Trotters-Has it seen it’s heyday come and go?

I just wanted to write a quick review and perhaps help you all save a few hundred dollars.  My dear, loving husband was ever so kind to surprise me with a visit to Charlie Trotters for my most recent birthday celebration.  I have been in Chicago now just over 10 years, and every time I would get into a discussion about Chicago dining, inevitably, the world famous Charlie Trotters would be brought up.

I’ll keep my experience short and sweet, and then let you decide for yourself.  We went on a week night, and arrived a bit early.  As we walked in and were ushered to our table, the place was silent.  The decor was odd, almost as if you were at a grandparents home, except with no windows.  The flowers were amazing, but it still felt extremely stuffy.  There were a few other couples littered along the walls where the tables lined the room.  We sat and were immediately tended to.  The service was exceptional, and I was quite thrilled to be beginning my journey through the tasting menu with suggested wine pairings.

As dinner progressed, through the courses, my husband became increasingly annoyed at the portion size, which would have been just enough for my 15 month old to finish.  I was a bit confused by the flavors, and to be honest, neither of us were impressed.  We finished the meal with 2 different port wines, which were both so strong that I would liken the flavor to that of drinking maple syrup.  The desert paired again some off the wall flavors of chocolate (which I’m a huge fan of) and the agave plant (from which they make tequila).  Needless to say, we didn’t finish our desert.

The bill arrived and although we were prepared for the outcome, we were astonished and disappointed.  For the price of our meal, with wine, at Charlie Trotters, we could have easily sampled 4-5 of the newest hot spots the city has to offer.  In a word, we were underwhelmed.

If you’re looking for a suggestion to celebrate the upcoming holidays in the city or suburbs, feel free to contact us at kjpremier@atproperties.com.  Or, we’d love to hear your favorite, or not so favorite experiences.

Outside Please~at ZED451

It’s summertime in Chicago, and of course, we must take advantage of the quick 3-4 mos. of fabulous weather!  I wanted to comment on a recent trip to a new joint called ZED451. It’s located in the trendy River North Neighborhood, amidst the new, glass highrises, and expensive, old Brownstones.  I was having a quick drink and appetizers with some co-workers, and arrived to the posh new spot, only to be stopped at the door, by a scrawny guy telling me that to get up to rooftop I must “wait here.”  Here before me was a line (it was only about 7pm on a Friday night~at a steakhouse mind you) that was already about 15 deep.  My 2 friends and I were meeting some colleuges already atop the new resturant, and we tried to tell this to the bouncer, but it didn’t matter.  We were to wait roughly 35 minutes, with the other poor souls in front of us, to experience this new heavenly oasis.  By the time we were finally let upstairs, I began to wonder what the wait was for as the patio seemed about half its capacity.   The service was slow, and the crowd was decent at best.  The plush couches and fancy cocktails were nice, but after I finally got my drink and chatted it up for an hour, I decided to spend the rest of the evening in my cozy backyard with immediate service and a place to put my feet up.  Hopefully this new hot spot will ditch the pretentious line outside, and with time, improve their service.