While we're all foodies, I'm the Yelper in my circle. I put a lot of effort into my reviews, and I tend to make note of overall review consensus when I gauge whether to even invest my time and money into a potential experience. All that to say - *excuse me* - but how on earth did Devil's Advocate with its cheeky name, chill vibes, incredible fare, awesome service, and sassy AF kickass owner garner a mere 3.6 rating on Yelp? Seriously?
Warning - I can already tell this one's going to be an essay.
First thing: We didn't intend to end up here. Our circle had just left an event a few blocks away at after 10 pm and were in search of a spot to chat and nibble. We went through so many options before settling on nearby Brit's Pub, admittedly more due to lack of options than an actual craving for, say, bangers and mash.
Their kitchen was closed for the night. Darn, but yay, because we all love food adventuring. Brit's Pub staff graciously pointed us directly across the street, to Devil's Advocate. 3.6 rating. Err... Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. Hesitantly.
We enter, and the vibe is chill, not nearly as loud as it could be, and dark while still feeling open and modern, not heavy, stuffy, dated, or depressed. A hostess leads our group to a table directly between the two main clusters of guests. Smart, as this gives us the ability to chat without needing to raise our voices to compete with our surroundings.
Our server appears, and she is a vibrant ball of energy. She asks if we're having cocktails. With this being a short visit and half of us driving, we declined, and it didn't change her warm, welcoming manner one bit.
We stick with our waters and order up. Truffle fries, steak tips, fat cowboy burger, churro cheesecake slice, and the Minnesota grain bowl and Korean BBQ chicken sandwich both split in half. The truffle fries, being a starter, arrived first - and were inhaled in literally five minutes between five pairs of hands. Easily the best fries any of us had had in a while.
When our server returned to check on us, we raved about the fries, obviously, to learn that our impeccably-dressed server was actually one of Devil's Advocate's partners, Carissa, who had auditioned no less than 75 french fry options before selecting the ones on our very quickly emptied shared plate.
Our food followed soon after. All except the churro cheesecake - the very last slice had just been served, so Carissa comped a berry cheesecake covered in a mountain of berries and exotic dragonfruit.
We could not find fault with our food. To clarify, we're not the type to look for flaws. We were just that wowed by the quality of everything that we all actively considered that thought. Literally the one complaint we had was the chicken in our salad being quite dry. One friend's biggest frustration was deciding whether he preferred the steak tips with or without its accompanying white BBQ sauce. On a table full of food covering a variety of dishes, that's quite impressive.
The shining star of the show, however, was definitely Carissa. The vibrant woman is a fireball of sass, and we love her for it. We're definitely coming back to visit - next time, to visit Carissa and grab cocktails. I do wonder if a heavy dose of sass here might have contributed to what I feel is a genuinely baffling rating average. That and this being right by Orchestra Hall and therefore often getting guests who drop in with minimal time for cocktails and a bite before the show they're waiting to go see.
PS: Local bartenders, security, and event staff get discounts, so definitely drop by! read more