Went last night in the dismal rain. Burger night! Yay! My SIL ordered the Standard/mayo on the side and I of course had to gild the lily and ordered the Standard as it was on the menu add pickles. And a side of onion rings instead of fries. We each had a glass of Merlot and I enjoyed a French 75 as well. The space was very warm and enjoyable and the service was very good/team based. The burger was cooked exactly as ordered, and was truly fantastic. The onion rings were really nice-- I was glad I switched it up. Lively crowd of couples, friends and families as well as a large group, but the noise level was not noticeable which I appreciated. Just got an email that Wednesdays are now ladies night. I could become a glutton! read more

I went to dinner this past Saturday night at INOVASI in Lake Bluff, Illinois.. It was the single worst experience that I have ever had at a restaurant. I went with my wife and another couple When I found this restaurant online it looked really interesting. A very health conscience place that had portions ranging from Snack to Large Plate. We had a 7:30 reservation and we were seated immediately. The place wasn't that crowded but was filling up. Our waiter, Matt, came over to explain the menu and he came off as a condescending arrogant person. He explained how there are different courses, different sizes of portions, etc.. My wife said, "Please bring everything when it is ready" Then the fun started. First, our drinks didn't come for 15 minutes. The waiter then brought a "Snack" of Big Fries. We were hungry so my friend said "Please bring 2 of them" Matt, our waiter, replied "Sir, this is decent size portion, you really just need one" Well, he brought it out and there were 8 regular size steak fries. We each could have had an order ourselves. After that, it got worse. We did not get our "Small" Plates (2 orders of noodles that were cold and tasteless-basically bad cole slaw and 2 bowls of soup) until 9:00 P.M. 90 minutes for 2 orders of bad noodles and 2 bowls of soup! after we wolfed those "Hearty" portions down, we were scrounging for anything to eat. Our waiter never checked on us to see if we needed anything and the wait continued. We had not gotten our main courses yet and it was 9:30 P.M. 2 hours! In 2 hours we had barely gotten our appetizers(I'm being generous calling them remotely appetizing)... I noticed a lot of tables experiencing what we were and no one was eating.. That was it for us...I saw the Chef (who I'm guessing was the owner or at least co-owner of this dump) sitting and talking to another table..I walked over and asked if I could talk to the manager. The Chef turned his head down, like a coward and a young girl(couldn't have been older than 23 years old) said "I'm the manager" I replied "This is the single worst experience I've ever had in a restaurant" She was in shock and the gutless Chef just kept his head down. Then I went looking for the equally spineless waiter Matt. I found him and said "Bring us our check right now and don't take an hour!" At that point, our food was coming to our table.. My friend, who is one of the largest suppliers of culinary clothing in the U.S., said "We're not eating, take it back"..At that point the manager came over and said "You will not be charged anything" No "I'm sorry", "What can I do for you?" nothing...absolutely nothing... We got up and left.. I've been in sales for 25 years and have also been a business owner for the last 5 years and can tell you that this place was as classless as they were incompetent. Not only should the waiter have been checking on us but the fact that the Chef/owner of this establishment didn't come to us to see if he could make us happy, tells me a lot about him... Obviously, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone and the only thing left is to let this owner know that not only is your restaurant overrated but the lack of service and arrogance lets me know that INOVASI is not for long... I've had better food and service at a Drive Thru Taco Bell... I hope people read this so they know not to spend their good money on this establishment read more

Sure sign you're not from Lake Forest/Lake Bluff #1: you write reviews on yelp. Alas, Daisy and I, having left LF for East Egg, were not among the last names our server was very aurally memorizing as she stared down the long dining room; we did get lots of fake smiles and "that dish has a lot of flavor"s, though! (Yay.). 8:30 on a Tuesday and we're relegated to the bar because the WASPS ARE OUT TONIGHT (sung to the "Lion Sleeps Tonight," of course). I give John De Rossiers, a talented chef, a lot of credit: he knows his micro-North Shore audience very very well...just maybe too well for the rest of us. This reads like an innovative menu--and I had trouble deciding from all the choices--but it eats like 1995: heavy sauces, salt, starch. While the playful touches of his Bank Lane Bistro work are still evident--"Japanese Doritos," if you will--he's clearly kowtowing to his demographic with a lot of the same ol' same ol' hidden underneath the artifice. If he'd just let his ingredients and his techniques shine through, we'd have something like a revelation here. The conceit is small plates with a contemporary, vaguely regional, American spin--commence eye-rolling...NOW. But this is done playfully, with a decent bang for the buck: three courses will run you about $27-36 and the servings are comparatively ample (one of the benefits of having white hairs as your audience, I suppose). Breakout the Hickey and Elie Tahari, baby--we're going pre fixe tonight! There's a lot of potential here, but no consistency even within a single dish. I really loved the subtle black walnut vinagrette on a spinach salad, but nothing else on the plate popped (which is more than you can say about a southern-style red oak lettuce/blue cheese/peanuts salad that was cafeteria level). A lovely oyster fritter, full of contrasting sweet hush puppie-esque and briny oyster bites, was drifting in a sea of so-called "blue tortilla chilaquiles and confit shallots"--more like a mess of beans and some large onions. A pasta dish had some really lovely wild mushrooms and a very bright and clever sugared lemon skin--plus some unannounced scallops--but was doused in an unnecessarily heavy cream base where a minimalist foundation--if anything--would have done; I found myself wondering with each bite what any number of superior SF Italian places (Oliveto, Incanto) would have done with these ingredients. And the "Jackson Pollock's Walleye Pike"--so named for the abstract splashes of four sauces on the plating--was such a marvelous piece of whitefish (with a great "truffle salsa" on top) that the overwhelming saltiness of those abstract sauces and the farro pasta underneath made me curse the very existence of suburbs. Chef, seriously: RELAX. It's hard to say whether the flawed elements are the accidents of a new kitchen or the deliberate appeals to the taste of the target audience--sure hope it's the former. But I hope Des Rossiers eventually adds his modern and whimsical touches--e.g., foams, gelees--to lighten the dishes, or simply subtracts all the elements to better emphasize his ingredients. When he does, I have no doubt this will be an essential North Shore restaurant. read more

I heard very mixed reviews about this place but we are always in search of a new culinary experience, so I was very excited to try Inovasi. We went there over my birthday, and let's just say it's a birthday I'd be happy to forget. There were 5 of us dining, so we each ordered an appetizer and a meal. Of those 10 dishes, only 2 were any good. It seems as though the chef has a creative flare, but no pallet. My fiance ordered the pork, which pretty much ended up being a pork chop on top of a piece of blueberry pie. It was vile. The tuna I had was just fine, but the meal was tiny and to be honest, my local sushi bar does a better job. My dad's fish was so gross he took one bite and sent it back. The waiter was nice enough to comp us for it on the bill. The service was fantastic, our waiter was friendly and explained everything about the menu very well. I just feel bad he has to sell such sub par food. The ambiance is something to be skipped. It is incredibly tacky, and as we sat by the kitchen, and cauliflower and brussel sprouts were on the menu, the room reeked. I will never return to this place, and I strongly urge anyone who actually ENJOYS a unique culinary experience to try someplace else. In response to the comment: There was definitely tuna served. I am a regular sushi eater, and I promise you, this was tuna tartar. No mistake there. And if it WASN'T, I'm truly terrified. haha. Anyhoo, I just wanted to add that in terms of creativity, I would give inovasi 5 stars, no problem. The chef there is extremely creative. It just doesn't taste good! Also, he did correct me (and I was unaware), it was "huckleberries" not "blueberries" (but in terms of taste, you really couldn't tell). I am sure people have had great experiences here; everyone has their own tastes. That's what's so great about reviews! Being able to voice your opinion and experiences. Looking around: I'm not the only one who had a bad experience here. The chef needs to learn to be less defensive and more proactive on listening to his customers reviews, and striving to better himself in areas that (multiple) people feel are lacking. Otherwise Inovasi will be hot for a few more years, and then it will fade. read more

incredible food selection, constantly changing flavors, but consistently delivers impeccable quality. Fireplace room was very cozy and the bar had my favorite aged whisky. read more

I had the shrimp risotto and it was salty, but OK. It looks like the restaurant nickels and dime you forcing the guests to pick multiple plates to make up for the lack of main dishes. The catch: each plate is priced in the teens so they add pretty quickly. Also the food appears to be salty on purpose since my wife's pork was salty too. It appears they have the equation to boost profits here: + salty + more liquor + small portions = multiple plates + multiple drinks = more profits. Service was plain and the manager was rude to a table right next to us. Not sure what the issue was, but it was very uncomfortable to us the way he decided to handle it. It basically ruined our evening and experience. My conclusion: Will not be back here soon. Cheers! read more

I had the Skuna Bay Salmon served on a bed of spinach on top of polenta. The salmon was cooked perfectly, very moist, just a touch of rare on the inside. This an excellent salmon, from the waters off Vancouver Island, each fish is hand selected for harvest and only select purveyors in certain cities sell it. Highly recommend this menu selection when dining at Inovasi, perhaps the only local source for this marvelous salmon. read more

Wasn't impressed. From the bartender to the waiter no one gave our group the kind of service you would expect at a restaurant like this. Wouldnt recommend this to anyone. I have eaten at some of the best restaurants in the country. When we asked the server about various dishes or recommendations he had very little to say. The food at Inovasi was mediocre and the service was nonexistent! read more

Went to Inovasi on a Saturday night with 4 other people (sister, bro-in-law, husband and mom) to celebrate a birthday. I had heard about Inovasi from a few suburbanites and was looking forward to trying it from their reviews. I believe the concept is very good. The menu is arranged in 3 categories: vegetable dishes, meat, and seafood. There are not appetizers and entrees. I wouldn't call it small plates, somewhere between small and medium plates seems right, let's say "smedium." The prices of each dish range from $8-$16. I definitely think the prices were reasonable. Inovasi also has a nice beer and cocktail list, and a sommolier if you need some wine help. I was disappointed in the wine by the glass list, however, which contained 3 chardonnays and 0 rieslings. We arrived a little over an hour early for our 8pm reservation and snagged one of the last tables at the bar. We would've been screwed had we arrived even 20 minutes later. Boys ordered beers, girls ordered martinis, we waited about 7 minutes for the martinis (not bad), and mine was not on the tray. They apparrently ran out of martini glasses, so I had to wait about another 15 minutes for my drink. I was expecting the drink on the house, considering I had to wait 20+ minutes for my first drink, but no such luck. The martini glasses are stemless, inthe stem's place they have a glass "knob" at the base. Not bad looking, however, since they were out of glasses, and then must have had to wash them in the dishwasher, the "knob" was HOT and remained that way, making the drink warmer and warmer by the minute. I got creative and stuck the martini glass in my ice water glass to hopefully cool down the knob and the drink. after drink #2 was super warm as well, I asked it to be transfered to another glass on the rocks. Does everyone agree this is not a fabulous start to the evening? Thank you. We were seated pretty much right at 8 and very excited for the food! We each ordered 3 courses. Our first courses: mushroom soup (delicious), tater tots (shredded potatoes with cheese and herbs, rolled and fried) were served with a nice tasting sauce (however the sauce contained vanilla bean which I liked, but some people might find it an odd combo), risotto (cooked pretty good with nice flavors, and delicious brussel sprouts), goat cheese tempura (very tasty, some might find it a bit salty), and deconstructed steak tartare (the steak tartare, and some other dishes contain truffle oil. it is not stated on the menu. I, for one. love truffle oil, but some don't. considering it is also an expensive ingredient, i think they should list it in the description). That being said we were all sharing, and trying eachother's first courses and were very pleased. On to #2. I had the calamari which was cooked perfectly and breaded very lightly, however, the heavy sauce of coconut/lemongrass really weighed the dish down. Husband had the tartare this time, loved it. Mom had tartare. Hers was FROZEN. I don't mean it was cold, the meat was frozen solid. Our server came when the plates were ready to be cleared to check on everything (doesn't really help when you come back 20 minutes too late!!), so there was never a chance for the kitchen to rectify the mistake. Sister had the chicken confit which she thought SUPER smokey (although there is no mention of anything smoked, except for the inclusion of bacon, but this was not where the overwhelming smokiness was coming from). Brother in law had the "jackson pollack" trout. The presentation was really unique, it was on a flat rectangular plate (like a canvas), and the 4 sauces were "painted" on the plate pollack-esque. I, unfortunately, wasn't too jazzed on the flavors. The farro was an overpowering flavor in the dish, and I don't think the sauces really complemented each other, and they had to be mixed because of the presentation, there was no avoiding it, and the balsamic was the overpowering one here. #3 I was hoping for a rebound from the second courses, but no such luck. I odered the bass (which sounded just so delicious). So disappointing. The fish was overcooked, the flavors were bland, and it just overall was a really unsuccessful dish. The diver scallops didn't fare much better. My husband had a special of pork and bay scallops. The pork was good, but the scallops were off. Sister ordered the filet, she was happy with it, bro-in-law had the pork shoulder which everyone agreed was fantastic. Overall, just an average dining experience. Some dishes were excellent and some were borderline terrible. Good service could've made up for some of the missteps, but it wasn't the case. One major plus was the chefs presence in the restaurant. That, along with other peoples enjoyable dishes raised the review to 3 stars. I think if you live in the suburbs this is a good place to visit, but I wouldn't make a special trip for it. read more

I've been frequenting Inovasi for years and have seen a steady decline in staffing as well as a decline in customers. They axe the best bartenders and the atmosphere is no longer the same. I was there this week and asked for an amaretto sour and was told they don't have any sour mix or soda. So, I asked him what he would suggest mixing Amaretto with and he put his hands out like "whhaa" and said "anything you want....". When we sat down he also asked us what we want. Menus. Menus are what we want. Not bright. So I fill out the survey that is automatically sent to me and I get a bitchy response from the chef. Don't ask me for my opinion if you don't want to hear it! I told him I'm not a fan of his new GM and he not only insulted my review but also CC'd the new GM. What an @sshole! Here's a snippet of what he wrote back below. My notes are in parenths. Apparently the customer is NOT always right. And isn't allowed to have an opinion. I've sent this around work and many friends and colleagues. Spend your money where people appreciate you rather than being a d*ck. His email: "I understand you were in for lunch today, and we had a pretty busy lunch, especially for the slow winter period. I am sorry if you didn't feel the service by Ivan was up to par today. (because it wasn't...he's awful) I do not understand your other comments. Amber and Abby have been with us for 5 or 6 years, they are not new in any way, and the certainly know how to tend and they know how to do it properly. (I was talking about my service THAT day. They only have one other good bartender) Mr B is doing an amazing job with the service staff. Over the past 6 months we have received 128 5 star reviews from various sites, more importantly our OpenTable reviews have us at 4.7 overall. In addition our revenue and overall guest counts per day are 15% higher than the previous 2 years. (I didn't ask for your stats. I've had conversations with others about how condescending he is.) I am not sure by what customers you are referring to that duo not join us, as we have seen constant growth for the entire time B has been the General Manager. (someone maybe has a crush on Mr. B?) I am sorry you feel this way, but we have moved in every measurable way to the right direction and we are not looking back. (Neither am I...ever) john John des Rosiers Chef / Proprietor inovasi the other door read more

Felt like we were swindled. Asked for two drinks made with patron tequila. The waiter said they don't carry Patron. We enjoyed our apps and drinks. Asked for our check. Our check included waiters tip and he charged us $56.00 for two tequila drinks. We asked why, our waiter and the manager were dismissive and rude. My friends and I will not be going back. read more

My wife and I just recently moved to the north suburbs and are looking for some good restaurants in the area. I was skeptical of Inovasi because of the precious reviews I had read. We decided to try it anyway. It was alright. The prices were way too high for the quality. I have no problem paying $100 for a dinner for two when the food is worth it. That's not the case at Inovasi. Servings are small, service is average, ambiance is underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, the food wasn't bad, just not worth the price. I'm pretty sure we won't go there again. read more

EH. Been a couple of times due to the lack of restaurants we have up here, there food is always just ok. The bar area is much more inviting than the dining area ( the decor is so tacky!). We were excited about seeing a homemade veggie burger on Tues, we both get one and clearly the chef does ngt know how what he's doing, it was like eating oaty mush. Really gross. We both devoured the bun and the fries but we couldnt even eat the burger because it just oozed out of the bun. They could be sooooo much better. sad. read more

Pretty good food and atmosphere, but way overpriced. Small plate prices are set at large plate pricing. Tapas portions. Bring your own wine if you want to save a few bucks. read more

I was so looking forward to this restaurant. I couldn't have been more disappointed. After asking for light dressing on a salad it arrived soaked in dressing. The service was with attitude. When we left the desert because the pie crust was mush and the filling was just not good, nobody seemed to care enough to ask why we took only a small bite and left the rest. Too bad, it looked like it had promise, but indifference and poor dishes just don't cut it. read more

I was a guest at Inovasi for the first time this evening. I was with my mother and infant daughter. We were greeted at the door and taken to a table where there was plenty of room for my baby's stroller so not to crowd other diners. Our waiter was Nic Oilschlager and he was absolutely delightful! Nic made recommendations from the wine menu as well as suggestions for entrees and dessert. The food, wine, dessert were fabulous!! So unique and flavorful! I can't wait to go back and try more. Thank you for a wonderful dining experience! I hope others can enjoy the same superb food and service :-) read more

Inovasi is a hidden gem in the northern suburb of Lake Bluff. I drove 50 minutes to check it out. So even though the burger-night Tuesday menu looked great, I went all out and got the tasting menu. Here's the rundown of what I had: 1. The beet salad was quite good - with an interesting ginger vinaigrette. 2. The sashimi was just okay. The tosa soy worked with the fish, but not with the micro-greens (a bit too salty / overpowering) 3. The garbanzo ragout was perfect. Excellent combination of textures and flavors coming from great produce. Earthy yet refined. 4. Chicken confit over farro was decent enough. The pinot noir reduction that accented it, however, made it special! 5. Walleye and spring roll was excellent. The fish was cooked perfectly. The chorizo puree had great flavors! The artichoke spring roll was executed beautifully - crispy yet no grease - better than most Chinese restaurants in Chicago. 6. The sirloin dish was good, with an interesting horseradish creme fraiche. 7. The foie gras was okay - would have preferred it be done on a hotter searing pan for a shorter time. But the polenta was excellent. The bourbon-marinated cherries were interesting, and went well with the foie gras. 8. Pork shoulder was a bit overcooked - slightly dry - the biggest disappointment of the day. 9. Bison had a strong gamy flavor, which paired well with the miso-honey sauce. The artichoke was overcooked. 10. Cheese flight was interesting. Saint Andre and a triple-creme sheep cheese were my favorites - creamy, balanced, and elegant! 11. The bread pudding was perfection - comfort food done right! 12. The herbal ice cream flight was quite fun. Basil, sage, rosemary, and parsley. Basil was a bit too strong, but the rest were a success. I was pleasantly surprised. Obviously, I was more than stuffed by the end. I also had quite a few Italian bread with the excellent lentil puree and olive tepenade. All this cost me only $52. What a bargain! Not every dish was a home-run. But at this price and with food of this caliber, plus the free and easy parking and friendly service, what more can you ask for? The decor is simple, elegant, and cozy. I feel comfortable in my casual attire, but I will also come back for a date. The 50-minute drive was totally worth it, and I can't wait to come back! read more

Was very disappointed. I was going to give them 3 stars, then 2 stars and now as I review my review and recall the evening then I am between 1 and 2 stars. The food itself was fairly good and the ambience very nice, and a nice touch is that they give out little building toys for the children. The Chef also seemed nice. He was at the bar when we left and greeted us politely. Our big turn off was the waitress. She tried to hype this into this fantastic gourmet experience, which it never became. She didn't tell us about the concept of the place so we were surprised over the small sizes for the plates. noone informed us. Also, she refused telling me anything about the fish of the day. I told her that I don't like fresh water fish but would like the fish of the day if it is not. She said the Chef likes to surprise the guests and she therefore would not even tell us where the fist came from, if it was freshwater fish or from the sea. She told us that to understand gourmet we would just have to rely on the chef and if the fish of the day would be something we didn't like maybe it was time for us to widen our views. Her rude and condescending attitude towards us was certainly a turn off. We ended up not taking the fish of the day and luckily so. When the fish of the day arrived at the next table and the waitress passed our table it was of course super smelly. Fresh fish doesn't stink up a room like that! The bread never came but was served promptly to all the other tables. The winecard was good but nothing to rave about and not anything memorable. The standard too young to drink oaky selection. One of our children had burgers, and we knew they have a burger night so we thought it would be fun to come back for this. However, the burger came bun was completely soaked through to the point it couldn't keep itself together. The waitress informed us it was by design so that the bun would taste of the meat. At least a sponge keeps itself in one piece but this just fell apart and was a big mess. The burger was probably cooked medium as requested (and had then been standing under a heating lamp waiting for the rest of the dishes or just hanging out while waitress couldn't be bothered serving our food - we waited for over 30 min for the food in spite restaurant half empty), so when it arrived it was hard cooked dry and all the juices inside the bun. None of the other dishes were memorable. We did like the the fries with the burger. The most memorable was how small the dishes were and we afterwards had to go home and cook a quick stir fry to be full for the night. Overly priced for what you get. All in all a disappointing hyped up experience as we thought this could be our new Elements of Princeton...... read more

My husband and I scheduled a last minute "date" here, based on the appeal of a tasting menu and wine pairing. Admittedly, neither of us had put ourselves solely in a chef's hands for an entire meal, and were intrigued by what this menu had to offer. ATMOSPHERE: Clean and minimalist. The restaurant is minimal in decor, with almost too-hard wood seating at each table. The tables are set just a tad too close for my liking, making it difficult to hear when the dinner rush started, a big drawback when you're paying top dollar for a tasting. If you can overlook this fact, it's otherwise quite nice. FOOD: Pretty damned incredible, I have to say. Again, not a fish or a mushroom eater by trade, and the chef personally came out to ask what we would (or would not) eat. I indicated that we would TRY fish or mushroom, but preferred to steer a bit more clear if possible. I also requested that he prepare two different tasting menus, one for hubs and one for me. He looked surprised at the request, but agreed - BONUS! The tasting consisted of 2 mushroom dishes, 5 fish dishes, 1 duck, 1 chicken, 1 soup, and 2 desserts (other reviewers are right - the chocolate cookies / cookies & cream dessert blew it out of the box). I will say this - where I have never enjoyed mushrooms before in any dish, and rarely fish, chef made a believer out of me. Each dish, though quite small, was thoughtfully prepared, challenging to our "boundaries", and really delicious. During two courses, chef came out to detail for us what he'd made and where he got the ingredients, and at the end, he came out once more to solicit feedback on the experience. He was geniunely interested in our responses, and I appreciated everything start to finish. On a side note, if you intend to drink with your meal, get the wine pairing!!! $24 gets you 6 glasses (one for each course), and having the right wine with the right dish magnifies the experience (not to mention gets you loaded :). I looked around - wine by the glass was $8 a piece, and the portions were no bigger than what we got, so it was worth it. Caveat - plan to allow time in between last glass and driving!!! :) SERVICE: Terrific. Fernando was our server, and he was well educated, funny, and thoughtful, there with anything we needed before we knew we needed it. I mentioned the reviews on length of time to service (seen in other posters), and was told the chef / service goes as fast as the diners do. This was absolutely the case. We were in and out in under 2 hours by our own choice. VALUE: Two (separate) 6 course tasting menus, 2 drink pairings, and tip was just over $200. Is this an option we would choose frequently, NO. But was it worth the experience, and the value their for the effort chef put in? Absolutely. Even if you only do it once, treat yourself, and open your eyes to what food in the suburbs should be. read more

Meh. It was ok but the food was bland. I had the grilled seafood of the day and my friend had the tempura trout. Neither one of us was particularly impressed with our dishes. Although, the fish chowder we shared as a starter was actually pretty good. Overall, if they wanted me to be impressed with bland food they should have poured my wine with a heavier hand ;) read more

Chicago Magazine said this is a great place in the North Suburbs to get 3 plates for under $30. I choose this place b/c i'm a foodie and my family hates going into the city. Made resevations over OpenTable.com and it was a cinch, and able to call an hour later and add 5 of my family members. We had to wait 20 mins for our table, which was odd since we saw several tables open when we were walked towards to the back of the restaurant by the hostess. (BTW, the hostess are adorable and polite teenagers) We got our drinks right away and enjoyed the bread since the kitchen did not spin our food out as fast as we had expected. The ambiance is perfect for a romantic night, or a birthday night that i was celebrating. I loved that they had printed classy 'Happy Birthday Amy' cards with the chef's writing & signature when we got there. With a party of 7 we started with Teriyaki chicken wings, salt cod brandade, big fries w/ peanut sauce. Wings were amazing and a little on the salty side. My brother were in heaven with the brandade. Everyone wanted to try the fries w/peanut sauce but no one took a second. hmm Medium Plates- My sis loved the shrim chitarra where as my brother loved the noodles& pork belly dish. And i was the only one loving the mushroom perlau. It was served at the best temperature and texture. I had wished i could taste the sherry wine broth a little more. Big Plates,- Everyone enjoyed their Sirloin and layered potatoes. My brother and i were torn on the chcken beggars purse. He thought the cheese was a great complement. My father really enjoyed the burger, and preferred his fries over the 'BIG Fries' under small plates. Totally different. I recomend you go with a group so you can try everything. We spent over $400 for a party of 7. So not the $30 Chicago Magazine had mentioned, but it was nice to try their unique desserts. We ended with the bacon truffles. This was the only thing i was dissapointed in. It tasted like chocolate covered bacon grease filling. But my mom's cast iron skillet kept her happy and thats a hard thing to do. Too bad they had run out of the bourpon-apple pie as well. That sounded dreamy. Give this place a try~ read more

4th visit to inivasi, good food and decor and service but keep best items instead of changing the menu and will make it out more often

2nd time I've been there. Don't know why I waited so long. Will put this restaurant into my regular rotation. Great, fresh and when possible, locally sourced items creatively crafted. read more

Best meal and service I've had in a long time. Host is an A+ and goes above and beyond to make sure you have a perfect experience. We had a table issue and they bent over backwards to make it right. Will be returning for sure. Highly recommended. read more

Disappointed. The appetizers were good. However the pork that the waiter raved about was tasteless. My wife ordered a Side of spinach. The kitchen ran out and replaced it with kale and didn't tell us. We returned it and they charged for the replacement. As for the desserts, very disappointing and very pricy. We ordered a variety for the table. The Apple Pannnini was two pieces of toasted bread with a tasteless apple in between. they had the nerve to charge $10 for the dish. The banana bread was stale. The pumpkin brule wasn't very good either. The service was so so. I wouldn't go back again. read more

Creative. Delicious. Conveniently located. Will definitely go back. Try the calamari.

We had New Year's Eve dinner at Inovasi and especially liked the steak frites that were new to the menu. Every element of the dish was fantastic, including the quality of the meat itself. And who could resist peppercorn-truffle sauce? Noise level continues to be an issue, especially on a festive occasion when people are drinking. We had a laughing, shrieking lady nearby, and then patrons at other tables raising their voices to be heard over her. But admittedly it was New Year's Eve, so something lively was to be expected. We wish the restaurant would bring back the Scarborough Faire ice cream (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme) or at the very least continue to offer more interesting creamy/savory ice cream flavors. read more

I'm a Californian, tried and true, born and raised here and still living in the Bay Area - basically a total foodie. Okay, that's my confession, so last month we went to visity my friend Anne, who, although a well travelled Scot now lives walking distance from this restaurant. I had no particular expectation, but I must confess, I loved it. We picked I think 5 dishes. I should've writtten this review sooner; don't remember all the details. We had a sashimi/fish carpaccio thing, which was good, but not spectacular, we had oysters tempura with an extraordinarily tasty brussel sprout salad, something else that I think had duck in it and was tasty also, but the night really showed off talent in accenting fungi - our favorite. There was a dual grain dish with ramps and mushrooms that was absolutely killer and another mushroom dish that just made the night. We wanted some special single malts and they let us test a couple first before picking them. Considering the price per pour this was very generous. Our sort of novice waitperson worked very hard to satisfy us and the owner/host helped with the scotch. It's good for my budget that I don't live nearby. I'm definitely a fan! read more

Very nice interior and great service. Warm bread with hummus dip served as you wait for your food. Decent vegetarian options. We ordered the beets, mozzarella (apparently overnighted from Italy), squash soup and mushroom. All except the beets were delicious. Dessert was a bit underwhelming. We got the chocolate and mulberry and it was very meh. Overall good experience, but very pricey! read more

This is a great place to meet up with friends for wine and some food to split. They have specials throughout the week so be sure to check them out! It can get really pricey and the dishes are slightly small but it is delicious and really relaxing inside. Try their fried calamari or goat cheese salad! read more

What can I say? The food is always good. The wines are wonderful and reasonably priced. The waitstaff and hosts/hostesses have without exception been charming, responsive, and incredibly well-informed. Their often randomly inexplicably goofy policies cost them their fifth star. Case in point: the other night I ordered a rye Manhattan, straight up. Drink was fine - usual kudos to Inovasi's bartender. When the bill came, there was this item: "cocktail upcharge - $3". Huh? Their explanation: their glassware is such that any drink ordered straight up won't reach the glass's rim unless extra booze is added: in my case, $3 worth. When I told them that that was absurd, they wouldn't budge. Au revoir, M. des Rosiers! read more

Excellent Food! Great atmosphere. New to the area and found this great place in Lake Bluff! First of all, great little town. Inovasi offered a lot of great options. The portions sizes are just right allowing my wife and I to try many different items within a very reasonable budget especially considering the level of cuisine we they have! Excellent and would definitely recommend this place! We will be going back for sure! read more

Inovasi is a true hidden gem in the northern suburbs. The moment you step foot into the restaurant, you get treated to an amazing culinary experience. The menu is diverse and well thought out for different taste palates. I loved trying all the unique small plates and the freshness of the ingredients chosen from local farms was amazing. They have an extensive wine, cocktail and craft beer list as well. The waitstaff was friendly and knowledgeable and management came to our table to answer any questions we had about the food and restaurant philosophy. I'm looking forward to coming back and try the new seasonal dishes. Cheers! read more

Been wanting to try Inovasi for awhile and very happy that I finally got out here. This is a great restaurant and an exceptional restaurant for the LF/LB area. I had a great spicy pork / noodle / broth dish as my main course then split some calamari and steak tartare and sampled some delicious fish too. You could tell that all the meats and veg were very fresh. Everything here was plated beautifully (especially the tartare which came out on a canvas with various dipping "paints"). The cocktails were above average and the dessert custard was also quite nice. If you are out here from Chicago I highly recommend checking out Inovasi as it will easily satisfy your hunger and is pretty easy on the pocket book as comparable small plates in Chicago would cost $5-$10 more a plate. read more

Inovasi - Special of the Day: Spicy Pork and Noodle dish (nom) - New American Near Me - Lake Bluff, Illinois

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Oh, I can't tell you great this is. A foodie paradise. Make reservations.

Fine dining and creative menu. Love the owner. Fun when they offer a music venue in their bar area too. Friendly staff. Very professional. Have eaten here so many times because I truly enjoy their offerings. If you haven't eaten here you are missing out on the best restaurant in Lake Bluff, IL. Very well priced. read more

Inovasi is amazing!! It's a very different menu then you would see anywhere which is what makes it fun! Great ingredients and the chef and owner (John) knows what he is doing. Love going here! read more

Good salads. Great Tallgrass beef burgers! I've been to Inovasi for lunch a few times and found the service to be very polite and attentive. Substitutions are treated with ease and the portions are quite filling. read more

We ate here last night in a party of 6. The small/medium/large plate format was explained well by our server. The cucumber shrimp and the bacon and blue small plates were excellent starters. The turbot special, the steak and potatoes and the pork shoulder were very good "large plate" entrees. The Cotes du Rhone was well priced and tasty. We also enjoyed the cava and the "bluff sunset" cocktail. The white and dark chocolate and chocolate medallion desserts were good, too. Coffees and cappuccinos were nice and the server was generous with refills. Pet peeve: the busboy insisted on clearing dishes before everyone was finished. We stopped at the bar for drinks on the way out and found the service spotty -- particularly when it came to getting the bill. read more

This is a small plate restaurant (I found the size to be just exactly the right size...the portion size we should be fed for dinner). The food was fantastic, really really great. The char on the pork shoulder I had was perfect, the beet salad well assembled, calamari cooked perfectly...really perfectly. Desserts were tasty and everything was reasonably priced!. We (4 of us) enjoyed it immensely and will go again. They use a lot of local farmers. Ambiance is eeehhhh....service eeeehhhh...But I don't care about that, I care about quality of the food and how it is prepared. Down graded due to last visit about a year ago....menu was boring this time... read more