G.e.b. Restaurant From Graham Elliot Review | Chicago
Three is the magic number at G.e.b.
Don't be fooled by the apparent simplicity of the menu at G.e.b., the new Randolph Street restaurant from Graham Elliot.
Each dish is described by only three words. But on the best plates, complexity lurks.
"Pea + ham + tendril" is one of the simplest, with warm pea broth hiding salty cubes of cured meat, crowned by pea tendrils ($7). Lasagna with oxtail and ratatouille holds few secrets, its swaths of braised meat and tomato-cloaked vegetables nestled between pasta sheets ($10).
A plate of sockeye salmon ($20), on the other hand, is full of surprises. The first: A translucent swath of lardo laid over the rich fish. Further fillips: A tangle of greens and pickled ramps and potently garlicky, scallion-studded mashed potatoes.
Slivers of chicken gizzards were unexpected perks in the buttermilk- and tarragon-dressed bean salad that accompanied chicken ($17). The bird itself was the shocker: cooked sous vide then pan-fried, the thigh and breast were among the most flavorful in recent memory.
We finished with a dessert of pound cake, strawberries and rhubarb ($6) complemented by basil whipped cream.
G.e.b., 841 W. Randolph St.; 312-888-2258 or gebistro.com