The Rice Table

Has anyone diner here yet? I have a table booked for Thursday and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I'll be sure to report back.

The Rice Table
1147 W. Grand
Chicago, IL. 60642
Limited Reservations 847.644.6331
Carryout 312.226.0312

I had dinner there with a large group for a birthday celebration about 3 months ago when it was still a pop up prix fixe at Sip Coffeehouse. Food was fine--not remarkable--but enjoyable considering the dearth of this type of cuisine in Chicago. The set up at Sip was not great--it took ages for servers to get us food and our group was crammed into an uncomfortable space. Neither of these should be issues now that they're working out of a proper restaurant.

I recall wishing that the food was a bit more adventurous--it struck me as being pretty conservative compared to the amazing Rijsttafel I've had in Amsterdam (which likely isn't authentic either ) I wish I could remember what we had and enjoyed the most but my memory of the night is not that detailed. The biggest change from my experience is that it appears you have a full menu from which to choose--if you go with a big enough group, it likely means that you can enjoy a nice selection of dishes but if it's just a couple, the prix fixe with small samples of all of the offerings provided an opportunity to try a lot of things.

Looking forward to hearing your report!

For what it''s worth, it appears that the Rice table will be closed this weekend due to plumbing problems.

I hope they solve their plumbing problems. I'm looking forward to a report of their food once they're up and going. I had rijstafel half a lifetime ago in Amsterdam, and it would be fun to enjoy it here, on home turf.

I've been to their new digs and have the rijsttafel. It is quite good--very tasty (lekker!). I'm sure this is a minor hiccup. I recommend them highly.

I went to a dinner recently at the Rice Table.

The venue they now have is perfect for the 14 or so folks that attended. Nice, intimate but with enough room that one doesn't feel cramped.

I was solo but thankfully the table was a really talkative bunch.

As for the food, there were some very good items and some items that were just ok such as green beens w/a sweet soy sauce.

boudreaulicious wrote:I recall wishing that the food was a bit more adventurous--it struck me as being pretty conservative compared to the amazing Rijsttafel I've had in Amsterdam...

I would agree with this statement.

For instance I prefer the rendang served at Penang in Rolling Meadows/Arlington Heights as it is more aggressive with the spicing.

I hope to schedule a dinner in the future with the Rice Table and am hoping that the chef will work with me on a more aggressive menu.

Edited to add: perhaps the title could be edited to better reflect what the Rice Table is about.