Interesting - maybe not a religious experience

Posted by misssteadman from New Orleans on 10/26/07

Just returned from an evening at Charlie Trotter's. The service was hard to fault the waiters were pleasant and fun. The dining room is somewhat stark but does not distract from the food. I had worried that the fixed menu might contain a few items that I'd rather not eat. However this was not a problem, some items were happily altered and the substituted Partridge instead of Lamb and the addition of Quail to the Terrine of Cipollini & Torpedo Onions with Easter Radish was wonderful. My partners Lamb was also excellent with a little extra kick provided by curry spices. Less successful were the Summer Thai basil - the sorbet and basil leaves were very nice but it was paired with an odd bland green basil gelatin textured item that was disappointing. The duck was also less than perfect, although apparently nicely cooked it was tough and a little fatty and almost impossible to cut with the knife provided. The Szechwan Infused Duck Consomme though was excellent. The desserts were plentiful we were given five of the night's desserts, the Sour Cream Sorbet with sweet beets and candied Walnuts was predictably odd, the beets and walnuts were nice but really seemed oddly paired. The Buttermilk with white pepper with toasted milk and ice cream & Nutmeg was quite good as was the Venezuelan Chocolate Baba with sherry, and the Sweet Carrot Sorbet with toasted orange cake, but the highlight that provided a strong finish to the evening was the Indonesian Chocolate with Pine Nuts & Pandan Broth, this seemed to be the perfect combination of flavor and texture without being too rich. Charlie Trotter's is not a restaurant that will appeal to everyone (or even to everyone that can afford it) The daily changing menu naturally takes risks some seem to work and some are maybe too quirky to be successful. If you want to experience innovative creative cuisine and are prepared to be flexible with what you eat, although each course is small enough that even if you don't like one item; with the plentiful bread and desserts you won't leave hungry. If you can afford $600 for a good night out, it is worth the expense.

excellent

Posted by drew1687 from Atlanta, Georgia on 6/2/07

i dined at charlie trotters early this year and it was by far my greatest dining experience. starting with when you first walk in the door the ambience hits you. the seat you rapidly probably easier if your in a smaller party. The server delivers the menus, describes them each, and answers any questions you may have. There was a special menu prepared for me and as a young culinarian that was awesome. after the first two courses they did the most unique thong i have ever seen instead of a wine pairing i recieved a juice pairing because i am not 21. i know it sounds juvenile but the juice combinations were very complex. when the soup came out Chef Trotter came out to the Dining Room and spoke with me. Then the next courses came out and the Chef de Cuisine Matt Merges came out and spoke to me as well if that is not totally awesome. Also because i was dining alone the Alex brought me some reading material. The service was absolutely impeccable, extremely knowlegeable, and elgently friendly. It is very refreshing to see people be professional and they are very passionate about what they do. After my dinner was over i took a tour of the kitchen, wine cellars, and studio kitchen. If all of this was not enough when i arrive back in the dining room the escort me to the foyer and all my things are gather with a charlie trooter shopping bag. I look inside and there are 7 books, a pastry, my menu signed by Chef Trotter, and a card that states " Mr. Buckhalt, Thank you for joining us this evening. We hope you enjoyed each course. Your dinner is Chef Trotter's complimetns!" This is by far the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Even if i would have had to pay i feel that it was worth it. There is no price tag you can put one a dining experience at Charlie Trotter's it is absolutely amazing. in reference to the previous comment about they never left saying wow. i could not stop saying wow.

Elegant dining at a high price.

Posted by when from Buffalo, NY on 5/1/07

I lost count of the number of courses on the tasting menu, but the meal and service were exceptional. They should be. With wines to match, dinner for two was well over $600, including state and local sales taxes and an 18% gratuity automatically added to the bill. Nevertheless, I would return.

This restaurant has lost its magic...

Posted by princesstree from San Diego on 12/18/06

I was very disappointed with my dinner at Charlie Trotters. The food was very boring and uninspiring. Their are too many better Chicago restaurants to even consider returning. I was not impressed, nor do I recommend this restaurant. This restaurant has lost its magic.

eye off the ball?

Posted by Martin from Montreal, Quebec on 6/4/06

Our most recent meal at Charlie Trotter's was our first real disappointment in half a dozen visits over more than a decade. The cuisine was consistently uninspired, from the ameuse-bouche - a couple of squares of ahi tuna dabbed with wasabi-flavored cream, resting on a bland vegetable puree - to the main desert, an olive oil sorbet with nice texture, but the chopped bits of green olive surrounding it seemed weird rather than interesting. Our waiter/sommelier was pleasant enough, but we didn't see him again after the wine was served until he returned with the check. Note that an 18% service charge is automatically added to the bill (in our case twice, but fortunately the waiter spotted the error). A large squad of servers worked with clockwork efficiency - one hit me in the shoulder with my dish as he removed it - but no one ever asked how we were enjoying our meal. From the kitchen on up we felt that they were just going through the motions... It made us wonder if Charlie Trotter's numerous other interests were distracting him from his original restaurant. We used to make a special effort to visit Chicago so that we could eat here, but it may be a while before we come back again.

Near perfection

Posted by Van from Wisconsin on 1/28/06

We took a late seating at the restaurant and surprisingly, our dinner was not rushed, rather it was prolonged even longer. as cooks, we wanted to taste everything, so we ordered both menus, and using side dishes, we'd share the courses. not even after the 3rd course, the crew decided that they would split all the courses for us. what a surprise that was, especially when they said that some wines would be added as well. The food is top notch. Your taste buds will definetly be dancing with joy. The service was incredible. You'll notice that you will never have to ask for bread, since there is a service staff that will fill your bread plate everytime it is empty, without being noticed. The timing of everything was also great. You didn't wait too long for your food to come, and it didn't come right away. It makes things perfect because you're still thinking about the last dish you had. We also received an extra course near the end of our dinner. They knew exactly what ingredients we loved the best and combined them as our last course before dessert. We also received goodie bags, with 2 sauces and 2 books. The price of 600 dollars is definetly quite up there, but you pay that money for service, and the service is imppecable. The dining room is designed so that the guest is not distracted from the real art in the room, the food and the service.