This is my first time really spending time writing a review for a restaurant but I wanted to add to the long list of positive praise for this restaurant. I don't usually eat food at this price point so it's actually quite difficult to pinpoint what was great or exceptional, but I really enjoyed the experience.
Starting off with my favorites. The Surf dish and the Turf dish are both incredible. The Ceviche has a habanero based sauce in it which I was worried would be too hot or overpowering but really complimented the seafood well. The textures on the tartare and the croquette really made the two trio-bute dishes spectacular.
The menu was fairly seafood heavy which I know going in and was very happy with the performance of each seafood dish. The lobster was well complimented by the butter and lemon concoction and the sable fish with the banana leaf was a unique combination of flavors.
The beef breast dish wasn't personally for me. While I appreciated the intense flavors, I felt the peppers and herbs really overpowered the beef instead of complimenting it.
The French onion latte was a roller coaster for me. At first I was slightly put off by the strong onion flavor but as I continued to taste it and the initial strength seemingly wore off, it ended up being one of my favorite dishes on the menu. Hard to describe, but I really enjoyed it.
Finally the desserts. I thought they were all incredible. My wife and I were able to sample most of the chocolates and the truffle and torrijas was unlike anything I've had before. The hibiscus was well incorporated into the frozen dessert and finished the meal satisfied.
Service was well beyond expectations. We got to talk to most of the staff who were each friendly and knowledgeable. My only complaint for the night was handling the check. They forgot to put in some of our cocktails on the check and when I pointed this out, they added the wrong drink which was technically more expensive than the one ordered. While I didn't care about the 2$ difference on the bill, the principal of it was mildly frustrating that I was honest about the bill mistake and ended up paying more because I wasn't about to complain over $2 and have them run it for a third time.
We tried both the wine pairing and the anything but wine pairing to get the best of both worlds. The anything but wine pairing was generous and well thought out, while the premier wine pairing was delicious, but lacking in volume for a $200 add on. I personally didn't find the wine pairing to be worth it, but really enjoyed the additional meads, beers, and sakes that came with the anything but wine.
Overall, the staff and food was an unforgettable experience for me. Portions were generous and we left full. I'd love to return to try their shifting seasonal menus, but for a special occasion would be hard pressed to not try something else Chicago has to offer.
Highly recommend showing up early to enjoy a cocktail in the lounge and chatting with the staff as much as you are comfortable doing. They are passionate about what they do and honestly seem to enjoy talking to all of the guests.
by bakkerboy465
13 Comments
I’m a big fan and have been there twice—overall they always have a few bites that aren’t perfect, but i love most of it and some are exceptional. The second dessert was absolutely divine for me, my husband positively swoons for the pavlova! Weve always done the anything but wine pairings.
I’m glad overall you enjoyed it!
Is that a Michelin Star restaurant? How much was it? I’ve always wanted to do this.
$198 food and $198 wine pairing… nah
I went recently too and most of the menu was pretty good. The surf and turf courses, and the curry noodles were stand outs.
However, that beet bibimbop was actually terrible. Really no redeeming qualities on that dish.
Overall pretty solid and wondering why they are getting snubbed by michelin.
A true gem.
Glad you had a great time. Our dinner late last year impressed us so much that we’re going back in August (we usually try not to repeat expensive places in the same year). Really excited to dine with them again.
Looks exhausting.
Had a friend who briefly worked there who said they weren’t allowed to use the bathroom for their entire 11 hour shifts..
What is the dish in pics 16/17? Looks really interesting. This place is pretty high on my list of places to try. Glad you liked it
The beef breast was actually one of my favourite dishes. Cilantro + seared salty beef = god tier combo.
The bibimbap was gross – only dish I actively chose not to finish.
I enjoyed my meal a lot and wrote a review here, so I’ll emphasize this again since so many people repeated from the comments. The wine pairing is a terrible value – the pours are small, they expect you to have the same wine over multiple courses (with no topping off, unlike many other places that’ll top you off such as Oriole when there’s a wine for two courses), and many of the selections are not wine but the price doesn’t reflect that – beers, cherry wine, sherry, stuff like that. All of which I love, but I think the outsized portion of these should be reflected in the price point since each of those pours probably cost $5.
I went once when it was in Time Out Market and once recently. I remember more food at the first location but it was still a large portion at the current location. I also thought the beet dish was amongst the weakest courses. Felt like the pieces were too big and the beet too chewy. The anything but wine pairing was delightful. Overall one of my favorite tasting menu places.
I’m really looking forward to going next week! I was planning on getting the Anything But pairing. Is it a lot of alcohol over the course of the dinner?