Liz G.'s Profile

Worth the hike...
We try something new every time we're here and haven't been disappointed yet.  
The menu can be a little daunting- it's like a mini novel with page after page of options.  
I think my favorite discovery has been the chicken sizzling rice soup.  It was a cold day and I was looking for tasty bowl of soup, but wanted to branch out beyond the standard egg drop/wonton/hot & sour options and I am so, so, so glad I did.  It's now a standby, and one of those random things I'll get a serious craving for.

I was having a craving for tamales and after a quick google/yelp search this was determined to be the best option to drive to from my office.  
It's a no frills, cafeteria style restaurant with a lot of delicious options.  Obviously, I went for the tamales, but ended up walking out with some chiles rellenos as well.  I was able to con my coworker with an incredibly vanilla palate into trying one of the chiles rellenos and they were delicious enough that I've got a new convert to drag with me on my next trip.  
I'll certainly be heading back.

The entire experience can be summed up with one word: underwhelming.  
The food was good, but rather unremarkable.  The meal commenced with the deviled eggs and the cranberry goat cheese biscuits, and they were quite good.  We had an appetizer of the Risotto Croquettes and they were fine, but nothing special.  Our entrees were the Low Country Jambalaya and the Cornmeal Crusted Catfish.  Of the two the Jambalaya was the superior choice.  It wasn't that the catfish wasn't good, it just was sort of blah.  Nothing really stood out.  
For dessert we split the Gingerbread cake, which was a little on the dry side.
I was expecting amazing flavors, good 'fancified' country cooking, and it just didn't happen.  It wasn't a bad experience, it's just that there wasn't one thing that makes me want to return for a repeat dining experience, or to even recommend this restaurant.

I've been a big fan of the original location and when I saw them opening a location closer to my house I thought, "woohoo!  Delicious breakfast now that much more convenient!"
And then we went for breakfast...  We had a party of 5 and from the time we arrived, until we left (as they were closing for the day) we had been there for almost three hours.  I don't mind waiting to be seated, I understand you're busy.  But, once seated I expect to be served in a reasonable timeframe.  Not only did our food take forever, when the meals arrived, one diner did not receive anything as the server had forgotten to put it on the ticket.  
Maybe it's because they're new and still working the kinks out, but while the food was still delicious, it's going to be a while before I go back.

I've had 4 star meals here, and I've had 2 star meals, so a three is a happy compromise.  
Our most commonly ordered meals are the red chicken curry or green curry beef, which are usually pretty delicious.  My biggest complaint though is the amount of spice.  I genuinely like my food pretty spicy but sweet baby jesus, even when you tell them "mild, baby spice... seriously, no spice at all" it comes out mouth burning hot.  If it was a one time thing fine, but come on, every time we order?  
Otherwise, the soups are pretty decent and the appetizers hit or miss.  
I really wish I liked it more... especially considering how often I order from there!

I really wanted to like this place, but alas, it was not to be!
The good:  the waitstaff was fantastic.  Very attentive, but not overly so.  Quick with answers to our food questions, and really nice.
The atmosphere was great as well.  We were there for a special dinner and it was nice to have a quiet intimate atmosphere.
The appetizers- the crabcake was absolutely 'signature' and probably the best part of the evening.  The carpaccio, while on the small side, delicious.
The bad: pretty much everything else.  The scallops were seriously overly salted, the halibut overly seared on the outside, and the chocolate/espresso dessert a resounding meh, not to mention it took substantially longer to come out than warranted.
I'd like to say I'd give it another shot, but there are so many other places I'd rather explore.

After an unfortunate encounter with a tight parking garage, we had a serious scrape that needed to be repaired.  We worked with Ryan and he was incredibly helpful- faxes quotes when and where we needed them and worked with us to keep the price under  the insurance threshold.  Then, as the work was being performed they found additional damage that they photographed, e-mailed,  and clearly explained what needed to be done and what the cost would be.  And best of all, they had the car done in the time they said it would be done in.
Everyone at the shop was really polite and helpful.  Hopefully we won't have to come back, but if we ever need any work done, West Loop is the first place we'll go.

I really wanted to give more stars because my burger was pretty damn tasty, and when they served it, it came with an onion ring on the stack of fixings.
But, worst service ever.  We came for a late lunch and the place was pretty much empty.  We sat at our table and waited while we watched the bartender and the servers stand around and chat.  It wasn't until we flagged them down that one came over.  At least she was apologetic.  
Of course after recognizing that the service had been less than stellar so far, you'd think that she'd come back in the 'few minutes' she promised while we checked out the menu.  Um, no, the chatting at the bar was evidently far more important.  Once again we had to flag her down.
When the restaurant is empty, it shouldn't take over a hour for 2 people to eat lunch.  
Next time, I'll hit one of the other lunchy bars on Halsted.

I really, really, really want to give the full 5 stars because the food is incredible and the beer selection is vast and thirst quenching!  But, the wait... Yes, the hours long wait...
The food is worth the wait, but maybe I'm getting old and crotchety, and I abhor waiting forever, particularly when you're with a couple people and you're trying to find a place to stand where you can carry on some semblance of a conversation and not be constantly jostled by the crowd.
The waiting area up in the mezzanine is probably the only thing that makes the wait tolerable.  If I had to stand downstairs by the bar,  forget it- no food is worth that crowding.  
But, the mussels are delicious, the Montreal brisket fantastic and the Stilton mac & cheese sinfully delicious.  
If you have patience and your group's not to large, Hopleaf is the place for you.  Otherwise, get there early and hope for the best!

First off the food is awesome.  Awesome might not even do it justice.  The pannenkoeken is delicious- I'm stuck on the havarti and bacon combination.  I keep thinking I'll branch out, but it's so delicious that I keep coming back to it.
But, as much as I want to give the full 5 stars I just cannot, and here's why: a) it's tiny, tiny, tiny, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it causes some serious waits, which leads to b) the seating system- the come in and write your name down just doesn't cut it for me.  I need parameters- is it going to be 10 minutes, 30, an hour?  Sure, you can write your cell number down too, but it's not like there's shops super close by that I can browse while I wait, which leads to c) There's no place to wait!  Literally! You're on the sidewalk, which yes, they have set chairs out, but really, the sidewalk?  Western Ave?  Not so much where I want to stand and wait for an extended period of time.
At the end of the day, the food is totally worth the wait, but damn, the waiting experience leaves a lot to be desired.