North Pond

Reviews 5

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Heather Payne

Being a total food snob on a slightly better than ramen budget, I was ecstatic to learn North Pond was participating in Chef Week. Its one of those places I pass by all the time and think if only there were the right occasion or I found a stash of cash somewhere, I would be delighted to blow it all right here. Made the reservation, no problem. I did not feel out of place as I feared I might. Service was incredibly attentive and our server although a bit stuffy, was very informative and knowledgeable, making suggestions and educating us throughout the meal. We began with the amuse bouche, a smoked trout and blood orange bite. If only it werent in poor taste to lick the plate...my friend didnt care for it (craziness) so I snatched it right up. Wasnt soon after that someone came around and took it away to bring the first course. Literally, I was holding the plate and they fought me to take it away. Next up was the corned beef and cabbage soup. Loved the presentation, loved the caraway bread. It was smooth, but the flavors were bold and exquisite. I opted for the seafood dish as my main course, a black bass with shrimp dish in a sauce I couldnt exactly recall. The best part about it were the shrimp. My friend had the beef. It was a flatiron steak. While the sauce was incredible and the shortrib portion that accompanied it was excellent, the cut of meat itself is rather difficult to chew and even though the flavors were all there, I had a hard time with the texture. Desert was nothing I would ever go out of my way to order, it was described as a coconut and lime cake. With that being said, it was served alongside a scoop of jerk sorbet with a chocolate glass. Incredible. It was my favorite dish. I couldnt believe the flavors that were dancing in my mouth. That sorbet was out of this world! Last up after the check were the passion fruit gummies and olive oil cake bites. The gummies were like nothing Ive ever tasted. Couldnt even justify them with an attempted description. I enjoyed the wine pairings along with dinner. Im not saying that I am a wine expert by any means, but I do enjoy my wine and none of the three course pairings blew me away. Overall, service, charming ambiance, the different courses, getting to see the chef himself expediting the tickets on the floor, etc. all made up one of the most fine dining experiences I have ever encountered and while it kills me a little to spend that much on a single meal, I am glad I got to experience a Michelin star restaurant and especially one that I have passed by nearly everyday for the last five years.

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Andrea Magee

My family came to North Pond to celebrate a special event. Management is unnecessarily rigid. We were not permitted to order one course of the tasting menu a la carte, which was disappointing, but not outrageous. But when one member of our party asked if he could pay for the entire tasting menu, and elect to only receive the single course and waive the rest of the meal that would be fully paid for, the answer was a “No” that rolled off the manager Natalie’s tongue as if she were born for it. The bottom line is they have the food, we were willing to pay for the food despite not wanting to eat all of it, and she gleefully denied us. Rather than trying to accommodate us, she made efforts to aggravate us, on some sort of power trip. We would like to take this opportunity to remind Natalie that she is but a restaurant manager, and that there are myriad dining options in Chicago which will happily make an effort to give diners an enjoyable experience devoid of confrontation or the word “No.” Keeping the Chef’s ego inflated (even though he was not there on a Saturday night!) is clearly more of a priority for this place than their customers. Despite this, our waitress Hillary was very professional and pleasant. We did enjoy the food, minus the tasting menu item that was more tightly guarded than the Crown Jewels. PS - They do not serve name brand alcohol. A request for Grey Goose yielded a “small batch vodka from Wisconsin” which was undrinkable. So if you like your drinks a certain way, good luck.

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Briana L

I could write for days about how wonderful our experience at North Pond was! The staff were accommodating towards food allergies and other dietary restrictions, and the hostess was very understanding and polite when we called ahead to say we would be 15 minutes late because of traffic. Our waiter was pleasant, very knowledgeable about the wines served (always a plus), and even offered to move us out to the patio between our first and second courses when a table opened up. We got the seasonal tasting menu (which is served for the whole table) with the optional wine pairing, and I would highly recommend it - its written as a five course meal with individual wines for each course, but the chef ended up also sending out two extra courses: a garlic and potato soup course before our savory course, and a light citrus sorbet between our savory and dessert courses. Every course was appropriately portioned so that both my date and I left the table feeling perfectly full while still able to finish all of our plates. The food was honestly the best food I have ever had, and the wines were all paired excellently. The restaurant itself is very well decorated, with low lighting and soft jazz playing, and also had a partially open kitchen, which contributed to the ambience very well. The location was quite charming, and when we left, we had a great view of the night Chicago skyline over the pond. All in all, it was a perfect evening; I will absolutely be returning to North Pond on future visits to Chicago.

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Kate Linwood

The location and views of the area North Pond has is great all year round. Its just a very beautiful location in this city. The ambiance and decor of the restaurant also fits perfectly with this. I have been here many times for brunch and once for dinner, but the place looks its best during brunch hours. Speaking of brunch, its the best brunch you can get anywhere for the price. Thirty-three bucks for a great quality three course meal. Pork and fennel or beef and potato are my favorites from the brunch choices. Unfortunately, my one experience here for dinner fell way lower than what I had expected from having had such nice brunches here. Dinner offerings are often too salty and many of what our group of five had were just forgettable. Service here is nice during brunch, but seems the service here during dinner, like the food, takes a dive. During brunch, the staff here are energetic and are quick to describe the food theyre serving in a passionate manner. But the time we were here for dinner, one of my friends asked our waiter what he would recommend for an entree and his reply was "Just tell me what you would like when you have decided." None of the passion. Vegetarian offerings are also non-existent. Go here for a lovely brunch, go elsewhere for dinner.

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Maung Aung

I came here for brunch with my girlfriend and thats all Ill be reviewing here—dinner here is just too expensive for us right now even though we would really love to taste the menu. First, let me just say that we both really enjoyed the food. I was a little intimidated because of the Michelin star and I felt a little out of place there because of it, but the staff was friendly to us even if they seemed a little uninterested in general. The service was extremely prompt though and I always appreciate that. I thought the food was a 10-out-of-10 but I guess I was expecting an 11-out-of-10 (which is, admittedly, a little naive of me since we were just going for brunch). Both my girlfriend and I especially enjoyed our desserts, so props to the pastry chef especially. I was afraid I would still be hungry after the meal because I usually eat a lot if Im combining both breakfast and lunch but the portions were satisfying for me. Overall, I think it was worth the experience but I dont think I would be too interested to re-live the experience again just because I think I can get a comparable brunch for a little cheaper elsewhere.

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