MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:Can confirm Elske is open and, at least as far as desserts go, is still as good as it underappreciated on this board.
Our group of four enjoyed a really nice dinner here last night and yes, desserts were great but for us, the rest of the meal was every bit on par with them. It was all at a very high level, across the board.
We had the tasting menu
(plus 2 other courses that were sent out for us), which is forgiving in its length compared to many others I've had in the past. It'd been a long time since I'd had anything I'd classify as fine dining
(predating covid by at least a year), but my most recent memories are of perfectly fine -- even exceptional -- meals that went on too long and became textbook examples of the "too much of a good thing" axiom.
No one wants to finish an expensive, multi-course meal feeling hungry but there is something to be said for the 'leave them wanting more' philosophy. Our dinner at Elske struck a nice balance. We were neither stuffed nor hungry -- and maybe we could have crammed down a few more courses -- but that would have diminished the enjoyment of the meal we had. More isn't always more.
Our progression included clever, resourceful and tasty dishes that incorporated ingredients from as nearby as Elske's own garden to ocean fish and chocolate from distant locales. For me, highlights were a wondrous combination of
hen of the woods mushrooms, green garbanzo beans & barley porridge, a tender-crisp
trout confit with braised peas, caramelized onions & curry, umami-loaded
fermented black bean agnolotti with braised morels, sugar snap peas & sherry and an unctuous plate of
beef short ribs (in a sticky brown sauce) that were out of this world . . .
Short Ribs @ Elske - 21.0604Not only was the dish my favorite of the night, but given my ongoing obsession with cutlery, I loved the appearance of the Perceval 9.47 table knife, too.
MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:The sunflower seed parfait with sour honey, licorice, and bee pollen has been lauded here and elsewhere. If there's a better regularly available plated dessert in Chicago, I haven't had it. It's perfect.
I'm certainly not the guy to ask about how this compares with other, similar desserts around town but it was amazing and easily my favorite dessert of the night. That's not to say that the other desserts we had weren't also great because they were. But this really stood out for us, too.
The contemporary space itself is comfortable and inviting. Doors to the courtyard -- with its wood-burning fireplace -- were open and the a/c was on, so the entire space took on a very cool and breezy indoor/outdoor vibe. Service was exceptional. Our server was knowledgeable, engaged and friendly. Lots of room between tables but I don't know if that's a covid thing or not. Entire staff was 100% masked 100% of the time but diners sitting at their tables -- including us -- were not.
Not an inexpensive meal but a relative value in this arena, I think? Again, it's been a while but we came in at just over $800 for 4 tasting menus, 4 cocktails, 2 wine pairings
(also exceptional, btw), tax and tip. We did not receive an itemized bill, so I don't know if we were charged for the extra dishes, though, I suspect not.
=R=
Same planet, different world