Yeah, we loved Hopleaf! We had two hours to kill while Apple worked to fix a hardware issue on an…read moreiPhone, so we drove over to Hopleaf in Andersonville. So glad we did! We started with beer from an extensive list (updated daily, per our server). I had a Kwak red ale served in a creative glass with its own little supporting stand. Hubs got an IPA and I can't remember which one. Daughter ordered a ginger ale. All tasty! We started with the poutine fries. Very good!! We cleared the plate. Then I had a smash burger - it was good, but I forgot I am not a fan of American cheese which made the burger...I don't know, creamy? The burger itself was good. Hubs and daughter sampled it and loved it. Hubs had the brisket Reuben and loved it. Daughter had the sausage platter and loved the sausages -- 2 kinds -- and potatoes. No room for dessert. Server was friendly, helpful (on the beer menu especially) and efficient. Other staff made sure we had water, utensils, brought our food, etc. We were well cared for. The building itself is a multi-room plus patio affair, all in brick with hardwood floors and warm lighting. We ate in the dining room but there are two bar areas with large bars and tables, serving from the same menu. There was a pleasant doorman who explained the layout and checked our IDs (no kids allowed). Definitely on the favorite list for Chicago visits.

Hopleaf Bar is hands down one of our favorite spots for dinner and drink in all of Chicago!…read more One key to a successful dinning experience at Hopleaf is knowing the three different spaces to engage. When you first walk in, you have to show your ID since this is an adults-only bar establishment. (1) You can then choose to sit in the front bar area, if you want a full menu, but use the bar for ordering service. (2) If you keep walking through the front bar area, you reach the host stand at the top of the ramp. This is where you can put your name in to sit in the main dining room, upstairs, or outside. (3) However, you can also walk through to the left of the host stand to another bar area that has full menus, but bar service for ordering. This is our preferred spot because we can often find a seat and order with the bar. Do note that, during busy times, part of this bar area is managed by the host stand and will be labeled as such. The extensive beer menu is our favorite. We have our favorite food items, so all our decision making revolves around which beer we will get. They always have a bit of everything style-wise, from all over the world, but with a local-brewery focus. Seasonal emphasis is also taken into consideration when they curate the beer list. It is always rotating and we love it! Beers are served in the recommended glasses from the breweries. It's a great drinking experience from start to finish! Our food orders are eternally set: I get the Nueske Ham sandwich with fries and aioli. My husband gets the Reuben sandwich with fries and aioli. This meal is so perfect we'll probably never get anything different, despite the menu being delicious across the board. The wildest we get is sometimes splitting the two sandwiches. No reason to mess with a good thing! Other notable great things about Hopleaf: (1) Kind, knowledgeable, and professional staff. (2) Reasonable prices for high quality and great variety products. (3) Clean Belgian Bar decor/vibe with lots of space for folks to enjoy their time. (4) They are open late and serve food late. Thank you for being an amazing local spot, Hopleaf! We'll see you soon!

TLDR vibe: your rich "cultured" friends you kind of hate just got back from France and youre like-…read moreoh I know a place. Or youre dating someone who likes Anthony Bourdain and you've convinced her you're a foodie. I rarely if ever give a place 5 stars but I have to for this place. At a high level heres what made it stand out to me from other often mentioned places in chicago: the portions felt decent for the prices, the food was actually good, and the vibe truly did feel like a busy French bistro vs the well spaced large rooms of most other restaurants. It's not great if youre someone overstimulated easily, hard of hearing, or need elbow room. Or if youre looking for this uber luxe quiet formal vibe. But if you want to go somewhere where you feel like youre in a (extremely well known) hole in the wall this is it. Even though it was crowded one of my favorite parts was that the chefs or at least culinary dressed not front of house vibe dressed staff- were walking around as well so it was like you were really in the back of the kitchen secret table vibes. I also appreciated that a couple got engaged and they called attention to it without making us all cheer incredibly loudly. Me and the table next to me were like- who? what? They have good N/A champagne which I appreciated. And the bay leaf ice cream tasted like some legit herbs - which as someone whose goal is to really taste plants and the flavors of the earth - I appreciated.

Le Bouchon is an excellent example of the idea one *can* have too much of a good thing. Alas, there…read morewere more things that went a little south with the experience. I ordered the Escargot and the French Onion Soup. There was also free baguette included at the start of the meal. I loved that the baguette had a substantial crust, for it was an absolute delight to butter it up (though not the best butter in the world), and dip it into the herbaceous escargot butter. However, the inside, despite its temperature, was still gooey/doughy. Too much crust or some other technical issue? I'll let those with baking experience sound off. Whatever the case, the last thing I want to do with fresh baguette is ripping out the innards and rolling it into a ball of silly putty. Now, for the escargot... ah snails, an old favorite, for I don't really love fast food (ha!) These were mostly good, save for two things: First, the texture was still just a little slimy, reminiscent of an oyster. 30 seconds more cook time is all they needed, a minute would be too much! Second, the sauce didn't do them any favors. I've had escargot in a rich, buttery, garlicky, slightly herbed sauce that was beyond divine. This dish went triple-overboard, if not more, on the greens - making it resemble a chimichurri rather than something turning snails into decadence. Now, we arrive at the French Onion Soup. The sheer amount of cheese was so excessive that I recoiled even though I have a line item in my budget for cheese. I fished what remained out, and consumed it only out of spite. Now, while I appreciate the use of crusty bread that didn't turn into soggy croutons, the size of the pieces was too large. I'm one who orders prepared food with the understanding that it is prepared and should require minimal additional work. Steaks that need slicing are exempt, soup is not. Unfortunately, there was one more undoing: while I can understand a less sweet soup may be normal variation in the recipe, one of the spoonfuls had something very sour, as if it was a large wad of sour cream (though none was present). This made were otherwise rich and flavorful broth less than enjoyable. When it comes to the service, this had some good and bad. It was friendly, attentive, and the food came out fast. However, an item of note is that finished plates were not cleared in due course. This applies not only to myself but also the stranger sitting next to me. Final verdict: I wanted to love Le Bouchon, really I did. I was even hoping, at first, to try more of the menu on a return visit. However, the poor execution across the board does not provide the confidence needed for a return visit.

Omelette, crepe, hot chocolate are all great choices. Disappointed not open at night - but the…read moreworkers have earned their time off. Appreciate the "real" ingredients in the meals. Happy to recommend Leonida's.

They don't have side salads, so it's very misleading to put that in description. I thought it was…read morehot or miss when I ordered a quiche and got one, but I just called and the lady said "oh we don't have those right now". It's the best part of the order, so maybe don't charge for it and say it's part of the meal if you pick and choose when to include it.

Happy hour from 5-7 PM daily!! Such an underrated spot. The HH is mainly at the bar indoors or the…read morefront patio. We had no trouble getting a seat at 5:15 PM on a Friday with no reservation. Amazing service and great food as well. What we ordered: Slagel Farms Burger (HH menu) Potato Latkes (HH menu) Beef Cheek Croquettes (Reg menu)

The food is fantastic but while the venue is kitschy, it's also just somewhat low-quality. The…read morevenue does not match the food. Peaches & Grilled Corn - quite good, the peaches especially were unique, flavorful and creative. Split Pea Dip - surprisingly good, almost like a hummus, but a very smooth and somewhat subtle and tasty flavor Alpine Sausage - don't know, they messed up the order and gave us two split pea dips unfortunately pork schnitzel - huge piece of pork, very thinly smashed, and definitely a little elevated relative to standard schnitzel options elsewhere Ricotta Gnocchi - one of the best dishes, on the buttery side, but very good The thing is, there's no insulation in the back as it's just windows/doors that might not fully shut so it was rather humid and buggy. And the little garden out back just looks kinda dirty, and again buggy. I get it's selling a little bit of a "hipster" or "kitschy" vibe, but for the quality of the food, I'd hope for a nice venue.

From the second we sat down at the bar we were greeted by Gustavo, who had such a great presence…read morebehind the bar. He was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and gave us fabulous recommendations. Jose made me my first spicy margarita and it was delicious, then for my second he added strawberry to it and it was just as good!! My mom was between two wines, and Gustavo recommended the Pinot Noir and she absolutely loved it!! We ordered the Brussel sprouts and burrata toast after Gustavo's description and it was everything we could have asked for and more!! For our first time in Chicago, we are so happy we stopped at the Gage and that we had such great service from Gustavo and Jose! They made the experience 10/10, as if the atmosphere, food and drinks weren't already a 10!! Next time I visit Chicago I will 1000% be stopping at the Gage to hopefully get a bar seat in Gustavo and Jose's section!!

I ordered soup and salad - both were really good. But the burgers? Delicious. I should've ordered…read moreone of those. Fries to die for too. Was reluctant to order dessert but the pavlova and chocolate mousse were both outstanding. Glad we stayed. Server was excellent. Really cool vibes here.

My first review, of 9 years ago, was back when Brass Tack was Margeaux Brasserie…read more This is an updated review for its current incarnation. It is a must visit - if only all hotel restaurants were this good. We had a late dinner reservation on a Saturday night, and the restaurant was almost emptied out. So that made for a lovely, semi-private dining experience. Selecting a wine was dicey, as earlier that week flooding had damaged the cellar (!), but our server, Alex, was very helpful and worked with us to find something to my liking. We landed on a 2015 Cornas which was showing beautifully and matched perfectly with our meal. Alex did a fantastic job taking care of us during the wine reconnaissance and throughout the meal. Speaking of which, we started with the deviled eggs, which were amazing. An elegant balance of cream and salt from the caviar. For my entree, i had the venison. It was a seared filet on I believe a sweet potato puree, and it was rich and tender. Order it rare, if its on the menu. Kelly had the filet, also rare, and found it to be superior to most Chicago steak house filets. Our side was the divinely creamy Aligot mashed potatoes. Don't skip on these! For dessert, there was a decadent, gout-tempting chocolate mousse preparation. Served tableside, its all you think you can eat. I had a heaping serving, ate some, took the rest home. Kelly had the (also) Decadent Chocolate Cake, which too was superb. Cocktails were excellent, as is the bourbon selection. Service was impeccable. Our dinner was long and leisurely, and we look forward to returning.

Kari's Rating 7.5/10…read more Came in with a friend around 11:30, it was absolutely desolate except for this client conference call that wrapped up around us. When you first walk in, you have to take the elevator up to the third floor, where a hostess was waiting at a golden black themed restaurant. This place is extremely ornate and luxurious as you walk in and greeted by a full air bar where all the liquor is positioned up in a translucent brass cabinet. Walking a little bit further into the restaurant, you see all of the chairs decorated with a gold studded Maroon leather. The tall ceilings give way to a illuminated faux skylight. The seating designs are minimal designed. We thought we were walking into a brunch menu but they had transitioned to lunch and re-ordered the lobster roll as well as the asparagus tip and almond pasta and the sweet potato fries.

Last night my boyfriend and I came here for dinner. This was my first time here, my boyfriend had…read morebeen here before. I used to work with one of the owners (Luke) at Starbucks. Walking into the host was friendly and sat us at our table. When we got there people were there for happy hours (4 p.m.- 6 p.m.). We started with drinks. I had the Sparkling Rose which was fruity and smooth. My boyfriend had Hive Mind (vodka, honey, lavender, rhubarb, and lemon) which my boyfriend loved. Mitch was our server. He was friendly and nice and our wait time was perfect. We ordered 3 small plates: Cheese Plate, Grilled Shrimp, and Tuna Tartare. They were all good. Grilled Shrimp and Tuna Tartare had enough spice for my boyfriend and me. The cheese plate was yummy too. 3 different types of cheese, with honey, jam, candied beets, and peppers. And for dessert we had Crème Brûlée made with soy milk custard, chocolate, black sesame, and strawberry. It was different in a good way. The restaurant has paintings hanging up, which remind me of someone living/library. Our table was very cozy. A nice and cool restaurant in Andersonville, for sure I will come back for happy hour.

I had better hopes for this place, but this is how our experience went:…read moreGot there and were the first ones ( so we actually had to wait about 7 min before the opened the doors which was fine and we sat at their patio waiting for it ) They opened, we come inside and the first impression is that this is a cute little place, so it was off to a good start. After we sit down, waitress comes with paper menus and one of them is all wrinkled ( no attention to details here) but ok not a biggie. She then gives us a smaller menu with the "Special of the day" which was Branzino BUT she said to us that they only have one so if we want it we should tell her right away ( so two things here; one, we are the only ones in the place but two, how is this a special and you only have 1????) so this isn't a special, this is a leftover ... obviously that's not the route we were to take. Ok so we take a look the menu, ordered some drinks that were good and when she gets back we ordered the tuna tartare, but she says: we are sold out ( at this point there's only one more couple in the place- and remember we were the first ones ... what do you mean you sold out, you mean you didn't even buy/prep this dish for the day ... so we decided no appetizers then and went straight to the main course. So I went to the bathroom to wash my hands and the sink is clogged ( I have phobia to clogged sinks, they are disgusting) but whatever. Food came after 40 minutes ( do I have to remind you we were the first ones and only one more table was filled at that point ?) Fries however were delicious and my husband and I said that would be the only reason for us to come back. Fries with truffle and mayo ..

One of the best burgers I've ever had. The bone marrow was really tasty too, I've never had it…read morebefore

Often times in my reviews, you hear about emphasis on service and how I have repeatedly said that I…read morewish service in this country would improve (my comparison point being India). A brief background; been in Chicago for about 15 years. Heard of Au Cheval back in 2015 or 16. Took a while to give it a shot and went; wait for 2 hours. Hmmmmm, didn't work out. Tried a second time 2 or 3 years later. Still didn't happen. Tried a third time when I had a friend visiting from overseas....wait time was just so long and just didn't have the 'desire' to wait that long. I think for the first time in my life, I had to kick myself as I wish I would have waited the very first time. Had my nephew visiting me from out of town. While I did want to take him to Au Cheval, with the limited time I had, I did not want to wait. I happened to go on their website and noticed that they now offer reservations. That was one of the most beautiful sights I had seen in a long time. Not only do I get to take my nephew out to Au Cheval, but I myself finally get to try the burgers here that have been the talk of the town and were rated the best burger in the United States of America for many years. My nephew absolutely devoured and loved the burger. He was in heaven. I cannot say I was not in heaven myself because the burger was absolutely epic, but that's not just what this review is about. This review is about one of the few joints in America that I have come across and that provided the level of attention to detail and went way above and beyond what I would have ever imagined in my wildest dreams to make this a memorable lunch. She had gone with my mother-in-law as well, so it was my mother-in-law, my nephew, and I. My mother-in-law is a vegetarian, and we figured we would go ahead and get the fries. What we did not know was that the fries are in beef tallow or have some beef seasoning (I forget), so in the end, she was not able to eat anything. My nephew and I just ordered each a burger. Our server proactively brought a house salad, which was vegetarian, and he said, "This is on the house. You guys enjoy the burgers." That, honestly, is a level of service that goes beyond usual service, but there was human empathy involved here. After a while, the head chef comes out, super friendly, and asks how everything was. He then says, "I heard you've been waiting 10 years over here, and I hope it was worth it." He made sure my mother and I were comfortable, and he made sure my nephew was comfortable. The level of service and care here was very special, and I personally appreciated it from the heart. For me, it was a memory built with my nephew and my mother-in-law, one that is going to stick with us for the rest of our lives. Not to mention, I am getting hungry right now, so I need to make a reservation and go down there tomorrow.

We went to Bistronomic for dinner on a Friday night. We loved the atmosphere--it was very cozy,…read moreromantic, and had that quintessential French bistro feel. Our waiter was very friendly (I unfortunately don't remember his name). As for the food, we thought everything was excellent. We started with the daily tartare, and for our main courses, my husband had the Beef Bourguignon and I had the salmon. We'll definitely be coming back, especially to try their 2-Course Prix-Fixe lunch.

The neighborhood is nice and they offer both indoor and outdoor dining. The server was nice and the…read moreFrench fries and French onion soup were good. They aren't shy about giving recommendations and trying to make your experience nice. The filet mignon though was disappointing, small for the price and slightly chewy. The seating was also cramped and the restaurant small. I wouldn't come again.

Bistro Campagne is always consistent The food is always…read moreoutstanding and the servers are well trained I usually get the Amish chicken with mushroom ragout and onion frites which is excellent, but easily enough food for 2 meals My most recent visit I had the steak frites which was delicious My guests had the cassoulet (also delicious) and the fish stew, which they loved They shared w generous charcuterie board and I had the steak tartare which I love For dessert we had the creme brûlée which was ethereal My only tiny gripe is the bussers consistently appear to rush the dinner, taking cocktail glasses before they're empty and clearing plates before everyone is finished

Called Bistro Campagne at 6 PM on a Friday to see if they had a table for two. We were told the…read moreearliest reservation was 8:45 PM, so we showed up around 7:30 fully prepared to wait. The restaurant had been recommended several times in Chicago Reddit communities, so I was expecting much more. We walked in and the restaurant was half empty. Bistro Campagne has been around since 1992 -- 34 years. And honestly, it shows. While the patio is cute, I wouldn't describe the interior as "quaint." It felt dated and overdue for a makeover. Maybe 34 years is an impressive run, but after this meal, I'm wondering if it's simply time to retire. The food was even more disappointing. The escargot was the only genuine highlight of the entire meal. The steak tartare was almost comical. What an absolutely measly portion of raw beef. I understand the price of beef has gone up, but picture the size of a regular smashed hamburger patty. That's essentially what you get. And before I could even finish it, the waiter came over and took the plate away. Then came the bizarrely rushed service. We couldn't even have a conversation across the table without being interrupted. The waitress who took our order, along with another employee, repeatedly came over while we were still eating our appetizers, clearly trying to rush us along before the mains arrived. Why? This was a Friday night and the restaurant was half empty. There was absolutely no reason to rush us. A good restaurant knows how to pace a meal. Let people enjoy their appetizers, have a conversation, and then send out the mains. Instead, we felt like we were expected to wolf down our food and get out. And the irony? Despite being interrupted every five minutes while eating the appetizers, the waitress never even checked on us once the mains arrived. We eventually had to flag her down ourselves just to get the check. The steak frites was the first major letdown. The steak itself was tender, I'll give them that, but it was severely under-seasoned and the sauce was completely flavorless. Tender meat doesn't make up for a bad sauce and zero seasoning. The fries were mediocre at best, and the supposed "aioli" tasted like straight Hellmann's. The famous chicken dish was better than the steak, but that's not saying much. It was just okay. From what I could see, it appeared to be essentially one flattened/pressed piece of chicken with a mountain of thin curly fries dumped on top. Nothing about it justified the reputation. And then, to add insult to injury, I passed a Red Hot Ranch on the way home. Honestly, if I could have jumped out of the Uber, walked into Red Hot Ranch, and ordered a burger, I genuinely think I would have had a better meal. Overall, this was one of the most disappointing meals I've had in Chicago in a while. Maybe Bistro Campagne was the shit back in the day. But that was then. Chicago has changed, and there are plenty of restaurants now serving better food, with better service and better value. 34 years is a hell of a run. But after this meal, Bistro Campagne may want to consider calling it a career. Cute patio. Good escargot. That's about where the positives end. Save your time and your money. There are much better places to eat in Chicago.