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Tallgrass Restaurant
Category: Restaurants American (New) American (New) [Edit]
1006 S State StLockport, IL 60441
(815) 838-5566
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
22 reviews for Tallgrass Restaurant
Review Highlights
"...course, I chose a trio of soups: pumpkin orange, white bean..."
(in 4 reviews)
"And the chocolate souffle is definitely the finishing touch..."
(in 3 reviews)
"It's also pricey, so save it for special occasions."
(in 3 reviews)
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22 reviews in English
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Review from Ginger B.
Joliet, IL
2/5/2012
We are from the area and frequently dine at Tallgrass, as it is one of the few truly great restaurants in this or any neighboring city.
Tonight, we put ourselves in the hands of the Chef who did not disappoint. One of the standouts was a diver scallop with avocado and toasted hazelnuts. I am really not a scallop fan, but it was great! It seemed to melt in your mouth with the avocado, and there was a hint of lime. I would never think of serving these together, but the expert preparation was beyond amazing.
Also, we had a dessert trio with 2 chocolate treats (both fabulous), and possibly the best tres leches I've ever had.
Tallgrass is great to celebrate an occasion, or just to treat yourself. It's the right mix of personality and friendliness balanced with refined service and upscale cuisine. -
Review from JJ C.
Lemont, IL
10/27/2011
I took my wife to Tall Grass for her birthday. We are very disappointed for the experience.
I must say the service was outstanding. But our food was terrible. I ordered scallop dish, I took a bite and spited it out, the scallop smelled bad. The waitress took the dish back and replaced it with a fresh one. She commented "the smell of the scallop is a little off". The replacement was fine. Unfortunately, my wife ordered an exotic basket with mini lobster and scallops, sure enough, the scallops were bad again. They are probably in the same batch. After the dinner, we both felt uncomfortable in the stomach.
As Japanese chef, I would like advise the tall grass chef, if any fish smells bad, please threw them in garbage, please do not serve to your customer. -
Review from Jim R.
Chicago, IL
2/3/2012
My wife and I consider ourselves "foodies." We have been to Tallgrass about 7 times. The food is consistently awesome. Rich? Yes, but it's based on French cuisine! Pricey? Yes, but it's worth it. We've been there all different times of the year for all sorts of special occasions and sometimes -- just because. I would definitely recommend it. Two suggestions: 1) Request to eat upstairs. The downstairs has a bit of a basement feel to it and 2) If you go on a special occassion, like Valentine's Day, make sure you ask them if they have a special menu and the cost of that menu. Once we were surprised with a $100 per person "special" menu. It was a bit shocking.
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Review from Mar V.
Chicago, IL
10/31/2011
For a place that charges so much the vibe there is very strange. The staff was nice but not what you would call polished. I was actually there on the evening the previous reviewer was there (regarding the bad scalops). I could smell the scallops from across the way!
Terrible cocktails, they used cheap liquor and a bad (browned) lime as garnish. This is unexceptable from a so called fine dinning establishment.
The food was ok, the presentation was nice but there is something I just can't put my finger on that made me feel uncomfortable about the place (it was a little creepy). -
Review from Mike R.
Orland Park, IL
9/29/2011
We celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary here and it is truly a dining experience. The ambiance was romantic and cozy, the food exquisite and the wait staff superb. We were most definitely treated like royalty. A definite downtown Chicago fine dining establishment in the southwest suburbs. Hard to find but well worth any special occasion!
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Review from X Z.
Chicago, IL
11/10/2010
Sorry - I really wanted to like this place after all the rave reviews but to be honest, not sure how Tallgrass scored so high on Zagats.
It's not often we get to do the reverse commute on the weekends and drive out to the burbs for a night out - city slickers don't like to be designated drivers :-)
Having heard about Tallgrass for years now and finally getting the chance to try it, I was super excited. The menu looked awesome and I liked the idea of essentially creating your own multi-course menu (up to 7!)
Unfortunately, by the end of the night, my dinner companions and I agree that Tallgrass was overall quite overrated and very disappointing. Also, not to sound snobby, but not sure how a white zin ended up on the menu of such a "fine dining" establishment...
As for the food, the general consensus was-- nothing stood out, and everything was very heavy. For such a rich menu, it would be nice to have one-bite palate cleansers between courses like a sorbet or something. Also, another complaint I have is they really need to work on their portion sizes. They are way too big for the tasting menu format. For example, I started with the trio of soup, which I thought would be served in little shot glasses or something else appropriately sized.. instead I got a bowl-sized portion of soup (all three in one bowl) that gets me half way to full.
The chef has some good ideas b/c everything sounded awesome on paper.. but unfortunately most of them got lost in the execution. If Gordon Ramsey took over the restaurant for a day, he would tell the chef to narrow his focus and cut down his menu by half.
For me, at the end of the night, the only thing that lingered from our dinner was a monster case of indigestion caused by the meal :( -
Review from Karen M.
New Lenox, IL
12/13/2010
This place is a hidden gem, located in a renovated century-old Victorian building in the historic river town of Lockport. For a long time (up until the last ten years), it was the only really fine dining opportunity in the southwest suburbs. We haven't been here in a while because we've been busy trying out the other nice dining establishments that have recently opened in the area, but I think it's time for a re-visit.
You enter by first descending a flight of stairs and ringing the doorbell, then are welcomed in a basement vestibule and taken up a flight of stairs to the dining room. It's very intimate, with only about 12 tables, and very elegant, with original gas chandeliers, dark wood wainscoting, a beautiful silver and china collection, and high windows.
You create your own menu by choosing three, four or five-course meals from more than 30 different meat, seafood, or vegetarian items. Most of the items are rich, so you may want to confine yourself to the three-course menu. Their trio of soups is a specialty, with three double-flavored soups all served in one bowl. The desserts are also spectacular - I remember seeing another customer being served with what looked like a tower made of chocolate. I was usually too full to ever order that particular one; I usually opted for the chocolate soufflé instead. The wine list is extensive, with over 200 vintages by the bottle and 12 by the glass, but reasonably priced. Service has always been impeccable whenever we've been there.
Since the restaurant is so small, reservations in advance are required. It's also pricey, so save it for special occasions. But definitely try it at least once. -
Review from Kristen J.
Naperville, IL
12/11/2010
We just went there for our 2nd anniversary and loved it. Its like a fabulous city restaurant out here in the burbs. You MUST make reservations...but its totally worth it. Its quaint, intimate and the food is top notch.
We loved everything we ate and they definitely push your food boundaries (but in a good way!)
We certainly plan to go back but its a bit pricey, so only for special occasions!
Highly recommend! -
Review from J K.
Chicago, IL
12/6/2010
A real reason to go out.
The food was spectacular. The service was top notch. I have been a resident of Lockport for 12 years and this is a true fine dinning experience I will recommend to anyone in the area. This is a 4 star restaurant for a reason. -
Review from kevin o.
Austin, TX
7/16/2011
Being a Chicago guy who has eaten all over the world I have to put Tallgrass in the top category of restaurants. The attention to detail, execution, creativity and service are world class. I especially appreciate it having lived in Texas for the past few years where the restaurant standards are quite different. Went there on a recent return to Chicago and a local friend who is on top of the restaurant scene took me as a special treat. It was a wonderful and memorable evening.
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Review from Thomas A.
Chicago, IL
10/18/2007
Yeah, this is a good special event place. First it's a long way to go for us, so it takes a good reason to get us to drive to Lockport. More importantly they do fine dining very well and it's all at a great price. The place is tiny, at least from what we could see, with only seating for about 30.
The food was excellent, and I got off to a great start with a small taste 5-appetizer plate. It gave me a good sense of the chef's range. One of the standouts was the lobster lasagna - light, strongly flavorful, and a bit sweet. In fact, the entire meal had a pervasive sweetness. My pork tenderloin with prosciutto had plenty of flavor, but it was also sweet with a reduction sauce on the plate. After four courses I barely had room left for the amazing chocolate tower which was amazing.
Lockport itself is a cute little river town, and I expect that we'll return in the daylight to check it out. -
Review from jack b.
Naperville, IL
8/21/2010
It has been many years since we last visited Tallgrass and I have to say if anything it has gotten better. You really don't know what to expect as you descend to the basement door and ring the doorbell. You are then led up the stairs to the small but elegant Victorian decorated dining room.
The the fun begins. The wait staff is outstanding. We knocked one of our forks off the table and it was picked up and replaced almost before it hit the floor. The bread basket consisted of a number of offerings, all fresh baked and delicious!
After selecting our courses, we chose a Cotes' Du Rhone wine that was outstanding (it's one of my favorites) as usual.
My wife had the goat cheese and asian pear salad and loved it. I had the crispy brie and spinach salad and it was to die for.
The second course (we decided on only three courses to keep the calories down) for me was the Beef trio which consisted of about (a guess here) 2oz each of new york strip, fillet mignon, and short ribs each served over a different kind of potato (cheesy polenta, whipped, and sweet. It was fabulous. The steaks were perfectly done.
My wife had the rack of lamb and had nothing but good to say about it. It came with polenta and vegetables puree.
For the desert course we both picked the raspberry trio off the special menu for the day and what a treat that was. A Raspberry creme brulee (served in an egg shell), crisp and crepe.
All in all it was a fabulous experience and we won't wait as long to return. -
Review from Steve M.
Chicago, IL
7/7/2010
It's been several years since my last dinner at Tallgrass Restaurant in Lockport. I was wondering if it could still be as terrific as I remembered.
I am profoundly delighted to say that I enjoyed yet again a most amazing meal. The menu choices are extensive, the service is so correct and friendly, and the presentation is gorgeous. Bravo, Tallgrass, and thank you again for a wonderful evening. We will not wait so long between visits. -
Review from Peter K.
Darien, IL
2/17/2011
I love Tallgrass, it's definitely my favorite special occasion place, and the fact that it's hidden away in Lockport just makes it better to me. Some describe it as a city restaurant but I'm not really sure that even covers it. It is pricier but the wine list is an excellent value for the quality of the wine.
As some have noted the dishes are very rich and fairly large for a tasting type menu, however, I look at that as a plus personally. They do adjust the size of the courses based on how many courses you order though.
The service is fantastic and I love the look and feel of the restaurant. It's very much like a supper club feeling downstairs and the small intimate dining room upstairs feel like a private club. It's especially enjoyable for me to enter a place like this from downtown Lockport (no offense intended I grew up going to high school there) where this is really a diamond in the rough.
I can see how those in the city might find a try out to Lockport for something that they can have in the city not worth the bother. However, for those who are living in the suburbs this restaurant is an amazing and affordable offering for special occasions. With a few exceptions of places like Vie in Western Springs, I'm hard pressed to think of it's equal.
Not as modern seeming as the downtown most downtown offerings, but there is a reason that classics get to be classic. -
Review from Carrie H.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2008
Tallgrass, named after the Illinois prairie grass in Lockport, IL, is a refreshing, almost rebelliously good, four star restaurant. No snobbery served here. It's all about local fresh food served gourmet and fine art to complement the dining experience. When seated, I immediately noticed a note on the table that explained the connection we have to our food and that they serve food consciously. That is, food that has been raised organically, ethically, and locally. Chef Bob even suggested a fantastic book on this subject, "The Omnivore's Dilemma." This awareness was reflected in the friendly and health conscious servers. The matre d' was a nutritionist and (much to my pleasure) gave my Dad a playful lecture about dumping saccharine in his espresso. Our waiter competed annually in the Iron Man competitions. They certainly practice what they preach.
The place was tastefully decorated preserving the 1895 Victorian charm of the building. The china and vases are proudly collected and created by Chef Bob Burcenski. The sparkling crystal and pretty china actually make the food and drink taste better. Chef Bob has a BFA in printmaking and a MFA in painting and is the 25 year head organist at Presbyterian Joliet church- who is this guy, God?
The co-owner of the restaurant is Tom Alves, the wine expert, more specifically, an oeneologist. He ensures a perfect selection of wine from small west coast wineries, Italy, and France. Here is a testament to his honed palate: I usually hate chardonnay and the chardonnay my Mom drank was irreproachable- something I never thought I would say about a chardonnay. I'm more of a pinot noir, pinot grigio, or dry Riesling drinker. Tom has a BFA in English and Music and advanced studies in music education. In his free time he manages chamber music concerts, naturally. These men, the A-team of the culinary world, make other restaurant owners tremble in their slip-resistant safety clogs.
The Food.
When selecting food, here are some general tips. Choose local foods when possible. Local foods taste fresher, support your local economy, and reduce our dependency on gasoline. What would taste fresher: fish shipped 180 miles from Wisconsin or fish shipped 2,800 miles from Alaska? Choose the less processed option. Fresh fruits and vegetables burst with flavor and give you energy. The sugar, salt and fat in processed stuff kills taste buds and our bodies. Lastly, put some green on that plate. Greens and pepper help you metabolize the food better bringing balance to the meal. What is good for the palate is good for our health.
For a first course, I chose a trio of soups: pumpkin orange, white bean asparagus, and lemon cauliflower. Very creative combination of flavors and simple enough that it was not overwhelming. The painterly presentation reflected Chef Bob's artistic background.
Second course: Steamed asparagus on semolina gnocchi topped with arugula, sprinkled with pine nuts, and lightly drizzled with a scallion vinaigrette. This was my favorite dish; a perfect balance of green goodness, protein, healthy fat, and complex carbohydrates. Bravo. My Dad ordered a beet salad: thinly sliced beets topped with feta and walnuts- wow! Simple is best.
Main course: Wisconsin trout served on a multigrain concoction in butter sauce. They lost me on this dish. The fish was high quality, but the Chef was overly generous with the butter giving it a heaviness that nearly drowned the fresh quality of the fish. The multigrain pilaf was forgettable. This plate needed green on it to lighten the heaviness and balance the flavors.
Dessert- flourless Belgian chocolate torte, vanilla mousse, raspberries, dark chocolate walls, and raspberry sauce on the side. What makes chocolate better? RASPBERRIES! I could lose the vanilla mousse. Anytime raspberries get near chocolate, my stomach starts to throw a welcome party. There was too much happening on the plate, so it is definitely a dessert to share.
Beverages: A note on Lockport water- it has a high mineral content that leaves a bitter aftertaste. This was the case with the water and hot tea. I recommend having something from the bar- the iced tea was perfect- freshly brewed and served in a cut lead crystal glass reminiscent of the Victorian era that the restaurant proudly preserves.
I was thoroughly impressed with Tallgrass. It is pricey- $48 for a three course meal, $58 for four courses, $68 for five courses. -
Review from Liz W.
Chicago, IL
4/7/2010
I will probably come off as a total snob which is fine, because I am when it comes to paying $100+ per person.
My friends and I have a club where we go to all of the restaurants in the Chicago-area rated higher than 26 in Zagats. Don't get me started on how I think Zagats has lost it's mind but Tallgrass' food is rated a 29 which is the same rating that Alinea has. That's some pretty esteemed company so we made a reservation about a month ago.
Place is way the hell out there but that's fine, we knew it when we made the reservation but good to know if you're planning on having a few and then driving into the city. The space is okay - we were in the basement which was pretty dark and claustrophobic, I much preferred upstairs.
Food was delicious but it isn't in the same league as Alinea. Or Trotters, Schwa, Blackbird, Avec, Hot Doug's etc. The service was o-kay and the wine pairing was seriously lacking. A Hess pinot noir? How creative.
Overall, we enjoyed it but were expecting somethign amazing based on the Zagat rating. I recommend it if you live out there and want something special but we didn't think it was worth the drive from the city. -
Review from Laura K.
Cook, IL
7/26/2010
Wow. What a delight! Who would have thought you could have a downtown dining experience in the suburbs, Lockport to be even more specific.
With 6:00 reservations, my husband and I rang the doorbell to be let in (yes, you read that correctly). The atmosphere is wonderful. The entire wait staff was wonderful.
Best. Meal. Ever. I truly mean that. Here's our food night went. You decide if you want a 3, 4, or 5-course meal. You pick from categories like, Vegetable, Seafood, Meat and Dessert. You can have any one in any order...if you want dessert first, so be it! Even before our meal started, they gave us a small spring roll that I know had spicy mustard and not sure what else, but was it delicious!!
1st Course: Husband: Spinach salad with Brie; Me: Asian Pear Salad...Both amazing, but I'd say the spinach and brie won my vote.
2nd Course: Husband: Two cheese perogi ; Me: Potato Gnocchi. The cheese pirogi was on a bed of what I think was a meat pate. Potato Gnocchi was heavenly, as it had fresh corn, green beans and leeks in a cream sauce...divine!
3rd Course/Entree: Husband: Tempura Soft Shell crab over a bed of rice. Me: Beef Trio (Short-rib over salmon patty, Fillet over cheesy polenta, Strip steak over thinly sliced potatoes. If you like beef, YOU MUST GET THIS!!! Best fillet I've ever had and the short ribs were out of this world.
4th Course/Dessert: Husband: Chocolate Quintet (Chocolate tower, chocolate souffle, chocolate pudding, banana crepe with chocolate filling, and some kind of chocolate cake. Me: The Assortment (Chocolate souffle, white chocolate crepe, raspberry creme broiler, berry crisp and apple tart). WOW. Why get only one thing for dessert?! Get the assortment (chocolate or regular). The chocolate souffle was like the richest hot chocolate, but in cake form.
Everything is absolutely fresh. The breads are homemade. You can really see and taste that they value good ingredients and good food. This can definitely be any suburban (or city) dwelling's 5 star restaurant. Our bill was a little over $200 with tip, but well worth the price. Unless you have that kind of money to spend all the time, definitely get at least the 4 course meal to try the wonderful creations at Tallgrass. -
Review from Holly S.
Chicago, IL
2/17/2009
I did not think I would ever give a one star review on Yelp when I signed up a few weeks ago. My boyfriend describes me as 'Tholerant Tholly" because he thinks I can take way too much before breaking. Tallgrass has left be me broken.
The boyfriend made a reservation for Friday, February 13th. Friday the 13th! What was he thinking? Well, he was thinking we'd try the new Zagat "29" for Valentine's Day. The Zagat description was great. The website's food looked delicious. And well, the Yelp reviews so far are fabulous. I suppose we should have realized that we were really dealing with Friday the 13th.
The menu is a small plates-style. Pick the number of courses from a variety of areas -- think Graham Elliot, I suppose, for a flat fee w/ some upgrades. We decided to do the five courses. I went with the lamb as my main course (4th). He went with the veal tenderloin (4th). Our other courses were a trio of soups (both-1st), tuna/scallop (him-2nd, 3rd), shrimp/crab (me-2nd, 3rd) and then a tasting of desserts.
What a disappointment. The soups were OK at best. I didn't love the flavor combination. Perhaps the worst part - the waiter asked me if I wanted any black pepper. I said, sure, of course, and he proceed to grind black pepper... and continue.. so that when I ate my soup... all I could taste was black pepper. This nearly ruined one particular soup.
My 2nd course, a shrimp dish, was pretty, but, wow, let's just say that when the boyfriend tasted it he said, "Tastes like something at Taco Bell." Basically, yeah - meaning - it tasted good... but it was nothing unusual. I could have paid .79 cents for it at Taco Bell.
My 3rd course, a crab "cake" beignet, was nice. The crab tasted fresh. But again, I found the overall plate extremely boring. The flavor was not memorable.
I enjoyed my lamb dish. It was middle eastern inspired - with a yogurt and served over couscous. But the boyfriend thought his gnocchi tasted as though they had been boiled from a bag. I think he ate maybe four bites of his veal.
The desserts, again, were OK. My apple dessert was extremely sweet--too sweet for me. It was, however, the boyfriend's favorite. He pretty much ate it whole. That's ok - I cleaned the chocolate souffle ramekin.
In hindsight, I should have sent back my second course. He probably should have sent back his entree. And, granted--we could have gone on a wrong night. We could have ordered the wrong food. We could have had our expectations set too high. But for the amount of effort, cost, etc., we were expecting at least something unusual and different. Instead, we got boring, Taco Bellish, disappointment and more boring.
We will not be going back. -
Review from a w.
Chicago, IL
7/28/2005
If you're looking for the perfect romantic restraunt for that special event or day, this is the perfect place! This resraunt has beautiful Victorian decor and wonderful service. You'll feel special just sitting at the table. The food, made up of a five course meal, is superb, each course gets better and better. And the chocolate souffle is definitely the finishing touch to an enjoyable and very romantic dinner.
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Review from Maria W.
Chicago, IL
12/6/2009
Really delicious...we had dinner here last night to celebrate my Brother in Law's birthday and it is one of his favorite's. Some of the stand outs included the seafood appetizer plate which included a delicious crab beignet, perfectly seared tuna with wasabi peas, and a subtle - almost mille feuille-like lobster lasagna. The "crab"onara was creamy and rich without being over the top and the short ribs had a wonderful texture with just a touch of acidity. The service was really excellent all around and we really enjoyed this gastronomic evening!
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Review from Gregor B.
Hinsdale, IL
5/20/2008
just brilliant... we were a party of three, two of us ordered the five course dinner and the other ordered the four course, which were reasonably priced. The food was just heaven,...innovative, fresh, exciting, and masterfully choreographed. Tallgrass, Courtright's and Vie are my favorite restaurants...the veritable holy trinity of cuisine in the western suburbs. - Nevada Dan
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Review from Rosemary G.
Redwood City, CA
6/1/2009
The food at Tallgrass is amazing! But I couldn't give more stars for the review because the service was truly horrible. This is a special occasion restaurant. It used to be my favorite when I lived in the Chicago area. So when my husband + I were visiting from the SF Bay area, I had to take him there for a belated birthday dinner. We were ignored by all the wait staff after they seated us. Another couple came in after us, an engagement celebration, and were immediately served champagne and got menus. Finally, I had to ASK for a menu. Other waiters were busy setting up new tables, instead of welcoming us, etc. For a restaurant of this caliber to treat customers in this way is unacceptable. But I have to mention that the food was really good. The braised Kobe beef ribs could be separated with a fork - so tender! And the horseradish mousse was light and heavenly. I always liked their trio of soups and that night's was fun and good as well. The seared foie gras was perfectly done and included a perfect compliment of sweet+sour apple/pickled vingar onion/balsamic reduction. I order foie gras whenever I find it on a menu, but I think Tallgrass does it best. And the desserts are always memorable. I hope they fix the service problem, because the kitchen is just too good to skip.
