Address: | 1631 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 60201, USA |
Phone: | +1 847-868-8945 |
Site: | foundkitchen.com |
Rating: | 4.3 |
Working: | Closed 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 11:30AM–2:30PM 5–8:30PM |
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Tiffani Ng
Found is one of my favorite restaurants in Evanston. The staff are so passionate and friendly. The restaurant is adorable and full of surprises. I love that their tables and seats are unique. The last time I dined, at my table, we found a drawer filled with secret notes and quotes! I love the candlesticks. They apparently just put new candlesticks on top of the old ones, which end up melting together, creating a candle sculpture. Note, it is a little pricey (for the amount of food you get) and it does fill up quick around dinner time, so definitely get a reservation. The food and drinks are great! The bartender is really knowledgeable and makes GREAT original cocktails. I had a beet cocktail here once, which was subtly sweet and slightly tart. I didnt know beets could be so delicious, and the drink itself was a pretty pink color. Their menu rotates frequently, but the lamb meatballs are a staple, and for good reason. They are bursting with flavor, and the sauce is perfect. P.S. Save room for dessert! They currently have a Mexican chocolate cheesecake on their menu, which makes my mouth water as I think about it. Its kind of deconstructed cheesecake. The chocolate was really dark and bitter with a dash of sweetness from the marshmallow on top.
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Mimosa Shah
Nestled near various Evanston standbys like Kafein, this fairly new small-plates and cocktails destination boasts a classy bar with quizzical hand-lettered quotes (perfect for Instagramming), as well as cozy parlor-style seating. We went here for New Years Eve, ordering versions of their prix-fixe "Night in Paris" meal. While I am not a fan of steak tartare, the rest of the meal - from the St. Vincent champagne to the stuffed trout to the cheese plate to the creme brulee - was wonderful. Outside, a full-swirl snowglobe had descended upon the streets as a harried valet rushed to and fro to dig out cars for patrons. The service here is excellent. Id like to take a few extra words to praise our server who came by our table with care. Such a tight space can lead to a few overheard conversations, and we admired our servers incredible tact and patience when dealing with patrons who thought it quite the parlor game to guess his ethnicity. Lest I forget, the cocktails are not to be missed, and even if they are a tad pricey, they are a lovely treat to lose oneself in, if ever so briefly.
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Andre Terra
Found would be great if it were well managed. As it stands, it scores better in decor and ambiance than it does in service and food. Servers push you constantly to order multiple dishes to make you spend more. They genuinely believe you should share portions even though they are so incredibly tiny that they would not satisfy even a sole patron. Im not the kind of person to complain about prices, and I truly enjoy fine dining. But Found isnt fine, and the prices dont make sense. The owner should be more aware of the fact that he must, above all, deliver value to patrons, at whichever price point he chooses to do business. You cant charge 5-star prices for 3-star food and 2-star service. Found is an overly complex, underwhelming menu of subpar dishes that are mostly miss than hit, which makes for a frustrating experience when you account for their grandiose attitude and terrible service. If you find yourself there somehow, their steak with mushrooms is the only dish I can recommend.
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Gayle Cohen
Ive been hearing about this restaurant for awhile and was very excited to try it. The ambiance was fabulous, really comfy/cozy. The first problem was my cocktail, I ordered a martini with blue cheese olives, I got a small sorbet-type glass, filled to barely 2/3rd full with 1, yes ONE blue cheese olive!!! It looked so lonely on that 5 inch stick! The food was just okay, how do you justify charging $16 for flatbread with parmesan and arugula? The polenta was very greasy as were the lamb meatballs. My friend chose to go there to celebrate her birthday and was asked by the waiter "what would you like for your birthday? She chose a dessert, it came with a candle and a price tag. Whatever happened to one free, small dessert on the house for a celebration when people are spending hundreds of $$$$ ? With so many fabulous choices, especially in Evanston a place has to have more than great looks.
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abby weinstein
We had a very good experience, great service and food. However, I discovered a few days after being there this restaurant was part of Restaurant Month Specials in Chicago and we could have saved quite a bit of money if someone would have told us we had that option. Upon calling to tell them this, I asked dont you think you should inform people? She said not sure...really? Then manager said we just expect people to ask for specials as we have quite a few. How many I asked she said 6. So there were six ways we could have saved some money...hmmm. As for me if they shared this info. with me and did their best to save my group money Id be very appreciative and most likely return. From the managers response, not happening. When I was in NYC last month they handed me the restaurant month menu and the regular one, guessing many restaurants in Chicago do that as well, clearly not this one.
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Mehul Shah
This is a great addition to the northern suburbs. The farm to table concept isnt new, but Found does it well. My wife and I tried two different cocktails which were okay; not on par with the cocktail specific bars in the city, but better than most restaurants. The wine list wasnt extensive, but adequate, though the markup seemed higher than usual. The food was great; easily the best meal in Evanston I had eaten. I had an artichoke dish that was very balanced, and my wife had a steak that she enjoyed very much (she doesnt usually order steak, so Im glad it go her "thumbs up." The prices seemed a little high, but the older crowd didnt seem to mind. The service was fantastic; the fact that it was packed on Tuesday is a testament to Founds overall quality.
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Ijun Lai
Whenever I want to grab some drinks and delicious food in Evanston, I always find myself at Found. Their drink menu has changed a few times since it has opened but I really love the Clockwork Orange. Their dinner menu also changes quite often, but I am always excited to see what new dishes they have. On my most recent trip we had the fresh mozzarella, lamb meatballs, and Slagel Farm Steak-- all delicious! If you can, make reservations because sometimes there can be quite a wait. Many of the seating areas in the front half of the restaurant are unique, so Im always excited to see where Im going to sit at next. I think once I sat in an old dentist chair. #FallForCHI
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Alexis Eyler
We were there recently to celebrate my sons birthday. The food was wonderful (loved the kale salad!!!) and the service was perfect. Our server even noticed that the birthday boy also had several awards from that evenings school ceremony and brought out a special "aperitif" (non-alcoholic, of course!) with a second candle to celebrate those accomplishments, in addition to the birthday dessert. Plus, they sent out one for each of the other kids and something special for my husband and I. It made the evening even more special. And lots of fun!
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Marie Macadam
Terrible experience at this restaurant. We were crammed at a table right at the front door. The portions were tiny and very pricey. They pressure you to order many many dishes because the portions were so small. And, the food was just not any good. They are acting like they are a farm to table restaurant and they are just a big miss. In addition the two young women working at the hostess stand were rude and completely unhelpful to our party. I will never go back. Dont waste your money. We left with a large bill and empty stomachs.