EL ideas — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

EL Ideas markets itself as a BYOB Michelin starred restaurant minus the frills, where dinner should feel more like a warm family gathering rather than a distant dinner night out on the town. To this end, they achieved this environment and then some, providing amazing, thoughtful plates while remaining rooted to their ideals.

We were seated promptly at a table within a few steps from the kitchen, where everyone from their tables could see, hear, and smell the magic happening. The chef encouraged us at the beginning of dinner to get up and join them in the kitchen (up to a point so that we did not intrude the process), and see them at work up close and personal; no need to hide behind any walls. This would not be the only time the chef spoke to us, as every time a new dish made its way to our table, he introduced it with an anecdote about the genesis of it, to the final creation on the plate. It was a personal touch that is much appreciated, and not seen in many restaurants, including those labeled as fine dining.

As for the food, my wife, our friend, and I were giddy and full of excitement the days leading up to dinner, and thankfully, our feelings were not misplaced! Dinner started with a couple of beautifully plated and flavorful dishes with the crab and salmon. The crab was Halloween themed in its colors, and in the flavoring, the papaya and carrot elevated the freshness of the crab, giving the dish texture but keeping it light. The follow up dish, a smoked salmon, built upon the light and fresh aspects of the opener. It was a great dish with the beet and pumpernickel making a good contrast to the salmon. Dinner reached a plateau before ramping up again for the next few dishes. The monkfish was okay for my tastes, the chicken and eggs, visually, was not as appetizing or interesting as other dishes, although the flavor was good, and the foie gras was good as well, but not a standout. Immediately after the foie gras, we ate a small bite that seemed as a palate cleanser in the form of a fancy Twix; flavors are unorthodox, but worked extremely well, providing a sweet and salty one-two punch to the palate that prepared me for what was to come. The last 3 dishes of dinner are easily the best of the dinner as well, the last course ending it all with a resounding bang!

The main protein of our dinner was a perfectly cooked lamb surrounded by a supporting cast of flavors that kept transforming every mouthful on my tongue depending on what ended up on my fork. It was an exquisite, ever-changing dish with the date and lamb combo in particular making an angelic duet to my taste buds. Following that up, the second to last meal was an inspiring take on dipping fries in a milkshake, a classic savory and sweet combo, with potatoes and leek soup making the fries, and liquid nitrogen reverse poached ice cream making the milkshake. Sounds like something from a mad scientist, but all elements of the dish worked together well, as it tasted as described, but done with a fascinating and intricate twist. Finally, we got to the gingerbread rooibos, the grand finale and apex of dinner. This was the best dish of the night, as the marriage of citrus and sweet was executed perfectly. The citrus of the candied peach and caramelized pomegranate cut through the sweetness of the rooibos and chocolate in particular, bringing a masterful balance to the entirety of the plate. The problem I had with it was that it marked the end of my meal, and I could not have any more of it.

In summary, EL Ideas was worth the price of admission, and provided my wife, our friend, and me a memorable dinner. I highly recommend trying it, as the flavors were on point, the service was even better, and best of all, you can bring your own wine or...

Well, that was boring.

My brother took me here because he had a really nice experience years back when he first tried El Ideas. I think they may have run out of ideas since then. The owner started off the evening with a speech about how "not pretentious" they are. The amuse was supposed to support the statement about the lack of pretention, so they had us lick frothy wasabi off our plates. Honestly, it was like they were trying super hard to not be pretentious while pushing their dishes and atmosphere into an undeserving level of pretention. None of the dishes were very creative, the plating didn't justify the price tag, the seasonings must have been on vacation because they were not there, and the flavors in most of the dishes were competing with one another. The cook on Scottish egg dish was not consistent - it was essentially a quail egg stuffed inside a duck sausage meatball thing. It was one of my least favorite dishes because (and I'm gonna be petty here) it was yucky. Aside from that, one person at my table had a runny yolk and the rest of us had a solid yolk. I assume the yolk was supposed to be runny and they managed to overcook the other ones. Not ideal for a restaurant with a Michelin star. The owner seems very proud of his "French fries and frosty" dish that is consistently on the menu. I did not enjoy it. Having us mix (as part of the presentation) the enjoyable freeze dried ice cream top with the overly salted and warm potato leek soup underneath just ruined the ice cream portion for me. It was really unfortunate because I wanted to be able to at least enjoy the ice cream top before tasting the questionable potato leek soup. I don't understand how they could over-salt a dish that has remained on their menu for so many years. I couldn't finish it. At the end of the meal, they invited us to walk to the back of the restaurant to serve ourselves a cup of tea or coffee...I guess this is part of the whole not being pretentious schtick. I didn't care for it. I paid enough to at least have the option of a cappuccino at the end of my meal. With such pretentious prices for such mediocre food, I would have at least appreciated that. In the end, it felt like they were trying way too hard to push this "chill" vibe and missed the mark in so many areas. I'd say the vibe came across as quite pretentious.

P.s. the bathroom is meh...I am someone who cares about the bathroom at a restaurant. The teddy bear art that looked like it was stolen from a child's room was, again, maybe a weird attempt to seem less pretentious? Like, "look at our super chill art. We totally don't care about fancy art." But it was just weird (and not in the good way).

TLDR - would not recommend. Michelin may want to...

Went here in May for my wife’s birthday dinner. El Ideas was absolutely outstanding.

We took a taxi here as it is pretty off the beaten path in Douglass, and pulling up, the place is just a building - no signs or anything, which gave it a nice surprise for the birthday, as my wife had no idea where we were until we walked in.

While the place is small and intimate (it seats probably 20 people), it’s not stuffy - I wore a blazer, but most were wearing button downs with jeans, some in a polo shirt, and a couple of people in t-shirts. It’s a mix, and you can be as dressy or as comfortable as you’d like. Their whole vibe is to “turn fine dining on its head”, as Phillip said right off the bat.

It is BYOB, and most guests brought wine. My wife and I brought our favorite beer, which we were able to place into the ice bucket on the table when we arrived.

As others have said, you can go into the kitchen to watch them prepare dishes and talk to the chefs/owner (Phillip). Phillip announces each dish being served, and it feels like a full event, rather than just a dinner. It’s a three-man show - one guy checks you in and is the person who brings you silverware, then there are two chefs who make, plate, and serve the dishes. Definitely less of a full-service restaurant vibe, and is truly a dinner party vibe.

While it is like a “dinner party”, interaction between us and other guests was minimal (which was fine with me, as I was trying to have a nice birthday date). When we walked to the kitchen, some other guests were there and I made a small comment to another guest about the place, but that was it. I’m sure you can interact more if you would like to, but it is not needed or expected.

The food was absolutely outstanding. Every single dish blew me away. My wife and I were speechless with every bite. Compared to many other Michelin-starred restaurants I’ve dined at, the food at El Ideas blew all others out of the water. We could not stop talking about the food afterwards. There was truly nothing that was a let down, but to that extent, nothing “stood out” since every single dish was just so immaculate. The entire meal was the stand out and the show.

If this is your first Michelin-star experience, or if you are a Michelin connoisseur to the point where you have a Michelin Man on your apartment wall, I highly recommend giving El...