Site Redirect

This site is no longer being updated. Please visit my new site at Two People Eating Food - http://www.meganbuttita.com/food/.

Thanks!

Blue 13

I can't say anything bad about this River North restaurant. From beginning to end - Great, Better, Best!!!! Grilled salad??!!! YES!!! They do grilled salad like nobodies business. I had the scallops and Tom had the bass and BOTH were outstanding. So unassuming yet not to be missed for locals and visitors alike!

The staff was phenomenal. The food was just as good. Go there. You will understand. Seasonal fare, chef is exquisite. When such a great place is right in your backyard, you come home happy and fulfilled in so many ways. Love love love this River North locale.

Don't miss it!

Thank You Blue 13!!!!

Japonais

Tom and I went here just weeks after some kind of gnat fiasco that was preceded by a Madonna siting. Did all of this entice us to try it out ourselves? Sure it did!

We were led downstairs to the "waiting area" - loud, overly precocious, not so much fun. We then headed upstairs only to sit by...you guessed it - right by the kitchen! Why they like to put us in these positions, well, I guess we're not Madonna.

It was sushi - that's it. But we paid for it like it was covered in gold and diamonds. Was it good? Who knows. By the time we finally ate, we both had a few martinis (not outstanding) and were busy watching other people look for famous faces that just MIGHT be there. To no avail.

Gnat problems aside and Madonna sitings non-existent, this was disappointing and expensive. Japonais gets a big huge thumbs down. BOO!!!

Primehouse

Wowza!!! This is probably the best restaurant I have been to in at least a year - if not ever. A little background on The James/Primehouse: We were actually going to have our wedding reception at The James - primarily because we had heard the food was amazing. We decided against this location because of the lack of windows in the reception room. It was really nice, nonetheless, but we found The Sutton Place hotel and not even the food could convince us to book The James.

We started off in The James lounge with the surf and turf dumplings. Pretty good, but I wasn't incredibly impressed. Once we sat down for dinner at Primehouse, our server was at our table promptly and her service did not wane the entire night. She was so great - knowledgeable, friendly, curteous - you name it - her service was second to none. We had the kobe beef tartar - served on a bed of salt rock - that was to die for! I couldn't believe how much I loved raw meat! Don't miss it when you are there.

For the entre, we had the chateubriand for two. I just can't say enough about the meat - AMAZING.

This entre is for two and they carve it tableside for you. We chose the garlic topping on the side with the blue cheese foam. OMG - the best!!!! I just have no words - it is absolutely to die for!

For dessert we had the lolipop tree - chocolate covered cheesecake on a tree that looks like lolipops.















This was sooooo delectable! Don't miss out on this fun treat that will have all the other tables talking! We also had cordials with the dessert - ask the server what is best for your pick and you won't be let down!

Overall, I give this 6 stars out of 5. Primehouse is a must for tourists and locals alike!

Minnie's

Mini anything is cute, so mini hamburgers sounded fantastic! When we read the reviews online for Mini's, we thought it sounded like a fun place. Well, it was, kinda. When I can't find parking and I'm hungry, I get mad. So that was the first thing that put a damper on our outing. Lincoln Park is notorious for not being able to find parking, so I should have known better.

Once we entered the establishment, there was an old fashioned soda fountain/bar in the front. However, that was deceiving as the back of the "miniature" restaurant housed crying babies, crazy children, and parents just trying to survive a Sunday afternoon meal out with the family. The seating isn't very comfortable with tables crunched together in the middle of the floor and balloon's whipping you from every direction. The food was good, but not good enough for us to battle the parking and children's b-day parties. Cute, but not that cute.

Might be good for an after hours slider, but not a relaxing weekend brunch spot.

Stone Lotus

Every time we drive past Stone Lotus, I can't believe it's the same place that I remember. It looks deceivingly small from the outside, and hardly noticeable. Inside, it's long and thin...I think:) We went there for my birthday in 2008, or thereabouts, and it was really fun! We bought a couple of bottles and watched the go-go dancers! It had a pretty cool vibe - we would definitely go back!

North Pond

I feel so bad saying anything negative about this place since everyone seems to love it! We went there for Tom's 31st B-Day and a joint 30th B-Day for me. They did create menus for us with our names on it for posterity sake, but that's the extent of the service. For starters, don't go there in the winter. You have to walk a half mile from the main street to the restaurant as it is literally in Lincoln Park.

The bartender was unhelpful and unresponsive. They sat us right in front of the kitchen, which might have been their way of saying 'look at how good we are', but I thought 'sit here - we don't care about you'. The server was RUDE and seemed annoyed to have to deal with us since we had two separate checks. No champagne? Forget it. They don't want your service if you don't plan to spend over $500...trust me.

There are much better places with better service in Chicago. They are using their location as a draw, but people will figure out this hoax soon enough.