Custom House
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Printer's Row, South Loop500 S Dearborn St
Chicago, IL 60686 (312) 523-0200
- Nearest Transit:
Library (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Pink)
LaSalle (Blue)
Harrison (Red)
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
23 reviews
Neighborhood: Near North Side
"Oh Pump Room, you are taking the honors of my first five star review. Perfect place for almost all nice occasions. Yes, it's a nice, classy…" read more »
54 Reviews for Custom House
Custom house, oh custom house . . . when will I see you again? Dinner was superb, as was my first course, desert, and several kinds of wine. The pork belly is A+, as was the kobe carpaccio which was beautifully presented. Short ribs . . . great; wagu sirloin . . . great; sweetbreads . . .great; and the rhubarb cheese cake and frozen lemon custard . . . on my top things to eat everyday for the rest of my life. Service was also good, and our waiter was especially patient and helpful. One day later I think I am still recovering from my food hangover.
Custom House is definitely in my top 5 restaurants of all time. The space is clean, modern and inviting. The service is not pretentious at all.
I went for Easter Brunch and had a wonderful warm pea soup (it was going to be served cold, but at the last minute the chef decided it would taste better warm). My entree was a delicious interpretation of steak & eggs. The flavors of all the foods that our group ordered were just perfect! And the mimosa and pinot noir just added to our great experience
I can't wait to go back :)
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Firstly, thank you to friends Jeff and Nicole for sponsoring the best meal of my life. Second, thanks to server Margo for the little extras. You will be missed.
Because good food should first be visceral, I shall now transcribe for you two pages of notes jotted down hastily whilst I shoved the amazing food into my face, pausing only to scribble comments from my dinner companions, express my joy, close my eyes dreamily and take another sip of Pinot Noir:
"meat butter" carpaccio
"Can you put Kobe on my nipples please?"
Velvet Underground
AIR
Pulp
Smiths
Flaming Lips
Bowie
"I'm so sad not everyone can experience this"
Margo
Sweetbreads - OMG
Comped smoked trout changed with every bite, cauliflower panna cotta
Slow to bus tables, part of the leisure - perfectly paced
See-into kitchen (hi curly headed chef, wink wink)
Roller coaster anticipation
"Fucked by food"
"I want to cry, this is so good"
Baramundi - smoky, falls apart
Bone-in short rib melts in the mouth, horseradish fritter to die for - it's like buttery pot roast
Rabbit turine smooth, creamy, loved it more than the bacon-wrapped sausage, a bit salty towards the end
"This is ridiculous"
page 2
"This is the Die Happy Meal"
Shoes-off good
Overloaded pleasure center of the brain
"I feel like I'm in a hot tub overlooking a mountain range with a bottle of Prosecco and nothing to do tomorrow"
Hypothalamus and sex, food orgasm?
Intelligentsia French press
Three comped glasses of moscato
Basil lemonade sorbet tastes like the garden in the morning after rain
Amazing friggin beignets, frozen lemon custard
Black and white cookie float (LOOK TO THE COOKIE!)
Graduation & b-day truffles with elderflower and carmel, St Jermain
http://static.px.yelp....
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2nd meal at Custom House, almost one year later exactly, and I was just as pleased as the first time. This, to me, is one of the best expensive, special restaurants in the city.
I started with the green beans, served with an herb vinaigrette, a fried quail egg, and a little goat cheese cake. It was, for me, simply the best dish of the night. Absolutely perfect. My boyfriend got the Ahi appetizer, and he likened it to candy, because of the pronounced honey and orange tastes, and like candy, he snorfed it.
For main dishes, we tried the lamb chop and the wagyu. I thought the lamb chop was good, though the crust on it was only so-so. However, the side with that dish--kale, lamb shoulder, and turnip--was by far my second favorite of the night. The lamb shoulder in that dish was just gorgeous. The wagyu was good. Melty and smooth like a steak should be, and with the perfect charred crust. Delish. Didn't like the risotto side, but that's ok, because we also ordered the tortelli (so, so, so good; must order!), the Pommes Anna (a repeat from last year) and the creamed spinach (my least favorite thing about the meal; too nutmeggy). We don't get meals like this very often, so we splurged.
Dessert was great, though. I had the frozen lemon custard, served with white chocolate beignets. The custard was very good, but the beignets? Out of this world. The only downside to this was the jasmine mint whipped cream, which my boyfriend described as medicinal. He had the ice cream cola float, which was also incredible. Wattleseed ice cream? Awesome. And the black and white cookies served with it were also wonderful.
All in all, we were not disappointed in our stellar recollections of this place, and I think there's a good chance we'll go back next year.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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06/09/2007
Oh. My. God. One of the best meals I've had in a long, long time. My boyfriend and I wanted to… Read more »
My only complaint about my experience with Custom House was the slight snootiness of the maitre'd when we walked in at 7 pm on a Saturday and asked for a table with no reservation. 90 minutes before, opentable.com showed an opening at 6:30, which I took as a sign that they were not fully booked and that walk-ins were possible. We were offered seating in the bar/lounge area, which, in the absence of cigarette smoke, TVs, and a noisy crowd, provided identical ambiance to the main dining room a dozen feet away. Plus we got a great view of the Harold Washington Library across the street.
Service from the wait- and bus-staff was exactly appropriate for a restaurant in this class: warm but dignified, attentive but unobtrusive. The server gave honest recommendations, but confirmed that our ultimate selections were good ones.
The food was phenomenal. Custom House has a creative menu full of unique, earthy combinations, mostly with traditional or game meats. I had to make some very tough selections between several fascinating choices. I started with an eggplant and roasted garlic soup, which was excellent; my date had an artichoke salad. My entree was the bacon-wrapped rabbit loin, which I paired with a mushroom-shallot gnocchi (the menu is a la carte). My date claimed that her mahi mahi was the best she'd ever had. We finished with the carrot cake to share. All of the portions were reasonable (read: smaller than most places, which is a blessing) but satisfying.
I cannot say enough about the food itself; it was one of the ten best meals I've ever had. However, the menu changes regularly with the seasons and market availability, so when I return, I will probably have more hard choices to make when perusing the menu. I guess that's a good problem to have!
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I'm a raving fan of Shawn McClain - just read my review for Spring. So I had fairly high expectations for Custom House. All I knew about this place was that while Spring was known for seafood, Custom House was more well-known for its game. With that in mind, I set myself in carnivorous mode.
My friend and I waited at the bar, ordering drinks to pass the time. Mistake. Do not, under any circumstances, order the "Custom House" cocktail. The ginger is so overpowering - I felt like I was drinking chilled ginger tea. Ew. That was a rather disappointing way to start the evening.
Thankfully, it went uphill from there. Our hostess seated us immediately. And I silently oohed and aahed over the ambience. Like its sister restaurants, Custom House is composed of warm lighting, clean lines, wooden accents, and muted colors for a very comfortable ambience. It's also spacious, but not as much as Spring, so there is a bit of a cozy element.
We ordered oysters to start off the meal. And they were so fresh, cold, and yummy. Yes, I love oysters. And Custom House serves two wonderful varieties. My friend ordered the scallops and I had the wagyu medium rare with fingerling potatoes on the side. Like Spring, the scallops were meltingly tender and perfectly cooked. As for my wagyu, it was...wonderful. It was perfectly seared to medium rare; the knife just grazed through with little effort. There was no need to add any sauces because the meat spoke for itself; it was tender, with a robust, gamey flavor. And the fingerlings went perfectly with it. Yes, a very sophisticated take on steak and potatoes.
For dessert, I opted for carrot cake while my friend had the rhubarb cheesecake. It was so good, we both polished off our plates. We ended the meal with a nice cup of organic brazilian coffee. The meal came up to $140 for two.
My boyfriend and his family dined here 2 weeks ago. It was my 2nd time here and the first visit was great, great food great drinks and our server was sweet and not over attentive, just the right amount of attention. I also love Green Zebra and Spring. The interior is awesome and the drink list and food menu are fantastic.
On my 2nd visit there were 9 of us total, 4 couples and 1 other person. We all ordered more than 1 appetizer and an entree'. We had drinks before we were sat at our table and had more than 5 bottles of wine at the table thru out the evening. Our server was rude right away. My bf and I ordered 4 appetizers and 1 entree to share. We asked our server if he could bring out 2 at a time, and he snapped back "no, the appetizers will all come out with the other appetizers" ok, no big deal but he was rude about it.
He wasnt helpful at all, and had been rude to the other people at the table as well. Im usually the one to complain about service, because Im the one who works in the service industry...but this time I didnt and my boyfriend did, HE NEVER complains about our servers. So when he said something, his sister in law heard him and said "did you guys think he was rude too?" and everyone at the table was like "YES!" So our bill came and it was more than $1100 with gratuity included (obviously) I would assume that he would understand that he was going to have to run more than 1 credit card, if there were obviously 4 couples. When he came back to the table and saw us splitting between 4 cards he snickered, shook his head, rolled his eyes and walked away. We were SHOCKED. So one of us stopped him and approached it in a professional way saying she frequents this restraunt and it is one of her favorites in the city and she was simply shocked at his attitude. When he wasnt responsive she said "I think we should be able to tip you accordingly" So he went and took off the gratuity. Now we were planning on still giving him 20%(not 18%) but we just wanted him to be aware of the fact that he was rude. So a manager came over and we explained, we have never had a bad experience there and the food was great but he was just awful to us. He apologized and when our server brought back our tab he said "Here are your cards, I dont want any grutuity from you, YOUR MONEY IS WORTHLESS TO ME"
not a "I'm sorry, or a simple thanks or he couldve just said NOTHING"
Whoa.
Lets just say I'll never go back there because
a. I have never in my life NOT tipped someone but that comment sent me thru the roof.
b. it was turned into such an ordeal, I'd be embarrased to go back in there.
total bummer.
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Do you think get get smarter when you eat brain?
Well, we ordered veal sweetbreads as our appetizer, and I said to my boyfriend, "I think this is a part of the animal we've never had before." And that turned out to be completely true.
The picture of Hannibal feeding the guy his own brain kept going through my head the next day...kinda creepy...
On a brighter note, at least it tasted good, and it went awesome with our Cabernet!!! I'll eat anything at least once...
The Wagyu beef that the BF ordered was absolutely delicious - served with scrumptious dried figs and cooked perfectly! My short ribs were just OK, but the portion was huge. We ordered a couple of different veggies, and we licked all of those plates clean!
Our dessert was superb! Olive oil gelato served with olive oil cake, garnished with black olive brittle. Very unique and delish!
One thing that bothered me a little was that when I inquired about the pre-fixe pre-theater menu that is offered to the 5:00 and 5:30 seatings (our reservations were for 5:30), our server made it seem like a hassle and said, "I guess I could do it." We didn't order from it, but I was a little put off by that.
At th end of our meal, we had a bit of time to kill before Wicked, so we went to bar to try the infamous Gin & tonic. We had a local gin - North Shore something or other, mixed with the house made tonic! We were offered a mini gin tasting, since we had never heard of that local gin, and the bartender even rattled off the recipe for the tonic! Now we will be able to make our own tonic at home!
It's a wonderful restaurant, but Spring is still on top!
I can't wait to go back for lunch!
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Service was slow and food was average. I feel like that goes hand in hand. If the service is slow you know you're not going to get good food. I had the bone in short rib which was my mistake. It was good, but tasted like something I throw in the oven on a Sunday morning for dinner. So basically something I can prepare on my own aka pot roast. My husband got the strip and it was far from a $38 steak. We did not get dessert because nothing sounded remotely appealing and the main courses were already disappointing.
They do make their own spiced rum and it is quite delicious. Instead of getting a captain and coke, you get a homemade spiced rum and coke. I recommend to try. I will not go back for dinner, but I know my husband wouldn't mind coming back to sit at the bar and drink.
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Everything I had was impeccably presented and tasted incredibly good. I started off with the winter squash soup (butternut), which was served over julienned apples and blue cheese. For my entree, I had the fish of the day which was a loup de mer (the waiter said it was similar to sea bass - I'm not sure what I would liken it to), a light fish served with tomatoes & capers on top (yum). We also ordered a number of desserts for the table, but I only tried the chocolate pave. A rich chocolate ganache with a crunchy crust and light, fresh whipped cream. MMMmmmm......might have been my favorite part of the meal.
The restaurant is beautifully decorated and very quiet (unlike so many other very noisy restaurants in the city). My only complaint is that there are very few meatless options available (the menu is somewhat small, at least for lunch). Would definitely return here for dinner.
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Totally worth the money spent. Wonderful beef...although I prefer the snapper.
With some wine and a date it's a quick way to drop $400. The sommelier seemed to have a fake accent. Who knows, maybe people believe it makes him smarter.
Sometimes the crowd felt pretentious. It made me laugh a little.
Custom House is my go-to place for business lunches in the Loop. The food is consistently excellent (favorites include the scallops, the flat iron steak, and the butternut squash soup). The decor is elegant, but not overly austere - modern, but comfortable. The service is pretty much flawless. The restaurant will cater to any dietary restrictions - at a recent work lunch, my vegan colleague was given several decent options (not "we'll give you the steak and potatoes, minus the steak"). The desserts are fantastic (try the "candy bar of the day" or the chocolate pave), and the Intelligentsia French press coffee, albeit quite pricey, is awesome.
I have dined at all of Shawn McClain's restaurants, and Custom House is definitely my favorite (though I will put Green Zebra a close second). If you need to impress a date, a client, or the in-laws, Custom House will not disappoint.
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I was not impressed. I had lunch at the Custom House on a weekday and even though we had a reservation and the restaurant was completely empty when we arrived, we had to wait 5 minutes to be seated. While I did like the atmosphere and decor, the service wasn't as nice - the server acted shocked when I asked for a soda refill and bread basket (which all other tables had) while we waited for the final member of our party to arrive. To top it off, the portions were very small and the prices were too high and the food itself really wasn't that memorable. Maybe I was there on an "off" day, but I don't think I'll give it another chance.
One of the finest meals that I have had came at Custom House. From beginning to end, it was delicious and complete.
Started with the sweetbreads. These lovely little thymus glands were served with the house cured bacon. Absolutely perfect.
Followed it with the short rib with horseradish cream puffs. The short rib was so rich and buttery that I initially thought that it was infused with goat cheese. It wasn't and it probably wasn't remotely healthy.
Finally, my wife and I split the lemon rosemary sorbet and the table shared the carmel corn. The sorbet was one of the most interesting desserts that I have every had. The caramel corn was one of the most playful. The caramel corn was a top choice. It was a perfect finish to a great meal.
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I have been here on three separate occasions and have had an absolutely spectacular dining experience each time. I can't believe that I haven't reviewed this restaurant, especially considering that it's my favorite.
The perfect decor, combined with flawless food presentation will please the eyes. For the palate, you are bound to find something that will make you want to savor every bite.
I would highly recommend the veal cheeks, as they are superior to just about anything that I've had at any other restaurant....ever. The funny thing is, I don't even like veal. That certainly says something, now doesn't it?
I've also done the wine pairing here before as well. This is the way to go. Trust me. If you're not in the mood for that, try a crisp and cool pare martini. If you don't drink, get an iced tea, which will be served in a separate carafe with a side of liquid sweetener.
I cannot wait to go back for a forth time around. Lunch, dinner, whatever....I want to live here.
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we had a fun booth where we could see the kitchen staff preparing the food. overall the food was good, but service was SLOWWWWWWWWWWWW.
luckily i was in great company so i didnt care....
one guest ordered a salad "light" on the dressing and it came (after a l o n g wait) DRENCHED in dressing and seemed to be heavily salted. it was sent back and taken off the bill by our waiter who seemed quite frazzled the whole time.
the risotto was amazing (dad said he could've had it as his meal!) as was the white asparagus wrapped in pruscitto. i got an ahi tuna app that was small but prepared perfectly. the meat i got was cooked as i asked - medium rare. a couterpart got the lamb and enjoyed it very much. dad got ginger ice cream and loved it, and the pistachio toffee was a HIT!
so why only two stars?
lets just say... at 4am and continuing into the next morning... it wasnt as good on the way out
(ew)
I highly recommend Custom House. The decor is ultra stylish and the service is very good. You must get a mojito here - delicious.
To start, I had the tuna tartare which was delicious. For my entree, the steak was probably the best I've ever had. Perfectly cooked and gigantic, it went well with the fingerling potatoes and truffle oil. I would definitely go again.
We went here for a work celebration dinner, and it was excellent, from soup to nuts. In fact, I think I was sated for about two days afterwards.
First of all, I knew I was in for a treat when for our aperitif I asked for a Tanquerray and Tonic, and they didn't carry Tanquerray, and then the waitress told me they made their own tonic water. When the tonic came, it was a little cloudy, and I wondered if it was direct from the lake, but then I tasted it and it was really good. Definitely made the gin taste a little smoother.
I had the beet and goat cheese salad for a starter, and it was excellent. One of Alyssa's Laws is that if there is goat cheese on the menu, I must order it. But sometimes a beet/goat cheese mix can get too tangy (an example is Lula's bruschetta) but this was perfect. I ate every bite and if my boss hadn't been there I may have licked the plate.
For my entree, I had the duck confit, and again it was very good. Tender, and with just enough fat to cut around. I had a side of mashed potatoes. They brought "share" plates, but since I was with work people, I thought that would be weird, no? My co-worker had the skirt steak, and from the way conversation dimmed on his side of the table, I think he liked it too.
For dessert, I had a pineapple/maple cake-thingy with marscapone custard, and it was super. I kind of wish I had gotten the ice cream, though, since the selection for that night was pumpkin, butterscotch and chocolate, and my boss got it and he looked delighted.
The service was excellent. The decor is fantastic, it looks vaguely LA - ish but not out of place in Chicago, like other restaurants that try to hard. I didn't have a chance to check out the whole wine list, but the bottle chosen for us was very, very good. It was a Pinot from Walla Walla (which is never not fun to say).
Overall, I would definitely go back here for a special occasion.
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This place is deserving of five stars. I loved the white and beige decor! There aren't many options, which I like because I am very indecisive when it comes to food. I had the snapper, which was very good. It was a good size and I finished the whole thing (my date was still hungry!) I would definitely recommend this place for an intimate date.
This review is based on a private function and not a dining room experience.
Custom House partnered with Unibroue Brewery for a fantastic evening of food and beer pairings. Aside from the beer, two things stick out: the food, and the service and both were fantastic. I was impressed by the amount of house-cured and house smoked items on the menu, from house cured sturgeon, to smoked pork loin and smoked duck breast. Also fantastic was the crispy sweetbreads, rich rabbit stew, and mussels with orange zest. Many of these items were specially created for the event and are not on the regular menu, but this gives you an idea of the types of food you might find, and the quality was consistently high.
The service was great. Our server, once she got comfortable with the table, seemed to really enjoy herself and was adding to the good times we were having. She really made it even more fun to be there, which is a lost skill almost non-existent in service today. The chef came to our room multiple times to see how everything was received, answer questions and explain techniques. We felt like we were being well taken care of at every turn.
We had a wonderful time at Custom House and cannot wait to find a reason to go back and experience the dining room.
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We went here for our anniversary dinner and loved it. Great service, but the short ribs stole the show! It's a huge dish, and you'll likely take some home.
Delicious. From soup to nuts.
The valet, front desk, coat check, bartender, waiter, bussers--all attentive. Without fail.
For a gourmet restaurant--great selection of appetizers, entrees and desserts. Duck seems to be a good choice--the chef serves an excellent seared and smoked duck.
Sides will feed 2 to 3 people, depending on how hungry you are.
Wine selection is excellent, and you can find $40 to over $200 bottles. Even if you are a wine lover, be sure to try a G&T or vodka tonic. Custom House makes its own tonic and it is yummy--almost sweet. If I could have tonic like that all the time, I might become a proponent of mixed drinks.
Fantastic food that embraces the idea that bacon makes everything taste better! The best bet might be to get a variety of the smaller plates, as I did, so that you get a nice mixture of the tasty creations without totally busting your bankroll.
The homemade tonics are stellar. The winter tonic in particular has a lot of clove and rosemary showing through, which help match it perfectly with the gin.
This is a meat-loving food snob's mecca!
Wow.....what an experience. The food and the service were top notch. I have not had a bad meal at any of Chef McClains restaurants. This one more than met my expectations for great spins on some classics.
My lunch at Custom House was one of the best business lunches I've had in a long time. I'm not a huge red meat eater, but couldn't resist the skirt steak. And I'm glad I didn't. It was absolutely excellent, cooked perfectly, very tender and flavorful. The duck fat fries that came on the side added an interesting touch...this aren't your run-of-the mill french fries. Apparently duck fat makes everything taste better...
Our table also ordered sides of polenta and risotto to share. I'm somewhat of a polenta snob and the side did not disappoint. The risotto didn't do much for me one way or the other.
The starter courses were quite good. My chicken noodle soup had a unique mix of vegetables and brown, asian-type noodles with huge chunks of chicken. None of that Cambell's crap for me:)
The decor is simple but classy and the service was great. The waitress made a point of inquiring as to our timeframe, which is a nice touch. The only downside of lunch is the somewhat limited menu.
I'll be back to Custom House, no doubt. Any place that can get my red-meat adverse self salivating over a piece of steak deserves a second visit.
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I've been dying to try Shawn McClain's restaurant for a while, and I finally got to try Custom House. We came here for a work lunch on a Friday, and I absolutely loved it!
Between the 10 of us, I'm pretty sure we ordered everything off the lunch menu. They have the $20.08 (aka 2008) 3 course lunch menu, which I took advantage of. Unfortunately, the menu isn't currently on the website, but they offer two choices of an appetizer, entree, dessert. For the appetizer, there was the pear ajou salad with parmesan gelato - yum!, or a duck dish. I had the former, and loved the salad! The entree selections included maine scallops with pancetta, or a rabbit dish. I just couldn't get myself to order the rabbit, so I opted for the scallops.. It came in a trio, and was so delicious - prepared very well, crispy/seared on the outside and buttery on the inside - quality-wise, it wasn't too meaty (I don't like meaty scallops). For the dessert, there was a choice between the chocolate pave and an apple/cheddar/pastry puff dish. I ordered the apple dish, since the table had ordered 2 chocolate paves, and I thought it was interesting, but I wouldn't order it again. It was worth trying, but will not do much for your sweet tooth. Other noteworty dishes that were ordered were the flatiron steak (looked delish), the winter squash soup (which featured butternut for the winter), veal cheeks (interesting!), and of course, the custom house burger with duck fat fries.
Another thing I loved about this place was that their dessert menu -- which was quite extensive and inventive: they offer a candy bar of the day, and assorted cookies of the day. The candy bar was called monkey something (how could we not order that), and the cookies came in a trio (chocolate, an apricot one, and I'm blanking on the 3rd).
The presentation of all the dishes were excellent, and the decor was nice. I would want to come back for dinner when it's a little more lively, coupled with libations, which we didn't take advantage of during our work lunch ;).
Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I can't wait to go back!
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A sophisticated lunch accentuated by modern architecture with ambiance of earth tones and a maroon focus.
The dining room is contemporary, yet inviting. The food is as simplistic as the setting. Touching on certain key tastes and textures that meld perfectly.
The artichokes were lightly fried and mixed with mesculun greens and fennel. This dish was fresh, both sweet and salty with a lemon zest zing to it. The star anise/liquorice flavor of the fennal blended perfectly with the artichoke and the hint of bitterness was drowned out by citrus notes. The dish was simple, and the overall flavor melded to a single finish.
The chicken sandwich with chips was of perfect size. The chips were crunchy yet pliable, thin, and were sprinkled with herbs de provence. The chicken came with a sweet and lightly salty tomatoe jam, which was excellent.
Overall, a high quality meal, the busser was quick and effecient, though the waiter was not to be found.
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I had dinner at the Custom House last night with clients and although the food was spectacular, the service was mediocre, except for the knowledgeable bartender... (which we all love... )
We came into the restaurant in a bit of a wave, couple people here, then a couple more, wanting to sit and start ordering apps since we were starving, turned out to be a not so 'traditional' way of ordering. I was told by our server that I couldn't order additional apps after the app order was put in, since they would prefer to have them all ordered at once.... since when does a server tell you NO? Not on my shift...
I sat there a little dumbfounded, as I've never been given that response at any restaurant when I wanted to order anything... I gave the "so what I hear you telling me is that you won't take my order for oysters..." which was responded with "I will see what the chef has to say". Let me tell you that it was not received well by anyone at the table, we actually had a 5 min conversation on how weird that was... never in the service industry has such BS been spewed... I will say, Custom House has some work to do, if they want to be a top notch restaurant.
Because of this one experience, I will be more hesitant about returning to Custom House, it was good, but it wasn't that good. and just for the poor service, -1 star.
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I am over bacon. There, I said it.
I am tired of pork belly, bacon strips, bacon chunks, bacon infused vodka, bacon ice-cream, pancetta tweels and lardons.... Enough already. Even if bacon was considered trendy at one point in time in this city (what a joke anyway), that time is long gone. And so should be the bacon travesty. Unless you are Uncle Mike's breakfast joint and you are serving two crispy ones with my sunny-side-ups.
OK back to Custom House.
Our server was too nice. I am serious. Just too much. On top of it she was clueless.
How come, you ask? For example, Happy-joy-joy highly recommended this bland, tasteless, animal feed they call the bulgur rice side. Oh, it was the best thing she ever tasted (which now makes me feel sorry for the food she must eat). A must have, she raved. Later, her cheery self was promptly back to ask how we like it, and we told her we don't enjoy it as much and we find it a bit underseasoned. Her reaction? "Oh, I'm sorry. I hope you enjoy everything else" and then quickly retrieved out of sight. No offer to take the offending concoction back, no offer to get us something else....
The rabbit was very good. And yes, it had bacon. So did my entree and my side dish. But we already covered this.
My desert looked like somebody sneezed pineapple and brownies and whatever else they had laying around all over my plate. So not cool. The caramel popcorn was very good.
Overall, it's a nice place but you can do better for the money.
Maybe I'm not a big enough food snob, but I was dissapointed with the food at Custom House. Considering the accolades the chef has earned and my love for Spring, I thought this place would be a slam dunk despite the prices.
My steak was sliced for me allowing it to cool nicely coming from the kitchen and had some inedible lard-like substance wrapped between the meat. The service was excellent despite the snooty attitude, but I've come to expect that.
Maybe it was an off night, but I have no reason to return.
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When I read on Yelp! a bunch of mediocre reviews, I'm usually leery of trying a place out. However, I know that Custom House is relatively new so I was willing to give it a try, and hope that the kinks have been worked out. They were and it was fantastic!
I went for brunch on Sunday. Although pricey, my crab cakes eggs benedict was lick-your-plate good. With unlimited refills on juice and some very good ice cream for desser, I had a wonderful time.
I was suprised, however, at how empty the place was for brunch. Apparently South Looper's don't know about this place?
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Custom House and Green Zebra represent the yin and yang of my and Tammy's relationship. And the beaty of it is that we can appreciate both equally.
Custom House, from the people who created Green Zebra, is the "meat feature" vs. GZ's "vegetable feature." We came here for a champange tasting special, and ended up ignoring it entirely. The restaurant is a great place to sit and order from their excellent selection of appetizers, cheeses and side plates for a deliciously varied dining experience. The wine list is excellent and not TOO marked up (for the Loop that is). I'd recommend Custom House to any meat enthusiast (or significant other of a meat enthusiast) anytime.
The only drawback (and the only thing keeping CH from earning 5 stars from me) was that our waiter was very snobbish and ignored our table for much of the time we were there, despite his having few other tables in the lounge area where we sat.
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Went here for dinner again the other night and once again had a great dining experience.
The Custom House is a good place to go for business or for a nice night out. The bar is welcoming and the bartenders pour a great martini. It is also a great place during rush hour to just sit back and watch the world go by- or sit and honk at each other as is usually the case!
The dining room is large and surrounded by these big windows which were a bit a of an issue the last time we were there as the sun was shining in strongly. We kept wondering why they didn't close the shades and then decided that there were no shades to close! Other times we've been there- it was nice to look out and see the snow falling on Congress Parkway.
If you are there to talk business- don't sit in the center booths but ask for one of the larger round booths. You'll have more privacy as the booths in the center while nice- seem to be less intimate as you can easily share in your neighbor's conversations.
We had the sea scallops and the NY Strip steak the last time we were there and they were both were very good. Try either the mashed potatoes or the potato boulanger (sp?) as a side. By the way- you will need the sides as the entree portions are not huge.
The wine list has several good choices on it and the servers are attentive and willing to answer all questions about the menu in a simple manner.
Whether for a special night out or for a business dinner- the Custom House delivers good food in a chic environment. I'll definitely be back again!
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I forgot to write about this after going.
I headed to Custom House on Valentine's Day with my valentine and was quite overwhelmed. Being a young'n it's probably the first time I had been in a restaurant of that nature. I've eaten at nice places and city clubs before but that was straight up trendy modern excellence.
The food was superb, the wait staff even better, and the wine selection was unreal.
I tried sweet breads without knowing what it was. It was delicious, if you don't know what it is...I won't spoil it. Just try it, then ask.
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-great lunch just outside the loop
-nice atmosphere
-sandwiches were delicious
-more expensive than your typical lunch spot, but worth it
The restaurant was actually quite empty which surprised me. We were there for lunch, but I expected it to be much busier. We were seated immediately and had drinks and bread right away.
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THIS YELP IS BASED ON BRUNCH
And everyone who works in restaurants HATES brunch - the waiters, the cooks, the chef (who probably never shows up). So dinner is possibly much better. I've been told that is is, anyway.
The place was empty when we got there, the hostess was filing her nails. We get seated and the buss boy came right over, offered beverages and said that our server would be right over. Apparently right over means ten minutes at the Custom House, so we were quite ready to order when he arrived. But he was intent on doing his pretentious act for us, so he humored him.
I had the monte cristo sandwich - it was sodden and warmed through half -way. The salad on the attractive plate was good. Mom had the quiche which was yummy. Our friends had an omelet which seemed fine and French toast which from the same sodden and half warm school as my sandwich.
The waiter, who continued to speak in the third person throughout the meal, returned to inquire if we needed anything else. I considered saying something snide, but I decided that he was probably stuck working brunch for a reason and not really having much fun, so I gave him a 20% tip and a break.
I'll return for dinner on my next visit. The dinner menu looks cool - sort of like Craft in NYC.
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Without reservation, I can refer you to 20 other Chicago restaurants that deliver on the promise of excellence far better than Custom House does.
The waiter was completely arrogant. He did not check back when the entrees were served. He mostly ignored us, even left our dessert menus sitting on our table for over 20 minutes. As we finally got up and walked out to the bar to order our dessert - we spotted him chatting up the hosts. Sad when poor service becomes the dinner conversation on a Saturday night when you are dropping $200 for a nice meal.
While perfectly prepared and sumptuous looking, the sirloin steak lacked in any hint of flavor. It is forgiving to say it was bland. The Maine scallops were fresh, complex and very tasty. The salad and the Alaskan crab appetizers were both exceedingly average.
I'm so super bummed. I like the vibe of the place and haven't been disapointed by Shawn McClain in the past. The manager did comp our desserts and asked us for feedback.
I won't be back to Custom house and I would not recommend the trip.
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