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What Would Gandalf Eat? Elizabeth Cooking Up LOTR/Narnia Menu for Spring

 For her latest themed menu, Elizabeth chef Iliana Regan drew inspiration from Tolkien's
For her latest themed menu, Elizabeth chef Iliana Regan drew inspiration from Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings."
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LINCOLN SQUARE — Experimental chef Iliana Regan of the Michelin-starred Elizabeth often finds inspiration for her dishes in nature, cooking with the mushrooms, greens, berries and nuts she finds in and around Chicago.

For her latest menu, she's gone foraging a bit further afield — in Middle Earth.

After debuting a "Game of Thrones" dinner in 2015 that sold out in a day, Regan is now turning her considerable imagination toward two of the most beloved fantasy series of the 20th Century: J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia" from C.S. Lewis.

Think page to table instead of farm to table.

"Anything fantastical and woodsy is perfect for us," Regan told DNAinfo Chicago via email.

Referencing a passage from "The Hobbit," Regan noted, "Bilbo eats wild strawberries and sorrel after meeting Gollum in the mountain. 'The Chronicles of Narnia' have even more wild food references."

She read both series as a child, the books a gift from her sister Elizabeth, after whom the restaurant, at 4835 N. Western Ave., is named.

To refresh her memory with the texts, Regan listened to audio recordings of the books while driving.

"I was that jerk swerving to the side of the road at a moment's notice to take out my phone and type in food notes," she confessed.

How she interprets Tolkien's and Lewis' vision into her own is something Regan struggles to explain.

"I'm always asked how the creative process works for me — it simply happens," she said. "I'm obsessed, perhaps mentally ill, when it comes to thinking about food. But it appears in my mind's eye. I hear the food references in the books and my mind translates it to how I visualize it."

For those familiar with the books, Regan said there will be nods to hobbit meals like first and second breakfast — think meat pies and cakes — and the first course of the Narnia menu is, fittingly, Turkish Delight. Alas, no magical elvish lembas bread.

On weekdays, diners can choose the LOTR or Narnia menu, or order both for a small upcharge, she said.

On weekends, she'll generally serve the entire combined menu, which Regan called "more than enough to share."

Reservations are now open for the LOTR/Narnia menus, which cost $95 to $135 and will be served April through May.

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