Vermillion offers very interesting food in a trendy, upscale atmosphere with a nice soundtrack. They bill their food as a fusion of Indian and Latin, but it seemed to lean much more to Indian, although none of the items were traditional Indian, each had a unique and interesting spin. We tried an extensive assortment of tapas, appetizers, and one entree, and enjoyed all of them. There is also an interesting wine list with about half the selections available by the glass. Service was friendly and attentive. read more

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We were the only patrons here on this Sunday night but we were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed our meal tonight, despite the ambiance being a little off and the lights above us flickering on and off for the entire meal. We were a group of 5 vegetarian adults and ordered the following: - Pani puri x 2 (would recommend) - Kale chaat (would recommend but ask for it in a bowl so it's easier to mix) - artichoke pakoras (would not get again - lacked flavor) - masala fries (yummy, ask for the spicy Serrano sauce) - paneer with gravy (so delicious) - methi palak toran (would pass on this) - garlic naan, onion naan (both were excellent) Where this place lost a star was some of the presentation and they charged us $5 for a side of sauce which seemed extreme. Would recommend trying! read more

Great looking bar area. Open for carryout only, the genius' behind Indian/Latin fusion just WOW. The employee who worked NYE, tall guy in a beanie very friendly and spunky (my kind of peeps) I'm glad the fried chicken is here to stay I gave my grandmother the food and it was her first time trying something new she really enjoyed it! Sadly I have no photos. Check them out on Instagram! read more

We were a bit apprehensive to try Vermilion after seeing mixed reviews but glad we we went! LOVED EVERYTHING! We tried quite a few dishes; -tandoori grilled chicken kabob -kochi lamb chops -street masala fried -chimichurri naan (awesome flavor) -tiffin pindi butter paneer All were delicious and served promptly. Try the cocktails too! Lychee Caipirinha was a favorite! read more

Among several of the high-priced restaurants in Chicago, Vermilion is one that I have found to be worthy of returns. The portions are not grand, but if you order something substantial like a dish with beans or potatoes, you will fill up nicely. Refreshing cucumber martini. A flight of appetizers. A flight of Indian dishes. Nothing like sitting outside enjoying a great meal and watching the variety of individuals strolling down the street. Be forewarned that Indian and Latin flavours can be a bit of a duel with each other. You may have to request that the dishes be prepared such that one flavour stands out more than the other. Else, it is definitely all good. read more

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Great place. So glad she reopened! Very creative and good - not your pedestrian Indian food (which I also like) - much more talented !!

Service was excellent but service was confused when I requested hot water on a day when it was below freezing. The keyword for future visitors is to order hot water with lemon. Minus for not having any chai tea or green tea or latin hot chocolate drinks with no alcohol on offer. This time of year non-alcoholic hot drinks should be on offer. Latin-Indo-Chinese flavors and music as advertised were all good. Food was A+ by all measures read more

Came for restaurant week. You would think they have everything in order to attract new business but that is not the case. Way understaffed (which seems to be mentioned in most recent reviews). The service was beyond bad. Forgot our order, asked us multiple times if we were ready to order even though we already ordered. The drinks were horrible. Bad enough that I couldn't finish it. The food wasn't too bad but it wasn't good either. To top it off, THEY ADD 20% to your bill automatically. I'm assuming that's why the service is so bad because they know most people will not ask for it to be removed and they're going to get a 20% tip anyways. Long and the short of it, I would never return. There are such better options. They need a real server and a real bartender that knows what they are doing. One of the other reviewers said it's almost as if the owner turned the restaurant over to their 2, 20 year-old kids and I think that reviewer is spot on. Horrible experience overall. read more

Vermilion is like that cool cousin who is low-key doing better than the rest of the family, but not enough people congratulate him on it. The food is extremely creative, yet refined and elegant. Flavor and style combinations surprise you and make for an enjoyable experience. This is the kind of place where you give it a shot not knowing what to expect, and leave with a new favorite restaurant to tell people about. read more

Vermilion - Blackened Tamarind Ribs - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This Indian-latin fusion restaurant was on my radar for quite sometime. I am looking forward to try more from their menu. The ambience is plush, elegant and spacious seating arrangements. I reserved my table online and got seated immediately. The hostess, server and busser were very friendly and pleasant. Being an Indian, I had to try the pani puri first and boy, I am impressed! They were served on a chic glass slab, like shooters and tasted just the way I like my chaat. Not too spicy, sweet and tingly with a good crunch of the puris. I tried their thali for the main course. They served 2 entrees, 1 lentil, bread and papad(cracker) with chutney in a very unique style which was whimsical yet classy. They used the traditional Indian box to serve it. It took me aback to my childhood days when I carried those to my school. It got my very excited. The taste of the food could have been better. The food was warm when served, but got cold real quick, which normally happens when its not prepared fresh. When we pointed this out to the hostess, she was kind enough to offer us a replacement or complimentary dessert. I was too full to accept her offer, but was happy to know that they care. Great place right amidst the fun filled hubbard street! read more

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We were excited about the new menu but our dinner Friday night was underwhelming. The portions were small and not that exciting. The "Not your KFC" had surprisingly little chicken but lots of onions in that dish. The Szechuan fried rice was dry and without a kick. Service was fine, but we expected lots more surprises from a place that promises fusion and pushing the boundaries. Don't plan to return. Oh, and don't add the 20% tip automatically on the bill. It is annoying and may have screwed the waiter. read more

We came here for Winter 2013 Restaurant Week in February. When we walked in, the atmosphere was a lacking a little, our reservations were about 1pm on a Friday but there were only a couple of people in the place, which was a bit disconcerting. Regardless, we sat down, ordered off of the restaurant week menu and I added the Indian spiced bloody mary, which was actually really good. I started with the artichoke fritters and my companion had the corn soup. Mine was good, it had a great coconut flavor without being overpowering. Her corn soup was NOT good, to me it tasted like vomit - but she actually liked it so I guess different strokes... My second course was the butter chicken and she had the tandoori tilapia. The butter chicken was a pretty typical curry dish, nothing spectacular, but solid. The tilapia was just okay, not a whole not of flavor. Honestly, I'd say my favorite part about this meal was the dessert, it was a cardamom flan that was actually bursting with flavor and it was super creamy and delicious. After revisiting this meal, the fact that I can't really remember a whole lot of detail speaks not only for my horrible memory but the fact that the meal in itself was not all that memorable. The food was solid, but not groundbreaking or knocking my flavor socks off, with the exception of the bloody mary and the dessert. read more

Vermilion - Artichoke fritters - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I went here with my friend during lunch time. I guess its not a happening place in the afternoon. The place was semi-empty. The ambiance looked nice. Food was good really great flavors and , the drinks was delicious. Cons: they only had one waiter/host/bar tender on staff, it took a long time for the guy to take our order or even get the drinks going ... the waiter did come by and apologize but I still think u should have enough staff if you are going to be open for lunch! read more

Vermilion - Mango mojito and lake Michigan - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The Ambience: Vermilion impresses with its black+white modern decor, lighting and paintings. One could spend a good amount time admiring the emotions of every subject in the paintings. What's particularly romantic about the layout of the dining hall are the curtains used to separate it into quarters. My only qualm is the mold growing around the toilet bowl in the women's bathroom. That surprisingly affected my appetite. The Food: 1. Venezulan Arepas Duck Vindaloo ($11). Interesting mix of flavors. Three warm succulent pulled duck meat over cinnamon biscuits and smoked salsa. b 2. Grilled Peruvian pulpo octopus ($12). I anticipated this dish to be the tastiest, but contrarily, the spicy flavors came too thin and 1-dimensional. Just salty and spicy. Sorry, but I won't reorder this plate. 3. Tiffin "pindi" butter chicken ($15). YES. The creamy curry dripping over the garlic nan was a dream with every. bite. bb 4. Vermilion Hedonism. FREE. As the title suggests, this is an indulgence. The dark chocolate cake crumbles in your mouth, topped with raspberry sorbet and masala powdered orange. Devoured it like nobody's business. read more

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Went here for restaurant week and definitely was not worth it. It felt like we were served one meal when the two of us each ordered and were told it was family style. The price did not correlate to a level of taste or portion size that was paid. The receipt automatically added 20% tip to a table of two. The "crazy hot Asian" hot and sour soup was flat bad. Only good part of the meal was the "hakka masterpiece" chicken and wish we could have enjoyed more but even that was basically just a kabob. read more

Avoid at all costs. Their marketing? Beautiful. Execution? Lackluster at best. Looking back, we were overcharged by $40. Had high hopes, but was disappointed. I'd say "likely" won't go back, but frankly, I'm certain. read more

FRAUDULENT BUSINESS AND NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN. Had a Mother's Day order that was scheduled to be delivered at 11:30am. They made my dasher wait over 30minutes and canceled the order without explanation at 11:45am. read more

I would give this zero stars if I could. The food is extremely bad and the service even worse. FYI - don't order the lamb chops -- best part is that the staff couldn't even accommodate our concerns. Really shocking. Avoid this spot at all costs. Hope this review is helpful. And oh by the way, the manager Dominic will only cause you more frustration unfortunately - rude individual with zero experience within the food industry from what I experienced. Thanks Vermilion. read more

The service and drinks were outstanding. The establishment is very modern and perfect for an intimate dinner. The food was great and portions were generous. read more

First things first, the fries. OMG, the fries. They are what all fries should aspire to be. Extremely crispy on the outside like they danced with mashed potatoes in the moonlight before being baked again. Perfection. We both got mango mojitos & they were just the right drink to shake off a Chicago winter day. Light, bright, & smooth. We also shared the kale bhele (life changing for my dining partner), lamb chops, & the mutton. All were fresh & filling. Wish we had saved room for dessert but without a doubt, it was the best meal of our trip. read more

TERRIBLE service! 2 hours for our main dishes to hit the table. No kidding. 20 minutes for 2 glasses of water (there were 6 of us). The kind of service where they walk away before you have a chance to open your mouth to make a request "silverware plea..." Excuses, excuses, excuses...unprofessional staff. And for a $400 meal you would think the food would be at least memorable..,nope, fatty ribs, cold food and a hair in my kale. They were totally unprepared for restaurant week, which was disappointing because due to Covid this was our first time out to eat in 365 days. A terrible disappointment. Oh and I'm only editing this because I forgot to mention the disgusting bathroom with the broken toilet paper holder and the tp on the dirty floor. Ugh. Good night and good riddance. read more

Know this place has very mixed reviews, but we did restaurant week take-out and really quite enjoyed it. We wanted to do curb-side, so we just called them and they brought all of our food out well packed in individual labeled containers and bags. It's an interesting mix of Indian/Latin and the highlight was definitely all of the wonderful sauces (everything from a pico to a tamarind sauce) that came with the meal. The butter chicken was incredible, could literally drink the sauce, and the tamarind ribs were so soft that they practically melted in my mouth. Not a huge fan of the mutton we got separately but that's because I don't like very gamey meat. Masala fries were also pretty average, but we dipped them into the butter chicken sauce which was a game changer. Would order again! read more

A pretty space and bar with excellent service. But otherwise very disappointing! Food was very greasy and its heat was tamed by sticky, gelatinous sauces. Very small portions. Poor wine list and not all mixers available for traditional cocktails. A 20 % tip is automatically added to the bill. Credit card will be charged $10 for less than a 24-hour cancellation, and Open Table points are not always given (check fine print). read more

My friends and I enjoyed our dinner at Vermilion. We sat at a table with a unique smoke and light feature down the middle, which was fun, and tried lots of dishes and shared. Our favorite was the crispy kale with mango, yogurt, tamarind chutney and puffed rice. I want to thank our waiter, Dominic, for his exceptional service. I left my credit card at the restaurant by mistake and he called right away to tell me. I was not able to go back to the restaurant that night and they were going to be closed the next day and wouldn't reopen before I would be flying out, so he offered to bring the card to where we were staying (20 minutes away) when he left work, at midnight. He did this and told me he was happy to help; he was just doing what his mom would want him to do. Just lovely. What a great guy! read more

Came here for drinks -- get the pani puri and devil in the white city! So delicious and unique. The ambiance was much better than when I came here for dinner --the food is great but the lighting tonight was much better! The dimmed lighting made for a much more romantic experience read more

Gorgeous, original restaurant. The concept - a fusion of Latin and Indian flavors is a great idea. They had versions of Indian street food that I was intrigued by, as I love street food. Everything we had was delicious - and the bluebarry mojitos - YUM! Very swank place, so "Mr. Big + Carrie on a date" - so stylish. I didn't find it too-too terribly expensive, either. I love this restaurant, really need to work up a hot date to come here with! read more

So I am going to start by saying that I MAY have a bias writing this review since I personally know the Executive Chef. As a matter of fact we were in hotel school together. She , as is obvious, was a lot more talented than I and ended up going to the Culinary Inst. of America. She's been invited to cook by the James Beard Foundation on more than one occassion and has been at The Taste of Chicago twice now. Getting back to the review....Vermilion is a great date place, great place to explore Indian-Latin fusion, great place to celeberate any special occassion, or just eat some good food. The chef uses special ingredients on a regular basis...be it Tamarind and hence Tamarind Martinis or Tamarind marinated steak or Pomegrante (sp?). The ambience is really good with white table cloth and all servers are dressed in black. I personally prefer the Latin inspired food since I can get good Indian food elsewhere. If you're looking a good night out in the city, totally check out Vermilion. It also happens to be on Hubbard with a lot of bar options for after dinner drinks. read more

I ordered the $85 Thanksgiving 8 course "extravaganza" - total RIP-OFF. There is barely enough food for one. Minuscule containers. Missing items. I was so looking forward to this and now the holiday is ruined. I'm scrambling to find more food to supplement this anemic meal. I want a refund. read more

Vermilion - This is a Thanksgiving "8" item Thanksgiving "extravaganza." for 2. An item is salsa. Notice the 1/3 full container of soup. - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Our experience was very underwhelming. The photos and the menu on the website look amazing but the restaurant actually misses the mark. The vibe was flat. The dishes we ordered were presented well but the chef added so much of the roasted dry spices to everything that it was impossible to take a bite without a bitter hard cardamom or clove spoiling the taste. The beautiful and bold flavors we were expecting were actually harsh. read more

The worst thing to happen in 2020 was ordering from Vermillion. I'm a big fan of ordering delivery to support all the local businesses during the pandemic. Especially during the holidays. F cooking, you guys. All good experiences. Until Vermillion. So we had to order for 4 people. 2 got the dinner for 2, the others got individual orders. But something happened: the portions of the dinner for 2 the EXACT same size as the individual orders. It was enough to only feed on person. Surely this is a mistake, right? It happens. Let's call them up. *ring ring* Me: hey guys I think there was a problem with my order... Them: how can we help? Me: well I got this order for 2 and I don't think we received everything Them: we'll let's go through it, did you receive... I'll fast forward. They walked through the entire order, twice, then assured me it was all there. Me: but the single order are the same size Them: all the items are there Me: but Them: all the items are there Me: this is TINY. This doesn't feed two people. Them: this is a FINE DINING restaurant... Oh, no you did not try to poor shame me while normalizing absurdly small portions in an attempt to justify ripping me off. The conversation ended with "we can't do anything" followed by "I actually agree with you. I don't agree with the practices here" lolwut? Also the food we did get was cold. I wasn't sure if this one of those ones that you're supposed to heat in the oven to finish or not. Like, not a little bit warm, it was straight room temperature. So we ordered burgers and chicken sandwiches from Lucy's. Great place. Would recommend 100%. Also better than Vermillion and they give you enough food to round out an actual meal. And it's hot. Oh I almost forgot. They gave us this weird dessert, some boozy s'more mixture or something. But it was just a gross clumpy mass in a dirty mason jar. Like fingerprints and smudges all over the outside. Gross. We just threw that mess out. UPDATE: I ended up eating the (allegedly 2 person) meal for lunch a couple days later. Me, by myself. Still hungry afterward. It tasted ok at best. read more

This is a fusion restaurant that serves tasty and beautifully presented food, but it's quite expensive if you want to leave full. Most of the food is Indian, with a twist of Latin influence in the recipes. The tapas and main dishes emphasize spices rather than spiciness. The upbeat Indian music along with the black & white fashion photos are cool, and so are the cozy booths along the walls. read more

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Soooo when I made my reservation for Vermillion it was with great trepidation. I did my research and was definitely intrigued by the mixed reviews on here. My boyfriend and I are fans of Chopped so we were admittedly drawn in by the ex head chef's reputation. We couldn't help making jokes the whole time about all the choppable offenses on this menu. First of all the duck arepas were basically a few crackers with shredded duck on top. I love arepas so I was pretty dismayed to not even taste a hint of that flavor. The dish was overwhelmingly sweet thanks to a maple syrup like molasses the tiny arepas were sitting in. Coconut shrimp was tough and the crust wasn't that flavorful. Maybe I was still offended by the arepas but these didn't blow me away. Artichoke pakoras were the only reasonably sized appetizer. Our Skirt steak was tender and flavorful though it was more of a medium rare/rare than the medium the waiter suggested. Our service was good, though maybe a little pushy and shady? I honestly felt like the waiter was making fun of how fast we were finishing our tiny appetizers, giving us a "wow you guys are quick huh!" With a tight smile that made me uncomfortable. I had high hopes for this place and i definitely understand some of the worse reviews on here now. Our meal came out to $100 but we still walked to the nearby McDonald's afterwards on our anniversary night. Vermillion...you've been chopped... read more

Vermilion - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We had 8:30 reservations and were seated around 9:00, despite there being open tables that were not the ones we reserved. Then the zaftig greeter copped the biggest attitude with us and left us there after our table was ready, because they had to "resize" the table, as our reservation dropped from 6 to 5...it was a round table. She had to take away, a plate, a wine glass and silver service. The food was hit and miss. This is supposed to be Indian and Latino fusion, though it was more like a mixed menu. The gazpacho is good but the Indian dishes are poor: butter chicken was terrible, more like a chicken tikka masala but the balance of flavors was thrown off, such that the complex mixture of curries was gone and instead you got red pepper. I also had the strip steak, which was a terrible cut of meat. I ended up sending it back. But the flavor was no fusion of anything. Slow service service on the drinks. It took over 10 minutes to get our drinks and then they never asked about a second round. The waiter was slow and lazy but nice. All in all this is a terribly managed business. We never saw the floor manager, which is probably why the hostesses were so poorly managing their table turn. Also, the bar was understaffed, as the two ladies behind the bar could not keep up with just the table service requests. In a good restaurant city like Chicago, this place should be out of business. Terribly managed and bad execution on the culinary side. read more

The service was a bit snooty and I was disappointed with that. Otherwise, the ambiance is really nice. The food is OK -- good but nothing to write home about. However, I did love the visual presentation of the food: very classy. Definitely a unique fusion menu that I commend the owners for bringing to Chicago. But the lack of friendliness and warmth from the service staff (there was only one friendly hostess but she wasn't for our table) has me wondering whether I'd host a dinner here again though. read more

Hubbard Street. Thursday night. Vermilion seemed awfully empty compared to all of the other restaurants in the area that were packed. Our server was not very knowledgeable about the menu. My dining companion and I decided that none of the entrees were particularly exciting so we ordered a few appetizers to go with our wine. The food is definitely more Indian than Latin. Some flavors overwhelmed the food, others were better balanced. The scallops and artichoke were good, the shrimp was decent, the chicken kabab was undercooked and my least favorite. Pricey for the small portions. Decor in here is at first striking but on second look, a bit gaudy. I had higher expectatios coming in because I had really liked a few things I ate at the Vermilion booth at the Taste of Chicago. All in all, Vermilion was a huge let down. That explains why it was empty. read more

The food was good. It didn't blow me away, but it was pretty tasty. I can't see myself going back, though, because the food you get at any number of Indian restaurants is better, served in greater quantity, and half the price. The Latin flair didn't really add enough uniqueness to justify the price. I had the palak paneer, artichoke empanada, and lentil soup. The soup was very tasty, though it tasted nothing like lentils. The artichoke empanadas were excellent, and the palak paneer was average. The cocktails we had were okay, but no one in my party was super impressed until we had the sangria. That was delicious. The pumpkin doughnut was ok, but I dislike the ice cream. I think it was cumin and for me it didn't complement the pumpkin, plus the seeds were unappealing. Unfortunately the service lived up to the other reviews here, that is to say it was not good. Our server took so long to do anything. Your drink would be empty a few minutes before he'd come over and then it would easily be 10 minutes before he'd bring a new drink. After waiting a few, one member of our party went out to smoke, came back, and was surprised to *still* not have her drink. On 2 occasions we saw the drinks sitting at bar and the server was nowhere in sight. Maybe he was phoning it in because there was a gratuity, but based on other reviews here it's hard to say. Since he was running around with his shirt unbuttoned and collar wide open, we wondered if he was off fluffing his chest hair. Bottom line: I wouldn't go back. There are many far superior Indian places in Chicago, and the overall experience didn't make it special enough to justify the expense. read more

If this picky Yelper deems that Vermilion is one of the GREATEST dining options in Chicago ... It must be pretty darn good! If you go, have the best experience possible by allowing the waiter named Michael serve you. He will take care of you with his sweet humor and attuned attentiveness. I think he knows the menu and ingredients better than the chef does! The ambiance is pleasantly decorated with all black, white and [go figure] ... VERMILION (reddish-orange) lounge take on things. Vermilion has combined two of my favorite cuisines: Nuevo Latino flair with Indian flavors. Don't turn away if you're not into spicy food or have food allergies, leave it all up to them to take care of you. I had to go with the 5-course, 10 element Pre-Fixe which was an abundance of food, yet just the right amount to still be able to clean off each plate. I went with the Seared Meat Pre-Fixe, but if you're not into meat there are a different Seafood and Vegetarian Pre-Fixe menus too! Looking in retrospect, the same dishes to make me goo-goo gaa-gaa as I glanced over the menu were all my favorites. -Chili-Glazed Tamarind Ribs (#1 choice of mine, and Padma from Top Chef agrees!) -Wild Boar Jibarito with Pear-Guajillo Chutney (gotta love plantains) -Duck Vindaloo Arepa brushed with Pomegranate Molasses (corn and duck together, genius!) -Seekh Kabob (similar to a Mediterranean meatball) -Flourless Chocolate Cake (accomadated perfectly with an Abuelita Hot Chocolate) ... And don't stop there and miss out on their strong, unique cocktails! Their cocktail menu is split up in a Herb&Spice and MoreSpice categories. If you like jalapenos, go for the Fresh Lime Pear+Green Chili Cocktail ... although a simple Mojito is also deliciously refreshing. Heads up though, the Cilantro Watermelon martini was not all that exciting :(. My one recommendation as a public health worker: Move the garbage in the Men's bathroom near the door so you can open the door with the towel and avoid any germs. Rich people get the flu too. Otherwise STELLAR!! read more

Their Chili-Glazed Tamarind Eggplant. STAY AWAY. DON'T ORDER IT. I returned to Vermilion for a romantic date, and I had one of the most disgusting things I've ever eaten. It was overwhelmingly sweet and sour due to the tamarind ingredient. I'm no stranger to tamarind. In fact, I like tamarind, but think of the chili-glazed eggplant as tamarind overload. Tamarind concentrate. It just kills your palate. I drank so much water to get rid of the sour taste. Our waitress was unapologetic. (Why is it that the busboys and food runners are always friendlier?) This was my last visit to Vermilion. read more

Reading Vermillion's Yelp Reviews helped me to brace for the worst experience. But if their service and food truly does wildly swing from awful to extremely good as noted on this site, then I feel fortunate. Let's get right to the food highlights, as we tasted a number of different items. ==Spanish olive boquerones (white anchovies), jicama citrus roll: This was a great way to start the meal as fresh anchovies makes u wanna ban that crap some pizza places top their pies with. Hints of tangerine worked well with the almost juicy, green pear-like, crisp jicama. It's a very nice combo. ==Kabob dog with chicken, feta cheese.: We truly enjoyed the kabob dog as the meat had a great texture and beautiful, pinkish color with dark spices speckling. It was smokey and had a little heat that pleasurably crept up on you--like the wonderful finish of a fine red wine--about 4 seconds after you bit down. I could definitely see Hot Doug's offering these as complimentary rewards for those who brave his ridiculously-long lines. ==Blue corn crusted scallops: Our server and your Yelp reviews rated this highly. We received two fat ass scallops with a kali mirch Latin calabasa and goat cheese puree. These scallops were obese! I seriously didn't expect them to be so insanely tender and chunky. There are a lot of curry flavors going on here and they work quite well together. My only complaint is I wish that the dish was a little warmer... but not if that means over-cooking the scallops in this setting. The crushed blue corn chips drove the mouth feel over the top, in a good way. ==Coconut Chili Mussels: Indian coconut milk soup infused with curry leaves, mustard seeds It was like these fresh and tender mussels were drenched in a great Thai Thom Ka soup... and this really worked well together. There were both sliced Serrano peppers and dried red chiles in the dish. We should have ordered our side of Naan earlier just to dip this broth! ==Chocolate coffee doughnut frittata, chocolate mole. ==Avocado beignet, wild berry reduction. Not sure if this was a different pasty/dessert chef, but this is where things got very interesting again as these treats were truly exceptional. The beignet is true ambrosia as it's so light and delicate. I'd use less berry reduction as it's a bit sweet for my own tastes, but probably fine for most people. Using avocado in a dessert here is quite bold and THIS kind of culinary mastery is what i expected from all of the menu items. The frittata is nice and the white creamy mousse-like topping was out of this world. Here's a quick rundown of the rest... the crab-topped watermelon was interesting but the sweetness overtook the tender, tasty crab. The potato 3 ways was just plain bland, boring and should never be served again. It was like an impotent Pierogi that fell apart and didn't give a damn. The roasted three pepper lentil soup was pretty nice with the papadum but would have been stellar if it was thicker like a bisque. We even topped the special rice dishes with it and brought them to life. The tilapia was fresh but we never should have picked the Indian spice rub. Try it with the cilantro and mint instead, me thinks. And NEVER serve a hot beverage in a stainless steel cup without rim protection! Looks pretty, but burnt lips. Though I found them just OK, my friend loved the Naan tandoori sandwich with chicken and mint cucumber. And he liked the fish papadum tacos, spiced yogurt sauce. We were pleasantly and promptly greeted upon entering and quickly shown to a table by our friendly, patient and attentive server. Not that there's anything wrong with it... but because I've eaten a fair bit of traditional Indo/Paki food elsewhere, it was cute to see an African-American lady serving us in this setting. My colleague purchased a Groupon $60 tasting menu and I chose a few plates from the tapas menu. You pick two meats, two spices and two sides. We really felt that the Chef should have chosen the spices and added more sauce and toppings to the special rice items, as they were lacking. Even though I've eaten at a plethora of fine dining spots and divy, comfort food spots also, it's still challenging to write this review of Vermillion. It's hard for me to rate them 4 stars because though they offered up forward-looking dishes, it feels as if it will take them a while longer to really hit their stride with this culinary style and I truly hope that they get there. We ordered a decent bottle of Pinot Gris and along with the Groupon dscount, we paid about $70 each. And really, this is the River North area with expensive rent and where the well-heeled crowd hangs out so don't expect upscale places to be cheaply-priced like your neighborhood greasy spoon diner. ------UPDATE: Confession. A few days after eating here, we went back to nearby lunch buffet at India House. I think their crew was on a cloud because it was the best I've tasted there. $17 is a great bargain, sorry Vermilion. read more

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The indian/latin american fusion just didn't work for me. I loved the pani puri margarita but it got boring after that. The raw ingredients in the food were excellent which is what made the things I liked good. I would've almost preferred them without the fusion part. lamb chops: excellent lamb and my favorite food there but it was good because of the lamb and not the fusion. artichoke pakora: average papadum: average (just like everywhere else) scallops: again, like the lamb, the scallops themselves were good but the (fusion) spices didn't add anything. duck: a little bland compared to everything else The ny steak with chimichurri was ok steak and the chimichurri on top wasn't really that flavorful - lots of chilies in it but not much flavor. The sweet potato on the side was also a bit boring and bland. Overall, the food was fairly average given their focus on fusion and it didn't really work for me. I did love their drinks but wasn't very fond of the service. The waitress we had described things in detail but seemed a bit forgetful. I'm also not a big fan of the "have you dined with us" script. If yes, then "welcome back" , if not, just "welcome". Just skip that part...you're a restaurant like every other restaurant and you have a menu. Unless you really are different, i've dined in restaurants before and know how to follow the ordering process :) read more