Bluegrass

Bluegrass paints a pretty picture of Cajun/​Creole flare. With its Jambalaya, Pulled Pork and Crawfish Etoufee. You’d think, what can I eat at this place?! Well, at Bluegrass, there’s a bunch of Veggie Love too. :)
Blue​grass​.My favorite starter at Bluegrass is the Bluegrass Salad. It features, radicchio and romaine lettuce, shaved red onion, gorgonzola cheese, pine nuts and is tossed in a pear balsamic vinaigrette. Feel free to add avocado for a perfect topper. At least, that’s what I do. :)
I WISH they had a homemade veggie burger but… Another great sandwich option
is The Mushroom Broil. It’s a combo of domestic and wild mushrooms, set atop grilled crusty italian bread with melted gruyère cheese. If you’re into shrooms, this be the yummy you desire.
A huge hit that’s not quite Creole but is a NICE vegetarian option is, The Asian Vegetable Noodle Bowl. It features, stir fried bok choy, shitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, tofu, scallions, ginger, garlic, udon noodles in a vegetable broth and is topped with diced tomatoes, a splash of soy sauce, cilantro & sesame seeds. If you’re not hungry, this isn’t the dish for you. It’s quite perfect on a cold winter night and is very filling.
…Side Note… They are fried but, DO TRY the onion rings with a side of the horseradish sauce. UNREAL taste combo.
…Did I mention the VERY nice Beer, Wine, and Martini section?
Ps: Don’t forget to check out the dessert menu.
*Eating Out With A Girl* #EOWAG #EatingOutWithAGirl

Saturday night at 7, bluegrass was so packed. We had to wait about 30 minutes, and had opportunities to see a wining prize on the wall (The finest 20 restaurants of Chicago 2013). Everything seemed to indicate a great restaurant, however…
I ordered Calamari as appetizer. It came in a small container, and surprisingly half of that were onion rings. The taste of calamari was ordinary.
Dirty martini tasted almost plain /​or tasted very little alcohol, yet it somehow was able to make me feel really tipsy (?).
Jambalaya came. So disappointing! It tasted like porridge! Everything is over cooked and in a watery sauce. Even the sausage pieces were so over cooked till mushy. I asked for shrimp jambalaya, it was charged additional five more dollars for adding shrimps （$ 14+5）. But the shrimps were like the aliens of this dish, no taste.
Their green scallions were over used. They were on the top of both the calamari and the Jambolaya. These green stuff didn’t look appetizing to me.
PS. This is a small restaurant, many tables were set very tight and extremely noisy.

This a a consistent, well-​run restaurant with good food and service. It is also in a nice location and parking is never an issue. My only complaint, if there is one, is that the acoustics are not the best and that it is sometimes hard to hear people in your party. Other than that, this is a keeper and the sound issues have not kept me from going there.

Food here is great. Make sure to check out the seasonal offerings. Roasted pork shank in October was huge and the skin was crispy perfection. I had bouillabaisse few days ago (December) and it was heavenly.
The reason for 4 stars instead of 5? Lack of consistently attentive service. We have had good experience before. Recently we had a server who would not look at us and rushed through each interaction. This creates very unpleasant, unwelcoming feeling.
Do we need to ask for specific servers for next time to receive friendly smile and eye contact?

Shrimp and grits: 1 word, AH-​MAZ-​ING!
The only thing is how small the portions are here for the price. You’d expect that at a southern/​Cajun restaurant, they’d be more generous with their portions. But I found it to be quite small.
Best thing, however, is their hospitality. Everyone was so nice! And we got a complimentary dessert for absolutely no reason! Amazing!
Everything about this place screams tasty. Ugh I dream about their shrimp and grits sometimes.

I really enjoyed my dinner here. First off the waitress and then, I guess, the owners all were incredibly nice and sweet, we all talked for a few minutes and asking about our experience and then discussing my move to the area.
the food was incredible, peanut brittle baked beans sounds awful but it certainly taste good :) the menus are well put together, atmosphere is pretty quaint although it’s more of a bar type atmosphere in the section I was in (not sure if there are more sections) and really I heard it was very expensive but I didn’t think it was out of line at all for what I got and even the drinks were not a bad price. I’d definitely will go back

Great BBQ, great Bloody Marys, friendly staff, my only complaint is I walked out way too full and will surely pay for it in the morning… the huge Bananas Foster really finished the job.
It was also nice to see that part of town getting revitalized. Good luck to the owners and staff

We were just here, had crawfish etuffe, some sides and beer. Food was awesome and quick. Service was unreal… Nicest wait staff ever. Will be back :)

This place has won my heart. It’s in a strange location, tucked away on Old Deerfield Road. It’s also small and has low ceilings which emphasize that. But. it’s wonderful.
I’ve dined here quite a few times since I moved back from the Southwest, most recently this past Friday. From fish to jambalaya to barbecue, they serve fantastic food. The appetizers are wonderful, service is great and very friendly, there’s a long list of great craft beers, and if you eat here even once there’s a good chance you’ll meet either the chef or the owner, both of whom are immensely warm and welcoming.
I had the jambalaya on my most recent visit, with shrimp. It had a beautiful, smooth buttery base with just enough heat to break a sublime little sweat. The whole trinity sang amongst all the other ingredients, and the shrimp was juicy and beautiful.
For dessert, I had a small bite truffle with the raspberry chambord sauce and the chantilly cream. The chantilly cream is so good I almost asked if I could just order that.
The attention to detail is amazing, they host fun events like cooking classes, wine tastings and shrimp and crab boils, and even the sides for the entrees are wonderful, like a beautiful corn risotto or new takes on potatoes that will make you reconsider the humble tuber. Go here. It’s so worth it.

Okay so I know this place generally has good reviews and it was on my bookmarked list for in the area Sunday must try dinner and unfortunately we left disappointed and I probably will not be back. I made a reservation for 5pm on a Sunday knowing our friends are bringing their kids who are under one. When we came in the hostess gave us this look like «umm, you’re bringing children into our establishment.» Well I wasn’t exactly understanding her attitude since I was pretty sure it’s a kid friendly place. She then wasn’t sure if she could make room for us even though the place was completely empty. She then turned her attitude around and decided to help us get a table but that really left us with a sore taste. We did get out complimentary shots of gumbo with Unilocal check in (that we were charged for in the end of the meal) but that’s a whole other story.
The bread and butter were fresh and the shot of jumbo were honestly our favorite parts of the meal which kind of says a whole lot. We ordered the huge portion calamari for $ 15 for the whole table and it was okay, a little over battered and had more onions than actual calamari which wasn’t impressive. People talked about the ribs so we tried the Sunday bbq platter which had ribs, bbq chicken and corn beef. Everything was horrible. The ribs were over fatty, the bbq chicken was burnt and the corn beef was just blah and the flavors just were not there. The side of corn salad was served cold which was also disappointing. My friends had other things from burgers to ahi tuna and everything just didn’t taste well. I didn’t want to complain there since I think they were annoyed that we had babies with us but honesty, this is supposed to be kid/​baby friendly. The kids seriously felt their presence being annoying so they didn’t behave well and I don’t blame them.
Our server was nice but did charge us for those gumbo shots, so they get a star for him being nice and the gumbo was tasty but honestly I don’t have any desire to come back. Being a foodie, this place isn’t and I wasn’t expecting it, I was expecting a nice quality meal with my family which I didn’t get. People were also giving us dirty looks for having babies so I guess they don’t expect babies here for those who are regulars. Obviously the experience was sour so there was no room for dessert.

The French onion soup and bluegrass salad are my favorite items on the menu.
I’ve been eating here for years and really enjoy it. I’ve also ordered jambalaya and Alfredo– both great. Just something about the soup and salad that keeps me coming back. Yum yum yum.

Great tasting food! Their shrimp and grits are amazing! The portion size isn’t super big but it’s definitely enough to get you full and you get a full size salad to go with it as well. Their Gumbo is a must try. Not to many people can do shrimp and grits or Gumbo well and they can! Can’t wait to go back and try other dishes. A hidden gem!

Absolutely love everything and everyone that is part of the Bluegrass Team. From Jim and Joni, the owners taking so much time to make sure their food is exceptional, making every customer feel very important. To the bar tender, Louise making sure you feel welcomed. Eric our server was above and beyond with his sincere suggestions and attentiveness. The food is so unique and always a hit! My favorite drink is the Snow Tini pared with the Jambalaya with a side of cheesy grits. Awesome atmosphere, that uniquely sets Bluegrass apart from other restaurants.

Good tasting fresh food. Lovely outdoor patio. I ate the crawfish étouffée and my husband had the jambalaya. It will not burn without additional seasoning. It’s nice that they include a small salad and bread with flavored butter.
I felt bad for our server, a pleasant, cheerful girl who unfortunately had to wait on and bus every table. Shame on management for not providing a busboy!

What a FABULOUS lil charmer!!!
Met a girlfriend from work here to catch up. Got here around 6:45 on a Tuesday evening, and GOT THE LAST TABLE! While it’s a fairly small restaurant, it is clearly a local favorite! The place was absolutely PACKED until we left at 9:15.
The Food is clearly the reason why. They’ve got such an amazing menu. I’m a very picky eater, so I only had a very small selection to choose from — but for the normal person, they’d probably have a list of things they want to come back and try!
I ended up getting the Jambalaya (chicken and sausage) with a side of Corn Pudding. Both had amazing flavors! That corn pudding was to die for. My friend ordered the chicken and shrimp with dirty rice — she said that entrée was just «ok, nothing special».
The Good:
— Food
— Menu
— Service was fair. Not great, not bad. Just fair.
— The owners were present, and walking around to ensure everyone was happy. Very friendly
— Outdoor Seating
— They offer a daily special
— They are Unique
The Bad:
— Size of restaurant. It’s fairly Small
— Price. Just a bowl of Jambalaya is $ 19. Seems a smidge excessive. And as an «Entrée», you’d almost expect it to come with at least one side. Sides were extra.
The Ugly:
— Noise Level. Extremely noisy. Very hard to hear my friend whom I was sitting across from. kept saying «what?» and having to lean in to hear her. And then to top it off, midway through dinner they started pumping music through the restaurant which made it worse.
In conclusion — I would absolutely come here again! and I would recommend it to friends/​family as well. It’s a GREAT little spot with delicious, unique food offerings.

My previous review of Bluegrass was less than complimentary. But I have had enough new experiences to say, without hesitation, that that was not the norm.
This last time, I had a group come out for lunch and it was perfect. It was very busy. Although the server was pulled several directions during a very busy Friday, they worked like a team and everything was great.
The Calamari is fun served in an over-​sized martini glass. Huge portion, perfect for a group. We also ordered their mushroom appetizer. I am not a fan of mushrooms, but everyone else said it was fantastic.
We were celebrating as a group, so a few ordered their Blueberry Martinis. They LOVED them. Great if you are looking for something different.
Other highlights: the tuna entrée is «really» good. Fresh, with a great presentation. I had the Jazzy Ruben and asked if they could serve it without bread. It was an awesome entrée.
Huge portions.
Great experience, great servers, great food.
P. S. Don’t forget to check in on Unilocal and get a free shot of gumbo. It is awesome. Really at the top of gumbos.

We came before Mardi Gras — fabulous! And it just keeps rolling on!
Love the Texas Pit BBQ — esp the corned beef brisket! The jambalaya is scrumptious and Don’t Skip the Corn Pudding!
Very friendly folks who Always offer to take our coats — really feel welcomed every time we come!

This place had such high hopes for me. I love Cajun and Creole food. I looked at the menu online and felt the price point would equate to a nice restaurant. But then I walked in over the weekend. Immediately I felt like this place looks like what a family friendly chain restaurant based around Mardi Gras would be. The combination of the masks on the cracked mirrors plus giving us bead when we sat down just felt forced.
On to the food. We started with the artichoke app. It was good, and simple. The lemon butter sauce was fine enough, but it made it all feel really greasy. Deep friend and butter sauce it too much. It paired better with the lemon wedges from my water
On to the mains, I got the crawfish etoufee. Overall it was satisfactory. However it really needed some vegetable in the dish. I’m used to having this dish with green peppers, celery, onions, and green onions mixed in. It was a little curious that it was basically a sauce and crawfish. While it was satisfying, I did find it lacking.
My wife’s shrimp and grits, now that was the reason this place was given 3 starts as opposed to 2 stars by me. Bacon, creamy grits, and nice shrimp… my wife didn’t give me more than a bite.
We also got the peanut britte beans and the green beans. For $ 5 each it was tiny in size and really lacking. The baked peanut brittle beans tasted like canned beans with some peanut brittle crumbs thrown on top and the green beans were like a single serving with nothing too interesting going on…
Overall this place will remain off of my list of Southern foods to eat. I’ll continue to make my own gumbo at home and go to Big Jones in the city

Perfect lunch lunch hideout until the rest of world finds out. I’m excited to try it for dinner sometime ! Food was specially crafted and flavorful.
Nestled on a side street on an unassuming corner is this lovely restaurant– Bluegrass I ordered the Wild Mushroom Broil appetizer, shot of Gumbo, and Corned Beef Brisket Sandwich.
The MUSHROOM BROIL came out on a large plate covered with high grade fresh grated parmesian cheese over the appetizer. The rich mushroom broth lightly coated the Italian bread with mushrooms piled up and melted gruyère cheese. I recommend this appetizer for sharing for 2 or 3 people.
The GUMBO SHOT comes in an espresso cup and is a delicious taster for 2 dollars. I could tell the sausage was artisan made and the mixing of the other Gumbo ingredients including chicken, green peppers, and rice complimented each other perfectly.
The CORNED BEEF BRISKET SANDWICH was the shining moment to an already amazing meal. The corned beef brisket slices were well flavored using a slow cooking process with a peppery rind and a slightly firmer texture to keep the sandwich together. The beef was covered with a tangy brown bbq sauce and garnished with red onions. Everything culminated in a beautiful sandwhich with great textures and a taste that is hard to beat. I cant remember having a better sandwich for 12 dollars.
The 75 seat layout feels intimate and quaint with low ceilings but not confined. The décor is passibly amiss but still very warm and comforting.
The staff was top notch– knowledgeable about their food, super attentive, and classy professionals. I was approached by every member of the team and offered help.
I highly recommend Bluegrass! I couldn’t believe this place was less than a ¹⁄₃ full on a Friday for lunch! Lunch was excellent and fast– the perfect lunch hideout.

What do you do when you are out shopping for Christmas and need a bite to eat? You reach out to your fellow Unilocalers for a recommendation and they come through!
Great cozy room and a warm welcome as I walk in. Mott to start as I beat the lunch rush but filled up very quickly. Super friendly staff ready with recommendations for a hoppy bear to accompany my lunch.
Not wanting to go too heavy I decided on a soup and salad combo but added the tuna tartar because I LOVE tuna! Presentation was excellent on the tuna but it was «diced» in the sense «we used that setting in the processor». I prefer a nice knife dice as it adds some texture. So a negative there. Flavor was fantastic though.
The Cesar salad was straightforward and met expectations but the gumbo was delicious. I spend a few weeks a year in NOLA and would put this up against some of my favorites there. Meat and savory
Although i planned to go with a light lunch I was hopeful for Key Lime pie on the dessert menu :(alas none to be found. A helpful staff member directed me to the chocolate bread pudding. Share the taster size. It is huge. Paired with a coffee (shot of whiskey of course) it made for a great break on a busy day.