Jeff W.'s Profile

This review is kind of hard to write, as my wife and I went to Funky Buddha a few years ago and had a fantastic time before they remodeled.

Long story short, I wore white tennis shoes to the club on a Saturday night and was unaware of the dress code. At the front door it says "Proper Attire Required", which is obviously code for we'll let in whomever we choose, which I totally get, although it provides a lot of room for interpretation as you'll see.

They let us in, but as soon as we got in, one of the bouncers approached me and said "They shouldn't have let you in with the tennis shoes, but as long as no other patrons say anything, you can hang out." Ok - not the best way to be greeted after coming in, but I can live with it.

So we're hanging out having drinks for a few hours when another bouncer comes over and says "Ok - somebody said something so you have to take off". I didn't put up a fuss and we were getting ready to close our tab out when the same bouncer comes over and says "Sorry man, they just made up this rule tonight. It's cool if you want to stay." So we hang out for a few more minutes and decide to close out our tab and take off.

As we're getting our coats, another bouncer says "Are you guys taking off?", which we acknowledge and we head out the door. The last time we were here, we had a great time, it was super chill and the music was great. After this experience, I don't think I"ll be back and will tell my friends likewise. Sorry Funky Buddha, but there are plenty of other places in this city to here good music and hang out with friends.

We went here last night and man was it phenomenal. First, it's BYOB, which we loved right off the bat. For some reason, I was expecting some kind of taqueria style menu - tacos, burritos, etc. Well, I was WRONG.

This place is a Michelin star rated establishment. We started with the ceviche which was tart and light and super fresh along with some guacamole. I've pretty much given up making choices at local restaurants and instead go with what the waiter or waitress recommends. Our waiter recommended the lamb chops, the pork chops and the shredded pork. All were amazing. When I got back again, I'm definitely getting an order of the lamb chops just for myself. The mole was perfect and the lamb chops were fall off the bone tender. Oh and don't forget the banana pudding for dessert. Mmmmm....

And the presentation is equally artistic and eye-pleasing. Definitely worth a visit, both if you live in the neighborhood, but also as a destination dinner. You won't be disappointed.

My wife and I hired Victor and Accolade Musicians for our wedding in July of 2010. We hired them as a string quartet and asked that they play a lot of contemporary songs specifically Smashing Pumpkins "Today" and Muse "Starlight", which is actually the song the bride came down the aisle to. They showed up right on time, setup quickly, played the songs we had requested, and packed up and left right after the ceremony. No fuss, no muss. Exactly what we needed and completely professional throughout.

I would definitely recommend them again for my friends weddings.

We went here while in town for the Stewart/Colbert rally as it's a Michigan bar and we wanted to watch the game. Overall, it's a pretty typical sports bar with the exception of the additional pool tables. The food was pretty good. My only knock on this place is the service. Our server was great, but the management seriously need to rethink their staffing priorities. One guy to cover 8-10 tables on a Saturday night during college football season AND Halloween night? Are they out of their minds? Needless to say our server did his best, but it still meant we only saw him once every 30 minutes or so.

I'd recommend this place, but I think you'll have a better experience during the week or a slower night.

We were in town for the Stewart/Colbert rally and ran across this place. It was Saturday night and this place was PACKED and for good reason. We ordered up 8 or so cupcakes for ourselves and our friends and they were all fantastic. I had the peanut butter blossom, which my only complaint was that I didn't order two. Definitely check it out for a quick dessert or a snack. Definitely worth it!

I can't really add any more than what others have already written. Everything on the menu is absolutely delicious. Here are a few stand-outs:
- green beans
- chick pea fritters
- cauliflower
- the sea scallops
- any of the oysters
- any of the desserts

I was very lucky and got a reservation for 6pm on a Saturday night through Open Table, the day of. Couldn't have picked a better spot for all of us. Everything was seasoned and cooked to absolute perfection!

I almost didn't go to this place because of the previous reviews. I don't know what all the naysayers are about. My wife and I had a fantastic time here.

I showed up to the bar around 6 on a Thursday. I had never been here before and frankly didn't know much about Mercadito, other than I had heard vague rumblings that it was a fun place to go and they had decent food, and it's not far from my office. So I sat down at the bar and there were only a few other folks in the restaurant. The bartender asks what I want and I said, I have no idea, what do you recommend. I told him I'm into spicy drinks (ala bloody mary) and he recommends a Misty's sleeve. The hibiscus salt is great and it has a bit of heat. I told him, if anything, make it spicier next time.

A few more folks show up at the restaurant and I can feel the vibe start to pick up. It's around 6:30 at this point. Done with the Misty's Sleeve, I'm up for something else. Another bartender recommends the Big Nose Goes to Mexico (B.N.G.T.M), which they described as a sort of Mai Thai with a twist. The twist being 151 and set on fire before you drink it. It's a really fruit drink, but still delicious and the hibiscus salt on the rim of this one is a little burnt, which gives it another layer of complexity.

It's around 7 and the place is really crowded. My wife arrives and we're immediately seated outside. It was a beautiful night and there's lots of folks walking around River North. I order another Misty's Sleeve and my wife has a BNGTM. She's not really a fan of the salt on the glass, but still enjoys the guava-ness of the drink.

We ordered the Mango, Pina, and Mole guacamoles to start. Surprisingly the Mango and Pina are the spicier of the three. The mole has a nice smoky taste, while the other have sweeter, but spicier notes. All three are delcious. Then we had the Hongos and Pescado tacos. The Hongos tacos came out first and were absolutely delicious. Earthy mushrooms and really savory. The Pescado tacos came out next, but they weren't as flavorful as the Hongos. They need a bit more citrus or something to give them a kick, but still pretty good.

Overall, we were very pleased and I would definitely go back with a smaller or larger group. Bonus for OpenTable reservations.

This was not our first visit to the Southern, nor will it be our last by far.

A group of 6 of us went here on a Tuesday night and we got in right away. It was a perfect night to eat here. It was hot and humid, but with a slight breeze coming through the open garage doors, it felt perfect. We ordered some drinks (may I suggest the Stormy Monday) and started with an appetizer of Pimento cheese. Really tasty! The rest of our group showed up shortly thereafter and we decided to get another appetizer of the cornbread panzanella. Really interesting take on the traditional italian salad. The cornbread really makes this salad along with the fresh vegetables. Then we ordered our entrees of Shrimp and Grits and Johnny Cakes with a side of green beans with pecans. Again, all of which was absolutely delicious. During dinner, we had the planters punch, which was a nice sweet compliment to our savory entrees, and polished it off soon after our meal ended.

I can't wait to try the Tasty Burger next time as it got rave reviews from some of our friends. It was a wonderful summer evening and we'll be back very soon.

We had Pete come out last week to install our new chandelier and fix a few other problems we've been having. Pete showed up on a Sunday no less and was here for a few hours all the while telling us what he was doing, why it needed to be done and what the end result would be. Needless to say, he's a really nice guy and very professional. I'm sure you'll be impressed with what he can do. I would definitely give him a call again.

I've been here before, but I guess I didn't write a review the first time. Well, this place is just a good the second time. We went here with my parents and it was absolutely delicious. We started with the beet salad as well as the salmon mousse. Both were fantastic. Then we had the organic ribeye and trout and they were absolutely fantastic. I absolutely love this restaurant and hope they can stay in Northcenter for many years to come.

My only nit - get rid of the corkage fee. Please - it's just ridiculous.