This place is delicious!! I absolutely loved the Cajun Shrimp Pasta, the sauce was soooo creamy and…read morethe flavors were perfect -- my favorite pasta dish in all of CU. The truffle fries were so addicting, almost filled up just eating fries!

Upscale American restaurant with a homey feel…read more The food was delicious and competently prepared. I ordered the grilled trout, which came with sautéed green beans and roasted potatoes. The potatoes were impressively tender and just-browned on the edges, although under-seasoned. The trout was flaky in most of the cut but dried out at the edges. The pineapple salsa served with the fish helped, although there was some freshness to be desired. The items were indeed tasty -- the smoky char on the fish carried the other elements -- if not memorable. The atmosphere is perhaps the most notable feature of the place. The wood bannisters and tables around the space have the air of an old steakhouse that cleaned up its act. As I was seated, an anonymous piano arrangement of Pachelbel's Canon was piped into the room. The restaurant goes out of its way to cultivate a dual sense of class and nostalgia. When you're feeling like a romantic, treat yourself to a dinner here.

Food was exceptional quality, with portion size to match. Atmosphere is a vaulted high ceiling…read morespace with the bustle of a hard working kitchen and an attentive waitstaff. The menu is limited to signature offering of various dishes eliminating the tough choices between offerings. The daily special was a nice addition to the menu. All food was plated on various china which added to the fun of it all. My wife and I shared 2 separate meals and both were 10/10 in our opinion. This place will be on our very short list of great food, great folks, and great experience.

What an incredible discovery! We were driving from Iowa to Ohio, which is mostly a culinary…read morewasteland. My copilot found this gem. It sounded too good to be true, but it's true! Though it looks unremarkable from the outside, inside, you'll find a wonderful restaurant where the staff is highly invested in making sure you have a great meal. My companion enjoyed a lovely Old Fashioned to start. I ordered the Turkey stroganoff, while he had the shrimp and grits. When the plates came out, I thought the veil was finally about to slip. They were well-plated, but huge. And yet...the veil didn't slip. It was haute-cuisine comfort food goodness in what looked like a converted warehouse space. Unreal! Though turkey is often too dry, my stroganoff was moist and succulent. The sauce was much more than just cream of mushroom -- lots of flavor and not too much salt. We had a time of it. I'd happily come back here again and again.

They outdid themselves once again The corned beef and…read morecabbage special was more than I could eat Cold beer and a friendly staff, what more could you ask for?

Really good veggie burgers and fries. Love the chipotle mayo! Excellent location, eat there or pick…read moreup to take to the Rose Bowl and enjoy some live music.

Alright, this one is for my late, older brother, Matt, who rolled his bones in NYC for the…read morelongest and was a restauranteur out there. This place is a gastropub that exceeds the expectations of any other restaurant concept of 217. Been here countless times and you walk in to this old diner energy and then your senses go on tilt from the smells and the look and if you aren't pulled in by that, something is seriously wrong with you cuz this place screams Manhattan 2000's when the culinary scene and celebrity chefs were on ! So super chill vibe with old 50's neon and the menu tonight and specials are beyond amazing! So let us begin... Give me a Chicago handshake to start.... Malort on tap and tall boys of Old Style that tells you the owner is Chicago all the way! This place was nothing like what was popping up in Chicago of the super late 90's and early 2000's with Trotters and Tramoto, been to both, battling the culinary scene and this newer guy, Grant Achatz, of Trio, comes onto the playground and changes everything... This place is special because it's what Keith McNally was successful with on restaurant concepts of this time in NYC and soon to follow nationwide. Menu specials shown and the Chef in command, Conner, definitely showcased his abilities o the end. Start with the morels and they were little bites of spring with the spritz of lemon balancing the bitterness of the garlic that makes you wanting to grab another! The salad and duck fat fries are next... Salad has a great vinaigrette that will cleanse your palate with the pickled red onions and some fresh greens. Duck fat fries: if you never experienced these, highly recommend. They will be the best French fries you ever tasted.... Anyone knows will tell you that Duck fat is a game changer. Then Conner brings out the main course- this 25oz strip steak aged for 45 days and at this point I'm transported back to David Burke and Jose Garcias restaurants that featured dry aged steaks: my kyptonite. Service by Aliyah was superb and this place never misses! Thank you for transporting me back to a memory of my late brother who completely opened my eyes to much more in the culinary world! Great meals=lasting memories

Gastropub with a punk rock ethos: the menu draws freely from fine cuisine and street foods, and it…read moreupsets the rules about how those categories are supposed to work. We went in on the street food parts of the menu tonight, with the burger (Smashy McSmashface), Tandoori Lamb Kofta, and Sumac Slaw Sando with the falafel patty. Charring is the technique that elevates their street offerings. The smashburger was circled with a lace of crisped beef. The lamb kofta was fully blackened around its surface. (The kitchen perhaps overdid it here and with the grilled pita. The bitter carbonization distracted from other flavors and textures in the ground lamb.) The falafel's fry was perfection, both delicate on the tongue and essential to the thick patty's structure. Conversely, the potent blends of herbs from various cuisines signals the sophistication of their menu. The parsley and other green herbs (did I detect mint?) in the tabbouleh got a bite from the pickled garlic. But even better was setting it atop the sourness of the peppers in the lutenitsa. My choices tonight leaned middle eastern, but the menu effortlessly spans French, East Asian, and American southern. The most provocative aspects of the menu though are the ones that mix high and low cuisine, or that mix elaborate and commercial preparations. I had to laugh that the curried labneh (on the falafel sando) had been thoughtfully spiced with grains of mustard and it also was spread across a generic potato bun. As if to say, "Yeah we made an elevated version of French's mustard but don't take your veggie burger so seriously." There are other routes through the menu that produce the same effect. You want Oysters? Sure, they can be your appetizer before the meatloaf. This place is playful and not afraid to break the rules. Come here for something you didn't expect!

I had a great experience at Baxter's American Grille in Champaign. I ordered the Ribeye cooked…read moremedium, along with the Brussel Sprouts and Mushrooms, and everything came out perfectly prepared and full of flavor. All of the steak options here are delicious, there's usually little to no wait time, and the food comes out fast. The service was just as impressive as the food, making the whole meal enjoyable from start to finish. The ambiance was phenomenal and great for small or large dinners!

We visited Baxter expecting to have a finer dining experience in the Champaign area. When we…read morearrived, we were greeted and seated promptly. We ordered two of their specialty cocktails, which took a little long to be delivered but subsequently were very good. Next we ordered the stuffed mushrooms, Halibut and filet medallions. Service was a little slow so we decided to just enjoy the time together. Our appetizer arrived and was outstanding. It was a bit of a wait for our entrees to appear and when they did we were disappointed with the wait. The filet was ordered medium well and arrived seared to almost well done other than the very center was cold and red. The halibut was overcooked as well but regardless I decided to enjoy the halibut because it was still palatable. The filet, on the other hand was not. It was tough and just not very good. I fully expected to spend the money on a fine dining experience but didn't feel that experience was met. We will try Baxter again in the future with hopes of a better experience but our history there has been hit and miss!

We tried this place on a whim. My son had heard about the place and said, let's give it a try…read more Great food and it was matched by the friendly lady that runs the place. We will definitely visit again!!

I don't know Zambian cuisine, but it's claim to be the only one in the country??? Well, that's…read moreworth a try. It's been a few months since I've been there, but it looked like it was transitioning from a different restaurant (BBQ joint?) so maybe the decor was in flux. Very food court look. We tried the Emma's Platter and the goat meat. The flavors were all fine, but I don't know if anything stood out or was strongly seasoned. The ginger drink, on the other hand, was very punchy and well-appreciated. They said it's made on-site. So... not knowing Zambian cuisine, I don't have anything to compare it to. The seasoning and the tastes did not spring forward. The ginger drink was the most memorable of it all.

A group of us came here for dinner after wedding dress shopping for a friend. The space is…read morebeautifully decorated. We started with drinks at the bar. The peach cider on tap was excellent and other customers said their cocktails were really good. The service was good. We were a group of 5 and were seated at a 2 person table pushed together with a 4 person table. The 4 person table had regular table legs in the 4 corners. When it was pushed against the bench, this made it impossible to get to our seats on the bench, especially in a dress. Kind of a crazy design. I had the pasta and it was fine. Nothing to rave about and pretty pricy to leave still hungry. I had considered the cod with peanut sauce and cauliflower puree. We were informed they didn't have cod anymore and it was either salmon or tilapia. It seemed crazy to charge $23 for tilapia while salmon & peanut sauce combo did not sound that great. A friend did order it and was unfortunately disappointed. The cauliflower was so puréed it ended up being very thin like a sauce. So, she ended up with 1 piece of fish with different sauces on her plate. No vegetables or carbs to go with the fish.

This place was amazing. I wasn't expecting a lot since it's a hotel restaurant, but the atmosphere,…read morethe service, and the food were all outstanding. I had the beet salad (how good can a beet salad be? You've never had this beet salad, clearly) and the French onion soup. Divine. The service from Sarah (my server) and the hostess and the person who brought me toast points with caramelized onion butter! was all fantastic.

Great location, nice service and good food. The ambience was wonderful. The patio was even nicer.read more

Very good service, solid menu, good drink choices and a great Sunday brunch. Typically crowded, but…read moretables typically move pretty quickly.

A beautiful menu paired with beautiful wine. Lovely evening!! Laid-back but great service. Fun…read morestore where you can pick-up lovely breads, cheeses, wines, bread etc. etc. I will return for sure! TN

Super cute restaurant on a farm. Came in for an early lunch (I live two hours away) and…read morespecifically came for the baked bloomy. Unfortunately, it was the only item on the menu they didn't have. Bummer. They're having issues with production which they should get back up and running soon. I ended up getting the Jambon. It was tasty, but really wasn't what I wanted so I went back for lunch by next day! Enjoyed a glass of white with one of their cheese boards. Fantastic. The staff is very friendly and the vibes are great. The farm is really nice too! I will definitely come back, but I'd call first to make sure they have what I want. Would love to come in sometime and try their dinner menu.

So I'm that most annoying of things: a vegan. On top of that, I'm a teetotaler. So when I announced…read morethese things to my waitress - Jessica - I was expecting to be told it would be very difficult to serve me. What happened next was astounding. She consulted her supervisor, and the two were able to lay out for me what items were suitable with a complete list of ingredients and allergens! The sliders themselves use a vegan-friendly bun, and the patty can be exchanged for a plant-based one. The tofu tacos simply need to have the sour cream held. The sweet potato fries (and I presume the normal ones) are fried using the same oil as other foods, so people should take that into consideration should they wish, but they're otherwise okay. I ordered the tofu tacos and the sweet potato fries. Excellent meal! The music being played was Nintendo-themed covers and remixes, which I was definitely able to appreciate!

So my fiancé and I moved around the area recently and we are looking to try new places for dining…read moreexperiences. This is the first in Champagne and we actually liked it. We had a few cocktails which were good. And the chicken fuatas as an appetizer. Which was REALLY GOOD!! Michele said they were the best she has ever had. I had a club sandwich and she had the gourmet grilled cheese with their mushroom soup. The atmosphere was quaint. And the service was good as well. We will be most likely come back to try other dishes.