EL Ideas Chicago...

Day 1111 part 1:

After an AMAZING night of the wildest of ramen dreams and an UNFORGETTABLE week of fabulous films and fine food, I missed my flight back to Tokyo. Partially on purpose and partially because this guy stole my passport.

Well, actually, there are two reasons I decided to miss my flight and change it at five-thirty in the morning. One, so I could attend the FoodFilmFest VIP dinner hosted by Chef Phil Foss at EL Ideas and Two, umm...I'll get to the second reason in the Next post.

So we begin, with a genius chef and twenty-two plated canvases.

egg (uni / chawanmushi / roe)

I've never been this close to see a true chef define his craft. The art that goes into every plate is mind-blowing and awkwardly arousing. The attention to detail is inspiring.

octopus (kohlrabi / chorizo / potato)

sturgeon (marrow / butternut / grape)

When Rev from BurgerConquest.com says he "hates fish and never eats it" and then pops this marrow-crusted sturgeon into his mouth with a smile, that in itself explains how good it was.

fries and ice cream (potato / leek / vanilla)

Unbelievable...

wagyu (onion / celery root / scallion)

Mesmerizing...

old fashioned (bourbon / luxardo / chocolate)

Once-in-a-lifetime food film experience!

Thank you George Motz, Seth Unger, Michael McAteer, Chef Phillip Foss, Akiko Moorman, Will Shear, Emma Winter, Nicole Bergman, Fletcher Chenn, Rev. Dave Ciancio, Amy Kantrowitz, Harry Hawk, DJ Keili, Mickey (the pickle guy), Matt Timms, Sun Noodle, Kitchit, Gohan Society, EL Ideas, and the rest of the FoodFilmFest Family!

As for the little guy who stole my passport? We'll let Chef Phil deal with him.

So what's next?

To be continued...

Midnight ramen dreams...

Day 1110:

Being that this was my first time in Chicago, there was really only one thing I wanted to do when I got here. Like millions of other kids, I grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and since I never got to see him play in person, visiting his statue outside the United Center had always been a dream of mine.

Another dream fulfilled! MJ is still the greatest!

For lunch I headed to Wasabi in Logan Square, since a number of people had recommended it and because Yusho wasn't open until dinner. Btw, thanks for all the recs everyone!

Shoyu Ramen (コク醤油).

It started off promising and I even warned my waitress that I might have to order another bowl. But in the end, I couldn't handle another disappointment. The コク that they mention on the menu was only apparent in color and not much taste. I gave this bowl a fair chance down to the last slurp and sip, but it still never spoke to me like a great bowl should.

Anyway, back at FoodFilmFest... (are the Chicago skies always this beautiful?)

They were setting up for Single Malt Whiskey: The Islay 8.

Oh man...the whiskey fumes were intense!

As much as I wanted to stay and enjoy the whiskey tasting, we had to get over to EL Ideas and prepare for the Midnight Ramen After Party presented by Kitchit.

Ready, Set, Go Ramen!

As soon as the clock struck midnight (actually we started an hour early)...

The best ramen in Chicago was being made in the kitchen of Chef Phillip Foss.

By this time, we were having so much fun.

Ramen Dreams was being shown in the dining room and everyone was slurping away.

I'd have to agree that it was "the Ultimate Event of 2012."

A big thanks to everyone who showed up! Karen, Ashley, and Jillian?

Michael and Christian!

Justin!

Ramen dreams most definitely come true!

And after the after party...

Will Shear, Akiko Moorman, and I were invited to serve ramen at Next.

I still couldn't believe this was really happening.

Some of the top chefs in the world were eating our ramen.

And listening to me talk about it.

Unbelievable!

Please...don't wake me up.