I really want to love this place but it was simply OK. I went with five friends to celebrate a birthday, and we were seated in the "party" room, formerly known as Mickey Finn's brewery. We had hoped for a 7 pm reservation and were told 7:30 was the only spot, which seemed odd as when we arrived the front of the house was not full. Whatever. Our party included two vegetarians and one gluten-free guest, which in 2015 is not all that unusual. Our food? The Kale Cauliflower Gratin: the bowl was hot but the dip cooled off quickly and lost its flavor and visual appeal as it congealed. The vegetarians in the group were disappointed with the veggie burgers expecting something with more flavor considering it was a house-made burger. And from what I could see, the options were limited for them. My macaroni and cheese with chicken and spicy sausage was delicious, but again I felt like the temperature of the food could've been hotter. I like my mac and cheese bubbling and steaming, and this dish felt a bit like it had been warmed up. It was quite yummy, and I would order it again with a request for it to be served hotter. The two small pieces of garlic toast were meh. Three friends ordered the salmon with a small side of quinoa, which they all enjoyed. Personally, I thought the entree was a bit overpriced as are some of the entrees on the menu. Dessert helped round things out with the pretzel bread pudding the hands-down winner and big enough to share. Thank you to our server for the recommendation. Service was a little slower, perhaps because we were in the party room and we couldn't flag down our server? I'm not sure what the vibe is supposed to be. Casual? Upscale? Neighborhood watering hole? Date night spot? Let's hope they figure it out before Libertyville diners return to their usual favorites. We've had a good run with newer restaurants making the cut but O'Tooles needs to define it's niche. read more