Such.A COOL place! Our Uber driver was taking us to the restaurant and it' appeared smack-dab in…read morethe middle of a residential area. I thought from our front that it was some type of community center but once inside it was nothing but WOW factors. ::The Ambiance:: The inside of this restaurant is like nothing I've seen before. The steep A-Frame design showcased a beautiful and airy scenery and the stained glass gave a celestial vibe. The patio is overlooking the lake and was very scenic. ::The Service:: From host to waitress, everyone was friendly and attentive. Everyone was on the ball and very personable and warm. ::The Food:: The food and drinks were top-notch. Had the Smokey mezcal drink and strawberry vodka drink and both were superb. The Lebanese chicken wings and the flatbread were extremely flavorful and savory. The highlight was the caviar toast. DAMN!!! Pricey (it's caviar, duh!) but worth every penny. We come out to Chicago/Rosemont area at least once a year, and I will be looking forward to frequenting this establishment again in the future!

This restaurant is near O'Hare airport, but you'd never guess by the ambience. It's literally on a…read morelake in a refurbished church decorated with modern art. I selected it based on location and online descriptions. We met friends there for lunch before our flight and I was so excited that it lived up to the reviews. It's a truly unique space with excellent food. Everyone was happy with their food choices and I thought the tuna poke bowl I ordered was fresh and delicious. Service was friendly and seating was comfortable. I bet it's stunning in the evenings. Highly recommend this place!

On the first floor of The Westin, this bar & bistro serves good food, good drinks & great service…read more Potato skins: great cheese to potato to bacon ratio. Only one skin was over fried. Ahi tuna salad: great cabbage, celery crunch. Fresh tuna and perfect sauce. Great convenience as a Hotel guest and also a good meeting place with quiet corners for business meetings

As far as hotel restaurants go, this is one of the better ones. This time, I had a steak sandwich…read moreand it was perfectly cooked and the toppings and roll were well-matched and fresh. Our server was nice and attentive, but not too much since she knew that we had work to finish up before we could turn in for the night. While the sandwich with fries was a little over $20, I feel like it could easily be shared. The fires were also very good: hot and fresh and somewhere between "regular" and "steak" or plank-style fries. We also had potato skins -- and they don't use small potatoes or skimp on the cheese and bacon. I wouldn't say there is much in the way of "ambiance" since it is located in the hotel lobby, and sometimes there is live music, which I think is a little distracting in such a small space and, well, inside the hotel lobby (though the lobby is 12 floors of hard surfaces and largely open space)

What a fun place! Conveniently located in Wood Dale, this lounge gives visitors a casual place to…read moreenjoy an interesting array of fun and colorful drinks at reasonable prices. Though I didn't get to try it on this visit, the food menu fits the tiki bar theme of the lounge and is cooked to order. Service was quick and friendly and it only took a few minutes to make each drink. With each drink I also got a good amount of background on the alcohol used to make the drink and some knowledge on how each flavor combination was developed. The space inside is nice with a mix of everything from tables to a bar to couches. This would be a perfect place to enjoy some board games or a casual evening of conversation with plenty of space to spread out. Parking is plentiful in the shopping center as well.

I walked in to the Pau Hana Lounge and expected a tiki bar but did not expect to get an education…read moreon rum. We were looking for a unique bar, and boy, did we get that. The bartender, Ron, seemed to have a good deal of knowledge about rum. All of the specialty cocktails contain rum. Ron was very engaging and enthusiastic about the cocktail menu. He was very friendly and spent a lot of time talking with us. We ordered the Zombie (a trio of light, gold, and dark rum with lemon, lime, passion fruit, and bitters - limit two per customer), the Navy Grog (lime, grapefruit, honey liquor, light rum, dark rum, and Demerara rum), the Painkiller (Pusser's rum, fresh nutmeg, pineapple, orange, and cream of coconut), and the Pineapple Coconut Delight (white rum, coconut, orgeat, pineapple, and lemon). The drinks were very good and I liked the sweetness in the drinks we chose. The drinks that we were served were very strong. I can see why some of them have a two drink limit. Ron kept telling us about the his brother who cooks in the kitchen. He is a classically trained chef, but we were unable to try any of the food because the kitchen is closed on Monday. Overall, the Pau Hana Lounge is a nice bar with a neighborhood feel to it. I recommend Pau Hana Lounge, just be prepared to get a lot of alcohol from these drinks.

I have never heard of Fox & Turtle before, but looking at the NW Chicago Restaurant week, it looked…read moredelicious to try. I was treating my parents for my dad's birthday month (My daughter has a lot of activities, lol) and the menu appeared to have something for everyone. The 22 minute drive to Itasca was so worth it! The restaurant, which is open to the public, is on the same property as the Itasca Country Club, which is not open to the public. You go down the stairs, through the developing pizza bar, and to the restaurant. The restaurant space itself is cozy, with beautiful, natural lighting, and lots of seating options. We were asked booth or table and seated right by the picture window with beautiful views of their ice rinks and golf course. The food was above and beyond my expectations! Between the 5 people at the table, I sampled the French Onion soup, Sweet & Spicy Brussels, Bacon Smash Burger, Pot Roast Grilled Cheese, Sweet Tees (Donut Holes), Peanut Butter Smore-o, and Verde Dulce. The soup was not salty as I find some iterations, the brussels had complex flavors with hot honey, bacon, candied pistachios, and crumbled feta. The pot roast grilled cheese was very flavorful, but my boyfriend did state he wished the sandwich had more meat in it. The Sweet Tees donut holes were cooked to perfection without being oily and the jam accompaniment was a perfect texture and level of sweet. The Peanut Butter Smore-o was creamy and decadent with its perfectly ratioed layers of ganache, peanut butter mousse, Oreos, and whipped cream. The Verde Dulce, though, was the delicious classic olive oil cake with pistachio gelato & that throwback of candied pistachios from my appetizer. Even better than the food, our server, Kara, was one of the sweetest, most attentive human beings! She answered all of our questions, refilled our fountain drink and iced tea glasses when they were at 75% without prompting, made sure my dad felt celebrated with a candle, etc. Her teammate who was in charge of clearing our table was also prompt and I appreciate her asking what plates she could take. Overall, it was a beautiful late morning/early afternoon with delicious food and impeccable service. 10/10 recommend!!!

If you haven't discovered Fox & Turtle yet, you're missing one of the best hidden gems in the area…read more I was genuinely surprised to learn it's open to the public because it feels every bit like an upscale private country club. The outdoor patio overlooking the golf course is absolutely beautiful--relaxing, scenic, and the kind of place that makes you feel like you're on vacation. Even on a busy Thursday evening, the atmosphere was lively without ever feeling hectic. Our server, Jordyn, was outstanding. She looked young, but don't let that fool you--she was completely on top of everything. We were a party of six that couldn't decide what we wanted, laughed way too loudly, and probably tested her patience more than once. She handled us with grace, humor, and a smile the entire time. Somewhere along the way we started calling her "Wednesday" from The Addams Family, and she rolled with it perfectly. Great sense of humor and fantastic service. The food was excellent. The Crispy Eggplant Salad was absolutely phenomenal--fresh, flavorful, and easily large enough to share between two people. The burger was cooked perfectly, the cocktails were outstanding, and everything arrived promptly. The bar staff also deserve a shout-out. They were welcoming from the moment we arrived, made great eye contact, acknowledged everyone immediately, and had drinks in our hands in no time. That's the kind of hospitality that makes people want to come back. Fox & Turtle has the rare combination of great food, attentive service, excellent drinks, and a beautiful setting. It's the kind of place you expect to find inside an exclusive club, yet thankfully it's open for everyone to enjoy. We'll definitely be back.

This is my second time to the prospect and I wanted to try out their brunch because we were there…read morefor dinner previously and we liked it so we wanted to see what they had during the day We went with our friends and this was a good middle meeting Point. We got a few drinks. They were awesome as usual. The service is also great our waitress was very nice. Everyone ordered something different so we get to try a little bit of everything and we were not disappointed. So based on the dinner menu and the brunch menu, we really enjoyed them and we will be back for one or the other in the future.

great service great food…read moretasteful decor clean tooooo noisy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Having never been bere, I planned my husband's birthday party at VLounge on a Saturday when Julian…read moreJumpin Perez was DJ'ing for "Old School Saturday". I called and spoke to with Frank and he was kind enough to reluctantly reserve a couple tables for us, only if I promised to have at least 20 people. He informed me he would charge me if I didn't show with 20 people, which I understood because after all, he could have reserved those tables for other parties and he already had a large party booked for the bar. I started to get nervous about a week before after reading many negative reviews about the place, including reviews stating people were discriminated against, forced to leave, had horrible service from their waitress, etc. I couldn't be happier with the way the night turned out and the way in which we were treated. When we arrived, there was a coat check available and the lobby was beautiful! I was very impressed with the ambience and decor. Our group included many people from diverse backgrounds including black, white, Asian, etc. I didn't feel discriminated against at all and our waitress, although extremely busy, was always checking on us and took care of our needs. She recommended some amazing drinks and despite what other reviews stated, was happy to keep separate tabs for people in our group. One of the men working that night bought my husband a drink for his birthday and at one point the DJ announced everyone's birthdays and the staff brought out a large piece of cake for each of the people there who were celebrating their birthday. I expected an older crowd since I read that VLounge attracted older people but that's what we were looking for since we are not as young as we used to be and would stick out like a sore thumb at any club, yet still wanted a sort of club experience. The crowd was a bit older than I even expected but everyone was nice and there to have a good time. We didn't experience anyone being rude and the dance floor was poppin'! I was pleasantly surprised! I have nothing but good things to say. The drinks were priced reasonably with a good amount of alcohol in them. The calamari was absolutely amazing! The ranch dressing, which one reviewer stated was disgusting, was one of the best I've had. I was happy they actually had ranch dressing because most Italian places do not have ranch. You can tell it's homemade, too and it was the perfect dipping sauce for their calamari. The calamari came out nice and hot and crispy and there were no ro rubbery pieces or weird looking pieces (like usual) that nobody wants to eat and are just left on the plate as waste. The place was PACKED, so of course our server was not able to keep up with the empty glasses and plates on our table but that did not impact our night in any way. I read one negative review stating that the empties were not removed from the table fast enough. I think sometimes people just look for something to complain about because it was completely understandable, considering the amount of people our waitress was serving and how hard it was to move around in the room. The bathrooms were clean but at one point in the night, there was a girl in the stall next to mine throwing up and it was all over the floor, including splashing all the way over into my stall and onto my shoes. It was pretty disgusting but when I exited the stall, I was happy to see staff in the restroom trying to take care of the situation. I believe many of the negative reviews I previously read were unfortunately from people who wanted to come for the free entertainment and were too cheap to spend any money on drinks or food or were not dressed appropriately. Furthermore, any reviewer claiming discrimination...it is my opinion that the reviewer must have been rude or had to have done something to warrant a negative response from the employee. I do not feel any if the employees were discrimanatory. Either that or it was an isolated situation and thankfully, we didn't have that experience! I do wish the staff had nametags so I could have known my server's name or I could have met Frank, considering I was speaking to him on and off the few weeks prior to our event. It also would've been nice to know the gentleman's name who was working the room when we were there and interacting with our group, since he was extremely cordial and professional. All of our guests told us what a fun time they had and what a nice place VLounge was. We don't get out much these days due to our children being young but I do hope we get a chance to go back! I urge you to give VLounge a chance and check it out for yourself! You won't be disappointed!

I wanted to check out this place for a long time and I thought it was great. The bartender was…read moreawesome and able to give me information about the place since it was my first time. Prices were fair with what everyone was charging in the area. The dance floor is small but everyone in the place was still having a good time regardless and I was dancing as well. The DJ was great and paid great music. I was there on a Julian Jumping Perez day with DJ Q. I didn't order food, but the food is connected to the restaurant in the same area which based on reviews looked great even though I never tried the food. Also, just from the looks out the banquet hall seems large enough to which is also connected which is convenient if you wanted to host like a wedding.

We had our first meal at Cefalu this evening, and the food overall was very good. We shared a…read morePecorino pizza, it was very tasty. We moved on to the Caesar salad to share, and it was pathetic unfortunately. Literally 3 individual leafs (!!) of romaine with some broken flat croutons and shaved parm, for $15. Ridiculous. My chicken Parmesan entree was prepared nicely with a side of pasta. Others commented on their pasta dishes and enjoyed them but the Cacio e Pepe was quite basic and not too flavorful. Service was ok, our waiter was pretty inattentive to our table, and meal wasn't adequately spaced between courses. Consensus on the molten chocolate cake, and strawberries w/gelato were good. I would go again, but I hope the service is better. The restaurant itself is very nicely done, lots of outdoor space and the bar area is generous with a very cool lighted bottle rack suspended above. We arrived early (4pm) so valet wasn't yet available and live music hadn't yet started. It was nice that the manager stopped by to introduce herself and welcome us at the start of our meal.

This place was such a vibe..a live singer who was really good..people were dancing and singing.Free…read morevalet..Everyone was so nice!! The bar staff were so sweet giving me suggestions and making sure I was enjoying my time there.I started with mussels and marinara ,Caesar salad and pistachio creme brûlée. We ended the night with a round of fresh limoncello... Ciao'!

12/28/24 - While we loved going to Bourbon & Brass. This is a cool speakeasy on the second floor…read moreof the Des Plaines Theater. When I was a kid I use to go to the Des Plaines Theater & watch movies for 60 cents (ahhh nostalgia trip down memory lane), but I digress The speakeasy inside the Des Plaines Theater is an awesome idea. The show was awesome but the one MAJOR MAJOR issue I have is the bartender who continued to serve my sister's friend. He was obviously very very drunk to a point where he could barely walk wo/stumbling. He was slurring his words. Both my sister & I asked the bartender not to serve him anymore alcohol but she kept serving him drinks even after we asked. She continued to serve him even after we asked her not to. When he and my sister left she told me he tried to put the key in the ignition 14X's before she convinced him to let her drive. Your bartender's need to be aware of a persons level of intoxication. Both my sister & I asked her not to serve him anymore drinks but she continued to serve him. Thank God my sister was able to convince him to let her drive home otherwise what was an excellent evening could have ended tragically. Please have your bartenders be more conscious of a persons level of intoxication. While I gave Bourbon & Brass a 5 star review I need to down grade that for over serving someone alcohol even after both my sister & I asked her to stop serving him

I heard there was a speakeasy at this theater, so we had to stop by to check it out. Free parking…read moreat the lot behind or ramp. There was a show that evening, when we entered the theater, the usher asked to see our tickets. I asked how to get to the speakeasy and the usher pointed to the elevator, take it to the second floor. Once we got to the second floor, more ushers greeted us and informed us there's a jazz band performing and small cover charge. As soon as we paid and entered through the bookshelf, the room was beautifully arranged as a lounge with fancy and vintage sofas and couches. Kind of reminds me of someone grandma's house. The bar had snacks available, otherwise more drink options. The band played good songs too. Definitely recommend if you're in the area and jazz fan.