Aigre Doux

Framing: 4 of us in total, no special occasion on a Saturday night. All of us had appetizers and entrees, plus two bottles of nice wine ($ 60 each). Total bill was $ 350 before tip. Server was Sophie.
REVIEW
Going down…
So I have been here three times, the first time I loved it. It was new, the chef was passionate and the staff excited. The second time, more recently, I noticed some of the «pop» had gone away. I tried again last week and am now ready to confirm this restaurant is on its way to closure.
FOOD
The food is still good but not great. The menu says lunch but i don’t think they still serve lunch. The prices are still the same or higher but the servings are smaller. And $ 20 for a beet salad is super ridiculous! Shrimp fritters were good, as was the Halibut entrée. Ice cream was equivalent to one scoop but costs $ 11. Both wine selections were great (made the first selection — Truchard Pinot Noir) while a waiter picked the Ermitage Pomeral.
SERVICE
Service is adequate but not exciting or passionate. The chef walked past us and spent most of the night at the bar drinking with friends. Despite being a Saturday night, the place was pretty quiet and I was able to get a reservation with no problem within 15 minutes of calling (meaning walkins were possible).
DECOR
The bakery area next to the dining room still looks abandoned. The overall décor has gotten dated and lackluster.
This is simply a boring, blah restaurant with a few good wins for food but nothing that will excite foodies to go to this somewhat out of the way location. Nor does it seem to have a large crowd of local supporters. I don’t think it will be around for much longer.

Whatever Cookie and Gourmet Kids’ Restaurant Week is, it’s what brought me in to Aigre Doux. Adults could get a $ 29 prix fixe dinner, so I opted for that, though I feel as if the options offered didn’t show off the restaurant’s potential.
The fried calamari salad was fairly big for an appetizer portion, and the batter was light and crispy. The salmon was ordinary and lacked the razzle dazzle food quality I was expecting, based on raves about Aigre Doux that I’ve heard from a couple friends. Maybe that’s why I don’t order fish a lot. A sweet end to the meal came in the form of a honey ice cream sundae with shortbread cookies.
Though we dined in around 7pm, the restaurant was still very quiet at that point. The crowd seemed to pick up after an hour or so. Decorated in earthy tones and working the dim lighting, the interior is sleek and sophisticated.
So Aigre Doux is the french term for the combination of sweet and sour. Overall, the service and dessert was sweet, but the price I paid for okay food was sour.

I’d been wanting to visit Aigre Doux ever since it opened. So when Chicago Restaurant Week and its $ 32 prix fixe menu rolled around, it seemed like the perfect time to try. Now that I’ve eaten there, I am kicking myself for not having gone sooner.
The service was exceptional, both the wait staff and the hosts. I had to switch the reservation from 3 to 4 back to 3 people, and they were very gracious every time I called. The waitress was attentive but didn’t hover. The bus staff moved quickly and smoothly — I’m not even sure I heard the silverware clang as they removed the plates.
And the food. The food. The cream cauliflower soup was insane, made even better because it was served with delicious parmesan crusted bread. My salmon filet was served with some kind of impossibly wonderful cheese potato thing, both incredible. And then came dessert. The maple flan. Really, I never met a flan I didn’t like, but this thing just blew me away.
As we left, the hostess asked if we’d enjoyed ourselves and handed us her card for our next visit. She mentioned that they were opening up a quick-​serve counter to cater to the Mart crowd.
I will not be waiting for the next restaurant week to go back to Aigre Doux.

Underwhelmed.
Don’t get me wrong — the food was all cooked very well, and the salmon I had ordered had a lovely texture. So yes, the technique part is down pat.
What I was missing, however, was food excitement. Nothing blew my mind (as in, «I never would have thought to combine x with y»), and while some of the flavor combinations sounded very good on paper, they didn’t come through when served. I couldn’t taste the cardamom in my yogurt sauce, not to mention the black truffles in my boyfriend’s grits. He had the lamb, which was also very good — extremely tender — but again, nothing new, just your basic «new American» fancy cuisine.
I had been very excited to try the much-​heralded dessert menu, but was fairly disappointed by the options available. We ended up ordering the apple crisp and some sort of chocolate-​lava-​cake-​cum-​phyllo-​pocket creation not listed on the menu. The chocolate dessert was excellent, and the taste of the chocolate (Valrhona?) really shone. The apple crisp was so-​so. No exciting flavors, not as crispy as I’d like it to be. I had really expected the dessert menu to have more imaginative and unique options.
That all aside, the space is very chic, the service extremely professional. But overall, Aigre Doux just doesn’t stand out very much in my mind.

When a wine list has three Pouilly Fume wines that you don’t know, and you like Pouilly Fume, you think, «Great, I’ll ask about how they’re different and pick one.» What you don’t expect is a waitress who wanders around for ten minutes and returns to tell you that their wine person («sommelier» is to complex a word for her) is in NY tonight, that no one else in the restaurant knows anything about the wines, and «I guess you’re the Pouilly Fume expert tonight.»
That was followed by the worst sweetbreads I’ve had in years (not just crunchy, more like burnt toast), very ordinary bouillabaisse, and a manager, part of the ownership family, who stopped by to tell us how they were misled about Chicago’s culinary scene, and should have never come her. So fine, go. Jean Georges Vongerichten may have taught Chef Mohammad Islam something about cooking, but he needs to team up with someone who knows how to run the front of the house.

Horrible manager/​Maitre D’. We had a reservation and was told to wait 20 minutes even though the room was half-​empty. When we asked why he copped such an insulting attitude it was comical. So we left. If your restaurant is half-​empty at 8pm on a Saturday night there’s a problem.
By the way, while I was waiting I looked at the bar menu and saw a glass of wine going for $ 14 when I’ve bought that same bottle for $ 8.99 at Sams. I know about restaurant mark-​ups but that is just plain greedy.

We had dinner at Aigre Doux last night and it was simply the best dining experience we’ve had in the last 6 months or more.
This place does everything right. Our waiter was super nice and friendly, the food was superb and the price was totally worth it. Theatmosphere is also very cool and upbeat.
My husband had a White Bass with Coconut sauce which was out of this world. I had a Lobster Bucatini which was made to perfection. But I must confess that I had «white bass envy» and I’ll have to go back to order what my husband had.
For dessert we had a Crème Fraiche Cheesecake with Grape Sorbet. You have NO IDEA how awesome this was.
Again, a must-​go-​place. You’ll love it.

It’s fine dining right, some 5 star place? Expensive meals, not the kind an everyday person would splurge on? Why is it, on a warm Friday evening they are out of 4 of their signature dishes. It’s warm inside because the A/​C is broken. Is that an excuse? I figure when a restaurant is raking in money, can’t they call a service? There are HVAC guys (that means heating and air conditioning) that work on call ²⁴⁄₇. Good thing the tables are spaced wide and there is a good draft, otherwise it’d be too humid to eat. Later, as the evening was cooling, it was sweaty for a bit. I won’t mock them too much since this is something that does happen eventually, which is why places like these should have their systems checked seasonally. Maybe they do? Still, a Friday night and you’ve cut the menu in half, what does that say to any new potential customers. I think they were experiencing two problems, cooling the place and refrigeration of their meats.
When it comes to food service, I feel that anyone that handles contact with my food must be «maintained». It was surprising that our waitress had jagged and ragged looking nails, but the valet had an expensive looking manicure (w/​polish!).
Food was good but not fantastic. I may feel this way because 3 of the 4 unavailable dishes, I wanted and it sucks to pay a lot of money for a meal you wouldn’t normally pick. Since it was a special occasion in a group setting, you just deal.
Thinking back to that day trying to recall any memorable moments, I think my lamb entrée was pretty good and expensive. Also every dessert we ordered was marvelous, so also, the martinis were all the same strength. Strong.
I would say if you do plan to splurge, try Aigre with a group. Sharing is caring, so share and try it all. I wouldn’t take a date, even if I had the cash to drop. I wouldn’t even come here to celebrate say… some chick’s 22^nd birthday, only 22, not 30, okay!

Off the bat I knew I was not going to like our waitress. Her facial and body expressions were open, but she never addressed the table. She seemed nice enough, but, she never made eye contact with anyone at the table except the only White person. It’s good to have a White dude in the family. =)
If I was White, I think this review would be so much better. I would tell you about how much attention our server paid me, such detail with explanations of the meals. Even the ones served to my party, she was open enough to only tell me about them. Whenever she approached the table she would always come to my side to see if I needed anything or if she could answer any questions. She was gracious.
Back to brown. WTF? Really, WTF? Another situation where I don’t want to over tip. (And when I do pass the lower tip to her I would tell her why I left a crappy tip.) But, she did do a good job of hosting /​serving to my brother in law. I guess we have to tip well for that. I’m sitting in a group of five people and she’s only able to make one of the five feel warm and welcome.
It’s strange to me, the cooks are Arabs I believe. Husband and wife duo that make phenomenal food. There’s an article framed in the basement talking about the wondrous cookies the wife makes; so awesome in fact that while she was pregnant and not working, the lead singer of U2 calls her way too late in night and serenades her unborn baby. A few hours later, fresh cookies are made and sent over.
See my thinking is, Indian /​Arab, close in color, maybe the waitress would get a clue and just treat everyone the same?
Would I come back? Hell f*$king no. I know it was only one visit and maybe I should give them another chance, but that day we dropped a couple bills, it was for a happy occasion. $ 400+ probably. Good estimate is to assume to spend about $ 75 – 100 per person. You could do it cheaper, I think they offer a seasonal Prix Fix.

Here’s the deal. I like this place, but I really want to like it better. The atmosphere and vibe are very cool indeed. The menu is such that I have a terrible time deciding what to order without wanting to order everything. The ingredients used are obviously impeccable and of the highest quality.
Ok, so what’s the problem? The execution by the kitchen leaves something to be desired. Things come out of the kitchen slowly, which I have no problem with –I’d rather that than feel rushed. To illustrate my problem, I will discuss my main course. I had the «lamb tasting.» A couple grilled baby chops, some braised lamb and a sauteed sweetbread. It was all laid out nicely. The chop and the braised lamb were outstanding, just as they should be. But, the sweetbread was a disappointment –dry, overcooked. Also, the black truffled grits accompaniment was just lukewarm (as was the braised lamb, come to think of it).
Now, am I being picky? Yes. Was the dish good overall? Yes. But here’s the thing: Aigre Doux is trying to be a fine fine dining restaurant. That lamb entrée was $ 40, making it one of the most expensive non-​steakhouse entrees I’ve had in a long time.
The bottom line is that I have spent no more (and probably a little less) at Blackbird and felt better about it.
As I say, I keep trying to love this restaurant, but have difficulties each time I visit.

Aigres Doux, loosely translated into Chinese as «angry dude» is very chi-​chi fashionable.
Something was up when I called late in the afternoon to ask for a table for 6 people at 7:15 when the hostess said, «hmm… let me see, well, we can probably squeeze you in at 7:30 or 6:45», only to find the place dead when we showed up. The thump-​thump of club music was perfect for the few gray-​haired suburbanites having the early bird special.
The place looks cool, the food is good, but it should be for $ 30+ entrees. The pizza appetizers are worth an extra star, but the (Italian) ice deserts loose a star.
My 2 cents — Aigre Doux looks cool, the food at Crofton on Wells blows the doors off this joint, and if you want good Italian ice then head to Anthony’s on Southport.
This is the perfect place to go if your single and celebrating your 40^th birthday with your parents!

Sunday night after a stroll down Wacker, my two friends and I entered a strangely deserted Aigre Doux. We were greeted by the host and I presume manager, as well as the slight smell of basement. Hmm. I put that out of my head as we were shown a cozy three-​sided booth.
The service was excellent, our server was particularly professional and sweet (and with all three of us in the industry ourselves, were perhaps going over everything fine-​toothed).
Starter of champagne, heirloom tomatoes, peekytoe crab & avocado salad, and a delicious lobster ravioli plus some of the best bread. Though not warm, and that would have made it the best bread EVER. The salt sprinkled over the butter was particularly nice. Our starters were all executed brilliantly and were very tastily.
Our mains were a lobster linguine, another pasta dish I am now forgetting and while I vacillated between the veal cheeks, lamb flight and fish, I ultimately opted for the baked salmon. The salmon was presented in a roulade which unfortunately made it a bit overcooked, and was topped with a highly unnecessary fruit compote. I requested that the chef give something other than cooked carrots (I can’t stand them. Can’t. Stand.) which he did in the form of broccolini while also including the carrots. It was slightly undercooked, but I prefer my veggies a bit on the raw side — hence the anti-​carrot. Given a return visit, I would not again order the salmon. I feel like I missed out. One shouldn’t pass up veal cheeks on a menu, I now realize.
I had perhaps the best Viognier I’ve ever had, something from a winery called Miner (Napa). It was crème brûlée in a glass, I kid you not.
We opted for no dessert but chatted up our server over cappucinos instead, a delightful young lady whose name unfortunately I don’t think I ever caught. She made mention of my friends’ visit from out of town and one of their birthdays, thanks to Open Table’s reservation system’s notes. Nice touch.
I enjoyed Aigre Doux and I would return. It’s a lovely little date place, dimly lit and nicely tuned.

My bf and I wanted to take advantage of restaurant week so we decided to try Aigre Doux. We had dinner reservations at 815 and didn’t realize that we booked it on the same night as snoop’s concert which started at 9. Since AD was down the street from the HOB, we decided to go with the reservation. We arrived 15 minutes early and found the place swarming with people so we were a bit nervous about making the concert on time (but it didn’t matter anyway as Snoop made us wait til 1130!) so we informed the hostesses that we had a show at 9. They told us they’d put a note in and sent us to the bar. After less than 10 minutes at the bar, a hostess offered to let us dine in our seats. We were relieved and took her up on the accommodations.
We had a great bartender (didn’t catch his name) who was friends with the chef and was very familiar with the food. He waited on us and set up the bar perfectly for our alternate dining experience. For appetizers, I went with the pumpkin ravioli and my bf went with the curried peekytoe crab. Both were delish. I read reviews on Unilocal before going to AD so I went with the short ribs and advised my bf to get the same. The beef was very tender and yummy! The spinach side was extra buttery and tasty. The toffee cake was phenomenal. An added bonus to sitting at the bar was the bartender’s complimentary tasting of a sweet cinnamon-​y sherry that paired very well with the cake.
Overall we had a great experience. The portions are small, but we were def satisfied before we left. We left at approximately 9:10. They were very speedy and accomodating. The valet guys also let us leave our car at the parking meter! The service was impeccable!!!

Sour and sweet. With a tinge of sepia toned rusticity, green velvet lined wooden chairs, large wooden framed mirrors dotting the walls just above the earth-​tone texture padded booths, and flash bulbs hanging from lines going back toward the open kitchen; this establishment’s ambiance is neither embellished nor bland. The hard chairs, and dim lighting, even during the day, serve as an understatement, perhaps not to take away from the culinary delights of the kitchen.
The food exhibited a great understanding of the simplicity, yet power of basic flora and fauna. The bucatini was firm and carried with it an ample butteriness from the sauce, with the supple lobster draped throughout and pickled leeks and zucchini added excellent earthiness and layers to a rather basic dish. The salad was garden fresh and flavors were accentuated by the dressing. The artichoke soup exhibited great restraint, but perhaps too much, as Tina called out for chunks of artichoke that were amiss in her warm bowl.
The food far out-​weighed the slightness of the décor; and all in all it was doux with a background of aigre.

Oh how I love dining out in January. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but if you’re willing to brave the cold and tip the coat check girl (and yes, you do need to tip her, you cheapskates), a night out at a fine dining establishment in mid-​January is a delight. We do this every year for our anniversary and should really do it more often for no reason at all. But lets not all rush out in January, or it won’t be fun anymore.
So, Friday night at Aigre Doux. The restaurant is full, but not packed. The bar is empty. We’re about 20 minutes early for our reservation because we’re just so damn eager to eat and because we found a parking fairly easily (January! I tell you!) so we enjoy a round at the bar. Aigre Doux has a nice little by-​the-​glass wine list. I had a glass of Avinyo Cava and Josh has a Delirium Tremens (bottle).
I forgot to mention that everyone at the door was so very nice– multiple hosts/​managers/​coat check girls/​etc. A host came around, asked us how we were– almost conversationally, really– and let us know that our table was ready when we were.
The space is nice– intimate and spare. I’ve heard comparisons to Blackbird, but it’s much warmer than the rather cool Scandinavian tones at Blackbird. Here, the warm wood, small round tiles, amber water glasses, heavy curtains in entry work to soften the white walls and sharp angles. The appearance may be much different in the day or in the summer, but on a cold winter night, it was plenty cozy. The tables along the banquette are close together, but are wide enough to keep you from feeling like you need to make friends with your neighbors.
To the food, before I run out of room here… Me: A market apple salad with serrano ham, manchego cheese, matchstick apples and the tiniest arugula leaves you imagine. This with a glass of Bodegas Nekeas Rose. Then, Glazed duck with huckleberries, quinoa with almonds and tiny tiny bok choys. Josh: Sunchoke soup with a disc of goat cheese; then, rack of lamb with grits and fava beans. Entrees with a bottle of Mas de l’Abundancia Monsant.
Everything was spectacular. I had been grousing about the supremacy of flavor over texture, but Josh told me stop being a whiner, so I’ll just leave it alone. It’s a silly thing anyway.
I would go back in an instant. The service was attentive and pleasant, the food was fun and flavorful (the lamb was *so* tender and I could have continued to eat that duck endlessly) and the seasonal menu well-​varied– just enough choices and all of them appealing and tempting.
Oh, for dessert we had the cookie plate!

Despite the fact that the restaurant was practically empty when we walked in, the host directed us to the bar for a drink while our table was set-​up. I felt like they were trying to squeeze as much money out of us as possible by getting us to have a drink.
All three of us ordered the ($ 12) chestnut soup to start. It was delicious but it was not hot — and if I order soup I want it to be piping hot.
Next, I had the «Black Cod» ($ 34). This is what really got me. .. my plate came out and it wasn’t black cod!!! It was skate. If I am paying $ 34 dollars for black cod, give me black cod! Just tell me that you ran out of what I ordered and let me order something else.
I have no problem whatsoever paying for an expensive dinner if the quality matches the price. The only thing that impressed me at Aigre Doux was the audacity of their pricing — not the quality of the food.

Any of you Unilocalers who read my reviews and the types of places I review know by now that I’m not into the hoity-​toity fru-​fru shi-​shi pay-​too-​much-​for-​too-​little-​food-​in-​order-​to-​be-​seen types of places. You’d think that when you first hear the name «Aggradoo» like it’s going to be some snotty wannabe French Restaurant where you hear the words «Oh, pardon me, Garson», like the host at the French Restaurant in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Aigre Doux is so NOT a trendy to-​be-​seen at the «best seat in the house» (whatever the fuck that means to the yuppie wannabee restaurant groupies) or sitting outside on a sidewalk where passerbys can sneeze on your food as you hold your pinky out when you sip your Chocolate Choo-​Choo. Aigre Doux is CLASSY. Aigre Doux has some of the freshest chow I’ve ever had. From the overized Beef Brisket to the Kobe Burger to the Herb Omelet to the Braised Lamb to the specialty Pizzas (ahi tuna, people!), everything is made to order with the freshest fucking ingredients. I swear by it! Hell, I’m not even going to say what the chef pays per ounce for his cilantro, basil, parsley, etc., but it’s a lot, so it better taste like it’s fresh from the field, kind of like picking apples from an orchard vs. Jewel’s mealy produce.
You’re greeted with a smile and rendered impeccable service. There’s no «Halley’s Waitress» syndrome going on here. If you don’t get the «Halley’s Waitress» or «Chocolate Choo-​Choo» references, don’t be afraid to ask me. And, ask for Sasha to be your Aigre Doux server. You won’t regret it! She’s awesome!

Based on some of the previous reviews I am confidant in saying that I do believe Aigre Doux has worked out most of it’s growing pains…
We arrived early for a pre-​dinner cocktail at the bar… it’s a small L-​shaped bar with neat-​o exposed filament lighting overhead. I had the champagne special which was lovely, but I do have to agree that their wine list leaves a bit to be desired. The reds are almost all American grapes and very Pinot Noir heavy. I prefer a more full bodied red and the selection was lacking a bit… one San Giovese and a handful of Napa Cabs. That was my only basis for a one-​star retraction really, other than that things were pretty spot on!
Our waiter was extremely attentive, made great menu suggestions… we ended up with the Caramelized Cauliflower and Crab Soup, Calamari and Arugula Salad (it was a special for the evening and positively FANTASTIC), Corn and Lobster Ravioli (I could die very happy after these) and entrees of Risotto with Diver Scallops and the Rack of Lamb… all dishes were prepared to perfection and timed perfectly.
They must have also adjusted the bread rations because it kept coming… and coming… we actually finally had to say «enough with the bread already, you’re not stuffing a turkey here!!!»
I would encourage them to hire a sommelier who could sufficiently amp up the wine pairings and then A.D. will be adequately armed for an impressive showing.

Wow– 15 reviews for Aigre Doux already and it’s only been open a little over a month. This Unilocal crowd really gets around, but I guess I already knew that.
I checked out this new hot spot for lunch today because I was interested in seeing what all the hype was about. I enjoyed my meal, but I’m not sure it’s the right place for lunch… but I“ll definitely be back for dinner. We started with the poached shrimp salad– delicious! The shrimp were absolutely huge and I know I’m going to have future cravings for the dressing they put on the salad. We were just going to have that and the tomato mozzarella pizza, but our server insisted it wasn’t enough food for us. I definitely think it would have been enough food, but we added the crispy risotto and made it a lovely 3 course meal. The pizza and risotto were not as good as the poached shrimp salad, but still tasty.
The service was so-​so. They were way too slow for lunchtime and there seemed to be a lot of confusion going on. When they brought out our pizza the waitress asked if we had eaten it already or we were still waiting for it. Kind of weird, but it is still pretty new so we cut them some slack. I’d probably give Aigre Doux 3 ½ stars, but I’m in a particularly good mood today so lucky for them they are getting 4 stars. I did really like the atmosphere so I’m looking forward to trying dinner here and especially excited for the bakery that’s opening up sometime in March.

Given the experience that I had here last night, I find it hard to believe that this place could be given anything other than 5 stars! The food was amazing, the service impeccable and I have already recommended it to friends. It’s that good.
Located by the Mart on Kinzie, while a little hard to find with its understated front (never did figure out if there was a sign– I found it by seeing the name on the valet sign!) once you move through the revolving front door you know that this is going to be a special experience.
The hostesses quickly take your coat (entering in your table/​coat information in the computer so there is no need to find a coat check ticket) and you are invited to either have a drink at the bar or be seated. I chose the bar. The wine list is great and I loved the hammered copper bar top and the upscale «bistro like» feel.
Once seated, our waitress was friendly and personable even giving us a tip on a very cool necklace that she was wearing. Keep in mind that the servers don’t really look like servers as they were all dressed in «street clothes» and it felt a bit like we were being taken care of by friends. We went with all her recommendations (more on that in a minute) and then since the wine list is made up of many lesser known boutique wines, she offered to have the sommelier come to the table.
The sommelier (another woman I might add– there seems to be an amazing number of women workers in this place which I thought was great) came over and asked us about our preferences, etc and then recommended a Ridge full bodied red (I already love the Ridge winery so this was not a hard sell to me!) What a great bottle of wine. Full bodied, a little peppery– I could go on but let’s talk a minute about the real star of the night– THE FOOD!!!
We had two appetizers and two entrees that we split. For the appetizers, the oxtail ravioli was amazing, full of flavor with a light reduction sauce. The other appetizer was more complex with the centerpiece being cold white asparagus surrounded by a small serving of some type of goats cheese and a flavorful toast topped with a poached egg and some type of sauce. As we told the server– there is no way that the menu description (or mine here, for that matter, does this dish justice) I would go back just for that!
As for entrees– we had the Colorado lamb chops (a very rustic feel) and the Turbot (which had a great sauce and had small brown beans as a side. Both of these were amazing– although because the tables are close together– I was able to see food on the next table and I must say, the lobster pasta dish also looked great.
Did I mention the bread? Served with unsalted butter that has been sprinkled with coarse grain salt– this bread has a focaccia consistency with a cheese crust that is soooo good– you really need to be careful or, like us, they will keep bringing it and you will end up full before your entrée comes.
As for dessert– the toffee pudding was a hit– although it does come with come candied oranges which was not mentioned on the menu. Since I have an allergy to oranges– when the server found this out– she went back and pulled together a plate of small, yummy cookies just for me!
As of March 1^st, there will be a coffee shop and bakery located in the front of the restaurant. It looks cute with crystal chandeliers, a light wood counter and several bistro type tables.
For those of you driving– valet ($ 10) is okay– there is also a parking garage down at the corner of Wells and Kinzie. If you are cabbing it– cabs are a bit hard to come by on this stretch of Kinzie and you might be better off walking down to Wells.
If you are looking for a special night out– you should put this on your list. I can’t wait to go back to see what other things this little slice of heaven has in store for me.

I know this is a new restaurant, but I expected better.
The space is tastefully decorated with a minimalist asthetic, but they used some nice wooden accents to warm things up. Service is adequate, but the food…
I just didn’t like it. I tried the white asparagus appetizer and the asparagus was acidic with accompaniments that I thought were out-​of-​place. The tuna wasabi pizza was bland and the margherita pizza was really short on cheese and not very flavorful. I had the lasagna which wasn’t even lasagna– it was comprised of little macaroni-​like noodles with random vegetables including potatoes. My friends didn’t care for their entrees either. It seemed like they were trying to put a twist on standard fare and failed on the implementation.
The two things we liked were the toffee pudding and the frites (unbelievably good, in fact)
At this price point, I expect to be wowed. Or at least enjoy every food item, but I left dissappointed and hungry.