Yelp Elite Party at E+O Food and Drink

I need to check myself before I wreck myself. Pretty soon, people are going to think I'm some kind of fancy lady who doesn't eat at Taco Bell and definitely doesn't go to White Castle for Valentine's Day.  Which would be a lie, but these Yelp parties are getting quite upscale.


I scored an invite to Earth and Ocean earlier this week through Yelp Chicago 'Burbs Elite Squad and was super excited to try this place. It features fresh ingredients with upscale twists in a swanky environment. We started the evening on the patio with cocktails and appetizers, all of which were awesome. The braised short rib crostini was probably my favorite appetizer, but the watermelon storm cocktail was also amazing. I love all things watermelon and rum, so this drink was basically me in a glass. This course also included a double potato tarte and true crab California roll.

Next, we moved inside to a nicely decorated dining room for our three-course meal. We started with cauliflower tempura and smoked pea hummus served with the house salad. The salad was bowl-scraping awesome and my table might have fork-jousted for the last bit of cauliflower.

The main course was a pairing of a rib eye with fried egg and chimichurri sauce alongside a jumbo prawns with shitake fried rice. The potatoes served with the rib eye were fantastic, and I'm still dreaming of the asparagus. It was served with pecarino cheese and made me wonder why I've never made asparagus at home.

Finally, we fought over dessert. It was a chef choice course of assorted cookies with dipping sauces and carrot cake balls rolled in coconut. The carrot cake balls were a crowd pleaser, which meant I only got one. I need to get seated next to the person allergic to desserts, clearly.

If you're not a member of the Yelp community, I highly recommend putting it on your to-do list so you can get invited to Yelp events. And if you're in the Mount Prospect area, check out Earth and Ocean for an unexpected dining experience. I mean, who would have guessed smoked pea hummus could be so awesome?