Bonsoiree
Categories: French, American (New), Caterers [Edit]
Neighborhood: Bucktown2728 W Armitage Avenue
(between Fairfield Ave & Washtenaw Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647 (773) 486-7511
Each week the Foie is prepared differently. Also,…
Announced 9 days ago
- Nearest Transit:
California (Blue O'Hare)
- Hours:
Tue-Thu 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri 5:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: None
91 Reviews for Bonsoiree
One of Bonsoiree's Favorite Reviews
Took my Dinner Club here on Tuesday night for the $30 prix fixe, and we had an excellent time. VERY small space, so definitely make reservations. Everyone who worked there was nice and accommodating, especially our server who graciously answered all of our stupid questions:)
I had the oxtail and bone marrow starter which was rich and delicious. Others loved the sweet onion soup and sashimi apps. For entree I had the onion consomme with ravioli, which was interesting and tasty, but not as good as the escolar. Chocolate mousse for dessert, also great, but not as good as the banana bread pudding and creme brulee.
Great price, nice ambiance, kind people, interesting and delicious food. Ladyfriends all said they'd go back, and so will I.
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Bonsoiree is a fantastic experience; though not for everyone.
The front of the house and back of the house work seamlessly in tandem. We were greeted by our waiter who works the entire dining room; as it is small. We decided to let the chef decide our fate and went with a prix fixe menu. After being asked about food allergies, dislikes, and informing them that my wife was pregnant (some restrictions) we sat back and let the games begin!
From the chef's muse taster through the dessert we were very impressed with the dishes. Flavor, creativity, presentation were all right on. It is a b.y.o.b which adds nicely to the intimate atmosphere and helps with the bill as well.
Bonsoiree is not cheap nor is it pretentious. It is a cozy, well executed restaurant in line with Avec or Blackbird.
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A good party is what 'bonsoiree' means in French, but the restaurant name in question should be longer, such as 'bonsoiree en ma bouche et tout le monde vient', which would translate to 'good party in my mouth and everybody is coming'. We can shorten it to 'B.E.B.B.ET.L.M.V'.
So, can it really be compared to sex? No, not really as I wasn't tired, relieved, or sweaty after dinner. I was satisfied, however, with the portions of the meal, and the quality of it.
I've been a fan of braised oxtail, and as previous reviews that I've created indicate, I give this appendage meat props all the time. This concoction is no exception. It maintained enough of a solid and firm texture to remind me that it was still meat, not a beat-down due to long-cooking casualty.
The sliced scallops was probably like 'sex in mouth' sans the guilt.
Now I'm at odds with myself...should I review more and reveal more or should I stop here and leave this place a secret only to those who want to venture out to somewhere that's west of Western Ave?
Like it's 'underground' menu, I'll leave it here, and hope that the volume of people won't change it to a menage a trois, which may be good for some, but I'd rather have the party in my mouth only.
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We went on a Tuesday night for the $30 prix fixe.
The owner/waiter greeted us and asked us if we had ever been there before. We said "no."
He said, " there are two options tonight...you can order off the menu or we can just bring things out to you." We were like, "sure just bring whatever out to us," thinking that we were getting the prix fixe. However, they just kept bringing us dishes until we said, " how many dishes are we getting."
The owner/waiter said, "didn't we go over this already, seven." We were like WTF we didn't order this. We get the bill and it's $70 each for the 7 courses.
I'm not cheap but this was a totally jack*ss thing to do to people who have never been to your restaurant.
With tip my boyfriend and I spent $180 and instead of feeling happy we felt robbed and I wanted to rip that waiter/owner dude a new *ss hole.
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Came here for my birthday and it was amazing! There's nothing really to add except:
-1/3 star for being seated 45 mins. later than our reservations.
-1/3 star for it taking longer than 3 hrs. (the dinner reservations seemed to be spaced two hours apart, so that's how long we were thinking it would be. we had the latest time, and after seeing one of the cooks walk through the dining room with a case of beer, it seemed to take longer and longer between each course).
-1/3 star for uncomfy chairs. if the meal is going to be longer than two hours, i don't want my ass to fall asleep.
that being said, the flavors and courses were amazing, i will definitely be back, i would probably just not make the last reservation of the night.
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Wow. Bonsoiree is my new favorite place in Chicago.
My boyfriend and I went last Saturday night for our 1 year anniversary. Our only mistake of the evening was that we didn't bring a bottle of wine - he was driving, and if I had that bottle all to myself, I would have been loaded. Alas.
Anyway, we were at the 8:30 dinner. It was a 5 course tasting menu. The dinner kicked off with an amuse of (I'm trying to remember this correctly) raw yellowtail, some kind of greens (seaweed?) in a miso dressing. It was fresh, delicious and better than most of the sushi I have had in this city.
Once I saw the 5 course menu, I let my waiter know that I didn't eat meat, but I would eat fish/seafood. They took that into consideration and said that it wouldn't be a problem. Fantastic!
Our first course was a Pecorino cracker, panna cotta coated with Japanese breadcrumbs, a scallop and a watercress salad with some kind of (light) caesar dresssing. This was one of my favorite parts of the meal. Delicious, complex...MMMMM.
The second course was a ramp consomme with a dumpling that contained lima beans and a type of cheese (I forget which one). It wasn't the most memorable dish, but it was light and didn't weigh us down for the heavier dishes coming up. Delicious as well.
Since I don't eat meat, my next course (which was supposed to be pork) was substituted with a sweet corn cake that had red lentils on it. There was some kind of coconut peanut sauce on top of the lentils. It was very, very good.
The next one (which was supposed to be duck) was halibut served over a mushroom risotto. There was a type of fish sauce on the side that was bound with beets. VERY good. The risotto was fantastic, the halibut was cooked perfectly (moist and flaky) and the sauce added a nice touch. It was subtle and not overpowering.
Our dessert was a sort of deconstructed tiramisu. It had 2 ladyfingers with whipped cream/cinnamon on top. There was also a chocolate "glob" on the side, that tasted like it had coffee or pepper in it. I'm usually not a huge chocolate fan, but it was SO GOOD.
All in all? Amazing. I had a great time and the wait staff did a great job catering to my veggie needs. I would definitely go back.
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I rated this a little lower because this seems like the type of place where if you'd like to have a group over 4 you should have to rent the whole place or something. This place is teeny-tiny. The uncomfortable bench made of plywood to sit on for a prix fixe meal made the experience feel a little cheap.
That said, our dinner club enjoyed the limited menu--most things were quite good. The parsnip soup was meh and the sashimi appetizer was straight out of a sushi restaurant...but not a creative one. My risotto was a little mushier than I would have liked but all the flavors were there. It matched the barramundi quite well. All the fish dishes were prepared to perfection. Choose the escolar, asian inspired flavors. Quite nice!
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Small restaurant. Big flavors.
It was a tiny restaurant but it felt cozy and not at all cramped. The prix fixe menu is the way to go for a great bargain on exceptional food. Service was very attentive and accommodating. The BYOB is great, too. Many tables had several bottles and servers were always refilling glasses.
This is definitely the place to come for girls night out, celebrations or somewhere to bring your hot date!
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I gotta say I was super impressed with Bon Soiree. My friends, in researching where they could take their chef friend out for his birthday without applying for the loan necessary for Alinea or Tru.
We went on $30 prix fixe 3 course Tuesday. I got the 5 course tasting menu for $50 cause it was my damn birthday and I'm old and feeling entitled. The menu seems like something that changes often enough that it's not worth mentioning any particular dishes but I was very pleasantly surprised with my grilled cobia dish (with leeks two ways). Ordinarily I don't much care for fish if its ever known the touch of heat but this bad boy really did the trick.
2 more things to mention- the portion sizes for the 5 course tasting menu were the same as the regular menu sizes which translates into a metric assload of food- not a bad thing but not particularly necessary. And the desserts, while beautiful and delicious were not quite up to the incredibly high standard the rest of the meal had set.
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We got in on Saturday for the "Underground" menu. The small staff does a synchronized dance of course distribution which results in each table literally getting the same course at the same time. The process is so intent, you feel like you're imposing when asking a question.
But I did have questions. Probing ones like: should I be putting the gourmet mushrooms in the consomme (which tasted burnt)? Should I be working from left to right when tackling the multi-faceted duck course (which was tasty, but not stellar)? Like foreign policy, these are crucial issues that warranted proactive explanations. That excitement that comes with the staff illustrating the dishes is half the fun at a place like this. Call me high maintenance, but I felt shafted by having a plate put in front of me without a peep.
More about the food...The pork tenderloin course with apples was amazingly hearty, but the cut was a bit tough. The meal ended with a tiramisu that was solid, but felt standard.
It was a very good meal, not great. I'll chalk it up to the night and menu.
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I made it to this place for the first time last night and really loved it. Not a ton to add to what others said, but the food was all really great, if not perfect, somehwat experimental. Amazing price for what you get.
I have heard some buzz on people who said it wasn't enough food, but they must be crazy. I wasn't stuff as I have been after doing other tasting menus but was not the least bit hungry!
We did the five course for two of us, and had a duck wonton, then scallop sashimi in ponzu, then braised oxtail, then a daikon and cucumber salad, then quail, then a dessert sampler. the salad was the only part that was pretty ho-hum.
I can't wait to go back and see what they do for me next time.
I can't believe I haven't checked this place out before. It is a splendid dining experience-- a very creative menu full of many delectable offerings, several great deals on tasting menus, and exceptional service. My friend and I got the 5-course tasting menu. This included kampachi sashimi, braised oxtail, hominy crepe, and veal-- all accompanied with the very tasty sauces and sides. At the end, our dessert entree included a portion of what seems like every dessert that was being served that night.
This is by far one of the nicest dinners I have had in Chicago in the past 8 years. We decided to go here for my wife's birthday at the recommendation of a good friend. We arrived at our reservation time and I was surprisingly greeted by the Chef who said "you must be Jason." He offered us a choice of seats and asked if we liked a little adventure. We said "of course" and he said "we are not going to give you a menu, just let us cook for you tonight". I said yes and my pocket book said no, but we dove in.
The chef was conscious of our eating issues making sure everything was prepared and cooked the right way so as to not upset my pregnant wife (i.e the fish had no mercury and the pork was cooked a little extra). We went through 7 beautiful courses of fresh wonderful tasting foods and came out satisfied and full.
Dinner was $185 with tip and worth every penny.
Now back to the ramen noodles!
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Yummy yummy!
I went this past Thursday, and it was so good that I almost went back on Sunday!!!
We did the 5 course tasting, and every course was like opening a gift on Christmas! We were wonderfully surprised at each course!
The one thing that I didn't care for was the soup, but everything else was amazing - from the sashimi to the quail. All of the dishes had all of the intricate details worked out - with micro cilantro on the ox tail and bone marrow concoction to the homemade picked ginger.
We were told that all of the produce is organic, and all of the fish is sushi grade. Definitely a great place to celebrate a special occasion. It's such a quaint restaurant with a personal touch. I absolutely loved it, and I'd go back in a hearbeat - oh wait, I almost did!!!
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One of the best dinners I have ever had, period. Why? Absolutely everything from the space itself, to the food, to the service... unbelievable place. I would have had this rated at 5 stars even without BYOB, but that really catapulted this place high up the list.
A big 'thanks' to all the Yelpers who reviewed this, as the glowing reviews were dead on, and helped me pick this place for an evening out with the little lady. Fan-tastic.
One tip: We sat down and our waiter/chef asked if he could simply cook for us, no menus, and he'd take care of us. This is by far the best way to go. You'll be constantly (and pleasantly) surprised. BUT, don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. Because we were curious, we hit the jackpot with a huge, perfect serving of sushi grade kampachi (amberjack) that was as good as anything I've had in Hawaii. These guys have their supply chain figured out for ingredients, so get there ASAP. I'll be back this weekend, actually...
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This place was great and its BYOB! Yay!!
The courses were amazing, great cozy atmosphere and staff so very polite, pleasant and knowledgeable.
If I lived in Chicago, this would easily be one of my go-to favorite once a week spots.. especially for the price. $55 - 5 course Sunday dinner, how can you go wrong with that! I love it! :)
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What can I say about this place. BYOB, a 5 course meal for under 60 dollars per person, and fantastic... no.. its just pure excellence.
The sad thing I have to say is that I never came here often anytime sooner.. I came here about a year ago and signed up for their email list. I always disregarded the emails sent to my junk mail since I figured it was going to be the same information about the same food. Boy was I wrong. I finally decided to reply and been invited to the prix fixe dinner on Friday.
The food is utterly amazing. The short rib was so insanely delicious. Also try the oyster and asparagus soup. The food preparation is gourmet given a personal touch by the chef.
The service is phenomenal, always attending to your needs. This place comes really close to my top restaurant to go to. I'm going to have to try their brunch sometime on sunday if I ever get a chance to wake up early after a debauchery of an evening.
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Not that this place needs another great review, I would like to echo the others here and say that we had a great time. The food was wonderful, we enjoyed all 5 courses and they flowed well in succession. We tend to shy away from BYOB (my husband thinks a lack of Liquor license signifies inferiority) but I think we're starting to warm up to the idea.
I like a little more room when dining, hence the 4 instead of 5 stars - but we'll definitely be back. I found this place solely on Yelp - so THANK YOU Yelpers!
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Oui c'est encore si bon... Bon Soiree knows how to use their space and personality! We went for a birthday and they reserved a table perfect for talking and greeting new guests as they arrived. Very reasonable cork fee; we brought Veuve Clicquot which perfectly complimented our courses. Great variety and party for the taste buds (we had 5 courses including some of the best pasties in Chicago). We had fine laughs and conversation with the staff and chefs. I'm very excited to try Bon Soiree out for catering this summer; Underground dinners look intriguing! Will report back...
holy hell this restaurant is amazing! The food is excellent, the service is great, the atmosphere is relaxing and upbeat, the waitstaff is courteous, well versed in the menu, and fun.
The first time I ate at Bonsoiree, I was a little anxious that the prices would break my pocketbook, but No! It was a Wednesday, and my friend and I both got a 3 course prix fix for $25 bucks apiece. The duck comfit over parmesan risotto was fantastic and was exactly as you'd want it--it had the most perfect crispness to the skin and exact degree of richness without feeling fatty or like too much.
The second time I went I had the skatefish with cactus fronds and holy hell again; I had NO idea what to expect but left soooo satisfied. Plus the deserts are almost beyond imagination Try the chocolate hazelnut mousse dome, OMG!
I go more during the weekday versus weekend, as it is a small space and reservations for weekends are muy muy hard to get. So if you want a weekend date, plan ahead and call for reservations a few days in advance.(That should be obvious for any popular intimate restaurant, I think). On the weekdays, you can step in without too much work. They are very accomodating.
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For a BYOB five-course tasting menu that starts at $55, it's a steal! It's a cozy, intimate place, with attentive service from the staff featuring well-spaced courses. I've been here twice, and both times were stellar.
The first time, my roommate and I wanted to celebrate so we made reservations. The onion consomme with leek gnocchi was delicate and flavorful, with pink peppercorns for added spice. And we absolutely adored the poached turbot; it melted in our mouths and was lightly sweet. Braised lamb went really well with the red wine we brought (Shannon Ridge). And the nutty almond cake was one of the best desserts I've had this year. The meal was perfect, not a single dish disappointed.
The next time around, I head over with a friend. Fresh daikon salad whetted our palates. But it was the braised oxtail that really sealed it for us. It fell apart and we didn't even need to use knives. Dessert was a chocolate hazelnut cake (I think), which was rich and decadent. It was awesome that our server remembered me from before and chatted for a bit.
Seriously, this place is perfect for small groups. The ambience is perfect for conversations to fly off. With such attentive service by courteous servers and really, really good food, Bonsoiree deserves more accolades. But a selfish part of me wants it to remain on the lowdown so that it doesn't get run over and quality starts to fall. But for those of you looking for a special meal, this is definitely the spot.
We came in for the Underground Dinner - 5 courses, $55/person, BYOB with a $5/bottle charge - last month when they were doing a Japanese menu, and our group was all very impressed.
Standouts - live diver scallop! Amazing pea soup! Pampano!
The service was good and the chef stopped by our table when we first got there.
This place is firing on all cylinders and I'm really happy to see a restaurant doing so many things right. Very impressed, and I will be back.
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I love Bonsoiree!
I signed up to receive their weekly emails some time ago, and while the menus always sound delicious, it took me a while to make a reservation! I am SO GLAD I finally had the chance to eat here!
This is a tiny little place--probably about 12 tables. Exposed brick, very cozy. The staff is also very friendly and accommodating.
On Sundays you can only do prix fixe dinners. On the website it says they only do 5 course ($40) and 7 course ($55). However, they are more than willing to customize the dinner to be as small as 3 courses, or as large as 10! Since it was my birthday dinner, we decided to go for the 7 course, which was incredibly delicious! The food is gourmet, and while there was nothing outlandish or wacky on the menu, everything was so thoughtfully prepared, and the flavors all complemented each other so beautifully. The ingredients were all very fresh, with very high-quality meat and seafood. A great dining experience.
James, our server, was very knowledgeable and helpful throughout our dinner. Shin Thompson, one of the chef/owners, stepped out for a moment to chat with us, and he was very nice and soft-spoken. He was also very cute, yay half-Asians! It's very evident that both Shin and his co-owner take great pains to give each customer the best experience possible. These guys are passionate about what they do, and their blood, sweat and tears go into everything they do here!
I will definitely be back at Bonsoiree very soon. For the quality food you get here, you really can't beat the price! Also a great place to bring the parents for an impressive meal that won't leave you eating ramen for the rest of the month!
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Three and a half starts, actually. My husband and I celebrated a special dinner here, and while we certainly enjoyed our experience, it didn't live up to expectations. We went for the Saturday Underground menu. It was fun to try a variety of different plates, but of the five, only two were outstanding. Two were above average, and the last was, well, okay. The service was a bit off, as a few plates were served lukewarm when they should have been hot. Also, we waited for a prolonged period of time before our main course... while several tables around us were finishing up with their main dish. The space is tiny, which I think lends itself to a warm and intimate environment, but we were seated aside two very, very loud and obnoxious women whose voices made us want to jab our knives in our eyes. All in all, we had a very enjoyable and fun evening. The experience is unique to Chicago, and of course it's always fun to discover a fine-dining BYO.
I am often disappointed with prix fixe menus....seems like they are trying more to be fancy and surprising than good. This was both, and we totally LOVED it. Excellent food and reasonable price, love the BYOB and the service was excellent. They served a yellowfin sashimi, then a spaetzl and braised oxtail..... a great cauliflower ale soup.... everything was wonderful and we especially loved the warm banana bread pudding desert. I usally dont like banana anything but this was amazing. We can't wait to go back.
This is a great find. Its a small restaurant with big flavors. The chef/owner waits on every table. If you choose to bring in your own wine they can match the wine to the courses. The timing between courses was perfect. I die for heavenly desserts and they did not disappoint they have a trio plate the best was an amazing mango panna cotta topped with hazelnuts....deliciousness.
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A wonderful experience.
We arrived for the 6pm seating with everyone else. We were first served our drinks (which included non alcoholic beverages/$5 corkage fee). Then we had the amuse which was a tuna tartare on a chinese spoon. I ate it in one bite. Yum. next the first course, which was a duck proscuitto salad served with cucumber and quail egg. The dish was delicate and a great starter to get my appetiite on. Next the second course which was a citrus bouillabaise with shrimp and clams. Probably my favorite dish of the whole meal. I savored every piece of seafood and then all of the soup. Next was a lentil phyllo and crispy coconut cake served over thai red curry with a side of lime custard. What a wonderful combination. The phyllo and curry were spicy yet tasty, and the custard calmed everything down. I didn't need sip of water or anything. Next the main course which was grilled escolar (fish) over asparagus and pistachio beignet. Just wonderful what more can I say. And finally a chocolate medley dessert.
Everything was plated and served well. The tastes were all amazing. The atmosphere was quiet and romantic. It was a wonderful expereience.
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This is a great find! All the fantastic reviews do not lie.
Although we had initially planned on having the Prix Fixe dinner (which is now $30, but still a deal), upon looking over the menu, we decided to splurge on the 8 course tasting menu (or as Paul, our waiter said, "let us cook for you".... so we did). And it was wonderful.
The menu changes regularly, so I won't even bore you with describing all 8 courses... but, each course was better than the last, ending with a trio of chocolate panna cotta, rich bread pudding with white chocolate creme anglaise, and a macadamia nut cake. Not one course had anything left on the plate.
Paul was a great waiter, attentive without hovering. It was easy to make reservations, and even though we were a little bit late, we didn't have to wait. By 8:30 on a Wednesday the place was about half full. But, with as wonderful as this food is, I imagine it will not be half full for much longer.
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What a fantastic hole in the wall fine dining experience! This place is tiny and cute, warm and friendly.
I brought my boyfriend here for his birthday and the staff went out of their way to make it an excellent experience. We had to wait a few minutes to get a good table and as we waited they brought us their amuse bouche! It was an excellent way to start the evening.
We then had the 7 course tasting menu and everything was fantastic. We didn't even get a menu, our waiter just said "Let us cook for you!" I am so glad that is what we did because every dish was more fantastic than the next. 1st: scallop 2: amazing duck dish! (my favorite) 3: crispy pork belly 4: skate wing 5: lamb 6: cheese course 7: amazing pastry plate!
My only complaint was that we should have only gone for 5 courses...we were too stuffed at the end of the meal to completely enjoy the pastries.
I have been to some heavy hitters in fine dining and this little BYOB definitely competes with some of the more expensive fine dining experiences I have had.
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Amazing French/American food at an even more amazing (affordable) price. This is a great place to have dinner for 2 for ~$100. The food is SO imaginative, tasty with excellent presentation. The BYOB policy makes things even better. I have done the 5 course menu a couple of times and loved it every time.
The wait staff is extremely attentive and accommodates special requests. Love this place.
I live around the corner from here but it took me awhile to get myself to go since its website seemed a bit overly swanky for my bank account, but I am so glad that I finally did cuz it was gooood.
Its super small but has a very cozy romantic feel to it. Perfect for a date or you and a friend in the mood to dish over a bottle of wine.
The prices are a bit steep, we chose the pre fix menu at $60 a pop, I was in the mood to splurge. This was a while ago so i dont remember everything I had but i do remember delicious frogs legs and a not so great beef stew. the beef was super dry (hence 4 instead of 5 stars) but if i'm gonna pay $60 for a meal i'm gonna lick the plate clean damn it.
Our waiter was very nice and kept asking for feed back on the courses, I believe the chefs were the ones wanting the feed back, and although the beef stew wasn't all that great I had a hard time saying so.
Definitely a great place to check out!
My friend and I walked in on a weekday night with no reservations and it wasn't crowded at all. But I"ve walked by on weekends and it's looked like a full house.
UPDATE: 3/17/08
went back again with a few newbies and even though we had no reservations and they were expecting a full house, they accommodated us, by the chef's request. everyone that works there is from the logan square area and they will do all they can do to hookup a fellow neighbor. Good people work here, they get an xtra star.
I brought in 2008 while dining here and it was a great way to start of the new year. A group of friends and I enjoyed the 11pm prix fixe menu. Every course was presented nicely and tasted great. It was additional bonus that every course was served by the owner/chef. Additionally, as a byob this place gets extra points in my book.
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We've been meaning to try this restaurant for some time. I even signed up for their "Underground" menu but hadn't found a menu that was appealing enough.
We decided to try their Tuesday 3 course special but ended up doing the 5 course tasting menu since we were celebrating an early Valentine's Day. It was a cold and snowy night, and the space is not well heated. We also had the misfortune of being seated next to a couple who downed two bottles of wine and then went out for a 12 pack of beer. Needless to say, they were loud and fairly obnoxious. I can't fault the restaurant for our bad luck, but sadly they came darn close to ruining our dinner (he did really awful impersonations!).
Rotten luck aside, the food was excellent. Each course was perfectly prepared. The fish is sushi grade and fresh from Fulton Market. The duck fell off the bone it was so tender. I had never had cobia before, but I think we both found our new favorite fish.
The only weakness of the meal was the dessert. It was a sampler platter with some sort of bread pudding and custard. The dishes didn't really complement one another and were not very flavorful.
The chef was very friendly and gave my girlfriend tips on preparing some of the dishes we had. He even suggested which fish markets were the best for novices. The waiter could have spent a little more time explaining the dishes. He usually went through everything so quickly I had barely realized the food was in front of me before he whisked away.
I will definitely return for another round when their spring menu is released in a month or so.
We, 5 of us -- all girls, ate here last nite. There's no doubt that the food was fantastic; however, the portion was extremely small. We all left the restaurant with a half-full stomach -- in which at one point we were thinking to head to Chinatown for a bowl of wonton noodle soup.
We all wish we did head to Chinatown for the noodle soup cuz it was no fun driving home hungry. I chowed down half a bag of potato chips before heading to bed. Not healthy at all!!!
We had the $30 prix fixe dinner -- the price is good.
For starter, 3 of us had the soup du jour - four mushroom soup and 2 of us had the poached pear salad. For entree, we all had the braised beef short rib. For desserts, 2 of us had the bread pudding and 3 of us had the apple quince.
Again, we were all very pleased with the taste but we all wish they would feed us a bit more -- esp. we were usually not a big-eater to begin with.
Minor detail -- I would suggest them to invest on installing a screen door. It was freezing cold every time when someone open the door.
We didn't take advantage of the BYOB. We could've easily bought wines at the corner store but we decided not to since we were way too lazy to walk out in the cold plus we all need to work the next day.
$5 corkage fee per bottle is a bit stiff but still not too bad of a deal.
I personally will definitely go back again but it has to be on a absolutely-not-hungry day.
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Just got back from this charming little restaurant. Went there for my gf's bday. We wanted to do the 5 course tasting, but we brought our own cake, the staff was completely reasonable and helped us out. Instead of 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 1 desert/cheese plate, they accommodated us by doing 2 appetizers and 3 entrees for the same price. We had the mussels, duck salad, lamb biscuit, halibut with risotto, and braised short rib. Everything was very good especially the halubut with risotto. Charming little atmosphere with great service. Their white chocolate mocha was REALLY good drink also.
Highly suggest it for small intimate settings.
Have fun...DO IT
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Oui! Oui! This joint is off the chain. This was my first encounter with French food and I have to say I'm glad it was with Bonsoiree. The restaurant is comfortable and the staff is super friendly. The menus are prearranged which is a great way to try multiple specialties. Everything from the flavor to the presentation was grade A. This is a great date restaurant. Check it out!
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What a great place! I've been here 3 or 4 times and every meal is better than the last. Service is excellent and $30/tuesday night special is truly a value. Plus they are BYOB! What's not to love?
Good food and atmosphere in this smaller BYOB. Went with a large crowd on Sunday night, got the larger prix fixe menu, and it was really an excellent deal. My favorite courses were the cheese course and the dessert course so try to save room! Just a great experience all around, perfect for a special occasion.
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$50 Underground Tasting = Relaxing Evening Out
Such a fun date spot! Kurt (manager, server, host, renaissance man) was very accommodating and happy to see us, which made me feel all fuzzy inside.
We went on a summer night; it was so pleasant to sit in candlelight and enjoy - the soup was the best course, followed by the lamb. BYOB was great! The calamari appetizer quite small, but over-look-able.
The decor was simple - it reminded us of Schwa, and was calm and soothing.
The Underground thing felt very VIP, and I minused a star because I felt the food wanted to be better, I was just there on night where the staff brought their "A-" game.
I'll be back - sooner rather than later.
Reminder: The Armitage bus stops running at 7:30! I had to cab it after calling CTA.
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