Graham Elliot Bistro (G.E.B), Chicago

The menu at Graham Elliot Bistro changes with the seasons, which means you might eat fiddlehead ferns in the spring and nutty quinoa in autumn. This variability is part of how the eatery earned its twin Michelin stars. And yet, some things never change at the iconic bistro, including ...

The namesake chef: Graham Elliot, who's also a judge on MasterChef, a Smashing Pumpkins enthusiast, and the driving force behind the white glasses trend. See the culinary star describe his restaurant in his own words in the video above.

Elliot's go-to aesthetic: Simplicity. That means flavorful ingredients, prepared with techniques like broiling and searing or not prepared at all. Elliot loves sashimi. "I could live off raw fish forever," he says, echoing all sharks except the one in Jaws.

The plating style: "When we plate our food," Elliot says, " we want it to look like you were in a garden and you tripped on it. Very natural and beautiful, not 90-degree angles, not two dots on the plate right here and using a ruler to make a line."

The Caesar salad: Elliot shuns signature dishes, but he and his team have been making this deconstructed salad for a decade: Romaine hearts, each topped with a Spanish anchovy, alongside a brioche twinkie filled with parmesan mascarpone.

Groupon Guide

Extended Q&A with Chef Elliot

Read more of his thoughts on cooking, punk rock, and the best dish he's tasted on "MasterChef"