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Categories: French, Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhoods: Lincoln Park, DePaulTue-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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This place is amazing and I can't wait to go back.
The location is a little strange and we thought we had the wrong address at first, however once inside the space is very cute and intimate.
We went on a Tuesday night when the entire menu is half off, so we had made reservations a couple weeks in advance.
We were seated a couple minutes before our reservation time and our waitress quickly checked in on us and described some of the menu highlights.
The menu included a wide variety of interesting seasonal options. We started with the butternut squash risotto and the pumpkin gnocchi. Both were rich in flavor and well balanced. For our entrees we had the "hunter's plate," which was a meat and saurkraut dish, and the lobster risotto. The meat dish was HUGE, but the risotto was more reasonably portioned. Both were great! For dessert we had the chocolate cornmeal pie and the milk chocolate pecan pie, which were both amazing.
We enjoyed each of our courses and were told that the menu changes on a regular basis to reflect the seasons, so I am excited to see what will be offered next time.
THE FACTS:
Prix-fixe of any appetizer, entree, and dessert off the menu for $29 every night
Tuesday night is half-off the entire menu (note: they still calculate tax on the original totat)
BYOB
Must make reservations well in advance for Tuesday night
Four stars for the food, two for the service - so I'll average this at three.
I've been to Sweets and Savories a couple of times now, and it's best to visit on one of their specials nights - on Tuesdays, the entire menu is half off, which is an amazing deal, and every day there's a $29 prix fixe (one day I'm going to make a list of all the restaurant specials in Chicago - there are so many right now! At least one good thing came out of the recession...).
Come here for the food - overall, it's excellent. One standout item was the blueberry risotto - it sounds strange, but it's surprisingly good. The friend that I made the last trip here with has been raving about it ever since.
Chocoholics take note: the dessert menu is strangely devoid of chocolate. It's not that there isn't any, it's just that there are very, very few chocolate options. As someone who isn't terribly interested in dessert unless it's made of chocolate, I found this disappointing. The addition of a chocolate mousse or something along those lines would make for a much stronger menu (for me at least).
Make a reservation: If you don't, the staff will look confused for a good ten minutes even if the restaurant is empty and barely any other diners walk in. It gets to the point of being a little off-putting.
Service ranges from passable to bad. On my first visit, the service was sub-par. My friend ordered fries - which, by the way, look amazing - and found them much too salty. I think the kitchen was having an off day, since he generally adds more salt to his food than I think a person should consume and I've had those fries since on other occasions. When he sent the fries back to the kitchen untouched (mind you, this was the only time in 4-5 years I've seen him send anything back - he's not a picky eater), our server did not ask what was wrong. That's a huge mistake - I've worked as a server, and you always ask what's wrong with the food when a customer looks unhappy and sends it back. Not only did the server not ask, the fries also appeared on the bill. I didn't want to make a fuss with the manager about it and paid the bill with no questions, but we both found this a bit disconcerting.
I should also note that their website is terrible and rather out of date (it's currently listing a truffle special from June).
The bottom line: make a reservation and come on a Tuesday. It's worth visiting for the bargain food prices on that night, and the food is generally quite good.
On Sundays they offer a prixe fixe menu for $14, which includes a plate of pastries, a starter course, and a main course.
The plate of pastries arrives with several different options. One was a chocolate chip muffin which I decided to give a try. I was really unimpressed. First, my friend and I struggled to remove the muffin wrapper. It was as if they super glued the wrapper on to the muffin. After the muffin wrapper struggle of 2009, I came to the conclusion that the muffin was just ok. It sure wasn't worth the struggle.
The other pastries included walnut coffee cake, cinnamon rolls, and fig scones. I really enjoyed the walnut coffee cake. It was soft, with just the right amount of cream cheesiness.
For my starter course, I opted for the sweet potato bisque. This was most excellent. It wasn't heavy and it was very flavorful. The dollop of creme' fraiche with chives was a very nice touch.
For my main course I went for the scrambled eggs, creme fraiche, with white truffle oil. These might have been some of the best scrambled eggs I've encountered. Not too runny, not too stiff. The amount of white truffle oil used was perfect. It didn't overpower the eggs. The only downside to my main dish was the semi-burnt piece of thick toast underneath the eggs. It's toast. How does one mess up toast?
The service was awkward. Our waitress was a tad more than flighty. The coffee drinkers had to ask a couple of times for creamer. My one friend was never asked if she wanted a refill. Another friend ordered the NY strip steak with eggs. When she asked for a knife, the waitress brought over a regular knife to cut through the thick steak. Hmmm, ok. My friend needed to explain to the waitress she needed a steak knife. Also, our dishes from our first course weren't cleared prior to our main course arriving which made for an awkward plate handling situation. Throughout our meal, I kept turning to my one friend and saying "Is the waitress new to serving?"
Overall, I feel the value is there for what you get, and the menu is not run of the mill brunch food. The service has me on the fence as to whether or not I want to return.
I wasn't blown away but I would come back. It is definitely a good bang for your buck as coffee, pastries, a starter and your brunch entree were all included in the $14.
The pastries were the best part of my meal. They bring out a variety at the beginning to be shared family style. So delicious.
The salad I got as my starter was pretty boring but it is just a starter. I was really tempted to get the sweet potato bisque instead but I was trying to keep things a little bit lighter.
I had the lobster hash with poached eggs and lemon hollandaise on on top for my entree. I wasn't too crazy about it. They said the lobster meat was both tail and claw but all I had was claw meat, which I am not a big fan of. Also, I don't really like hollandaise in general but I thought maybe lemon hollandaise would mean I might like it more. I did not.
The staff was amazing, really good senses of humor.
I had pretty close to the perfect dining experience at Sweet and Savories last night.
We were able to try many different dishes because everyone in the group ordered the 29$ prix fixe, and nearly everything was outstanding. The gnocchi with butternut squash was a delicious and unique combination with perfectly chewy, dense gnocchi covered in a creamy, nutty sauce. They had 3 different risottos on the menu, and all were perfectly prepared, though the foie gras risotto (for real) was the best of the bunch and that was served next to perfectly medium-rare scallops. The braised short ribs were beyond tender, and served with a polenta that was so good everyone at the table ended up trying it. And what's left to say about the huge kobe burger (dead on medium rare) with foie gras and truffle mayo? It rocked! Dessert was terrific too. The bread pudding, pumpkin pie, olive oil semolina cake with nutella ice cream, it was all great.
We eat a fair amount of new american/new french cuisine and after a while they all start to look/taste/feel the same, but Sweets and Savories successfully delivered a meal that was memorable even when compared to the legions of restaurants serving kobe burgers, truffled arugula salad, and lobster risotto. Bravo!
I usually don't pay too much attention to service, but they really were perfect last night. Our group showed up in waves and they never rushed us. We stayed pretty late (BYO will do that) and our waiter hung out with us for a while. We had a vegetarian with us, and the waiter worked with her to find a suitable dinner since the entrees weren't vegetarian friendly. The service really did add to our experience and we really appreciated it. And they even threw in a couple extra desserts on the house.
On top of it all, this place is a tremendous value. No corkage fee BYO, 30 bucks plus tax and tip for 3 courses, good sized portions. There are few restaurants that combine this quality of food and preparation with a price this reasonable. From now on every time we go to a restaurant and drop 50-60 bucks a head before alcohol, we'll be asking ourselves, wouldn't we have been better off going to Sweets and Savories?
My mom is afraid of public transportation. And cities. And "bad neighborhoods".
So while I was on a business trip to Chicago from San Diego, I made her take a bus from Detroit, transfer to the Metra and meet me in Schaumburg for half the weekend, after which we took the Metra back to Chicago for one night in the city.
She chose dinner, I chose brunch. I won.
After dinner at her overhyped good-but-not-great downtown choice, I made her walk 3 blocks in a semi-sketchy neighborhood to a liquor store to buy champagne to bring to S&S the next morning.
On brunch day, we took the subway to Fullerton and walked the last 1/2 mile. She was pretty irritated with me by this point and I think quite certain we were going to die. Then we reached the restaurant. We had a reservation but there was no need, we were only the 2nd party in there (10:30 Sunday AM).
For $14 each, we got to split the most incredible selection of homemade pastries (could have been breakfast by themselves!), and each got a soup or salad and an entree. I got the roasted sweet potato bisque and she got the arugula salad with lemon and grana padano (fave cheese). We shared both and the contrast was heavenly. We both fell for the lobster hash - HOW HOW HOW do you provide us with such gigantic, sweet, succulent chunks of lobster for $14??? Nevermind, I don't want to know. Perfect poached eggs, seasoned potatoes and a ton of lobster. For $4 extra we got a carafe of OJ to finish off our champagne with.
I will go back to this spot every single time I am in Chicago forever, and my mom will too. It was magical.
I'm watching Rick Bayless, and can't help but tell you all- have any of you noticed his mortar has painted Chicago Bulls on the side?! You really can't help but love him, but I digress...
Sweets and Savories starts out with a simple menu delivered on a piece of paper, and being informed by the waiter that an appetizer/main course/dessert combo will be $29, along with our bring our own wine, our meal is shaping out to be pretty exciting...
Taking a look around the restaurant, I notice that, despite some prints on the back wall, I was looking at gray walls and a white squared ceilings. Meh, whatever, as long as the food is good...
And the appetizers were fantastic. I had a beet and goat cheese salad. Of course, I would be happy spending a night at the Schrute Beet Farm, despite cousin Moses, a lack of electricity, and well, being afraid for my life, if it meant tasty beets, but once again, I digress.... I got a sampling of the sausage and mussels, onion soup, and risotto, and I must say, it doesn't seem like you can go wrong with the appetizers here.
I ordered the steak frites after reading a lot of complaints about the other dishes here on the yelp. I must say: I had entree envy. The steak was extremely disappointing. I was warned by the waiter that ordering it "medium" would mean pink-red center, which I was happy with. I ended up with a medium-well steak. Sounds too complainy? I don't think so. Steak should be cooked how it is ordered, no matter where you are.
The frites were pretty gross. Salt, salt, salt. And I love salt, but seriously, too much salt. Combined with an overcooked, dry steak, and yes, very disappointing.
The chocolate pecan pie was pretty good, but of course by the time dessert roles around at a BYOB, can you trust your taste buds anymore? Nonetheless, I would be pretty happy with another piece of that pie this morning. My least favorite part of pecan pie is usually the goo, but this pecan pie was great because (1) there were plenty of pecans, and (2) the goo was filled with chocolate! yay!
Despite a great appetizer and great dessert, you eat dinner for your entree, and the disappointment of my entree, along with the lack of concern by the wait staff and boring decor has me giving sweets and savories three starts. Not bad, but considering all the great restaurants in this town, probably won't go back for quite some time...or if somebody else is paying...
Been about 5 times and have enjoyed it every time. High end savory food, byob, nice waiters, three course meal for $29. Really? Yeah it is and it is great. Would get 5 but no resi no dice and they do run out of dishes if you come late. Basically book for a tuesday about a month ahead of time an it is half price. Yep!
prix fixe sunday brunch is awesome.
you'll have so much food you really won't know what to do with all of it. try to stuff as much in as possible. that is what i did. and then proceeded to pass out for a couple mins before i had to pay the bill. classy! i know.
anyway, sweet and savories, true to the name. the first course that comes is a plate of sweets: pastries and cakes. coffee cake - this was delicious albeit not what i usually think coffee cake is, but so moist and so delicious. chocolate muffin thing - this was ok but it was still eaten. palmier - this was crispy and owned up to the usual deliciousness. fig scone - this was absolutely delicious. then there was the cinnamon roll with icing on top. not as ooey gooey as i liked but still solid. relax this is only the appetizer. and yes, all of them are regular sized, meaning u could probably eat just 2 or 3 and be full.
but who stops there?
the next course i got the sweet potato bisque. sweet and savory. rich and decadent and everything that you would think of for a delicious bisque. topped with chives which is comparable to icing for a cupcake. anyway, my friend ordered the arugula salad which was very crisp, fresh, and paired well with the richness of the soup.
i opted to go with the eggs benedict with ham because what could be better than poached eggs, hollandaise, and fat slices of ham? nothing. except for the english muffin it came on. because it tasted fresh baked and i couldnt get enough.
my friend got the lobster hash. cubed potatoes cooked perfectly golden and what the hell, she got a bunch of lobster. i mean i was expecting strings of it but when i saw a claw and more, i was a little jealous and furious on the inside. but she shared, so.... all was well.
be sure to make reservations because if you don't, you don't eat.
wow -- this has been a restaurant on my list for a few years now (im ashamed it took me so long), but daaaamn its good.
alex and i came for the prix fixe menu -- we shared the mussels in tomato sauce, french onion soup. soup was amazing, super flavorful and just really hit the spot. the mussels were a bit weird, not sure why it was a tomato sauce, or what the polish kielbasa was doing in there....
for mains we had the foie gras risotto with ginormous scallops and crazy yum mango coulis and the beef short ribs over polenta. we both preferred the ribs, mostly because the foie gras made the risotto super rich and by this point in the meal we were already full. (i dont know how it happened, but it hit us fast). .. which brings me to my next point - portion sizes are decently large, and the food is rich -- so pace yourselves my friends. if you don't you'll end up like us - trying to eat two tasty deserts when you are already beyond full.
the food is seriously great. service also great. byob ammmmaazing ! only minor negative for us was the decor, a bit bland and the overall illumination is too high. but i seriously can't wait to come back for $10 burgers and sunday brunch.. ive already started to droool.. (shamed again...)
What an adorable place! The food was amazing, the owner was our waiter, and the prices are outrageously low, go go go!
We went for brunch on a Sunday morning for my mom's birthday. Made a reservation the day before, got a cute little table when we got there. The prix fixe menu is outrageous--for $14, you get sweets (muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls), an "appetizer" (soup, salad, or brulee'd grapefruit, which I highly recommend), and a "main" (delicious varieties of eggs benedict, bacon waffles with fried eggs on top, yummm). The waiter/owner (?) was super nice, the place was adorable and quaint, the prices were incredible. Definitely give it a try for brunch!
I was on a bit of a hiatus from this place. I finally made it back last night, and while I still love the spot, it gets a bump down in its rating from me. The value is still great and most the food was pretty great, but there were some misses.
First off, after studying the menu for 5 minutes and making our decisions, we had the server come over and tell us there was no lobster anymore, and they were running low on scallops. Well, that eliminated two of the items we were going to order. So, we spent another few minutes figuring out our game-plan. My boyfriend ordered the escargot apptizer, and she said she forgot to tell us they were out of that too, but they could do the dish without it...the gnocchi sounded good, so sure, why not. They were able to scrounge up a few scallops for me for my entree. There were some wonderful stand out dishes. The scallops with foie gras risotto rocked, the vegetable tart was great and the berry cobbler was really good.
But, it wasn't just the fact that they ran out of this stuff that irked me, it was that our server was soooo flaky about it all. She was unable to offer other suggestions or give me any feedback or guidance when I was torn between a couple of dishes. I mean, she was really pretty bad!
But, the bargain is great. $29 bucks for three courses can't be beat, and I need to come back on a Tuesday when the half price menu sounds super good.
I just remember that while it was casual last time, the servers and the chefs seemed to go out of their way to make sure you were happy. They could have done something to make up for so much of the menu not being offered or apologized a bit more?
One of my favorite spots in Chicago. You can't get a better deal than the tasting menu offered… Read more »
hey you! you know I love you, but what happened this weekend? I really wanted you to shine and you just didn't. The Mussels & Sausage app had very few mussels and about a quarter of them weren't even cooked/opened. The lobster risotto, oh I've been curious about you for a while. Wow...you disappointed. Yes there are big chunks of lobster, but big chunks of overcooked, chewy lobster are almost worst than stingy lobster dishes. Also the lobster risotto was so unsatisfying that we had to order a 3rd entree for 2 people.
The shortribs and polenta were flavorful and delicious, but what's with the burnt and crispy/inedible outside of the shortribs? I tried to eat it at first but when my realized my teeth weren't strong enough to chew through it, I had to give up. There was quite a bit of meat that I couldn't eat, and I was very disappointed because I really enjoyed the dish otherwise.
Dear Sweets and Savories, I will go back. But I hope the next time I go back, you won't need to rely on the steak frittes to save the day.
without a doubt my new weekday favorite treat! 1/2 off tuesday night is the foodie god's gift to me!… Read more »
Brunched here with a couple of friends on a Sunday. Heard reservations would be a good idea so I did call ahead...so unnecessary. Showed up at 12:30pm and we were the only customers there! Needless to say we got a lot of attention from our waiter.
I love their prix fixe 3 course brunch menu. They'll bring out a sweets platter complete with this flaky, soft cake with what seems to be a nutty, crunchy, heath bar type topping. YUM!! Chose a fresh fruit plate for my starter which came as a plate with peaches, grapes, strawberries, and blueberries. All the fruit was incredibly fresh! All three of us could not resist the lobster hash and boy are we glad we didn't pass it up! They serve it with huge whole pieces of lobster claws mixed cubed hash potatoes with a poached egg on top.
Can't comment on the food.
Showed up at 1:20pm on Sunday -- they list Sunday brunch hours until 2pm. The restaurant is about 1/4 full. The maitre'd shortly tells us we're too late. Strange to be late for a 2pm closing at 1:20. Was looking forward to enjoying a nice brunch -- also strange is how they are turning away business when the restaurant wasn't even at capacity. oh well.
"maybe" next time.
Wow, brunch. $14 wow. Wow service (unabashedly friendly). Wow the prix-frix menu. Wow quality of food.
I got the biscuits and gravy--my favorite breakfast food while my "dining sidekick" picked up the eggs benedict. Absolutely amazing.
The bathrooms are unisex which is typically confusing, but they have TWO of them. No waiting req'd.
Sweets and Savories was one of the first "finer dining" restaurants I tried when I moved to Chicago in 2006. I had read a review in a magazine or newspaper and was intrigued by it's offerings. So I when I heard a college friend was coming to town and wanted to try a nice restaurant, I decided to give it a chance. We probably passed by the restaurant about 3-4 times before calling them to ask where exactly they were - the signage is not the most clear - the brown awning doesn't exactly scream out "hey! it's me!" when it's dark out. And honestly, the restaurant is in an odd location.
Once we were inside however, the service was impeccable. It's a tiny restaurant and there were a host, two servers, and a bartender on staff. We decided on the 5 course tasting menu priced at $55 - very reasonable. The waiter noted that that evening they had a special, $10 off the tasting menu! Phenomenal. The menu was a chef's tasting menu but the server asked us if we had any dietary restrictions - we didn't but we did tell him that we weren't feeling like eating any heavier meat that night. The chef catered the menu to our request and the bartender selected a great bottle of white for us. We ended up having 7 courses with the additional "palate cleansing" dishes the chef brought out.
Well, come 2008 - gone are those days. The restaurant has totally stripped down - bare walls and the seating arrangements cramped. Service has totally gone out the window, but I cannot stop going! The food is still top quality and the best bang for your buck! Their regular dinner prices have gone down drastically - no more than $6-9 for appetizers and $10 - $18 on entrees. The Wednesday night $10 Kobe burger is to die for also. Don't forget that it's BYOB. The last time we went to Kobe burger night, the couple at the table next to us brought "3 buck chuck" and another group brought in a six-pack of beer. CLASSY.
Now, weekend BRUNCH. The BEST value in town! A platter of pastries (coffee cake, scones, muffns, oh my!), a choice of fruit or cold soup, or salad, and entree of your choice. I really love the lobster hash and the salmon benedict. Beware of the risotto - it's very rich. It comes out with raw egg yoke on top which will cook when mixed into the steaming pasta dish. Don't forget to bring your bottle of champagne - splurge and get the carafe of OJ for 4 bucks.
Service comes and goes...they seem to have additional help on the weekends, but the guy that works on the weekdays - I've had him many times - he just seems...eh. But don't let that keep you from Sweets and Savories - truly one of the best value restaurants in Chicago.
Phenomenal food, lackluster service.
We had been planning on having Kobe burgers here for what seemed like weeks. They have a $10 special on Wednesday nights, so we finally made it over. I guess they recently became a BYOB place and got rid of their bar, so we had to run out and grab a bottle of wine from the corner store before ordering.
We asked about the specials just to make sure we were there on the right day, and our server said they didn't have any specials. We decided to go with the Kobe burgers anyway, regularly priced at $17. A few minutes later, we overheard our waiter telling the table next to us about the $10 Kobe special. Guess he just forgot? I would have been forgiving about that if the rest of our meal hadn't gotten progressively more disastrous.
When we came back with our wine, it took him a little over five minutes to come over with glasses... and then another five or so to come back with a corkscrew. Besides us, there were four other tables in the restaurant, and only two of them were his. Our food came, and the burgers were amazing. Kobe beef really is all it's cracked up to be - it was cooked rare, and it just fell apart in my mouth. It came with a little foie gras and a little white truffle sauce that perfectly complimented the meat's flavor. We also shared a side of macaroni and cheese made with a blend of cheeses and more truffle sauce. Delicious.
So we finished out meals without ever being checked up on... and waited. And waited. The restaurant hadn't gotten that much busier, and the table next to us was finished and had their plates cleared. I did the "impatient diner" move and stacked all our plates at the end of the table... these were finally picked up by the other server. Our server came over with the check, but we had planned on ordering dessert... ten more minutes and our dessert menus arrive. Ten more minutes, and we got to order our desserts. The following day, we got to eat them (ok, kidding). And so on, and so on, as we paid our bill and left. The entire dining experience took about two hours... and all we had were entrees and desserts!
I don't know what the deal was with this guy ignoring us while he was fawning all over his other tables... we gave him no reason to profile us. Maybe we were a little younger than the other tables, but that's never before been an issue for me at other, nicer restaurants. It was near insulting. It's a shame that this place's wonderful food is overshadowed by such poor service. I would go back for the burgers, but I would definitely ask to be seated in someone else's section.
I really give this place 3.5 stars, I had to take off for salty food (see below) and slower serivce towards the end of our meal. Restaurant was highlighted in the Chicago Tribune so we wanted to give it a try. Waited two weeks for a table on a Tues night, we drooled over the thought of lobster rissoto and other tasty delights. Apps were amazing, we shared the lobster rissoto it was heavy on garlic and cheese but nice amounts of lobster and the rissoto was really creamy and smooth. I ordered the Curry Seafood, I could not get enough! I wanted to tip back the bowl and drink the broth!!! My date didn't ahve the same experience, his scallops were so salty he lost his appetite :(
Restaurant is small and intimate, I'd be surprised if they turn over their tables twice.
Nothing impressive about this place. The only thing I consistently munched on were their free sample. The Eggs Benedict was mediocre, the muffins were not so shabby, the cinnamon rolls were so pale in comparison to Cinnabons, and the Biscuits and Gravy were the worst (as the waitress praised it for being one of the best). Seriously, Chicago eateries need to stop lying to my face and praising their dish as the greatest in the world. I would rather someone say "I don't know" than to boldly state something that is so far from the truth. On top of that, my server was non-existent and the fact that the bathroom is on the top floor makes this place more of an annoyance than a pleasurable experience. Sorry, I pass.
I've been meaning to get back to Sweets and Savories to try their brunch ever since I had my bridal shower here over a year ago. Everything at my shower was absolutely delish so I was excited to go back and eat even more...now that I don't have to worry about squeezing myself in a wedding dress. ;)
My friends and I did go back for brunch on one of the hottest days we've had this summer. Unfortunately, Sweets and Savories doesn't have air (or at least they didn't on this June day) so it was quite a hot, sweaty brunch. ICK. I expected it to be super crowded since it was Father's Day so I made reservations ahead of time, but no reservations needed since the restaurant was only half full.
Their $14 brunch is quite an amazing deal...pastry basket, 1st course (fruit for me), and 2nd course (truffle eggs for me). The fruit was just ok, but after growing up in Florida I rarely like any fruit I try in Chicago. The blueberries tasted especially funky. The truffle eggs were excellent so I'd definitely order those again. Our waitress forgot our pastry basket (oops), but brought it out at the end of the meal after we reminded her. And everything in the basket (scones, muffins, etc) was heavenly.
I wasn't as wow'd this time as I've been in the past, but perhaps the heat went to everyone's head. I'll for sure give them another shot though, but I'll be waiting until winter unless they get an air conditioner.
Although I've yet to enjoy dinner or that fabulous Sunday brunch I keep reading about on here I did… Read more »
I've been here twice and had a great meal both times.
Nice small & cozy restaurant with very limited seating (reservations are highly recommended as it gets packed fast, especially on Sunday brunches).
We went there for the Sunday prix fixe brunch menu. They first start you off with a tray full of scones, muffins, and rolls. The ice water also had a cucumber in it which surprisingly made the water even more refreshing.
We then got an Arugula salad and then our main entrees came out.
My friend got the risotto and I got the steak & eggs benedict. It seems like it is usually a 2 person operation, as the chef actually served us our meals and explained what was on the plate. The food was outstanding and only $14 a person!
The next time I went with a group of friends to try their Kobe Burger. A very fat Kobe patty cooked to medium rare perfection, topped with foie gras pate and truffle mayonnaise. The burger literally melted in my mouth.... so good. Luckily I was able to snag some Groupons, so it ended up costing us only $5 a burger.
They can get very busy & hectic, but provide super friendly service and serve well executed & delicious food.
Previously on "Kichen Nightmares" :
[Here insert a litany of British inspired insults uttered (yelled?) by an apoplectic Gordon Ramsey to an incompetent restaurant owner or better yet, a so-called chef who runs his kitchen like a "donkey" and mistakes it for a stable.]
Note: if you have never seen the show - I would highly recommend it. It's filled with high-colored metaphors and it changes forever the way you look at a dining room.
After my experience last Sunday I think that "Sweets & Savories" should be a serious contender for the next season.
Because nightmarish it was - indeed.
And it started hard and strong. No time for suspense.
[Scene reconstruction]
Me: Hi, we have a reservation for two.
Host: ......mmm...ok. Oh, you cannot use the bathroom today.
Me: ?!??!?!?
Host: We don't have running water.
Here, I have to say that I failed to totally understand the implications. No running water, no bathroom. OK. I can hold it.
But no running water, no hands washed, no dishes washed, NOTHING washed. Health hazard, right?
Is it really allowed to open when you don't have water?!?!?
Hmmmm...me think not.
We sit down. Wait. And wait. The place is tiny, there are 4 staff people walking around.
Waiter (finally stopping at our table) : Just to let you know, we only have one order of French toast left, so don't fight for it!!!
(not funny dude. Keep your jokes)
Me: (not in the mood for coffee) I'll get some tea please.
Waiter: We only have one Italian herbal. Chamomile, licorice and fennel.
Me: ..............................no thanks.
(highly diuretic combination. Not a good idea when you cannot use the bathroom. And what happened to good old Earl Grey or English Breakfast?!? Come on guys! Make a trip to Jewel.)
Me: I'll get a cappuccino then, thank you.
Waiter: well, our milk steamer is pretty bad. I am not sure you are going to like the result.....but I can try for you!
Me: .................................................. ...................no, it's fine. I'll get an orange juice.
Waiter (giving me the look of death) : Are you sure?
Me: Oh yes, I am!!!
The vibe during the whole meal was just really really off.
I couldn't eat fast enough to get the hell out of there.
The shame was that the food was really good; their breakfast risotto was hands down one of the best I've ever had (it didn't have any smoked bacon in it as indicated but black truffle. Fine by me, but what about a word of notice? A little more or a little less....wouldn't have made a difference)
Conclusion: won't be back. Ever.
Excuse me now, but I have to call M. Ramsey.
If you haven't had a good burger in a while, then what are you waiting for?!
I came here on a Wed. night to sample the $10 Sweets & Savories burgers special and for a friend's birthday! The restaurant is small, so I'd suggest making a reservation if possible.
Of course, I opted for the Sweets & Savories Burger - American Kobe, Foie Gras Pate and Truffle Mayonaise. This was probably one of the best burgers I have ever had, save for my dad's homemade burgers! The burger came out cooked just right and was very fililng! I also had a taste of my friend's Truffle Macoroni & Cheese, which gives other great ones a run for their money!
Oh, and I must not forget their frites (or were they fries?) which were fried in duck fat. It's not currently on the summer menu, but they were to die for!! I know, duck fat is probably the unhealthiest oil out there to fry food in, but hey, we can all indulge every once in a while can't we?
Two thumbs up!!
My first experience at Sweets & Savories was a true test of any restaurant. There were about 20 of us there for a friend's birthday...dun dun dun. Although I consider this dining en masse tantamount to having sharp metal objects forced under my fingernails, I sucked it up and went because I really like this friend. I was a wee bit apprehensive after checking this place out on Yelp! because there was a lot of S&S hate on the service, and general weirdness in the reviews.
I'm writing this because we had an AWESOME time. We stopped in on a weeknight, and the birthday girl's fiance had made reservations. I have to give Sweets & Savories a shout out here because they were ready for us. They had a swarm of waiters on hand to take care of everyone, and although we ordered a ton of different things, our food came out quickly and everything was cooked well. A lot of people took advantage of the prix fixe menu ($30?) for an app, entree, and dessert. Since it is BYOB, I think we saved the waiters a lot of heartache by bringing in our own wine. Additionally, the waitstaff was really jovial and easy to be around. They seemed knowlegable about the menu and generally seemed to like their jobs.
Of the dinners I've been to with more than 6 diners, this was by far the most enjoyable. Perhaps it was the company, but the service was stellar, and that really took things to the next level.
As for food: I had steak frites, and the frites! My god, the frites! They were amazing and there were a ton of them. The steak was well cooked and it was also enormous (I took home leftovers). The desserts were...interesting. The biggest hit among us was the lavender ice cream, which sounds weird, but was delicious.
This place is tiny, so make reservations, and you might want to avoid weekend nights. Overall, great dinner! Would eat again!
Impressive little hidden treasure in Lincoln Park.
Went there when they opened at 5:00pm and was the only ones there. The chef took great care of my boyfriend and I. We ordered the Kobe beef burger with Escargot appetizer and the Lobster Risotto with Foie Gras appetizer. It was delicious, the chef even gave us both a generous portion of truffle shavings on our main course for free.
I was so impressed that I went back for my B-Day party. Service and food was delicious as usual and all my friends absolutely loved the place. The only caveat was that the day we went for my b-day the place had no running water and we could not use the restroom so all of us had to go really bad by the end of the night and a couple bottles of wine later.
Overall it was a great dinner for a great price. I will definitely be back!
I've been to sweets and savories on two occasions now, but both having been only under the context of a "great deal".
Deal 1: I purchased two groupons for $5 kobe burgers. I believe standard rate is $17, so this is a fantastic deal. A friend and I went on a Friday night, and the server was not drawn back when I pulled the certificate out (I always cringe when I present coupons/certificates as I assume the staff immediately thinks "there goes my tip"). The burger itself was very tasty. The foie gras on top was blackened and the meat was a nice medium rare. The truffle mayonnaise might have been the key to this dish, and it was very subtle but added just the right amount of flavor to complement the burger. We also ordered the roasted vegetable tart, which was good but not great...all in all the meal ended up costing around $25 w/tip and we shared a bottle of wine (no corkage fee!!!!). - 5 star experience
Deal 2: On Tuesdays EVERYTHING IN THE RESTAURANT IS HALF OFF. A friend of mine walked to the restuarant with 2 (yes 2) bottles of wine and an expectation of a large meal. We ordered the roasted beet salad and the asparagus risotto as appetizers and both were EXCELLENT. The restaurant has amazing risotto. For entrees my friend ordered the duck confit and I ordered the steak frites. Both of our entrees were less than desirable. While I forget his comments on the duck, both the quality and preparation of the steak were unsatisfactory. The meat was very fatty, and the cut was nothing close to the rare I had asked for. We finished with the chocolate cornmeal pie...you must try this if you go. It was absolutely delicious, both in texture and taste. Overall I think our bill came to around $34 without tip or something ludicrous like that. We tipped well even though the service was somewhat shoddy (she had forgotten one of our appetizers and wasn't available to be reminded for quite some time). - 4 star experience.
The restaurant itself is very small and "personal", meaning you're going to get to know the other patrons very well by the time your meal is over. They stack a lot of tables in a very small area, and there isn't really a table in the room that could offer even a shred of privacy. I don't mind this as much as others, but if you're expecting an intimate experience I would go look elsewhere.
Goods: Tuesday night offers an unbelievable deal. I'm not sure you can find the type of food with these prices anywhere in the city. What tips the scale is the BYOB no-corkage fee. This makes a good deal unbeatable.
Bads: Atmosphere itself is quite cramped. Whenever I've gone I've been inundated with conversations of other tables, who are no more than 2 feet away on either side. Also, 2 of the 3 entrees I've ordered thus far have been very mediocre.
Prix fixe Sunday Brunch is a beautiful idea, especially at a French-influenced spot like S&S. For $14 you get two courses and a plate of goods, plus complimentary coffee/tea.
A recommendation on the order of ingesting the baked goods plate:
1. The scone - sweeter than your usual, even the non-fans will enjoy it, and it's a good start.
2. The muffin - a little sweeter, ideal segue into...
3. The pecan cake. the icing is yummy
4. The palmier - sweet and flaky, yet light, this breaks up the transition from cake to roll (both heavy items) nicely.
5. The sweets roll - a delicious cinnamon roll, enough said.
(If you can only pick a few, skip 2 and 3.)
Onto the first course. I had a baby arugula salad, tossed with pecorino, lemon and olive oil that was perfectly savory - a true example of how keeping it simple with a few ingredients can be executed well. Nothing mind-blowing, but still pleasantly paired. My date had the bruleed oatmeal, which was everything you would imagine.
Second course - the Big Kahuna. I had the butter poached lobster hash with poached eggs and lemon hollandaise. One bite took me back to the days of alaskan king crab legs with drawn lemon butter at the country club - no joke. Small critique: the potatoes were cold by the time they got to me, which was a little disappointing.
The date ordered the soft scrambled eggs with black truffle over toasted brioche. Cultural Culinary Anecdote: Americans and French treat breakfast eggs differently. We tend to make scrambled eggs at home, and order featured omelets at restaurants. The French make their omelets at home - then go out for oeufs brouillés - soft scrambled eggs. It usually involves straining out impurities and then cooking over low heat in a double boiler. Sweets & Savories follows in this classic tradition's footsteps perfectly - I'm not sure exactly how their soft scrambled eggs are prepared, but the eggs with black truffle were delicious. Even though I was beside myself with fullness, I managed to sneak in a few truffle-laced bites of heaven.
Side note: some restaurants sprinkle some herbs on all of their dishes - parsley is a usual signature garnish of some Italian restaurants. S&S's is chive.
I loved their freshly roasted French coffee. And heads up - the amount of food is filling enough that you won't need other drinks of any sort with your meal. For $14, that's an offer you can't refuse...
I came here with a friend without reservations for dinner. Seating is pretty limited. We were able to find free parking right across the street. Their menu options were brief. We each ordered a salad for an appetizer. . . pretty fresh ingredients. As an entree, I ordered the braised short ribs which were pretty tender. To finish off the meal, we each got a chocolate molten cake which could have been better.
I came here when it first opened up. A intimate fine dining option without all the fanciness and yuppiness.
I must admit that it's worth a visit for their Duck-fried Frites and Kobe beef Burger. This is obviously on Wednesday for their $10 deal 'n steal.
It is truly EXPLOSIVE! And I mean this in both senses. Have a bathroom near-by all night long following dinner.
I'd like to go back for their 5-course tasting menu. If you go, let me know how you like it.
First of all, the restaurant is tiny and today it was HOT - it was like we were sitting in the kitchen. They had two fans running, but it seemed the A/C wasn't on. Not very comfortable!
Today was the Father's Day brunch special... great deal! Coffee/tea, plate of sweets (scone, muffin, cinnamon bun, etc.), choice of salad/soup/fruit, and entree for $14. The sweets were perfect. Huge fan of the scone. The fruit plate was...tiny. A wedge of melon, a few raspberries, and blueberries. My friend's arugula salad looked much more appetizing. For the entree I ordered the duck confit hash. Terrible mistake. The duck had little flavor and the hollendaise sauce was really overpowering. Made me a bit nauseous. I had a bite of my friend's lobster risotto - pretty rich, but delicious! I should have ordered that instead. I also tried my other friend's stuffed french toast. Also delicious. Seems that everyone picked winners except me!
Overall, I wasn't impressed with my particular dish but the fact that everyone else had great food gives the place a redeeming factor. Service was exceptional. Price was reasonable. Now if they could just get the A/C working...
Just went this morning for brunch with a friend. I'm glad I made reservations beforehand as it's a very small restaurant. Our waiter Chris was very nice. Service and attention were both good, but was a little slow at times. Oh, food came out very quickly.
Brunch is very reasonably priced. $14 for a first course, main entree and a cup of coffee or tea. I assume that the coffee & tea is unlimited, but I'm not sure as we both just had 1 cup of tea each. Yes, it's BYOB. Juice is $2/glass.
Also cannot forget the complimentary plate of sweets, I have a huge sweet tooth. The scone, pecan cake and the elephant ear were all very good, very sweet. The chocolate chip muffin was kind of tasteless, chocolate chips on top of plain muffin. Also, I thought the cinnamon roll wasn't very good, the dough was too tough.
For the first course I got the carrot & ginger soup. It was cool, not cold. I thought it tasted very good, but was kind of rich, so I only had about 1/3 of the soup. My friend got the fruit plate, it was a very large bowl of mixed fruits - pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries.
Main entree - both of us got the duck confit hash with 2 poached eggs on top. It was okay, nothing spectacular. Not the largest portion. The eggs were perfectly poached, the potatoes were okay, the duck was a little dry. The lemon hollandaise was very good. Needed salt. It would have been better with a piece or 2 of toast to pick up the juices.
The table next to us got the steak and eggs and the bacon risotto. The Steak and eggs looked very good. The steak portion was huge! The risotto was a very small portion. We saw the server put the egg yolk in and stir it in, it kind of grossed me out.
We would like to come again as it is very reasonably priced, but we weren't exactly wow-ed by our entrees... If I do come back, I will probably get the eggs benedict or the lobster hash.
I obviously went for the cheap eats.
$10 Kobe burger on Wednesday nights. I wasn't sure what to expect, but any place that serves a Kobe burger had to be nice. It was. It's a small boutique restaurant in a very inconspicuous block. I almost missed it as I drove by. Good thing parking wasn't too difficult to find. I hate searching for parking downtown.
My friend told me good things about it, and also warned me of a few things. He told me to expect bad service cause it's run pretty much by the owner and a busboy. So I went in with low service expectations. Good thing I did. I wasn't in any rush to get my food or have service every 10 minutes, so I actually enjoyed my experience.
The Kobe burger was excellent. It's hard to say how good it is compared to other Kobe burgers, cause that's the only Kobe burger I've ever tried, but needless to say, I thought it tasted great. It definitely beats your average burger, but for $10, I certainly hoped it did. I wouldn't ever pay more than $10 for it though... I don't think any burger should cost more than that no matter how good the meat is.
We also ordered some side dishes, such as the mac & cheese and some sorta fancy fries. I don't remember the names of them, but they were decent. I don't recommend getting them, though.
The bottom line is to just stick to what they're known for: $10 Kobe on Wednesday, and don't expect great service.
While the Eggs Benedict and the platter of current scones, chocolate chip muffins, walnut coffee cake and palmiers were quite delicious, the service could have been more attentive and more efficient. Our server was from some other planet, and was quite unaware that there was a party of 4, not a party of 3. My Steak n' Eggs were quite overdone (they supposedly cook it medium rare), and the scrambled eggs on the side were quite unappetizing since it was too runny and watered down. The brunch risotto had a zip to it and quite rich; the Biscuits n' Gravy was quite atrocious and an insult. Not impressed.
I went to Sweets and Savories for Sunday Brunch and was SO pleasantly surprised! This is definitely one of my favorite brunch places now! The place is so cute and cozy... very tiny, so be sure to make reservations.
The brunch here is really quite a deal. For $14 a person, you get a first course, an entree, and coffee or tea. Plus the table gets a plate of sweet baked goods. For my 1st dish, I ordered the ginger carrot soup. I am not a carrot fan, but I loved the dish! The ginger and the carrot pairing was excellent. Really, really lick-your-bowl good. (You could also choose a salad or a fruit plate.) For my main dish, I had the bacon risotto. SOOOOO yummy... a little heavy for brunch, but well worth it! It came with an organic egg yolk with a drop of truffle oil that you mixed into the risotto for a true creamy delight! And, don't forget about the bacon flavor!!! Yuuuummmmmmmmmyyy!! There were another handful of entree choices that looked tasty so I will definitely have to go back and try something else.
Oh, and this place is BYOB so if you want a mimosa, be sure to bring a bottle of champagne with you!
I've been meaning to try Sweets and Savories for months, they are located right around the corner from our house and I heard they had amazing burgers.
When we got a couple of groupons for $5 burgers we decided to finally give it a go.
Our server was very nice and attentive, and the atmosphere was fine (though the show tunes satellite radio station was a little cheesy).
We started with tomato and bread soup and split some frites. Sadly these were the highlight of the evening. We both ordered our burgers medium rare and they both came out well done. Dense, dry little hockey pucks. We ordered 2 burgers and took one and a half burgers home for the dog.
I know that they sold 644 groupons, so maybe they are getting tired of making burgers, but we wont be back to try anything else. What a waste of a good opportunity to make a great first impression and secure our return business.
Excellent service, delicious meal and great price.
I got a great coupon for $5 kobe burgers so decided to give this place a shot. After reading the reviews here, I was bracing myself for some awful service. I decided to brave it since anything with foie gras on it is my friend, especially if it is $5.
I was pleasantly surprised, our server was very friendly and appropriately attentive. I'd heard that the wine list was lacking, but I really wanted a glass so I ordered one. Definitely bring your own wine if you plan to drink, I'm pretty flexible when it comes to alcohol, but the wine was definitely not worth $7 a glass. Pretty sure I could have gotten a bottle of anything on the menu for less than $15 at Dominick's.
We ordered a couple of kobe burgers and some of the truffled mac & cheese to share. The burger was, overall, disappointing. The server recommended them medium rare, so we went for it, but they actually came out rare. The foie gras (I think it's supposed to be foie gras) tasted very similar to the braunschweiger my mom used to eat when I was a kid. You know, the liver spread that comes in a plastic tube...yummy. Ugh. The only saving grace was the truffled mayonnaise, which was delicious. The truffled mac & cheese was also very good...although after all that truffle, I was tasting it until the next day. We decided to top off the meal with some cheesecake, which was rich and flavorful.
All in all, I'm glad I only paid $5 for the burger. If I would have paid full price, I would have been very upset. The rest of the menu looks like it has some good options, but I probably won't go back unless I get another great deal.
Please excuse my pig latin, but oly'hay alls'bay!!!! Meaty, tasty mussels and escargot au gratin were ridiculous apps! Kobe Burger deeeeeelish! And beef tallow fries?!? Fughettaboutit! If you didn't notice, this review is full of exclamation marks!!! GO! Oh! And BYOB!!!
Sweets & Savories is great if you're looking for a good value and nice atmosphere. It's a small restaurant, so it's great for conversation. Even though we had a very loud group of 10 people, we could all hear each other. Another plus is that the service was very friendly. As others have mentioned, the BYOB is fabulous and the $29 3-course prix fixe makes an incredible value.
The food, however, is subpar. For my appetizer, I got the pear and gorgonzola salad. The pear was more of a pear sauce than fresh slices. My friend got a soup as an appetizer and had to send it back. The best appetizer was probably the mussels. It barely qualifies as an appetizer because it's so enormous with about 20+ mussels.
I got the seared sea scallops over foie gras risotto. Normally you wouldn't think to combine foie gras and risotto together, and this was no exception. It tasted fine, but it was mushy and the foie gras flavor was lost in the creaminess of the sauce. The sea scallops were a little too seared and were in danger of being burnt. My friends got the lobster risotto though and they cleaned their plates.
I got the sticky toffee bread pudding for dessert, and it was totally burnt. My friend's was also burnt, so at least I knew they were consistent. The Belgium chocolate cake was much tastier, though a bit on the heavy side.
Maybe I just ordered the wrong things, but I just couldn't give them a good review after my burnt bread pudding, my nearly burnt sea scallops and my friend's funky soup.
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