Monday, April 28, 2008

A sneak preview of graham elliot's menu

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Graham Elliot Bowles gets ready to rock River North with his "bistronomic" restaurant in May. (Photo: graham elliot)


Set to open on May 13, Graham Elliot Bowles' "bistronomic" restaurant graham elliot (217 W. Huron St., 312-624-9975) has released some cool images of what to expect when it opens:


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Signature Caesar salad, romaine lettuce, white anchovies, Parmesan fluff, brioche Twinkie croutons (Photo: graham elliot)


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Pistachio-crusted lamb shank, tomato-artichoke ragout, Israeli couscous, shaved fennel, black olive puree (Photo: graham elliot)

What a difference a week makes . . .

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. . .in Chicago when it comes to weather.

Last week it was nice and sunny and everyone was scrambling to do alfresco. This week . . . not so much.

So now that you're going back indoors, you may as well make it good:

At Nacional 27 (325 W. Huron St., 312-664-2727), they're offering two major specials tonight. If you head here straight after work, you'll get the Late Latin Lunch, an amazing deal available every night from 5:30-6:15. Enjoy a three-course meal with a glass of wine or sangria for under $30. Or, if you need to sate a big appetite, go for Big Rib-Big Red Mondays, which includes a Latin-spice rubbed prime rib steak and a glass of reserve red wine that's hand selected by advanced sommelier Adam Seger for $5.

Head to copperblue (580 E. Illinois St., 312-527-1200) for Cinema Gourmet Mondays as they showcase Gene Hackman and John Cazale in Francis Ford Coppola's mystery thriller "The Conversation." It's accompanied by a three-course dinner paired with wines and lively dialogue with U of C professor Elliott Krick, who specializes in film and literature. $79. Movie starts at 6:30pm.

For big laughs, make your way to La Pomme Rouge (108 W. Kinzie St., 312-245-9555) for Movie Mondays, which concludes its month of 1980s classics with "The Blues Brothers" starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Wach the movie and sing along to your favorite tunes while enjoying half-price bottles of wine. Movie starts at 8pm. Free.

And speaking of half-price stuff, you'll get that also during Taste It!, a lively Monday-night series at Rockit Bar & Grill (22 W. Hubbard St., 312-645-6000). All guests get discounted food, beer and wine all night. Free pool too!