I kicked off Chicago Restaurant Week with the $60 4-course dinner at Hide+Seek and had a mixed experience.
Both the food (see below) and service were hit-or-miss for me. I sat at the bar and the bartenders were attentive and friendly, but the kitchen seemed to be having an off night. It wasn't that busy when I went, but service was noticeably slow, to the point where the staff apologized for the wait and kindly gave me an apertif on the house. My happy hour drink (gin mule) and dessert were the best parts of the meal. But the portion sizes were very generous, so at least it was solid value for money.
The decor was entertaining but the restaurant was extremely dark (so dark that I didn't notice one of my courses was wrong until partway through haha). The temperature wavered between boiling hot and freezing cold, which was odd. At least everything was clean and fairly comfortable.
1 – Croquetas. This was a miss for me. I didn't like the flavors or balance of the dish. I would order something else if I had a redo.
2 – "Parisian gnocchi" (actually lumache). This was pretty good, despite not being what I ordered. It was so dark that I honestly wasn't sure for several bites, at which point I gave up and ate it anyway. I liked the luscious texture of the pasta and thought the sausage complemented the vodka sauce. I found it weird that the herb ricotta was served cold on top. This dish was big enough to be dinner on its own so I had to take a bunch home. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't get to try the gnocchi since I do love lobster. Hope whoever got my dish enjoyed it…
3 – Spanish octopus. This was okay. The octopus was very tender – almost too soft, as I was left wanting a bit of char or crunch for some textural variety. I liked the slight crisp on the potatoes. The sauce was underwhelming.
4 – Dark chocolate sea salt cookie. I'm a sucker for warm, gooey cookies and this baby was a 10/10. Delicious, perfect, no notes. This cookie had some big boots to fill since Levain Bakery is next door, but it succeeded. I would come back for this little fellow.
5 – Chicago Restaurant Week 2025 menu.
6 – Restaurant interior.
by elynias