Ohhhh, what a lucky lucky girl I am. You would think, the day after the ICPro event I would have slept all day. Nope. Mom and I hopped in the car and cruised down to Chicago. Part of it was my present to mom, a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's studio. Part of it was for me, dinner at Graham Elliot.

Yes, another fabulous celebrity chef. And now, definitely one of my favorites. I learned of Graham Elliot Bowles on Top Chef Masters, earlier this year. I fell in love with his attitude and his sense of humor and his adventurous approach to food. Plus, hell, he is adorable.

We tried some brilliant dishes, including the infamous foie gras lollipops rolled in Pop Rocks. Yep, I said it POP ROCKS!

Just a sampling of our dinner included a rich cheddar, brat and apple risotto named for Sheboygan, WI and topped with CHEEZITS.

A decadent pork belly served with grits, greens, fried pickles and root beer bbq sauce. Mom's scallops with raisin chutney and cauliflower puree looked so good, I didn't even get to try it! I have to apologize for the food photography, while in his exquisite dining room, I could not even consider whipping out my camera with the flash, so I stuck to my iphone.

The staff was superior. Everyone was SO NICE. The decor was sparce and masculine. An intriguing use of seasonal ingredients as art...at the moment, it was pomegranates. Thankfully, later, I was able to use the good camera when Chef Bowles came to our table and invited us INTO THE KITCHEN! He is so NICE. He greeted us with big hugs like long lost friends. His chefs were friendly and smiled and talked to us; the kitchen small and efficient. It was a joy to be treated so warmly. I would be remiss to not wish him well and THANKS for the goodies he sent to our table, I guess it really does pay to make friends in the Twitterverse!! I WILL BE BACK!


As I wrapped up this post, my mom mentioned that I am supposed to write that she is in love with him, but I can't allow that...I saw him first!!!