Acadia

Reviews 6

KE

kenneth grunke

Came here with a friend to see how this place compares to other culinary treasures like Grace in the city. Unfortunately, despite the 2 Michelin star rating - Acadia has much work to do to truly realize its full potential - and justify its existence among some of the great restaurants in Chicago. The welcoming reception was very friendly and inviting - but after that - the missteps began. The music did nothing to elevate the ambiance, but rather became an overly boisterous, obnoxious and rather annoying distraction to compete with for simple conversation. The sommelier was not as informed as well as we had hoped - especially when my guest had to correct him re the origin of the stahl steep slope muller-thurgau - embarrassing for the sommelier who tried to compensate midway, but was unsuccessful. While much of the menu was rather delicious, certain items were "off" to the taste in so many ways - the lobster roll was missing a "punch" and the caviar potato was nothing to write home about. The biggest disappointment was the pheasant ravioli (just one??) in which you couldnt even savor the Parmesan consommé, which was to die for (no spoon). This coupled with the fact that we didnt receive a simple sugar tray for our espresso when asked, waitstaff that were very robotic in approach and mannerism and not genuine and a bathroom that was horrendous (cloth towels ran out so they moved to paper and the floors made you not want to return to your table). The "de" icing on the cake was a poorly printed menu we received as a "momento", which must have jammed in the printer as the words started to angle across the page the further you read it. Looking for a "fine dining" experience? I would move on until Acadia can get its act together and raise its profile to obtain that third Michelin star it is striving for.

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NE

Neamen Lewis

I left this place hungry... Ok so Im not a foodie so take this for what its worth. So I had heard great things about the burger at Acadia so I decided to make reservations before a date to the movies. When we arrived we were sat quickly and the wait staff was very professional and attentive. When the menu came we had already knew what we wanted because we were in the mood for their burger. Well when we opened up the menu the burger was no where to be found. I guess we were in the dining room and the burger and lobster rolls were on the bar menu. So we asked if we would be able to order the burger. The waiter informed us it would be a $5 up charge to order from the bar and we had to also order an entree from the dining room menu. No big deal. I ordered the fish and she ordered the burger. We were brought some type of starter which was one spoon full of some tasty pickled cauliflower. Then we were brought one small piece of bread with delicious sugar butter. When the entrees came they were very flavorful and had a great presentation. But I was thinking.... Where is the rest of the food? Needless to say the waiting staff here is great, the food tastes great but is expensive. Make sure you have a bite to eat before and after dining here.

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ST

Stuart Conover

OK. Do you know whats annoying? Finally trying Acadia after I moved when I used to live a 5-10 minute walk away. I mean seriously. Why did I find out about this trendy little spot later. The prices are decent (for the bar menu, though the tasting menu is a little pricier) and the food is outstanding. Ive eaten here twice now, once off the bar menu and once off the tasting menu. So to start with the bar menu: the bread and butter pickles, lobster roll, and pho glazed pork belly banh mi are all fantastic. (My wife and I were splitting everything.) For the tasting menu the risotto is awesome, the lobster and wagyu are also both fantastic. For desert the Black Strawberry and Summer Field were both winners. While I probably wouldnt overly go here for the tasting menu (dont get me wrong it tasted fantastic just for the price Id probably go elsewhere) but the bar menu? For the price its just full on pleasure in your mouth and not breaking the wallet while enjoying it. If you live or work in the area - make sure to stop in and check it out. You wont regret it in the slightest.

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CA

Cale Cote

Normally I would have given this place 3.5. It was nice, but was pretty expensive. $175 for the 10 course isnt cheap and my expectations were higher. The carpeting and lighting seemed harsh and not up to par with other restaurants on food or atmosphere. El Ideas and almost any place on Randolph was much better, and I would recommend it first. The food was overall underwhelming, and every course but one was cold, Im not sure if this was intentional or not. Our drink order was also messed up twice. It wasnt till the end of the meal that I was surprised. I remember looking over at the table next to us and I was excited for a steak looking course. When I wasnt served, I assumed the other table had gotten the 5 course so we had different meals. While leaving the hostess gave us a menu of the meal we had just had. Once I got home I read the menu and realized we never got the Veal Sweetbreads. Its shocking that this could happen. I left disappointed in the meal, but was more frustrated after reading I missed a course. I would not recommend this restaurant.

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BR

Briana Kline

We live in the neighborhood and have been here several times. Weve done about every variation of dinning possible here: They use to offer an a la carte dining in the restaurant and the tasting menu and eating an app and drinks at the bar and tonight, last minute, we came in for a bite in the bar area. I wished we had sat at the bar as we did in the past. Their bar tenders are so fun to watch, true mixologists. Our server tonight was not Acadia quality, but nice. And everything else was wonderful as expected. I had heard so much about the lobster roll, I tried it today. It came out and I was totally underwhelmed. It looked small and basic! When I ate it......it was delicious! We also got the mac and chess to split, a prefect accompaniment to the lobster roll. The souffle was great! Of course I would love to do the 10 course meal every time I go but we would not be able to afford our home if we did that. So once in a blue moon for that. I wish they had more vegetarian options and alternatives to their tasting menus.

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AR

Arkadiy Malyutin

Fabulous experience. Very upscale nice and professional service, modern and elegant ambiance, and incredibly creative and delicious food. From start to finish our experience was pure delight. The only sorrow in the eye was the view of reconstruction that you cant help but see through their windows. I understand that its not the restaurant fault, but the issue is easily correctable by covering the window glass with a design window glass cover that is sold in any home improvement store. This solution would be affordable and used temporarily if not needed any more. If it wouldnt be for the view our experience would be just perfect and in spite of this tiny flaw we plan to return when we are in Chicago.

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