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Tue-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Tue-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
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French Bistro and Strip Mall are two terms I really don't associate as going together but D&J Bistro is a damn tasty dining experience and classy despite the location and tone of my review.
I have been coming here for years but recently celebrated my birthday here last week. As hoped - everything was delicious as always.
The restaurant is rather large but comfortable - so reservations are strongly encouraged as its always packed to the brim. Service is quick and spot on and food is outta this world! I had the escargot which is better here than any French places I have tried in the city (sorry Chicago I love you), roasted duck and foie gras and topped it all with several drinks including a glass of absinthe.
I wish D&J Bistro was closer but I like it being a slightly hidden gem of the burbs.
Really good food. Very consistant quality. Very helpful attentive wait staff. Wish they had more special choices, sometimes they have great ones, othertimes too odd even for me.
Nice nite out with the Hubby or Friends!
We recently went to this restaurant on a weekend evening (we've been here a few times before, but it had been a couple of years since our last visit). It's a storefront French bistro restaurant located in a nondescript retail mall (in fact, you'll double check the address you've written down or plugged into your gps when you pull into the mall just to make certain you're at the right place). The storefront restaurant stretches through several store fronts and has been diced up into a few rooms. We arrived early and sat in the bar waiting for the rest of our party. Food service is available in the bar and the bartender was friendly. The bar was packed with a friendly crowd of what appeared to be regulars. We decided to order a bottle of wine. There are 2 wine lists (a wine list of value-priced options and a reserve list). In any event, the lists offer about 10-12 by the glass options (each of which is also available by the bottle) and a smallish list of bottle only choices. The wines were split between California wines and French choices (we thought that for a French bistro, the French choices were limited in number). When the balance of the party arrived we were seated in a well-lit room off of the main dining room. They have a standard menu as well as a changing set of specials that are available. The specials may be agglomerated into a a $35 (as of September 2009) selection that allows a choice of a starter (appetizer, salad or soup), entree and desert from the list of specials. The escargot, served in the traditional garlic-butter "soup", was outstanding and the crusty french bread served at the table was used to great effect to mop up the garlic-butter that accompanied the escargot. The tuna trio was very good (served in 3 different styles) as an entree. Portions are decently sized so that you can finish what's served in one sitting without feeling stuffed when you get up.
The place was crowded (it was a weekend evening), but we were not rushed. Service was pleasant and efficient.
Now, now my city dwellers... Don't get yourselves in a tizzy, I'm certainly not suggesting you pack up the station wagon, fill the canteens and head out to the NW burbs anytime soon... However, if you do find yourself looking to entertain some in-the-know suburbanites or hear the grumblings of an empty belly when in or near Lake Zurich, D&J Bistro is a spot not to be missed!
If you can get past a few shortcomings like their cheesy strip-mall locale with the less-than-thrilling décor to match, you'll be pleased to find warm and friendly service, authentic french bistro cuisine, fabulously affordable wine and trés délicieux fromage!!
A few standouts are their mussels in a classic white wine broth; light and tasty, and the delectable escargots bubbling and sizzling away from their little pools of melty Pernod garlic butter - Oh Baby, all I needed was bread and some privacy!! Don't be shy and ask your server to fix you up a cheese plate... it's not really on the menu, but what's a French meal without your cheese course?? That's like Peanut Butter without the Jelly, A Fat Kid without Cake, Birds with no Bees. Enjoy being served a beautiful and decadent 6 cheese sampling complete with grapes, fig cake and that wonderful warm, crusty French baguette. Do not miss this lactose feast!!
The entrees are just as fantastic and inventive as anything you'd find in the big, bad city... tangy and piled high salad nicoise, kobe waygu beef, steak frites with shallot butter and roasted black mission figs wrapped in pancetta over a boursin tartine. OMFG!! See, I told you to get past the strip mall.
If you can make room for dessert after that decimation, I hear the warm pecan and sweet potato tart with house-made ice cream is good enough to make you scream in French. Oui! Oui!
I have read reviews for over a year about the "great French place in the strip mall" and was excited to finally give it a try last week when I was spending part of the turkey day weekend in the suburbs. As I had been warned, there it was, unassumingly between Gino's East and a hair salon. I guess the only good thing you can say about the location is that it has easy parking.
As soon as we walked in we were greeted, in French by, the maitre'de and seated quickly there after. The wine list was informative, well rounded and inexpensive. (I guess if you get 20 miles out of the city and everything is cheap!) Starting with a glass of Kir Royal and I slowly sank into a nice cozy buzz that enhanced the rest of the evening. You gotta love the person who invented the idea of aperitif- booze to stimulate your palate, I like it!
While I enjoyed my bubbly libation we shared the mussels, escargots and cheese platter. All amazing! The mussels were served in a lovely white wine shallot broth, the escargots came piping hot in a garlicky butter sauce and the selection of cheeses was relatively diverse, we liked two of them so much we saved their names for future reference. My main was a salade niçoise with seared tuna rather than flaked. I really enjoyed it. It was well dressed, and full of crispy haricort verts, potatoes, capers, olives and white anchovies which really added to the flavor. Of course they had many delightful items on the menu if you are not in the mood for salad; I just happen to be a sucker for both seared tuna and niçoise olives!
Although I do not know if I would recommend driving from Chicago to Lake Zurich to eat here, if you happen to be in the area and want a great French bistro experience I would highly recommend D&J.
Tuesday was my Mother's birthday, so she choose D & J Bistro.
Despite it's far out, strip mall location on Route 12 in Lake Zurich; it's an excellent French Restaurant. The decor is a tad cutesy to me; but their food more than makes up for it.
I started with the tuna tartar, which was absolutely to die for. It was a very generous portion of tuna wrapped into a beautiful sphere, the wrapped with smoked salmon, fixed a top a plate of 3 beautifully colored sauces and some wasabi. I could easily have made a meal out of a few of these.
I then had the a goat cheese salad which consisted of Mescaline mix, a light vinaigrette dressing. I t was a generous portion and was great.
My entree was grilled duck breast with foi gras. It was delicious and rich, with a perfect sauce to accompany it.
I don't think I'd make a special trip to go there, but if I am ever in that area or my parents choose to go there I'll be in.
Best French food around. Hell, it's the best food around. Always incredibly good, even if you cannot pronounce the meal.
The location is yucky, but the place is great! SO & I went for dinner on Friday - packed - fun, noisy, but oh, so French - even down to the special parking for antique vehicles. I probably would have liked a prix fix menu, but the menu was good anyway. I had the duck and he had fish, both beautifully served and very tasty. The bread was good, the wine list large, the bar fully stocked. Kinda' pricey for a bistro, but all in all, it was good. The waitress was not French, but spoke it fluently, which was a plus. Would like outdoor seating for summer.... oh, well.
I confess that we arrived late, after 8:30pm; but it should not have been the reason for bad service and less than stelar food. The goat cheese salad had only ONE piece! the sparagus plate consist of only 4 sparagus!!! Oh! and did i mentioned that the server was not only moody but broody too, i know we were at a French restaurant but come on! some service here please.
I had been at the bistro twice before and this time i brought a French visitor, hoping to impress.... she was impressed alright, she tought we have no taste.
I think this place has the most affordable French food I've ever had.. outside of the food I've had in France. I think the service is good but the food can be a hit or miss. My father got this pasta with beef medallions and it was just okay.
I think the prix fixe is your best bet! If you choose the right things.. the meal can be delicious. Unfortunately you will miss the chance to get the duck pate which is good and plentiful.
We were having a high hope on this place cuz we met a couple at Le Titi de Paris the night before and they told us they LOVE D&J.
I would have to say -- both the food and the service were marginal. The service was horrible. We waited a good half an hour for our table despite the fact that we had a reservation. They sat us by the bar area which people were smoking cigar while we had an infant with us. I thought most of the restaurants ban pipe and cigar smoking.
The prix-fixe is a good deal (with limited choices). I still think Marche, Le Sardine have the better deals though.
I have ordered the prix fixe -- the mussels were okay -- not much of taste and kinda fishy. For entree, I had the beef tenderloin. The server didnt ask me how I wanted the meat to be cooked and when I got my dish, the meat was too rare for my taste. Then, I asked our server to bring it back to cook a bit longer -- she claimed they always cook their meat MEDIUM RARE unless YOU tell them otherwise. I think it's a bit odd how they expect new-comers know such a rule.
Also, our server was not too attentive either. There were quite a few times she said she would bring us more bread and water and then she totally forgot about us. She was way too busy socializing with the other tables. I think our busboy was more courteous than our server.
In my opinion, their food was not that authentic after all.
If you ask me if I will go back, my answer is NO.
There are too many better French restaurants in the city.
I miss Le Loup on Sheffield -- it's been closed down for couple years now. I always wonder what happened to Claude (the owner).
I am a big fan of D&J while others are not and I can understand. The menu is small and unless you know exactly what your tastes are it can be hard to find something you really want. But for what I do order it is phenomenal. Usually the specials are excellent and deserts are delicious. Service is okay sometimes wonderful others not so much, mario is the best!
One particular note, this place can be hard for those with allergies or picky tastes. A lot of the entrees are similar or contain some degree of wine, soy, gluten.
On my rotation of French restaurants here in the NW burbs. Amazing. Between this place, Barrington and Retro bistros you can't find better (even in the city). Highly rec. Avoid places like Le Titi de Paris like the plague, and go to one of these three instead. You and your wallet won't regret it.
Yup - believe the hype - D&J is as good as everyone says. I had a bouillabaisse here last time that was better than any I actually had in France. One of the best restaurants in Chicago, in my opinion. Gets crazy busy on weekends, plan accordingly.
We are here with another couple. The food, drinks, and atmosphere were very good. The staff was knowlegeable and friendly. Who knew that such a good French Bistro would be in a Lake Zurich strip mall, but there it is!
We've been eating at D&J since shortly after they opened in Lake Zurich. Have never been disappointed.
Swift seating ... with a reservation. Excellent, unobtrusive, service.
Interesting menu selections beautifully prepared and presented. Prix fixe is a bargain!
Warm, pleasant ambiance.
We are blessed to have D&J and Barrington Bistro for fine dining right in the neighborhood.
Great suburban restaurant. It really has that homey feel and you feel like you're being waited on hand and foot, literally. The bar area is super tiny, so if you're waiting for a table on a Fri/Sat night you will most likely have to stand- if you want a seat- get there at 4:30. 100%- MAKE A RESERVATION. There is no way you're getting a table here unless you do- esp. if you have a larger party. The food is great quality here, everyone at my table had something different, from chicken, to fish, to steak....and everyone left with a smile on their face. The owner is cute- a little French man, and he is always running around the restaurant. Makes you feel like they actually care, I love when the owner is around to socialize with the guests and greet them. The restaurant is really tiny so it has a very French, homey feel. Crowd is mainly suburban families and couples in their 40's-50's.
The second you sit down and especially when you start to eat your food, you would NEVER know that you are in a strip center in Lake Zurich! This is great french food, great food in general. The service has always been perfect, the atmosphere is great. Whether your celebrating a birthday or on a romantic date this is a great place. Its worth the drive to the 'burbs... its a gem!
Lake Zurich, IL
Category: Latin American
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Category: French
Lake Zurich, IL
Category: Restaurants
Lake Zurich, IL
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