Elate

Elate is sharp and oh so “au courant”, located on 111 West Huron Street connected to the boutique Hotel Felix.  My hubby and I enjoyed our introductory dinner and found Elate to be a very stylish and intimate space.  The interior is sophisticated and sharp with a decidedly “green” theme that is achieved with rustic recycled touches, distressed concrete floors, blue and brown tones and floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the bustling Chicago streets.  This is the perfect spot for a romantic dinner for two as the noise level is such that you can carry on a conversation with ease and it is intimate in a way that not many restaurants can pull off these days.

Let me start with the drink menu, it offers some fun and unique drinks that are really intriguing: The Chocolate Thief, Jalapeno Strawberry Caiporoska and Dark & Stormy to name a few.  Elate’s menu features small plate and large plate options which encourages you to try more and share more.  They have several great flatbreads and my favorite was “Fig & Asian Pear” that was lusciously loaded with goat cheese/arugula/spiced walnuts/sweet onion cream and sesame.  Their “Salsiccia” flatbread with sausage/giardinera/mozzarella came in a very close second.  While I am not usually one to rave about mussels, I am now!  At least Elate’s mussels, oh boy.  They were scrumptious and I couldn’t stop reaching for more.  Don’t miss them – it is a must here!

Fig & Asian Pear Flatbread

Andrew Fiore, owner, insisted if we hadn’t yet tried the Octopus Confit that we just had to, as it was one of his favs.  Ok, he had me there, we did and they were equally delicious.  Did I mention that the staff here is enthusiastic, very polished and skilled? They are.

Moving on to the Amish Chicken covered in san simon fondue (Spanish smoked cow’s milk cheese -with a delicious, creamy buttery texture) that was bursting with flavor from tasso roulade (smoked pork) and served with corn bread.  If you usually avoid dishes with white meat chicken, no worries here, there wasn’t a dry bite to be found.  It was very moist! Executive Chef Michael Noll sure knows how to create dishes that are loaded with exciting flavor; you won’t find any drab fare here.  Back to the drink menu we both decided on “Black Gold” a coffee after dinner drink that was excellent!

Amish Chicken

The music that is offered on Thursday evenings was an unexpected and nice touch.  A hip trio of three was tucked into the corner and they were all we needed.  Sipping on wonderful Canneleti Prosecco in their mellow dining room with candle lit tables and views of Chicagoans hustling by, this was the perfect cozy after dinner “ahhhhh”.

They serve breakfast/brunch, lunch and dinner daily.  In the warmer weather outdoor seating is a fun option too.  Now that we have glanced at the Breakfast/Brunch menu, we just have to come back for brunch and try their Banana Custard French Toast.  It sounds heavenly especially with the bottomless mimosas!  We just have to.

Banana Custard French Toast