Chef’s Station

Just took my family to Chef’s Station for the first time last night. For starters, the friendly service was immediate walking in the door. We called ahead and was able to sit in a comfortable setting for the 5 of us. We had two salads, each of my three kids (6,10,12) devoured them. The kitchen took a request from my 6 & 12 year olds for noodles with Parmesan while my 10 yo ordered duck, husband ordered lamb and I had the special, Monkfish with lobster ravioli and rock shrimp with spinach. I had the Bordeaux red as well. With great sized portions, we had no room for dessert, but we’re definitely going back! I recommend this restaurant to all for a great dining experience, amazing flavors and top notch service. With all of the reviews prior, here’s another 5 star to add under their belt! Loved it!!!

This was a huge disappointment. Our table was neglected for at least an hour and when the waiter finally came to take our orders he seemed impatient. It took him over an hour to take our order of appetizers and then took another 40 minutes before he came back to take our entrée order. We sat down at 7:30 pm but never got any food (not even bread) until 9 pm. Our appetizers were underwhelming and overpriced. The main dish was not good either. I ordered the salmon and this was quite possibly the worst salmon I have had. I expect salmon to be well prepared. This was dry and not flavorful at all. The wait staff was probably the worst. I have never had such slow service in my life. And honestly, there were not that many people there. This was an abysmal experience and I will not be going back or recommending this restaurant to others.

I went to the chef’s station back in September with a date and I was totally disappointed. The atmosphere was lovely and the whitefish appetizer was good but the main course was a total bomb. I ordered the Meatloaf with Roasted Beef Bordelaise. When did ketchup become Beef Bordelaise? I HATE ketchup! It was smeared on top of an unseasoned piece of ground meat. The quality of the meat seemed to be good but it was bland. The smashed potatoes were like cement. My date wasn’t impressed with his entrée either but it had to have been better than mine! I wouldn’t waste my money going there!

Huge thank you to Michael Wathen who helped accommodate our ten year old son so that my husband & I could enjoy some seriously great fine dining. We thoroughly enjoyed the sweetbreads, foie & lobster appetizers. The braised short ribs were a huge hit even with my very picky son. The entire staff was friendly and, though truly a fine dining environment, we felt very much at home & welcome.

Mancow you sound more like Madcow. Chef’s Station is one block from The Margarita European Inn, and we recommend Chef’s station to guests regularly with great success and never a disappointment. My wife and I had the pleasure of dining there Thursday night and it was outstanding. The wild salmon was delicious as was the grilled vegetables.
I intend to feed Mancow throughout Evanston as Mancow is really knowledgeable, kind and fun to dine with. Chef’s station is possibly the hidden gem of dining in Evanston.

I have been to this restaurant many times and have always enjoyed it. But it is too bad that poor wait staff can ruin an experience. Our waiter was a ghost. He ignored us when we were seated. I had to flag him down to take our order and the place was not even busy being 6:30 on Monday. I asked him twice during the evening to refresh our drinks but never happened. He brought the spinach well after the other food had been served like he forgot it. Never asked us when taking our dinner order if we wanted a soufflé, which takes 20 minutes. So when he finally asked us if we wanted dessert it was too late to order it.
I would return because the food was excellent but wait staff that is inept will sink even a good restaurant.

What a disappointment for Thanksgiving! They are VERY understaffed. And the portions were quite small — considering the price of the meal! Every action by the service staff and every course was delayed. It even took them 10+ minutes to seat us even though we were on time for our reservation and the dining room was less than half full at 4:45pm.
Three times during the evening. we had to flag down another server since ours was MIA the entire evening. We were there an hour+ before we received our appetizers. All in all we were there for 3 hours and with a limited menu there shouldn’t be such a long lag time.
And, one of my big pet peeves, our table was NEVER bused properly. After every course there was always random silverware, dirty plates and unfilled water glasses. When the check arrived (after we asked another server for it) there was still the bread basket and silverware from the entrees on the table.
Oh…and the food was meh — not so tasty. Pretty boring actually.

Our Thanksgiving dinner here this evening was good, but when our check arrived we were overcharged for our drinks. The Manhattan listed at $ 14 on the menu was $ 16 on the bill, and the champagne listed at $ 8 on the menu was $ 9 on the bill. When I pointed this out to the waiter, he said he was not sure whether we had had prosecco or champagne, but this made no sense because both were $ 8 on the menu. When he returned with the «corrected» bill, the Manhattan had been reduced to $ 14, but the champagne was still $ 9 a glass. When I noticed this, the waiter said, «Why don’t I just give you the difference» and started to take out his wallet, as though I was being cheap and annoying. After insisting on it, I was finally given a correct bill along with the explanation that the general manager had increased drink prices but the menus had not been updated. So when ordering drinks here be sure to ask the waiter what drink prices the general manager has in his head. Silly me to trust the menu!

Very cute place, with inviting décor. The bread was delicious and the drinks very good. Now that being said, the fish was not good. It was overcooked and a bit fishy but my husbands steak was delicious. (Which is why I’m giving them 4 stars). Now the service was not so good. They did not have enough people working there. Our water was not refilled even after I asked. The waiter who was also the person who answered the phone and greeted you. He never came to check if we like our food, etc. probably because he was answering the phone. Waited a long time for everything. So I would go back because my husbands food was delicious, and the drinks were good but I will not take my 3 year old because it’s really not kid friendly Not to mention his butter noodles were way way over priced.

This place is always nice. I went for NYE one year and was very happy about it. The prices are right and the décor is sort of «shabby chic». It is just fancy enough.

Good is average but the ambiance leaves a little to be desired. Décor is outdated. My husband and I brought my friend here for her birthday. It was awful. We made a reservation and when we got there the place was completely empty! At 7:30 on a Saturday night!!! Eventually other people starting coming in, but they all looked 70+! I felt like I was eating at a Long Island Diner during the early bird specials!!!

Really delicious. Unexpectedly so for this restaurant in a train station.
We chose to sit outside to enjoy the warm weather rather than getting cold in the air con. When I went in to use the bathroom I noticed that the inside of the restaurant looked rather tired and bland, and definitely didn’t match the superb quality of the food, wine and service. Outside felt much more special.
We ended up having all three courses plus coffee — it was so yummy we couldn’t stop ourselves! I would definitely go back, although probably prefer it as a summer restaurant as it’s much nicer outside.

Owner/​chef Emilio, staff and family serve up great fare and service. On the natal day in which I entered the last quartile of my life, my white fish, beet appetizer, and fennel based salad are worthy of more than five stars.

My wife and I tried Chef’s Station for the first time. We thought the food was delicious, from the appetizer to the dessert. She ordered the whitefish and I ordered the rack of lamb. They were both well seasoned and very flavorful. The presentation was also great. The service was good; we have no complaints. We’ll definitely go back and recommend this restaurant to others.
The only problem we had was regarding the location. The place is tucked at the bottom of the Metra station and we had to call to find out the location, because we couldn’t find it.

We ate dinner there yesterday on Mother’s Day. Everything we ordered, from appetizer to entrées to side dishes was tastefully presented and excellent to eat.
Unfortunately, our service was a big disappointment. Our waiter, who acted like he was one of the owners, was arrogant, dismissive and inattentive. To get service we had to ask busboys and food expediters. Certainly not up to the standards indicated by the price of food.

I would like to be able to say better things about Chef’s Station, but I cannot justify any of the high praise invoked by other reviewers. The restaurant is a very comfortable space under the Davis street Metra station, with excellent chairs and wide spacing between tables, and good soundproofing (I didn’t hear any train noises). Our server greeted us warmly, took drink orders and then was not seen for at least another fifteen minutes. No one brought any bread, and we were completely ignored. The restaurant was not crowded, so that lapse in service can not be attributed to lack of staff.
Our waiter finally came and told us the specials, and took our order. M*** had the ceviche, J*** the soup special (a scallion purée), Jo**had the beet and watermelon plate, and I had the seared foie gras. I can’t speak to the ceviche which was a combination of avocado, tomatoes, and salmon with plantain strips, other than the fact that M** enjoyed it. I thought the beet and watermelon was nicely plated, and tasted good, as did J***‘s soup. My appetizer consisted of two thin and small pieces of foie gras, completely under seasoned, slightly over cooked, and served with a small plum «compote,» a dollop of plum jam in a small nest of phyllo. The slight attempt of sauce on this plate did nothing to enhance this appetizer.
Our entrées consisted of two of us getting the filet with an accompanying blue cheese Yukon gold potato cake, an order of the pan seared whitefish, and an order of one of the night’s specials, 2 decent sized soft shelled crabs served with watermelon and tomatoes. My steak was ordered medium rare, and came overdone (medium), but I did not make a fuss. M**‘s filet was also over cooked. It was served with a wine reduction sauce and trimmed asparagus spears. Because it was overdone, it was very dry, but the sauce (although somewhat pedestrian) did help. It was not at all the size the waiter had stated (he said a 12 ounce filet). It was much smaller than expected, not well marbled and disappointing. I tasted both the soft shells and the whitefish, both were very good, but not brilliant.
We shared the turtle sundae, vanilla ice cream, pecans, chocolate shavings and crumbled brownies. It was good, easily shared by three of us, but, again, nothing special.
Nothing special – that, in a nutshell, is my biggest problem with this restaurant. For the prices that Chef’s Station charges, I expect much, much more. Our entrées all were expensive ($ 37 for the steak, $ 36 for the soft shells, $ 30 for the whitefish). The appetizers $ 15 and $ 17. For that price point, one needs a lot more attention to the conception and preparation of the dishes that are being served. The food was generally good, but not great, (the filet entrée I would rate as barely adequate) and it is all the more disappointing based on expectations from many of the reviews. I was hoping for a lot more than what we got. Certainly, the visual aesthetics of the plates are very nice, but not paralleled by a higher degree of depth of flavor and complexity in the dishes themselves. You can get away with good food at a reasonable price, but upscale charges need to be matched to a much higher level of cuisine. Reduce prices by one third, and you would fill the restaurant, because you could mitigate the somewhat pedestrian and uninspiring provender by a reasonable value. On the other hand, if you elevate the offerings then you could justify the prices.
The inattentive service, however, is not ever excusable. The wait staff is very friendly, they just need to be more timely and effective.

I’ve lived in Evanston for nine years, and tonight was my first time at Chef’s Station. I’ve been missing out.
Menu was classic, though far from boring, and extremely well prepared. The foie gras was near perfect. My and my three companions, including my 2 children, ages 9 and 11, ordered four different entrees, and we loved them all. The short ribs were the most popular, though both fish dishes also received acclaim. Everything was good, some dishes were very good.
The service was fine, but not quite what I would expect. Several times I had to ask for empty dishes to cleared, and the intermezzo was served before the first course was removed. The sorbet would have been much tastier has I not eaten it among the remains of my appetizer.
Over all, we had a very enjoyable meal. We’ll definitely be back.

Very good food! Great service! Just a little short of 5-​stars.
Personally, it was in the details that the Chef’s Station had shortcomings, the main presentations were all great. The dinner rolls were very, very crusty (maybe stale?). Get softer/​fresher rolls! The coffee was only alright– we have so many artisan coffee roasters in Chicago, go buy beans from them! Intelligensia charges an arm and a leg, but Big Shoulders or Dark Matter are reasonable (and delicious) alternatives!
I dined on Thanksgiving– I know that’s tough for the staff, but they were all in good spirits. I worked at a restaurant earlier in the day, so I know from experience that it can be hard to provide good service when you’re mentally elsewhere. The service, though, was grand.
Desserts get the full 5-​stars: all excellent choices! I had vanilla gelato over an apple tart, super good.

Went here for a friends bday party. My god, the food is amazing. I believe the cook is from El Salvador or from near that region. Man, that guy can cook.
I had the rissoto (the vegetarian option) and it was phenomenal. The only thing is if you’re a vegetarian, there is one option for a main meal. It is pricey (near 30/​meal), but it’s well worth it.
The desert was amazing as well.
It’s a fancy restaurant, just please note that. My friend is a bit obnoxious, so maybe not the best place for those guys. :)

In my opinion, Chef Station is one of the best fine dining places in downtown Evanston. Shame that it’s tucked away in such an obscure place in the town under the metra stop.
That being said, I think some if my fellow Unilocalers are overshooting this restaurant’s intended mark. This is no michelin-​starred establishment. It’s by all means good just not quite on that playing field. Food was tasty and quite exotic and frankly, as an Evanston resident, I feel lucky to have a place in town that serves foie gras and truffles and soufflés.
Overall, credits to Chef Romero for running a humble restaurant while retaining his classyness and maintaining a concise but diverse menu.