The wife and I were walking around and spot by this place to check it out. The seating is unique…read morebut I actually liked it. They had sofa seating as well as table seating. This was in addition to the bar seating. You could do tastings of the monthly wine which was nice because you control how much to taste in 1, 3 and 5 Ozs. You couls also order a glass. I could definitely see us coming here on Fridays to grab a drink and relax. Looking forward to also trying some of there small bites.

We've been here a few times and the wine selection is awesome and the food appetizers are…read morewonderful. One afternoon they had a small string group playing. It's a cozy little place with limited seating.

I had such a great experience! The space was beautiful, unique, and the perfect setting for our…read moreevent. The team was so welcoming, accommodating, and easy to work with, which made everything come together so smoothly. Our guests had an amazing time, and I truly loved the experience. Perfect venue highly recommend !

Incredible customer service, we attended an invite and it was beautiful from start to finish. You…read morecan tell they really love what they do and go above and beyond with their work.

We booked The Liven Room for my son's birthday party, and it was perfect…read more The space is bright and clean, with modern decor and a cozy vibe. They offer 4 large modern, farm tables with beautiful thonet style chairs, 4 bistro tables, a cool mid-century modern couch, and lots of smaller, benches for your use. The owner even has 2 additional tables for a buffet set up (should you need them). The layout and furniture available allow you to set up for any type of event. It is helpful that the space is at the end of the mall site and there is plenty of parking for all guests. The Liven Room was very family friendly, ADA accessible and the owner even provided a high chair for our son. The Liven Room was clean and well-stocked with a microwave, a coffee maker, and a small fridge. It was helpful that we could bring in our food and drinks and have them chill before serving to our guests. The bathroom was clean and also well stocked. Per COVID, we felt safe because Michelle cleaned and sanitized the space before we arrived. We also felt comfortable using our own COVID guidelines for our guest's safety while entertaining. Michelle, the owner, was extremely knowledgeable about decor and helped us set up the day of. She was also very responsive with questions and concerns. Thank you, Michelle. I highly recommend The Liven Room and working with Michelle.

A great space for events! Easy to get to, lots of parking available and very adaptable for a wide…read morerange of guests. We held a baby shower for about 35 people and it was a perfect space for our event. Bringing in your own food and drinks made this a very affordable option and we were able to customize the space with our own decor too. Michelle is great to work with, quick to reply to questions and made the process of reservation and preparation super easy.

Our family loves this place so much that our daughter decided to have her wedding here several…read moreyears ago. They did a great job of working with the caterer and us and in setting up the kitchen and tables in the pavilion along with parking and a shuttle bus that the hotel across the street provided. Everyone in attendance loved the setting and the mansion. Thankfully the weather cooperated and the whole ceremony, dinner and reception went off without a hitch. The pavilion will hold a hundred guests comfortably while the guest count will drop for a reception inside the mansion. I believe no matter which you choose the party will end at 11 pm at least that was the policy about five years ago. For the Grove part of the estate, hiking the trails is easy with lots to look at. There are several buildings and workshops along the way. I liked the blacksmith shop the best. Now we've taken our grand daughter here and she loved the reptile house! Go figure! There are 'events' during most holidays with lots to look at and buy.

We had our wedding here and it was just stunning. Deborah and her team were amazing to work with…read more Helped us anytime we needed it while planning a wedding from out of state. Gorgeous day as well - everything turned out beautiful. And they recommended the best vendors.

I learnt about the Winnetka Community House when we went to the North Shore Art League for the…read morefirst time to attend the opening reception of their new exhibit -- "Summer Open".  The art league is located on the second floor of the Winnetka Community House.  The Community House was completed in 1911, and it has been expanded several times since.  That's why it was interesting for us to enter a historic building that's over 100 years old, but discovered a modern extension where the art gallery is after climbing a flight of old-fashioned stairs. Apparently, the center hosts many performing arts programs that include dance, theater, music and more.  When we were viewing artwork of the exhibit, a friendly elderly actor of the center greeted us while taking a break on a comfy couch.  We could hear music rehearsal in the theatre when we passed by. They also have education programs, youth sports programs, a full-service fitness center, classes and lectures -- all kinds of activities that help enrich lives of residents of not just Winnetka, but of the broader North Shore. When I read their Yelp reviews, I learnt that the center is even a popular weddings and events venue!  It is truly a versatile community house! As a privately supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Community House is not funded through tax dollars.  It's good to know that donations are 100% tax deductible.

We're so grateful to have found Community House Winnetka! Of all the venues in the Chicago area,…read morethis venue felt like "us" - plus the venue was so affordable compared to the Chicago market. Sahra, the venue coordinator, was such a great communicator which was such a relief because we were planning this wedding from out of state. She was so responsive to our questions and kept everything running smoothly with our vendors on our wedding day. While this venue is a community center, our wedding felt completely private. Any locals in the community who happened across us while taking photos in the early afternoon were so kind and respectful, and our wedding ceremony and reception was completely private. The fact that this venue also has an indoor space to be used as a back-up plan in case of weather also gave us peace of mind. The venue has so many cute areas for photos, and the courtyard was absolutely stunning. So grateful to have found this place!

Long time member of this "hidden gem" (one of its marketing taglines) tucked away in Glenview…read more Think of Valley Lo as a low/no-pretense country club that is SUPER family friendly and even family ORIENTED. Wonderful dining -- casual attire but a nice menu; phenomenal service, and plenty of TVs and an activity room available to keep kids occupied. Tennis. Paddle tennis (one of the biggest programs in the US apparently, with a relatively recently rebuilt paddle hut that is spacious, well appointed, and has a regular bartender). A well appointed and maintained fitness center with personal training, classes, massage, and all of what you'd expect at a fitness club. A four lane 25-yard swimming pool that is surprisingly underutilized much of the time...and also features a kids' swim team that has become competitive among the North Shore programs. 18 holes of par 3 golf -- fun, family friendly, and again, without the pretense or expense of a "big time" golf club...and still with leagues, lessons, and events. The real showpieces of the Club, though, are the beach and lake open from Memorial Day through Labor Day (sometimes a little earlier and a little later depending upon weather). Sailing. Kayaks. Pedal boats. Paddle boarding. Swimming (some triathletes train by swimming around the lake -- it's about a mile around). Catch and release fishing (mostly for the kids). An adults-only area. A super casual beach cafe. Unsurprisingly, servers who'll deliver soft and adult beverages to your chair. A recently launched outdoor bar that complements the outdoor dining, weather permitting, in the warm weather, with lovely views of the lake and surrounding areas. Along with that, there are myriad family oriented and adults-only events, from bingo nights (really -- and they're a riot) to a "turn back the clock" New Year's Eve party where "midnight" is nine pm to the expected holiday events (gingerbread houses, caroling dinners, St. Pat's, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc.). Breathtakingly good and popular 4th of July fireworks (usually on the 3rd) on the back nine of the golf course -- this typically draws over 1000 people and, along with many of the other events, features kids' activities like games, small rides, face paining, etc. Among the biggest draws is the youth sports camp which is as brilliant as it is well executed. Drop the kids in the morning; pick up in the afternoon. They get exposure to a variety of activities and sports and get fed. Counselors tend to be teenagers who are well trained and lead the events; the camp is run by a seasoned professional whose approach is to sneak in ideas of character and sportsmanship along the way. The clubhouse and grounds (golf course, beachfront) are great spots for a wide variety of events including corporate outings, family parties, prom dinners/photos, and weddings. Through the years, Valley Lo has maintained itself well and made significant investments to keep up and improve its clubhouse, athletic center, paddle and pickleball facilities, and now golf course. It's welcoming and inclusive -- while it is a private club that requires sponsors, it's not a draconian and super selective process like some country clubs, and tends to welcome all comers. Economics are considerably more attractive than big time golf clubs as well. We've been members for more than 15 years, raised our kids here, and have come to know and love the team ("staff" always seems demeaning to this reviewer) and the membership. If you're not a swanky golf club person but prefer something less stuffy and more fun and family oriented, Valley Lo should seriously be on your list to check out.

We provided services for this company in good faith and submitted invoices for payment. Despite…read morerepeated requests and ample time to resolve the matter, the invoices remain unpaid. My experience has been extremely frustrating due to the lack of follow-through and professionalism regarding payment obligations. I always prefer to handle business matters privately and professionally, but after exhausting those efforts, I felt it was important to share my experience so others can make informed decisions when considering doing business with this company.

I first knew The Glen Club as an employee and later came back as a patron. In high school, after…read morecaddying at a country club in Northfield, I moved here because the money and culture were better. I worked the bag drop and cart barn while also caddying, which meant long days moving between clubs, carts, and loops around the course. The experience was awesome, and I genuinely liked the people I worked with. Years later, I still think The Glen Club offers one of the best return-on-effort golf experiences in the Chicago suburbs, although I am now a bit removed from the local golf scene. The Tom Fazio course is beautiful, well-maintained, and challenging enough to stay interesting while remaining playable for an ordinary golfer. You can walk with a caddie or take a cart, and both experiences are great. It feels removed from the city even though it is easy to reach from Chicago and close to the major highways. Beyond the course, the entire property works unusually well and is great for events too. Since I left the area, family members have stayed in the guest rooms, and we also held a baby shower here. The driving range is spacious, the food is good, and the staff is friendly and helpful without making the place feel stiff. The terrace overlooking the 18th green is an excellent spot for food and drinks, while the surrounding Glen has plenty of restaurants and bars for before or after a round. Today, the clubhouse still feels sophisticated and has aged remarkably well since I watched the property take shape while living nearby. I have also attended professional tournaments here, and it is a great place to watch golf because the course, terrace, and clubhouse connect so naturally. The Glen Club has the quality of a private country club, the accessibility of a resort course, and more polish than a typical public facility. I play whenever I am home and can make it work, and I highly recommend this place.

The course was nice and well-kept but the service was horrendous. We walked in the afternoon as a…read morefoursome and ON THE FIRST hole told to "speed up play." At that point we decided to play best-ball scramble style. And realized that there were solo players behind us in carts. We let them play through and didn't see a single person until the final hole. During the time when there was nobody in front of us or behind us we were approached 3 more times by the marshal telling us that "people were calling the clubhouse and we needed to speed up." We then couldn't even tee off of another hole because one of the residents decided to have a prom party on the tee box and had hundreds of high schoolers take pictures on the tee box. Until the service gets better I cannot recommend this course. You would be better off playing at just about any other north side course or even a true muni. At greens prices over $200, it just doesn't make sense to have service like this.

My niece and her husband had their wedding reception here a few days ago. The weather was rainy and…read morecool, but as someone visiting from hot and sticky Texas, I gladly welcomed it. An outdoor pavilion surrounded by the forest was where the celebration was held. It easily accommodated all the guests. Because private events here use outside caterers, we were treated to an amazing buffet style dinner that included salad, chicken, steak, salmon, potatoes and vegetables. All were abundant and delicious. The exterior of one of the historic buildings served as the spot for the open bar. I went inside the property and was transported back in time to mid-19th century Illinois. Parts of the building resembled a hotel off the beaten path in Mexico. I confess that I didn't do much research on The Grove beforehand. It appears to be a place where you could get in a quiet weekend walk. Simply put, a must visit for anyone seeking to escape the hurly burly of Chicago proper. Fair warning, however. It's easy to get lost looking for The Grove so be sure to keep an eye out for the sign indicating it while traveling down Milwaukee Avenue.

The nature center is a great place to see some animals and other exhibits. The forest is much…read morebigger than it looks from the street and has nice flat paths. We saw several deer and chipmunks. Great place to go for a hike.

Fabulous business idea. No frills, 24/7 indoor range with simulators. Reasonably priced. Well…read moremaintained. Responsive ownership. I've been there several times and will continue coming back.

Great place! Love that it's 24/7. Not many people know about this place yet so you can go in and be…read morethe only person playing. Top notch equipment. Only recommendation I have is to put a one way window on the front window. To many people trying to come in and knock on the window to come check the place out. Overall great place and can't wait till memberships start to roll out!

The restaurant itself is clean, simple, and no-frills--but we came here with one thing in mind:…read moresiraegi gamjatang! Ever since we tried it in Korea, we haven't been able to forget about it. There's just something about that warm, comforting broth and hearty vegetables that hits differently. We originally planned to order jokbal/bossam + siraegi gamjatang, but unfortunately, the jokbal/bossam was already sold out. So we went all in on the gamjatang! And honestly... the portion is HUGE! We got the medium size and serving is easily enough for 2-3 people. The soup was probably my favorite part. It wasn't spicy, which I actually enjoyed, and it had plenty of meat and vegetables. It paired perfectly with rice and all the banchan that came with the meal. As for the service, our experience was unfortunately not the best. Our server came across as quite rude, and we left feeling like we weren't receiving the same level of friendliness and attention as some of the other customers around us. Of course, that's just how the experience felt from our perspective, but it did affect the overall dining experience. Food: comforting and satisfying. Service: could definitely use some improvement.

We're from out of state and finally got to revisit a year later…read more So happy we did, as their food is still outstanding! We did takeout this time, and it was still good. Siraegi Gamjatang 시래기 감자탕 We remembered to get this one rather than the Mugeunji 묵은지 version. It was as good as we remembered. This dish is probably better at the restaurant, where you can cook on the table and get the rice done for you at the end. We were still pretty happy at home, though it did add some work. Half and half jokbal 반반 족발 Finally got to try their jokbal - delicious! The hot spicy version was also very, very good. In fact, I had just had some in Korea, and these here were better than the ones I had there. Impressed! The regular version was also good. I really did like the half and half version, cuz the spicy was a little too spicy for some in the group and they got to have their regular version. While I didn't think it was too spicy, I enjoyed having the other version to alternate. The veggies that came with were also fresh and crunchy. The owner also gifted us with their Gaejang 게장 - seasoned raw crabs. These weren't on the menu just yet but he was telling us they would start selling them soon and let us try them. They were very generous. Most of us in the group got to take a piece and these were SO GOOD - and not just because they were free. I'm serious - I make these myself so I don't feel compelled to pay for them, but I would definitely buy them here when I'm in town. I must say, they definitely do it better than I can.