The Standard Restaurant and Bar

FYI… THE STANDARD IS CLOSED.
Went here for lunch on May 24^th and it is empty with a for lease sign.

Definitely standard. A cold Wednesday date night we ambled to Elmhurst not a plan in sight. We came across The Standard with its large open dining room and sat in the chilly splendor.
An overly honest Eastern European server guided us through the menu saying that all the sandwiches were pretty much the same here to her. Okay. We actually were off to a good start with reasonable wine pours and a delicious Asian pear martini. Then the food came. uninspired, kind of sad, about 10 okay maybe 5 years behind current dining trends. My husbands chicken dish was leaden in a salty «Kitchen Quick» based sauce. Not good. My burger was a okay and that is all that can be said about the food.
The end of my meal I tried to get rid of a $ 100.00 visa gift card that I had from Christmas. Well that went horribly awry. The server not paying attention actually brought us back a slip to sign that the card had been declined. She didn’t even notice, we could have left with a free meal. Well, there was money on the card but the staff could not figure out how to accept it. So I paid, with my debit, no big deal but terribly annoying. Oh well, they picked the right name for this place, Standard, they should have skipped «The».

I enjoy coming here for lunch. Vegetarian omelet & wood fired chicken salad is usually my order. Simple, quick, & clean.
The service is usually pretty good and the lunch crowds have been small.

Modern, industrial loft interior. Limited beer selection given the prominence of the bar area. The spinach con queso dip appetizer has a lemony taste to it, which was a little odd, not horrible but also not a winner. Our waitress wasn’t exactly warm but fairly efficient. The jambalaya pasta special was tasty with just the right level of heat. The tomato sauce was rich and there was plenty of andouille and jumbo shrimp. PET PEEVE ALERT: Our water glasses were never refilled. My wife had the Spinach Salad (sans bacon) and said it was good. For dessert we had the apple pie a la mode and it was just fine. Overall, we might come back but we won’t be in a rush.

So a couple weeks ago, we were in Elmhurst for dinner at a nearby restaurant. When we walked by The Standard, we almost changed our minds and walked in here. Almost. Fast forward to today when we worked a half-​day and we were about ten minutes from Elmhurst. We remembered the alluring smells coming from this restaurant and decided to give them a shot for lunch.
We walked in around 1:45 and there were only two other tables seated. It was a little late for lunch, so we didn’t think too much of it. We were seated near the bar, so we could see the tennis match on the tv. It’s a clean, bright space with comfortable booths. The bar space is clean and simple. All good things.
The waitress suggested their calamari appetizer to start. We are calamari fans, so we said yes right away. The flavor was nice, but the execution was all wrong. Instead of draining most of the oil, the oil made it to the plate and the calamari was falling apart and mushy instead of crispy. The lemon aioli was almost like a tartar sauce, but the marinara was pretty good.
The hubby got a backyard burger. Loaded with bacon, American cheese, onion rings and the usual garnish with a side of BBQ sauce. I had a bity bite and it was a nice burger. This was served with shoestring French fries.
My meal was one of today’s specials. I chose the French dip with mashed potatoes instead of fries. The French dip was thinly sliced prime rib on a roll. It was too fatty for my liking. So I picked it apart… as my husband told me to send it back. I was really hungry and didn’t want to be particular at that point. Another pet peeve of mine is a soggy bun. The bun was super mushy when it made it to me. I prefer a toasted roll that I can dip as little or as much as I want to determine my own level of mushiness (usually very little). I think the au jus may have spilled on the plate, but I’m just guessing.
My water glass was kept full. Our server wrapped the leftovers for our son, so we didn’t have to. We received the bill when we asked for it without delay. Maybe we ordered the wrong things, but the waitress suggested the appetizer, so I’m not really in a huge hurry to rush back soon.

I was not expecting much before I went for lunch with my co-​workers who picked this place. I have been here last Christmas as a group outing but could not remember anything I liked. And the reviews here were not that great. In the end, I was really happy with my meal today.
Chicken Portabella pasta was rich and creamy with fresh Parmesan. The lightly breaded thin chicken breast was grilled perfectly. Alfredo cream sauce worked out great with sauteed portabella mushrooms and artichokes. Fettuccine was cooked just right, not too chewy or mushy. I loved it.
The service was impeccable today. She checked with us frequently to make sure everything was OK. Our drinks were refilled frequently.
I just noticed the awesome modern décor this time. (Where was I when I came here last Christmas? la la land) High ceiling and open space brings plenty light into the lobby.
Definitely another great place in Elmhurst.