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Categories: Nightlife, Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Near North Side, River EastGrand (Red)
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I managed to get to the hotel pretty late and rather than wander the Magnificent Mile looking for a restaurant open, I went through the double doors into the Viand restaurant. Sadly, their regular menu was no longer available after 10:00.
Starting with a Stella draft (my favorite), I reviewed the shorter "bar" menu which had quite a lot to offer. Would it be the flatbread or the potstickers, the slider burgers or the pizza sticks? I decided to give the braised lamb ribs a try and it was a great decision. Loaded with a tangy plum sauce, I didn't mind simply picking them up and pulling off the meat rather than fussing with a knife and fork. Absolutely yummy and I even scooped up quite a bit of the cabbage and onions that was probably supposed to be a garnish, but it had a good amount of the zesty sauce.
Delicious and for $10, a bargain! I would absolutely eat here again, even if I wasn't staying in the Courtyard.
I really wanted to like Viand, but my experience definitely fell short.
The upside... the jazz band they had playing was great, and the atmosphere is swank and beautiful.
What's weak... the food! They had those yucky shoestring fries (you know, the nasty ones that are all soggy and greasy and thin), and the most poorly cooked steak I've ever eaten. Half of it was medium rare, the other half was well done. HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN?
My friend got this nasty salty mess of a pork chop with white beans, which literally made my lips purse with the amount of salt in the food.
Also, the location is just a little weird. It make sense if you're staying in the hotel, but for a Chicagoan who's out to try all the city's restaurants, they should be a little bit more open in their presentation. I would have never chosen to eat in a hotel restaurant had I known... Granted I probably should have read the yelp reviews more thoroughly, but hitting up a Marriott on my Friday night isn't the best way for me to spend time.
I will never ever come back to this restaurant, and I suggest you follow suit. It was just plain icky.
I'm somewhere between 2 and 3 stars for Viand.
To wit:
They have a really well priced lunch special which is nice, and good looking, fancy topped, burgers with shoe-string fries for only $5, but then, it seems to take 30 minutes to get the burgers to your table.
There's a great $5.95 lunch special menu, from which I ordered the fish n' chips with curry. I think that's where my main disappointment came in. The batter on the fish wasn't cooked long enough, so the area where batter met fish was mushy. I should have sent it back to be cooked more, but the first half of the first piece was actually really good. By the time the soggy-ness became apparent I already felt committed to my mediocre cod.
The curry sauce for the fish n' chips definitely satisfied, and was even better when blanketing a tangle of those little fries.
My co-workers all enjoyed their burgers, with the exception of one who got a chicken sandwich which was to boring to eat.
I'm not sure why I'm so decidedly blah about Viand, but something about it - the extremely slow service? the four hosts at the front who couldn't seem to answer a question with any speed? the mushy fish? - just rubbed me wrong. I think I'd go back in for another shot, with a burger probably, if I were going to be working in this hood longer.
Reserved for a large work dinner and they were quite accommodating. The service staff was very welcoming and did a great job of managing the large group. The restaurants ambiance was sleek and understated and half price wine night was great!
The menu had some good ideas but missed on some elements. My co-worker ordered tilapia that was placed on a bed of raman noodles that were overly reminiscent of college days and was a bit dry and in need of some accompanying sauces. I ordered the beef tenderloin with wonderful presentation and a gorgeous red wine reduction and potato gallete, however the slice of tenderloin I received was incredibly fatty. Dessert was quite nice although portions are large so watch out if dining alone!
What great food and the lunch special .. to die for! Best deal off of Michigan avenue! Heck it's the best lunch deal anywhere! $5 for a fancy burger with fries! Forgedabout it. You can't beat this deal with really good beef and fun toppings!
My sister and I ate here when I came to visit since it's near her office. We had the burgers (GREAT), the Cauliflower Soup (DELICIOUS), chicken fingers (YUMMY), steak burrito (TASTY) and the spicy scone was too good for words!
A great deal and quick service since we were in and out in 45 minutes. If your concerned they might be slow just let them know that you are at lunch.
The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.
Viand is one of those restaurants where I feel like I can order anything and not be disappointed. Each dish seems completely original. There are so many different options from fish to chicken to burgers. I would try anything here.
I love the salmon, I don't normally EVER order fish but this place turned me onto it! Also the tomato garlic soup. They bring out a bowl with three cheese balls and pour the hot soup onto them. The cheese melts right into the soup while you are eating it!
Wednesday nights= 1/2 price bottles of wine. Great bar and outdoor seating area! Well priced for a hotel restaurant too.
So over this place.
Yeah, it was probably my own fault for killing it with 3 trips in 2 weeks. But we quickly realized that 1. yes, the $5 burger is a steal and it even comes with fries now, and yes, $2 Tuesdays is a deal that cannot be beat, but 2. the burgers just.. aren't that good. The other items on the menu aren't very good either. Even the $5 salads on Fridays are starting to disappoint. My shrimp salad was bland bland bland (the sesame chicken salad was still good, though).
Would still go back for the 2 things that are tasty..
OH. EM. GEE!!!
I cannot believe I didn't know about the $5 burgers until last week!!!
The four of us…
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I recently ate here for a very special occasion - according to Metromix, this was one of the show's host Favorite restaurant... However, the food was horrendous - not terrible, but horrendous. I'll tell you what happened...
So I phoned early to have them make a note on the table saying "Welcome (my last name)! Happy Anniversary!" However, upon seating us at the table, they had the wrong note on the table - one for another party. When I asked them about this, they said, "well, this is where you are assigned," "But this isn't my name," I said. They then tried to find my note somewhere in the restaurant among the tables (there were only about 2 other tables with people... that should have been a sign to me then). They looked like confused children searching for Easter eggs in the restaurant - that sad. Nonetheless, the eventually found the right note.
OK, so no worries at this point. We ordered the "Chef's Menu" - a three-course menu of specialties that I heard was a good deal with great food. The 1st course was nice but not great - seared tuna with sauce. The sweet sauce was so heavily poured on the tuna that I literally could not taste the tuna. T'was a shame because I'm sure it tasted great.
However, the 2nd course was their downfall. We both had grilled sturgeon. The fish smelled extremely fishy - the type of fishy where it is old and left out too long. Besides that, it was overcooked, and tasted slightly sour/rancid. Truthfully, I think it was old-fish that they served. Afterall, they do not have a high volume (it was empty and it was a Saturday night!).
We did not want to get food poisoning, so we just had a few bites to not insult the chef. Once they saw that we were displeased with the food, they made many apologies to us. Later, I could hear some arguing in the kitchen once the food was brought back. I think the chef was using foul food and getting caught.
I would not recommend this restaurant to any of my friends. Only to my enemies. For such a lofty price, it was not equivalent to what we received.
Went 5pm to avoid all crowds...and score my 1,000 points on http://Opentable.com
I heard about their $2 burger deal on Tuesdays....but unfortunately, it's only at lunch
I also live 2 blocks away, & being a lousy hotel venue, it's known for horrendously slow service & mediocre food.
Pros: server, Alex, was a doll, and extremely attentive
*water was never unfilled; refilled every few minutes
*good corn bread...but it was cold. Very strange eating cold savory bread. And it was super spongey, like a cake & not a quick bread.
Cons:
*Amuse was a shot of "gaspacho." I LOVE gaspacho, but this was just REPULSIVE. It had an odd, fermented, saltless flavor. Really repugnant. And I eat tomatoes like candy, salsa like soup, etc.
*tomato bisque soup was luke warm. Very flavorful, although much like a bowl of vodka sauce....cold....with 3 lumps of goat cheese (a bit odd)
*Diet coke was FLAT. GROSS!!! He returned it, & said he'd replace it with canned Diet Coke. But again returned with FLATTER nasty fountain soda. NO THANKS. Not a single bubble was visible in the glass. DUH!!!
*Their signature burger was really NASTY. It had huge slab of brie cheese, caramelized onions, & microgreens. And sat in a POOL of steak sauce!?? Brown, slimy, COLD syrup? drenching thru the bun.
Just bizarre. The whole flavor combination was disgusting.
*SKINNY fries were too thin & overcooked to eat. Not a single hot, crispy-soft fry in the HUGE basket. NO taste. Hard as a rock. Too skinny to really bite into & savor flavor. Like matchsticks
I have mixed feelings about this place. I work a couple of blocks away, and on days that are slow, I might come here for lunch. Unless you're hungry, and/or have a short lunch break then I would not suggest coming here. It's literally almost an hour before you get your food, and by that time you're scarfing down your 2nd free bread and vegetable basket that they give you beforehand. By the time you get your check, your work day is over, and you get to clock out. The only reason why I gave this place 3 stars is because they have good deals on food.
You really can't beat this place for lunch. I went today with some coworkers and it was wonderful. In addition to the $5 burgers on Fridays all their salads are $5 as well. This does include their shrimp and their steak salads. There were also several other items for $5.95 such as meatloaf and mashed potatoes, spaghetti and meatballs, steak burrito and a few others.
After debating between a burger and the shrimp salad I went with the South of the Border Burger. It comes with Monterey jack cheese, jalapeños, sour cream, tomatillo sauce, and refried beans. It isn't the easiest thing to eat but the flavors were great. It wasn't so unbelievable hot that you couldn't taste anything and had a hint of sweetness. In addition, they brought out individual baskets of fries which I appreciated because my meal plate was a mess. Others in the group had the traditional cheeseburger and the Tourist Burger which has a teriyaki glaze and pineapples. Everyone loved their food.
The bread before the meal is a nice touch especially at lunch. I liked the fact that there was a variety of types to choose from and especially liked the corn bread with jalapeño peppers.
The only reason that I am not giving this place 5 stars is because it took them forever to get us our bread and our meals and our hour lunch turned into an hour and 45 minute lunch. Other than this the food was great and will definitely be back again!
Don't let the decor fool you - this play is a steal. Today was $5 entree salad day. Combine that with $5 every day burgers + fries, and you have a cheap lunch. Portion sizes are ridiculous. A friend ordered a pasta bowl and it was family sized.
We just ate there last night and it was wonderful for the price. We had 14 plates and none of them disappointed. I personally had the chef's menu and chose the pork belly, lamb, and received the dessert which only had one choice. All three dishes were cooked perfectly and the dessert which was a flatbread pizza with fontina cheese and granny smith apples was a perfect end to the meal with mix of sweet and savory.
They went above and beyond with the service and never rushed us. They knew that we were there to celebrate a wedding engagement and the server Trevor went out of his way to serve us a toast of Prosecco that was on the house.
All in all it was a great time and for the price it was well worth it. I definitely recommend this place to anyone who want mid to high end food and great service.
Hmm...
I went to $5 Burger Tuesdays at Viand today on my 45 minute lunch break and it took them 45 minutes to serve my burger. It wasn't even that busy.
The burger was good, no doubt, but they don't even ask you if you want your burger well, medium, or whatever. I know it's $5 but don't give me penny service. That results in a no dollar tip.
I did tip the guy, but 45-50 minutes waiting on a burger? It's never that serious. I could have set up shop with my own mini grill and done that.
To earn just one star, you have got to mess up and mess up good.
1. The wait between my soup to entree was over 20 minutes. The wait between entree and dessert was over 20 minutes. Totally unacceptable especially when the restaurant is half empty.
2. My entree was way overcooked. I sent it back. The second one was overcooked. After waiting so long for my entree (see above), I sucked it up and ate it.
3. The food was good but not outstanding.
4. The manager came over to our table to check on us. The entire time she was at our table, she jiggled her keys. Right in my freaking ear.
5. Upon my arrival, the valet never came to take my car. When I parked in a no parking area, the valet told me that I couldn't park there. I explained that I wanted to valet and had been waiting. Did I get an apology for being unattentive? No. I got an "oh" as he took the keys.
You know, unlike most of the reviews, I didn't mind Viand. We went for my girlfriend's bday celebration. We came for the Thursday night $21 prix fixe dinner. Don't ask, I didn't plan it! But I guess the organizer was trying to acccomodate since we had about 20 people.
The appetizer options were either a 7-lettuce salad (I chose this...VERY good, and I am a salad-person!) or this tomato garlic soup, which came with 3 croutons wrapped in goat cheese, and the server poured the soup over it....very nice!
The entree options were sturgeon filet, amish chicken, or a steak. I opted for the amish chicken w/ red potatoes, which the server completely SOLD with his heart-felt admiration for the dish. The chicken came w/ a thigh and breast....but the sauce was a bit sour to all of us. The steak looked ok. That came with pomme frites. I didn't catch an opinion or glimpse of the fish.
So the 3 desserts were a cherry pie w/ vanilla gelato, pistachio galore (which was pistachio flavored tiramisu squares served w/ a scoop of AMAZING pistachio gelato), or this pecan pie thing (no gelato!). The cherry pie tasted like it had severe freezer burn!
All in all, this was a bargain. $21 for 3 courses! That's hard to find. AND the food wasn't completely horrible.
I came here for a (really) late Sunday brunch. It's $15 for one entree and the buffet bar. Drinks (juices, tea, and coffee) are included.
Entree: I had the Crawfish Etouffee, served with rice and cornbread. The etouffee had plenty of large crawfish pieces, but wasn't spicy enough for my taste. I prefer moist cornbread, but this was more of the crunchy airy stuff. Ah well.
Buffet: We came late, so the main breakfast items (danishes and such) were already gone. The buffet still had a good assortment of lunch-time items, including mixed greens and salad fixins', scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, rice, soup, grilled vegetables, and some desserts. The key-lime pie with melted marshmallow dessert is totally awesome.
Service: The service here is great. Our waiter was good about explaining the dishes and keeping our drinks filled. They even provided some scrambled eggwhites (I'm not big on egg yolks) in place of the scrambled eggs available at the buffet. Finally, they were happy to provide split checks for our party of six.
Bottom line: $15 is a steal for a top-notch brunch. Don't miss it.
Who thought of designing a Pre Fixe menu that included Lobster in each and every course? really, i want to know, and hug that person.
I cannot speak on behalf of the regular menu because we went on Valentines day and ordered the special, a 5 course pre fixe, and enjoyed lobster prepared so many different ways...mmm romance in my mouth!
Atmosphere was beautiful. Everything tasted delicious. Service, great. I remember, immediately after dinner they offered us a limo ride around the city with a bottle of champagne. it was like 40 or 50 dollars extra...we took them up on that offer, and after dinner off we went!
Viand is a place that leaves an impression on you, whether you go back or not, there will be no forgetting it!
note: review originally posted under Aria until i noticed my mistake
Usually hotel restaurants aren't much to write home about (ha ha) but Viand was a nice exception to that rule. The bread basket is an important first impression, cuisine-wise, and Viand passed that test with a yummy pretzel roll, an interesting cheese and chive scone, and a focccia. There was plenty for the two of us, and our server offered more than once to bring us more. I was feeling healthy and got a salad, which was again plentiful and tasty. Hubby got a nice chicken sandwich with a savory BBQ sauce full of carmelized onions. The desserts are made in-house, but we didn't try any of them because they were out of the chocolate souffle. Our philosophy is "If it isn't chocolate, it ain't worth the calories." Service was stellar, and the prices (about $10-16 per entree) reasonable for what you get.
EDIT -- last Tuesday at lunch we had the five dollar burger special. There are about nine gourmet burgers (I had the Cubano, with black bean puree, chimichurri and fried onions) and hubby got the plain. Both were delicious, and came with yummy fries. Our lunch tab was $11!
Came here for an early dinner on a sunny Sunday - was greeted nicely by the hostess and asked if I wanted to sit inside or out. Was a bit cold inside, so opted for the pleasant sidewalk seating.
I agree with Stephen H. the menu has a nice mix of foods...the mushroom risotto really hit the spot! Our server offered to split the appetizer portion between my friend and I w/o me asking, so bonus points for that! I had the pork chop over the lamb shank and flatiron steak at the waiter's recommendation - the pork chop itself was great, coated w/a nice fatty crust of fried parmesan. However, it was also stuffed with something unlisted on the menu that I couldn't quite identify, and that, wasn't so good. It was paired w/some fresh greens and onions. My friend had the fisherman's catch - she thought they should have held the saffron broth a bit, but otherwise she enjoyed the mix of diff seafoods, incl some clams, scallops and fish.
I only had a blue moon here, but the full bar seemed nice and extensive. I noticed on the zagat review posted on the door to the sidewalk (oddly placed, away from pedestrians, but right in front of my table) mentioned decent cocktails. Upon getting my bill, I also noticed that Viand does some special days. Tuesday Tinis - the waiter explained it was like a sampler of 3 smaller martinis, with a range of choices. Also, Wednesdays, there is some half-off bottle promos for wines.
The restaurant itself is located right next to the Marriott, but Viand was unique enough I feel to distinguish itself from being just another restaurant in a hotel. Prob being a bit generous w/the stars, but the risotto really bumps it up to 4 stars. Overall, had a good exp, will come again!
Chef Steve Chiappetti stepped into this restaurant and replaced the small plates with creative comfort food. The savory potstickers arrive with a black figurine balancing a pair of chopsticks. The lunch menu offers a wide selection of salads, pastas, and burgers. Or stop in for dinner with entrees like ravioli (stuffed with four cheeses, white truffle sauce, and red wine reduction), homemade gnocchi (with goat cheese and lemon veal reduction), and char-crusted salmon served on a black bean puree and with a tortilla and tomato salad.
But comfortable doesn't mean shabby. This contemporary space boasts wood paneling, plush wine-colored velvet banquettes, spacious seating, warm lighting, and a buzzing open kitchen. A frosted-glass partition separates the dining room from the bar, where businesspeople from the adjacent Courtyard Marriott stop for a cocktail. It's stylish and clean without being too chic.
However, the only thing really worth ordering here is the desserts. The "huge ice cream cone" is made up of five scoops of ice cream topped with vanilla mousse and chocolate sauce. A banana s'more consists of a chocolate brownie smothered with caramelized bananas and toasted marshmallow. The best thing by far though has got to be the "junk food cart," a mini shopping cart filled with homemade treats such as Oreo-facsimiles (chocolate meringue cookie sandwiches stuffed with Italian buttercream), the stickiest marshmallows known to man, a Coke float, and brownie squares.
So I went here for a girl's night out since it was close to the movie theater (our next stop)...we had a reservation for 6 on a Saturday night, but had to change it to 7 pretty much when we got there. It was no problem at all! We were seated at our table right away and there was a nice, framed note welcoming us by party name to the restaurant. Yes, they might have too much time on their hands, but I thought it was a nice touch.
The service was a bit slow, we actually had to tell them we were ready to order, but the martini's were great and the server was really fantastic. He even *offered* to give us all individual bills, which is unheard of any more, even if you request it!
I ordered the tomato and goat cheese crouton soup ($5), followed by a 1/2 order of the duck risotto ($9). The food was hearty, delicious and filling...I could not have eaten the full dinner portion ($18).
Overall, the experience was great...I wouldn't go here if you're in a hurry, but the atmosphere was pleasant (with music that wasn't too loud or obnoxious) and definitely amenable to a big group. I'm already going back again tonight for drinks after work...
**EDIT**
Drinks after work was awesome yet again...the three of us sat at the bar and the bartender served us his favorites, changing each time depending on our opinions of the previous. I couldn't tell you what they were because there were just too many to count...we got fries and the flatbread, which were tasty...and the goat cheese tomato soup, which was just as awesome the second time!
The bartender and food servers were both awesome and courteous, so I've added another star because two times in less than a week of good service shows consistency. Definitely worth the trip!
This is the first time I ever left a restaurant. I went there with a friend over lunch to celebrate her upcoming wedding. We went in, we sat at a nice table, the chair was comfortable... and then nothing. Finally our waitress came over with a basket with some cornbread and some very stale pretzel bread. We had water, no butter and stale bread. So we sat and talked.
After another immense pause the waitress came back and asked us if we were ready and did we want drinks. She seemed nice. We ordered our lunch entrees (11$ fish tacos and a 5$ special steak salad) iced tea (we did have to go back to work) and it took her 15 minutes to bring us our iced tea. we talked a bit more...
The restaurant was not nearly full when we walked in but it was filling up a little as we sat with our very stale bread. Other people were getting their food. Other people had butter. Larger parties started getting their food. Everyone around us was getting their food including steak salads and fish tacos.
I saw them go by.
We didn't get our food.
Our waitress kept assuring us that it was coming but what fish taco takes and hour to make?
As the other patrons ate their food and my friend and I, stomachs still grumbling, left. As we walked out we mentioned that they should cancel our meals (if they'd ever been started), that our bread was stale and that we got no butter and that our lunch hour was up.
Not quite the celebratory lunch I had in mind.
We ended up with sandwiches wondering what happened.
I wish I could tell you how the food was.
I could almost guarantee the fish tacos were not worth 11$ no matter how long it took to make them.
I will NEVER go here again.
I went here for a late dinner before catching a movie. Here's my take....
Service was prompt. Not outstanding, but inline with what you would expect for a restaurant in this price range. We went up to the bar for a drink while waiting for a table and the bartender was courteous and friendly. Now the food.....
Appetizers:
Potstickers....who could screw up potstickers? They weren't fantastic, but they weren't bad.
Main course :
I ordered the Amish Chicken. Ick. I wasn't a fan at all. First, it wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting more of a roasted chicken on a plate with the potatoes on the side. What I got was more of a skillet of chicken in a lemony broth with the potatoes mixed in. That's okay I thought.....well, it would've been but there was WAAAY too much lemon in the broth. I was disappointed. Not only because I was starving, but because I had to fight to finish the meal. If I weren't so hungry, I wouldn't have eaten it.
I had a few bites of my GF's pork. Now that was good. I'm not normally a fan of pork, but it was pretty good. She really liked her dish, but agreed that the appetizer wasn't anything special. (she had something else for an appetizer, but I can't recall what it was).
There are plenty of other restaurants in the area....I doubt we'll be heading back here.
Thank god its not just me who thinks this restaurant is a Joke!! I went there after I saw Metromix (by the way very disseminated in that show after going to this restaurant, they made it look like the best deal for food and service), oh how much I was disappointed.
Lets not talk about 45 minutes wait for the appetizer, and then another 45 minutes for dinner and when they brought the dinner I asked them to get me the dessert and bill as soon as they can, which funnily enough it took them another 50 minutes!! what the f!!!
now lets talk about the food, I went for those republican/democrat menues, appetizers were ok, the soups were real bad, one of my friends had the curry carrot soup!! its just minsed carrots in a bowl. dinner I ordered the ribs and my friends had the small peice of beef, I think you can cook another feast with the oil that came with the food, I have never seen anything so oily, and the ribs, oh my god, its was a long huge piece of bone that has all the fat of the world on it with some meat!! u have to sit and find ur meat between all the fat...
now the desert, we ordered some ice cream brownie thingy covered with whip cream, first it was like a row egg in front on me, its stank of egg!! the brownie part was a really cheap brownie that they must have got a 5 years old to bake it or it was so old it tasted so bad. it was frozen when it came. I couldn't eat it I returned it with the card they gave us to pick who will win the elections and if your party wins you get 50% of your next bill. You would have to pay me to go to this place again!!
Sorry I took so long but this place sucks and the service sucks and the silverware stinks...
thanks
I returned here recently as I remembered having a decent lunch some time ago. Dinner this time was disappointing. Steak frites, it was not bad but nothing to draw me back again. I've read the recent reviews, and I also was irritated by the service. You could do much worse, but for the price I'd suggest going elsewhere in town.
I happened into the place one night with some friends because all the other places we tried were packed. I didn't expect much considering it was part of the hotel. What a surprise.
The first couple of times I just had drinks and some apps. I love the Donna Paul Malbec. Then, I finally had dinner. Again, I was surprised.
Also, the lunch specials are awesome! I took some of the guys from the office there. When we walked in, they thought I had the wrong place. They couldn't believe such a nice place would have $2 burgers. One of the guys is a vegetarian. He went with the Chickpea burger and really enjoyed it. Friday is salads for $5 which is another great deal.
I am always able to get a seat at the bar or a table when I go. It has a nice relaxing atmosphere. I can depend on that , which is nice.
I might like the place as much as I do because I had low expectations form the start. I keep waiting for it to let me down. It keeps surprising me.
Nice space--chic but not too fru fru. Food and service could use some improvement. I went there 4pm. Kitchen only offer a few "bar food" before it opens for dinner at 5. The limited bar food menu was actually very appealing. Lamb corn dog, lamb ribs, Mexican shrimp cocktail, shark BLT...
I ordered the braised lamb ribs and shrimp cocktail. The lamb was melt in your mouth, but way too sweet for my taste. The shrimp cocktail comes with "table side"--a bar tender using a spoon mushing up avocado in front of me-- guacamole. Not good.
This place is amazing! The food is not premade so it is cooked to your directions. Chris the server is the best ! He is very concerned that your dining experience is perfect! The food is very nice and at good prices. I love the chicken and 7 lettuce salad with honey lavender dressing. The menu is very very very interesting. Okay,, you will have to wait for your food......but it is the kind of place that makes you want to take your time and enjoy yourself! You will never feel rushed here. It has a great kids memu too. Okay, best part is the cookie cart. The chef has the most creative cookies and they can be served warm....OMG!!!! WOWZA
I would never recommend this place...even to someone I did not like. Our service was terrible. There are so many reason why Viand only deserves one star but I will share only a few(largely due to the fact that I attended with Melissa D and she has covered some of the issues). The waitress only served my mother a tasting serving of wine and never bothered to fill her glass. My wine glass was still wet and had about .5 oz of dishwater water still in it. I had to dry it myself. The creme burlee was terrible. They purported to have raspberry and orange. In reality they had plain with two raspberries on the bottom and plain with orange peel at the bottom.
If all of this was not enough...I have one last complaint. When I first walked into the restaurant, my nose was offended by the horrible synthetic air freshener smell...when I walk into a restaurant...I want to smell wonderful food...not crap!
Viand is in a hotel so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and it is not everyday I flock to the Michigan Ave. area... well, I loved this place. Everything we ate was great. We started off with the mushroom flat bread with cheese, I highly recommend it. I'm not a lamb person (one of their specialties), so I went with the four cheese ravioli. My girlfriend had the shrimp risotto. Everything tasted right and we left with leftovers. The staff was very friendly as well. Also, as someone else commented, the pretzel bread in the breadbasket is fantastic. Lastly, although I am not one to think that "presentation" is too important, they do a really good job of it here. We shared a "desert cart:" with all sorts of miniature stuff in a Little shopping cart (brownies, little root beer floats, marsh mellows, and more). I'll be back when I find myself in that area.
Great low key environment. Martinis are very good. Good wine selection. Burgers are really good.
I want to like this place. I've given it so many tries. But like being in an abusive relationship, you ultimately come to a tipping point and give up. Well, I'm there.... and yet I still don't have the stomach to give it just one star.
The concepts for the food are great. I've had some very good food here. But I've also had some pretty lousy food too. One of the highlights for this restaurant, at least for me, is the $2 burger deal on Tuesdays. Many a co-worker of mine flock to this place during lunch, but rarely can you get in and out in under 75 minutes. How is that possible? Everybody in the place is ordering the same thing. And there are really only two options: Ground Beef with various toppings, or the Chicken Burger (there might be a veggie option as well). There aren't any exotic ground meats involved in any of their burgers, but that's a whole other topic that could be explored. Even if the burger special were increased it could be worth it, but the buns are awful and often times the burgers are over-cooked. Why even ask how the customer wants the burger cooked if they aren't going to get it that way. After waiting 45 minutes for your 1/2 lb. patty you're happy just to have some food in front of you and get out of there.
On the upside, I've never had a bad dessert there.
Another grand inconsistency come from the service. It's just all over the place. They'll have 6 people working the dining room with one table each and have one person working the bar with 8 tables... come on. To put this into perspective, a group of four last night spent over 2 and a half hours to have 3 rounds of drinks, eat burgers and share 2 desserts. We were late to our movie as a result. I feel like there is so much potential but the fact that it has never fully come together for me after repeated attempts is just wholly disappointing.
*as a side note, can somebody tell them that the 'aquarium' television is ridiculous?*
I did not sample the cuisine, but I will be sure to do so the next time that I am there. I was, however impressed with the bar. In fact, I told my gilrfriend while we there that if more bars were that nice I would be more willing to go to bars more often. What a nice atmosphere. Fancy yet not snobbish. The chairs, even the ones at the bar itself, were cushioned and comfy. The place makes the bars I usually go to look like the rowdiest of Wild West Saloons. It's nice to know that somewhere a place does indeed exist where you can just sit and have a few drinks and talk.
It's actually very cozy and classy for a hotel restaurant. When I read that it was connected to the Courtyard Marriot, I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised by the pretzel bread and the very attentive service. The menu is available on their website, so you won't be hit by any surprise prices. The server was also nice enough to list the prices of the specials so you don't have to enter into a guessing game. My favorite parts of the meal were the wonton-skin cream cheese goodies that accompany the house salad and the creme brulee.
I went here with a group of culinary arts students and between the six of us ate everything on the menu. I thought it was great. The chef gives his takes on some fun foods and some comfort foods and does it very well.
I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. The service was good, our waiter informed us at the beginning that the restaurant was having a half price wine sale that night and since we were going to buy a bottle anyway, we decided to splurge. The food runner was the definition of an eager beaver. She was incredibly descriptive of everything that she was bringing out and/but she had one of those really huge smiles all the time that generally I find irritating but it seemed to work for her. The food was good but a little uneven. The wife is still raving about the tempura green beans and the fried (it is Chicago) carrot cake was something special. I had the parmesan crusted pork chop and while I like parmesan...lots of parmesan...this thing had too much parmesan. It was covered in a parmesan ganache, if there is such a thing. The patio was very nice because the weather was perfect, although in Chicago that may not often be the case. Overall a pleasant experience and we would definitely return.
I thought this would be a nice restaurant, given the location and all. However, I didn't like the food here. I ordered the Rosemary Chicken, and it was totally dry and tasteless --- and I also had to wrestle it from the bones! My husband go the steak, which wasn't very tasty either. Maybe the other dishes are better, but I am not tempted to go back. The service was fine, the atmosphere was fine, but I couldn't care less about my dish.
great restaurant with a mixture of classy and simple dishes. their bucket of ribs is amazing and so are their martinis
great place.. the food was great .. the ambiance was awesome and the service was curteous and attentive.
Neighborhood: Pilsen
Luch Specials. Mon-Fri 11am to…
Neighborhood: Pilsen
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Mediterranean
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Nightlife
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Restaurants
Now if I only I had a bull horn to scare off the…
