Earlier this month, Chef Regan opened Elizabeth restaurant in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. We were familiar with the location, as it was in the spot that was once occupied by John Fuente’s Prix Frixe, which had since closed. Chef Regan offers three unique menus at Elizabeth – an 8-10 course menu (Owl), the 12-15 course (Deer), and the 20-25 course (Diamond). We were celebrating our anniversary, so we opted for the Diamond, and we were not disappointed! Dining is communal at Elizabeth; there are three long tables that each seat about 8 people. Everyone at your table is doing the same menu, so you have the opportunity to make new friends as you enjoy your meal.

We split the wine pairings, and they were excellent. Elizabeth’s sommelier was both knowledgable and very nice.

Apple pie and American caviar – if you could put the fall season into a shotglass, this would be it.

Pumpkin experiment:

Salad sponge: visually stunning and delicious as well.

Round pancake – the favorite course of one of the girls at our table.

Terrarium – the crumbled, toasted brioche inside was delicious!

Foraged mushroom and juniper:

Oatmeal dashi:

Apple cider, sunchoke, and loup de mare – my second favorite course of the night. The crispy fish skin was so good!

The kitchen is open in this small space, so you get a front row seat to watch the chefs work.

Shrimp noodles with toasted kale on top – my favorite course. I’d like a giant bowl of this, please.

Oyster and nasturtium:

Lobster, liver, and flowers – another visually beautiful course which tasted as good as it looked.

The hand course – Chef Regan plates this on your hand.

Hamachi and fermented leek:

Chicken pho served in an adorable owl mug:

Surprise course! It doesn’t look like tomatoes, but it tasted like tomatoes:

Heart, celery, and pickled onion

Deer bresaola:

Dry-aged ribeye and summer beans: The ribeye was good but a little chewy. The beans were amazing.

Feta and herbs:

Bacon ice cream cone: We had this at Iliana’s underground dinner, and it was just as delicious this time around.

Finally, small bites: beet marshmallows and ginger chews.

Overall, this was definitely some of the most fun I’ve had at a dinner since Schwa. Chef Regan’s personality really comes through in several of the courses. At the end of the meal, we were very full but not stuffed – a good place to be. A caveat that the menu is always changing based on the ingredients available to Chef Regan and the season, but the above will give you an idea of what you can expect. Thank you, Iliana, for a fantastic evening of delicious food. We will definitely be back to try another menu!

Steve Koo is a Chicago photographer specializing in modern, nontraditional wedding photojournalism. You can read the original blog post here Elizabeth Restaurant : Chicago.

This is a favorite of mine, and I stumbled onto a NY Times recipe that used Swiss Chard instead of spinach. I’ve made it 4 or 5 times now, and it’s delicious!

Ingredients
2 to 2 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, stemmed and washed thoroughly
Salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, a combination of dill and parsley, or 1 teaspoon each dried thyme and oregano
3 large eggs, beaten
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Freshly ground pepper
12 sheets phyllo pastry
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or 2 tablespoons each melted butter and extra-virgin olive oil, combined, for brushing

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil while you stem and wash the greens. Wash them in 2 changes of water, lifting them from the water so that the dirt stays behind. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, add the chard and blanch for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, transfer to the ice water. Let sit just until cool, a few minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water by taking up bunches of the greens, making a fist around them and squeezing. Chop coarsely and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Oil or butter a 10-inch tart or cake pan (I like to use a ceramic dish for this). Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds to a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the greens, herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir the mixture for a minute, until the greens are coated with oil. Remove from the heat.

3. Beat the eggs in a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Crumble or blend in the feta. Stir in the greens, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Line the pie dish with 7 pieces of phyllo, lightly brushing each piece with butter or oil and turning the dish after each addition so that the edges of the phyllo drape evenly over the pan. Fill with the greens mixture. If using phyllo, fold the draped edges in over the filling, lightly brushing the folded in sheets of phyllo ,then layer the remaining 5 pieces on top, brushing each piece with butter or olive oil. Stuff the edges into the sides of the pan. Brush the top with the butter or oil, and make a few slashes so that steam can escape as the pie bakes.

5. Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crust is golden. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

Recipe via the New York Times

Steve Koo is a Chicago photographer specializing in modern, nontraditional wedding photojournalism. You can read the original blog post here Spanakopita with Swiss Chard.

Los Nopales is a fantastic little Mexican restaurant within walking distance from our home. It’s both a blessing and a curse, because I could eat their fish tacos every night.

Steve Koo is a Chicago photographer specializing in modern, nontraditional wedding photojournalism. You can read the original blog post here Los Nopales.

Our cake-toppers from our wedding. Cake-toppers made by the amazing Goose Grease.

Steve Koo is a Chicago photographer specializing in modern, nontraditional wedding photojournalism. You can read the original blog post here Scrabble Proposal.

We wanted to do a nontraditional baby shower with our friends; rather than renting out a restaurant, we decided to have it in our new house since we hadn’t had an opportunity to throw a housewarming party yet. We left it open-ended so that our friends could come and go as they pleased. Thanks so much to our fantastic friends Stacey and Melanie for all of their planning and design, and to the Bleeding Heart Bakery for the delicious cake and cupcakes!

Steve Koo is a Chicago photographer specializing in modern, nontraditional wedding photojournalism. You can read the original blog post here Our Baby Shower / Housewarming Party.

We were big fans of Stephanie Izard since we dined at her old Wicker Park restaurant, Scylla. We cheered her on during Top Chef, and we were lucky enough to enjoy her food yet again at her current restaurant, Girl and the Goat. Stephanie’s lamb dish from her finale earned great praise, so I ambitiously attempted it a couple years ago. My blackberry sauce was far too thin, but the flavors in everything were delicious!

Ingredients:
1 rack of lamb , removed from bones (reserve bones)
2 tablespoons yellow miso
thyme
½ onion , diced
3 garlic cloves
½ cup red wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 pint blackberry
1 cup white balsamic vinegar
¼ cup sugar
½ cup shelled pistachios
salt
¼ lb maitake mushroom
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter pepper
¼ cup manzanilla olives , minced
1 shallot , minced

Recipe:
Clean silverskin from lamb and rub with miso and thyme. Refrigerate overnight. Brown bones in the oven. Meanwhile in saucepot, brown onions and garlic. Deglaze with red wine and let reduce. Add in 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and 1/2 pint blackberries; let simmer. Add in browned bones and reduce until slightly thickened. Season and strain.

Place remaining blackberries in nonreactive pot with white balsamic and sugar. Reduce to thicken and strain.

Place pistachios in remaining chicken stock; season with salt and simmer until nuts are softened.

Break maitakes into bite sized chunks. When time to serve, saute mushrooms in one teaspoons olive oil and butter with salt and pepper.

Wipe miso off of lamb, season and brown all sides. Place in oven for a few minutes then let rest. Mix together olives, shallot and remaining olive oil.

To Serve, place mushrooms on plate. Top with sliced lamb and spoon of tapenade. Place a few pistachios on each plate. Pour spoonful of sauce on top and drizzle with blackberry gastrique.

Source: Top Chef

Steve Koo is a Chicago photographer specializing in modern, nontraditional wedding photojournalism. You can read the original blog post here Stephanie Izard’s Lamb Medallions from Top Chef.

We had been wanting to give Bad Apple a try, since so many people rave about their burgers. We finally made it over last week with some friends, and we weren’t disappointed! Located on Lincoln Avenue in North Center a short walk away from Lincoln Square, a good burger and beer were a perfect dinner for a winter night. (Bad Apple’s beer menu is extensive and quite good, by the way!)

The frenchie:

El Chupacabra sans goat chili:

The Edmund Fig-Gerald:

Steve Koo is a Chicago photographer specializing in modern, nontraditional wedding photojournalism. You can read the original blog post here Bad Apple.

My friend Alex from Food Truck Freak recently let me know about a Cat Cora appearance at Macys in Chicago. Cat was doing a cooking demonstration and a book-signing courtesy of Macy’s Culinary Council. Alex wasn’t able to make it, so I was more than happy to help out and go in her place! I was able to ask Cat about her new show on Bravo, Around the World in 80 Plates, which she described as “Amazing Race meets Top Chef.” The show took Cat, Curtis Stone, and the contestants to ten different countries in about 6 weeks. Cat had actually been to all of the countries on the list except for Marrakech.

During the cooking demo, Cat fielded questions about everything from healthy substitutions in cooking to her experiences working in France, and her desire to bring healthier, nicer food to restaurants with her chain of “Cat Cora’s Kitchen” restaurants. Cat prepared three dishes from her new cookbook, Cat Cora’s Classics With A Twist: A refreshing pita bread salad, grilled Middle Eastern turkey meatballs with horseradish feta cream, and a rolled pistachio baklava. All three were delicious, but I was particularly interested in the baklava, since I had only seen it stacked, never rolled.

Thank you, Alex, for giving me the opportunity to attend and meet Chef Cora! Be sure to pick up a copy of her new cookbook for more fantastic recipes!

Steve Koo is a Chicago photographer specializing in modern, nontraditional wedding photojournalism. You can read the original blog post here Cat Cora at Macys Chicago.

Craving thin mints but don’t know any girl scouts? Here’s a cupcake recipe we love that might hit the spot!

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes from The Repressed Pastry Chef

Cupcake Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2/3 cups Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder (or brand of choice)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold water
1/2 cup plus
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (pepper)mint extract
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Cupcake Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, sugar and salt together.In a separate bowl whisk together the water, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, mint extract and vinegar.In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/3 of the dry ingredients with 1/2 of the wet ingredients. After the mixture is thoroughly combined, add half of the remaining dry ingredients with the remaining wet ingredients. Combine thoroughly. Lastly add in the remaining dry ingredients. Once the mixture is thoroughly combined, continue to mix for another 2-3 minutes.Pour into cupcake liners or for a full cake pour into a 9×13 cake pan prepared with baking spray. Tap the pan against the counter to break any air bubbles that exist.Bake for 20 minutes (cupcakes) or 25-30 minutes (cake) or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.Cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients (1/2 recipe):
1/2 stick salted butter – room temperature
1/2 stick unsalted butter – room temperature(or just use 1 stick of unsalted butter if that’s what you have on hand)
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 tablespoon peppermint extract (start with less, add to taste)
1 pound confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)
2-3 tablespoons very cold milkgreen food coloring (optional)

Frosting Directions:
Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the peppermint extract and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk… one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency.

Source: The Repressed Pastry Chef

Steve Koo is a Chicago photographer specializing in modern, nontraditional wedding photojournalism. You can read the original blog post here Mint Chocolate Cupcakes.

Laura and I celebrated her birthday a couple weeks ago at Graham Elliot. It was a spot that we had been meaning to go to for ages, and we were excited to finally try the food! The restaurant has a fun, casual feel. Servers are in white button-downs, jackets, and jeans, for example. You have your choice of three tasting menus at Graham Elliot; a 5 course, 10 course, or 15 course. Seeing as how this was probably the last tasting menu we’d consume before the baby, we opted for the 15 course bonanza. In retrospect, the 10 would have been fantastic as well, but I feel like the 5 would have really left me wanting more. That said, we have no regrets about our choice!

Onto the food:

Amuse: fried crispy chicken skin with liver pate and apple

The “oyster” course. The oyster flavor was in the puree and served with a mignonette leaf. Pardon the excessive grain on the photo; I was starving and didn’t realize until after devouring the food that I had horribly underexposed the shot. This photo and all others, by the way, were captured on a Fuji X100.

Trout course. This course was a play on a bagel with a bagel, and the ice cream was everything-bagel flavored.

Cauliflower three ways. The cucumber yogurt in the middle was quite nice.

Potatoes. The truffle paired nicely, as expected, and the celery greens were surprisingly packed with flavor!

Mackarel – served with a seared scallop and turnips.

Pasta course with a yummy runny egg. No egg for my pregnant wife!

Punch: a palette cleanser of sorts.

“Popcorn” course:

Foie Gras course:

Lobster course:

Lamb, served with rapini. Again, the vegetables were packed with flavor!

“Cheese” course – served with peanut butter and grape jelly. Delicious!

Smash dessert, with bourbon, lemon and mint.

Coconut, butter, and chocolate:

Donuts and coffee. Laura’s favorite dessert, and it was so good! We were expecting literally donuts and coffee, but there was a puree of warm donuts that you poured onto a cube of coffee gelee and a mixture of ground up espresso beans and sugar. It was a perfect way to end the meal!

Steve Koo is a Chicago photographer specializing in modern, nontraditional wedding photojournalism. You can read the original blog post here Graham Elliot.