot Bowles - Avenues Restaurant

Grant Achatz - Alinea

Homaro Cantu - Moto

Wylie Dufresne - WD-50

Heston Blumenthal - The Fat Duck

Thanks yellow truffle...very nice of you to take the time

=R=

[ronnie_suburban]

There is a nice interview with Chef Bowles--and an eGullet mention--in this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish

Again...welcome to Chicago, Chef!

=R=

[ChefGEB]

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

[ronnie_suburban]

Thanks Chef, for the update.

I read in this week's installment of Chicago Magazine's Dish, that you have re-united with pastry chef Brian Schoenbeck, with whom you worked at Trotter's back in 1999. It sounds like you two have a great rapport.

=R=

[mikeczyz]

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

←

will the peninsula hotel website be updating the online menu any time soon?

mike

[chefseanbrock]

has anyone experienced chefgeb's food yet, any reports????????

[gmi3804]

How about price points? I'd imagine the prices are pretty high, judging from the former menu at Avenues...

[nick.kokonas]

I had an exceptional meal at Avenues last Thursday.

After having a small sample of Chef Bowles cuisine at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic, and after spending some time with Chef B., my wife and I were very excited by the news that he was coming to Chicago.

Our meal met our very high expectations.

I will not give a dish by dish preview... but we had the chef's tasting and it was excellent. Avenues has kept its seafood focus -- with an exceptional scallop dish being my personal favorite -- but there was also an excellent and unique Wagyu preparation as well.

The meal was also very inventive without crossing the line into experimental. These were focussed and well presented dishes.

It was also nice to see the dining room nearly full on a Thursday.

I fully expect that as Chef B. grows comfortable in his new surroundings and gains some freedom within the hotel setting, he will be making some of the finest food in Chicago -- and place in the top 3-4 restaurants in the city -- if it is not there already (which it may well be).

Kudos and welcome to Chicago. I will be a frequent diner.

[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

[ronnie_suburban]

Thanks, Chef, for the update. It's much appreciated.

=R=

[gmi3804]

Chef, those menus look incredible! I'm really looking foward to trying Avenues. I remember Aaron from TRU - glad to hear he's joined your team.

[mikeczyz]

Chef-

Do you believe a tasting menu is the best way to experience your food?

mike

[inventolux]

Its the only way to experience a progressive chefs vision in the food revolution. One cannot judge chef Bowles food on one plate, one must see the entire symphony.

Edited October 20, 2004 by inventolux (log)

[VeryApe77]

I'm going to be celebrating a special occasion at Avenues a week on Tuesday. I do not know anyone who has eaten there since Chef Bowles took over. I was wondering if anyone here who has eaten there recently had any good ideas about the best way to order? 3 course? 4 course? Degaustation? Any menu highlights. I agree with Inventlux that the full-on tasting menu is probably the ideal way to go, but I'm not sure if I can really afford it Has anyone here here tried it?

Cheers in advance!

[Suzi Edwards]

i had the tasting menu last week. i'm still sorting my thoughts but if price is your concern then i wouldn't suggest you do it. the food didn't deliver at the price and i got the impression that the chef got bored of cooking and basically suddenly stopped sending food and whizzed us through desert. i'll write more later this week (and would have photos for you but the waiter never got back to us to let us know if we could take them....so we didn't)

so, the food wasn't all bad but the service (apart from the wine) was inconsistent.

i can think of several other ways to spend $450 in chicago.

[VeryApe77]

i had the tasting menu last week. i'm still sorting my thoughts but if price is your concern then i wouldn't suggest you do it. the food didn't deliver at the price and i got the impression that the chef got bored of cooking and basically suddenly stopped sending food and whizzed us through desert. i'll write more later this week (and would have photos for you but the waiter never got back to us to let us know if we could take them....so we didn't)

so, the food wasn't all bad but the service (apart from the wine) was inconsistent.

i can think of several other ways to spend $450 in chicago.

←

Yikes. Sorry to hear that. I think we're likely to go with the 3 or 4 course option. Hopefully we'll have a better experiecnce that you did. I hope so, it's something of a special occasion