#Foodie Review: L20 (Chicago)

by | Jun 20, 2011 | Food

L20 Food Review

Summary: Recommended with reservations despite a very bad night.

L20
2300 N Lincoln Park W
Chicago, IL 60614

SHORT VERSION:

After a few rather disappointing meals at this and other 2011 Michelin rated spots, first I must say that a restaurant may get great reviews by critics but the best way to truly judge a place is to go for yourself. Alas, Michelin thus far has proven itself unreliable in my book.  Under no stretch of the imagination could I see L2O deserving all three of the stars it received. MAYBE two stars. It merits a return visit but ONLY because there is no way service could consistently be as bad as what we experienced.

LONG VERSION:

Continuing on my Michelin star restaurant quest and admitting up front that this review is biased based on comparison to the other Michelin star restaurants at which I have dined.  See all reviews of the list here
http://www.yelp.com/list…

Most relevant comparisons: Alinea (cost, presentation, length of meal), Ria (Chef from L2O plus staff from Ria would be a PHENOMENAL restaurant), Spiaggia (personality of the staff), Naha (decor)

Food: 4.5

– Bread was awesome, especially the milk bread and bacon filled yumminess they served (Note: bread is better at Girl and the Goat)
– Food was really amazing. Every course of the 8 course tasting menu was fantastic, well prepared and presented. Good looking plating but not so much emphasis on appearance that the food is crappy or cold. The chef rocks (but the house staff fails)
– Wine pairings ok but definitely not stellar. Better wine pairings for less at Ria and sadly, we never even saw the sommollier. Further, our server not only did not know how to pronounce the wine but she really did not have a clue why the wine worked well with each course.

Service: 2

Abysmal. Amateur. SOMEONE IMPORTANT was off that night. Honestly, there is no way this place could be this amateur on a regular basis. The four of us have been to dozens of the world’s best restaurants … Le Bernadin, Le Bec Fin, Ria, Everest, etc … so we know good service. And this was not good service. Out of 8 courses, only one was clearly explained. We sometimes waited ages for water refills and replacement linen napkins. For desert, one of my friends had cheese while the rest of us had the souffle from the tasting menu. Her cheese arrived with our desert wine. We waited and waited and drank the wine and shared the cheese. Then the souffles came out. It was the TASTING MENU. Were they surprised we were having the dessert on the tasting menu?

Sommelier was absent and server could not begin to describe wines
And NONE of the staff seemed to have a personality. There was nothing friendly about any of them. (Actually, the two women at the host station were very friendly but besides pointing me to the restrooms, that did not do much for me.)

Decor: 3

Felt like I was in a hotel lobby restaurant. Boring with a few hanging things to spice it up and give semi-privacy. Clean and elegant, but boring.
The Tatami room concept was ODD. At around 10pm, after we had been there for about 3 hours, we started seeing women in kimonos. They were greeting people at the host station and taking them to tables right near us. And occasionally they were taking them to a side room. We finally asked and they explained this was a private dining experience in the Japanese style. I don’t get that AT ALL as there is no link to the restaurant.

Value: 3

Same price range as Alinea but overall package nowhere near as memorable. For 4 people, our bill including tip was $1300+.

Overall : 3

I suspect that this was a very off night for L2O and the food alone would make it worth you trying it out. It merits a return visit because there is no way service could consistently be as bad as what we experienced. However, it is too expensive for what you get and there are at least five other restaurants I would go to first before returning to L2O. And under no stretch of the imagination could I see L20 deserving all three of the stars it received.

In relationship with #foodies,

Adam

Adam L. Stanley Connections Blog

Technology. Leadership. Food. Life.

AdamLStanley.com
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L’Anima (London) Food Review | Grace Food Review | Other Food Reviews

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#Foodie Review: Blackbird (Chicago)

by | May 20, 2011 | Food

Blackbird Food Review

Summary: Recommended for great food.

Blackbird
619 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60661

I went here again last night to see whether the recent successes and awards had changed Blackbird. Specifically, I wanted to see if they too had gone down the path of appearance over quality.

I am happy to say that they have not. In fact, I find it interesting that the James beard award and the Michelin plague are nowhere to be seen, or perhaps in the hallway leading to the bathroom.

The service, food, and decor remain pretty much the same quality as they were 10 years ago when I first began to dine at this restaurant and long before our French friends came here to judge Chicago restaurants.

I do believe this place merits the Michelin star, and think 1 star was appropriate. It is better than many of it’s peers in the 1 star category. I would dine here again many times before heading back to the purees and foam of Alinea, lukewarm food and dated decor of Boka, stuffy pretentiousness of Spiaggia or overpriced snobbery of Sixteen (and, frankly, I will support nothing Trump related, but that’s another story …)

Here goes:

FOOD: 5
EVERYTHING is fattening, artery clogging, buttery goodness. Food looks good on the plate but emphasis is still on taste. Flavorful, savory food with interesting twists but not so much about the show that the food gets lost. This visit, I had as my appetizer the confit of suckling pig with fried ipswich clams. YUM!! Dinner was aged pekin duck breast with golden beets, chestnut soubise and munich malt. My guest (from UK) had the skate wing appetizer and the lamb. Both of us cleaned our plates and enjoyed dinner.

Portions are large enough to fill you up but still leave room for dessert, which we both had. Not a fan of the desserts, but mainly because in this category I am a “Joe Sixpack”. I want an apple pie or brownie with icecream and am unimpressed by fancy schmancy nondescript deserts.

DECOR: 4
Has not changed. Could get old, but it’s clean, crsip, minimalist. Uncomfortable seats to some extent but nothing that woudl keep me away. Slightly loud, but nowehere near Publican or Girl and the Goat levels of noise.

SERVICE: 4
Prompt service, attentive but not overwhelming. And many of the people there have been there for years. Small things like having my coat ready for me when I was done with my meal, the tasty amuse bouche at the beginning of the meal, excellent wine selection, and general friendliness (without being giddy) of the staff were added plusses.

VALUE: 4
Excluding our relatively expensive but great bottle of wine, we paid about $200 for the two of us to have full meal with appetizer, main, and dessert plus coffee. This included the tip. I would say this places Blackbird in the same value tier as Crofton or graham elliott.

OVERALL: 4
Most dinners I have had here: Amazing food and nothing healthy on the menu. No attitude amongst the staff or clientele and no need to wear suits and ties. Love it. Bring on the butter and bacon baby!

In relationship with #foodies,

Adam

Adam L. Stanley Connections Blog

Technology. Leadership. Food. Life.

AdamLStanley.com
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Adam Stanley CIO Making Life Connections through travel, professional life, personal experiences and blogging. Technology leader and business partner.