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Dinner for 2: Grace Chicago

Celebrating 3 Michelin Stars for over three years and a documentary film, Curtis Duffy’s Grace makes for a good place for a Chicago Food Run. Modern American cuisine in an Elegant Dining Room with a Fastidious Kitchen on display, how fun is that.

The outside front is not so fancy, but once in the staff knows who I was, I was greeted and lead right to the table. So I don’t need to write anything more on this, the whole evening, service was Impeccable. Comfortable, not stuffy, a bit of humor, but never forgetting a thing. Because there were two of us tonight, we could each have a different tasting menu. My guest, The Celestial, The Flora (Vegetarian), and I The Fauna (Proteins) with a wine paring. Of course, when asked about Allergies, I mention that I am allergic to over-salted foods, they force a chuckle.

To start off, a quartet of Canapés served on a Bees Wax plating (gorgeous). They clearly warned that the was was NOT edible. From there the next 4 starter dishes were beautifully presented and fun to eat. The Alaskan King Crab was a standout.

Alaskan King Crab w/ Sudachi & Lemon Balm, one of the many great starters

The Next 3 courses were more “Entrée” like, and this is where a few things sorta fumbled. The Squab with the Beet and Blackberries was a perfect combo of Savory & Sweet. Unfortunately, the Pineapple overpowered the Lamb dish. The Beef was perfectly prepared, except for the base of several Asian flavors tasted mismatched & confused to me, a bit of a downer to end the main courses.

The Beef… sounded like a good idea on paper, final product, meh.

The remaining 3 Desert courses, flawless. So if you are a desert fan, you will leave happy. And to top it all off, probably one of the most ingenious palette cleansers ever. Honeydew Water encased in Coco Butter, a perfect way to end the dinner.

But wait there was more fun to come!

One of the finest kitchens in the world.

After the bill gets settled, a tour of the insanely clean and organized kitchen. You get to see what a fine tuned machine Grace is. Then a trek down to the man cave of Mr. Duffy. A fun and memorable evening of fancy food. Anyone who loves a great dining experience needs to come here at least once.