El ideas*
- Kira Jabri
- Apr 8
- 4 min read
Chicago, IL
April 4th, 2026
Whether you are a Michelin chaser or just beginning to explore fine dining, we cannot recommend El Ideas enough.
In all of our dining experiences, there is truly nothing else quite like it. Yes, the food is Michelin-level, thoughtful, complex, creative, and absolutely delicious, but what makes El Ideas so memorable goes far beyond what is on the plate. It feels less like a traditional fine dining restaurant and more like an intimate dinner party built around extraordinary food.
One of the guests seated next to us shared that their first visit had been 15 years ago, which says so much. Restaurants can be excellent, but places that inspire that kind of loyalty and nostalgia are something else entirely.
Chef Phillip Foss opens the evening with a welcome that immediately sets the tone. His goal is clear: to make fine dining fun, approachable, and interactive. That spirit defines the entire experience. The restaurant is designed in a way that encourages guests to engage not only with the chefs in the kitchen, but also with the people seated around them. It creates an atmosphere that is warm, energetic, and refreshingly unpretentious.
We had such a great time on our first visit that we knew we had to return.
The meal begins by breaking the rules right away. The welcome plate is meant to be enjoyed without utensils, setting the stage for a dinner that is playful from the start. On this visit, that opening course brought us breakfast for dinner: caviar, home fries, a malted waffle, maple, orange juice gel, and carrot bacon. It was clever, unexpected, and a perfect example of how El Ideas blends humor with serious culinary skill.
There were many standout dishes throughout the evening, but one we especially loved was the rabbit confit, a dish that was both refined and deeply satisfying.
And then, of course, there is the signature moment: French Fries & Frosty. Even knowing it was coming did not make it any less fun to watch, or any less delicious. It is the kind of dish that captures the spirit of El Ideas perfectly: inventive, memorable, and completely its own. In one of the night’s more unexpected moments, Kira even dusted off her service skills and helped serve guests.
Another detail that caught our attention this time was the artwork. When we asked Chef Foss about it, we learned that he created it himself using leftover wine bottles from guests. A perfect reflection of the restaurant’s personality, creative, personal, and a little unexpected. And yes, El Ideas is BYOB, which only adds to the experience and gives every table its own personality.
This is such a special place. It is the kind of restaurant you continue talking about long after the meal is over.
Before leaving, we picked up a copy of Life in EL: An Autobiographical Culinary Fantasy, written by Chef Phillip Foss and illustrated by Timmothy Floss, to add to our collection. Emma is an avid graphic novel reader, but for Kira and Carmine, this will be our first. Chef’s recommendation was that we read it first before deciding whether it is kid-friendly, so the verdict is still out on that. Either way, we are excited to dive in.
Maybe this is how a Jabri Fine Dining book club begins.
March 20th, 2025
Every once in a while, we visit a restaurant that completely rewires the way we think about fine dining. EL Ideas is one of those places.
From the very first course, one you literally lick off the plate, you know you’re in for something unexpected. There’s no separation between guest and kitchen here. You’re encouraged to wander, chat with the chefs, and watch each dish come to life. There are no servers; instead, the chef who created each dish personally introduces it to you. Oh, and did we mention it’s BYOB? And yes—EL Ideas proudly holds a Michelin star.
Even though EL Ideas leans heavily into its quirky, unconventional atmosphere, the food itself should not be overlooked. Chef Phillip Foss has built something that’s as much an experience as it is a meal but at its core, it’s still about flavor, precision, and creativity. One highlight we’re still talking about is the playful “French Fries & Frosty,” inspired by the childhood joy of dipping fries into a Wendy’s Frosty. Here, it transforms into crunchy potatoes into a hot potato-leek soup topped with nitro-poached ice cream all assembled right in front of guests in the open kitchen. Pure playfulness, plated, and the source of so many family laughs and memories. Overall, the food was elevated, delicious, and surprisingly refined beneath all the whimsy.
There’s even an emotional support mannequin presiding over the room, something that we have and I am confident will never see in another Michelin star kitchen. Chef Foss encourages guests to treat the dining room as a community table: turn to your neighbors, share a laugh, and talk about the food. By the end of the night, we were swapping stories with complete strangers reminding us of the wine dinners at Oak & Reel back home in Detroit, proof once again that food brings people together in the most genuine way.
In full transparency, it was a lot to take in for us, at first; unfiltered, unpolished, and undeniably bold. But that’s what made it unforgettable. We wrapped up a weekend in Chicago that included two other one-Michelin-star experiences, each so distinct that it reinforced exactly why we love our Jabri Fine Dining journey. Every restaurant has its own story, its own soul, and EL Ideas is one we won’t soon forget.
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