Elske
David and Anna Posey run a one-star kitchen on West Randolph, and she runs the pastry. The coconut sorbet comes out under a beet and hibiscus fluff.
Why go
The menu splits two ways and you pick before you sit down: a set tasting, or a la carte.1 Neither one is a subset of the other. The Infatuation's reviewer put it plainly after several meals: There isn’t any crossover between the two menus (at least the times that we’ve been).
2 The kitchen works vegetables, seafood and gently handled proteins, and the guide's example is a duck liver tart with salted ramp.1 Anna Posey studied painting before she cooked, and the inspectors tie her desserts back to it.1 There is a patio, and a wine and juice pairing program runs alongside both menus.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the soft scrambled eggs with confit chicken thigh and crispy grains, if the a la carte is carrying it. The Infatuation:
Scrambled eggs aren’t the first thing you think of for dinner, but they will be for about a week after you eat this.
2 - Order: the leeks vinaigrette, which arrive under melted cheddar.2
- Order: the coconut sorbet with beet-hibiscus fluff.2
- Avoid: turning up Tuesday or Wednesday. Both nights are dark.1
What locals & experts say
- The Infatuation Chicago (Zach Nerenberg, 10 September 2024), scoring it 9.0:
Much like getting married or going to your high school reunion to show off the fact that you’re successful and own a tie clip, eating at Elske isn’t something that you do on a whim.
2 - MICHELIN Guide Chicago, on the pastry:
Desserts remain a highlight, shaped by Anna Posey’s background in the visual arts, with compositions that are both considered and restrained.
1 - MICHELIN Guide Chicago: One MICHELIN Star, on the guide's own venue page read 28 August 2026.1
Good to know
- Hours: Monday 5:30pm to 9pm, Thursday 5:30pm to 9pm, Friday 5:30pm to 10pm, Saturday 5pm to 10pm, Sunday 5pm to 9pm. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.1
- Booking: the house takes its own reservations and the guide tells you to contact the restaurant directly.1
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note:
Jbf pastry chef nominee 2024.
The nomination is Anna Posey's, for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and the foundation's own page lists a second one for her in 2019.3
Verdict
should-visit — The guide's inspectors put a star on this kitchen and describe a menu built on vegetables, seafood and gently handled proteins, with a duck liver tart and salted ramp as the example. The Infatuation scored it 9.0 in September 2024. It sits one rung below the top because the evidence for the cooking is two descriptions and no critic has written at length about a plate here.