My experience at Old Town Brasserie is admittedlly limited: I have dined only at the bar and not really had a full, multi-course meal there. However, while the service left much to be desired, my food bordered on sublime. The olive oil poached fish and the tornedos of beef have left such a lingering positive taste in my mouth that I continue to recommend the place to all looking for classical French preparations. Upthread I recommended NOT dinign at the bar, but given the issues described with the dining room, maybe I was actually better off. Indifferent was about the most positive way I could describe the bar service.

Ronnie,

I think your solution is Midas like. Brilliant. Have you proposed this to them?

On a recent visit here last Tuesday, I can unfortunately echo similar service issues. It was clumsy and lacked the sort of genteel refinement you'd expect from a place of this caliber. We got there early, so we started with a drink at the bar -- the bar is very nicely situated near the front of the restaurant which is lined with floor-to-ceiling doors that were open in the nice weather. It was packed that night, but the bartenders seemed content to not acknowledge you for prolonged periods. It took us way too long to get our drinks.

When we moved over to the host stand to be seated, I found similar apathy. There is a male host (middle-aged, dark hair) who I found to be downright hostile. He was told by the other host to "escort" us to our table and did so without any acknowledgement of our presence as he walked very fast ahead of us, arms stuck at side, passing about 5 two-tops as he took us to the uppermost corner of the restaurant. There was no nod of the head or showing of the palm with a warm smile as he indicated to us which table would be ours, rather, we had to discern from his back and where his body briefly paused which table would be ours. His body stopped at the most cramped two-top in the back of the restaurant, and as he turned around to pass us by and continue back to the host stand (again not acknowledging us), I politely told him that I did not prefer that table, could I have one in front? He grunted that I was free to do that -- instead of escorting me to the new table, and even possibly taking out my chair, he whizzed past me -- I guess he felt like his hosting duties were over once I rejected his first choice of table.

The second table (my choice) was much better, but I sat there for a long time before I was acknowledged. A second before I was about to get annoyed, the server popped over to tell us he'd be right with us. For the remainder of the night, I found him affable, efficient and attentive. No problems there.

Later, however, my problems with the dude that hosted continued. As I was exiting the bathroom, this guy sees me, but insists on stepping out in front of me (instead of letting me by) and is blocking my egress like a linebacker, as I'm trying to excuse myself around him. I knew what would happen next and it did -- he spun around and elbowed me in the stomach. You'll find more refined service at Bennigan's (and I'm excepting our very nice server).

The food I found to be delicious and next time, if it was another warm weeknight, and later in the evening, I might consider going back to eat at the bar.

From my observations of the place, I've concluded that it attracts a real eclectic, older Gold Coast crowd, from old money Chanel-clad folks, to new money with too much jewelry to Euro-trash, slick-haired men who are there with who appear to be two high-class hookers (yes, that was my take). I don't know if that results in some favoritism in service -- ie., the schmoes who make a reservation aren't as desirable as the regulars who may be passing c-notes -- I dunno. But my hunch is that there is some type of clubby hierarchy which drives service at this place.

Jazzfood wrote:Ronnie,

I think your solution is Midas like. Brilliant. Have you proposed this to them?

No, but I will, and I'll report back.

aschie30 wrote:On a recent visit here last Tuesday, I can unfortunately echo similar service issues. It was clumsy and lacked the sort of genteel refinement you'd expect from a place of this caliber. We got there early, so we started with a drink at the bar -- the bar is very nicely situated near the front of the restaurant which is lined with floor-to-ceiling doors that were open in the nice weather. It was packed that night, but the bartenders seemed content to not acknowledge you for prolonged periods. It took us way too long to get our drinks.

. . .

From my observations of the place, I've concluded that it attracts a real eclectic, older Gold Coast crowd, from old money Chanel-clad folks, to new money with too much jewelry to Euro-trash, slick-haired men who are there with who appear to be two high-class hookers (yes, that was my take). I don't know if that results in some favoritism in service -- ie., the schmoes who make a reservation aren't as desirable as the regulars who may be passing c-notes -- I dunno. But my hunch is that there is some type of clubby hierarchy which drives service at this place.

aschie, I really appreciate your take on this. I think you, unfortunately, nailed it.

=R=

How was the phone reservation system?

I should add one more comment. We thought the wine list was woefully inadequate. The wines-by-the-glass list, especially, had no French wines (odd for a place serving French-focused fare), and was heavy on mediocre American wines. There was an abundance of Chardonnays (which were very popular with the crowd there). And not a single sparkling wine that was champagne. Weird.

The wine list fared slightly better than the by-the-glass list, having a few more varietals to choose from, but was still heavy on the run-of-the-mill grapes and makers. (I really don't want to see a Gustave Lorentz Riesling . . . boring . . . ) We ended up ordering a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon which was fine, but for medium bodied whites, it was either that, or the choice of like 6 Chardonnays.

Kennyz wrote:How was the phone reservation system?

LOL! It was fine but, as I posted upthread, I did have to make my reservation about a month in advance in order to get a Saturday night table for 4.

=R=

Good lord. I bet Roland Liccioni would be horrified if he read this thread. Someone should print it and mail it to him, seriously. He knows all too well how fast a restaurant can go south....

Frankly, I would have much rather posted about the food at our meal and posted the pictures I took of it. Unfortunately, other aspects of the experience so overshadowed the food, it would have been ridiculous to have done so. I am a huge fan of chef Roland but I'm not going to 'bury the lead,' either.

I know there is a certain amount of 'complaint fatigue' going on here lately but I posted as evenly and accurately as I could about my much-anticipated meal at OTB. If you read my posts throughout these forums, you'll find that I am very much about the food and am generally a very positive poster. My experience at OTB did not warrant such a post. Given that the overwhelming majority of my posts here are positive, however, my hope is that the negativity I've expressed on this thread may provide some context, and indicate just how poor I thought our experience at OTB really was.

I did not come here and post negatively about a chef I admire, with ease. It was a hard thing for me to do but if I cannot be honest, there's no reason to post in the first place. By the same token, I contacted the restaurant directly about my experience, which was not my preference, either. No one wishes I could have posted about food at OTB more than I do. But, to have done so would have been disingenuous.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I know there is a certain amount of 'complaint fatigue' going on here lately but I posted as evenly and accurately as I could about my much-anticipated meal at OTB. If you read my posts throughout these forums, you'll find that I am very much about the food and am generally a very positive poster. My experience at OTB did not warrant such a post. Given that the overwhelming majority of my posts here are positive, however, my hope is that the negativity I've expressed on this thread may provide some context...

I don't see anything for you to apologize for, Ronnie. You had the experience you had, and should report it. For myself, when I write about a negative restaurant experience, I assume I am not being judged as a chronic complainer, but instead am being granted the presumption that what I am writing is as truthful to the experience on offer as I am capable of conveying. I make the same presumption in your case, and with everyone else here.

As for your question slightly upthread about what a "standard, representative" experience at OTB is really like, I can only throw in (again) my two data points, which is that both weeknight experiences we had there were pleasant. (The host we're all talking about was certainly not "warm" those nights, but not overtly or even passive-aggressively hostile, and our food and table service were very good.) So I guess, so far, the best answer to your question is, "highly variable."

aschie30 wrote:I should add one more comment. We thought the wine list was woefully inadequate. The wines-by-the-glass list, especially, had no French wines (odd for a place serving French-focused fare), and was heavy on mediocre American wines. There was an abundance of Chardonnays (which were very popular with the crowd there). And not a single sparkling wine that was champagne. Weird.

The wine list fared slightly better than the by-the-glass list, having a few more varietals to choose from, but was still heavy on the run-of-the-mill grapes and makers. (I really don't want to see a Gustave Lorentz Riesling . . . boring . . . ) We ended up ordering a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon which was fine, but for medium bodied whites, it was either that, or the choice of like 6 Chardonnays.

What a shame. Either the place is letting one of the "Big 2" distributors write their wine list for them, or Roland has put a completely mediocre wine buyer in charge.

I can deal with server issues or haughty hosts. I can't deal with crappy over ripe, over oaked Napa wine. Sorry, I'll stick to Kiki's a few blocks away, where I can get a good glass of grower Champagne follwed by an outstanding bottle of 1er cru Vosne-Romanee from a great producer/importer at a very reasonable price.

Sam Harmon wrote:Either the place is letting one of the "Big 2" distributors write their wine list for them, or Roland has put a completely mediocre wine buyer in charge.

I doubt Liccioni's responsibilities extend beyond the kitchen. He's the chef; he doesn't own the restaurant.

The owner is Bob Djahanguiri, whose establishments were always best known for their music.

LAZ wrote:
The owner is Bob Djahanguiri, whose establishments were always best known for their music.

Tells me everything I need to know about the "politics" involved in that wine program.

I'm sorry, there are too many good French Bistros/Brasseries in Chicago to waste time on one that refuses to offer an appropriate wine program--no matter how good their food might be.

Now I really don't know what to do. I have a reservation for my wife and I at 6:30 Saturday night. The first page of posts makes me really want to go and the second page makes me really want to go someplace else. Chicago mag picked them as one of the best new restaurants(not that I put a lot of faith in their reviews vs. LTH whose I do). I guess I'm asking fellow posters to make up my mind for me. I would hate to be rushed out the door as they try to turn my table and rude service would totally ruin the night.

What would you do?

hoppy2468 wrote:What would you do?

There is no "right" answer, so I can only tell you what I, riddlemay, would genuinely do. Which is go. Based on my two fine experiences on weeknights, I'd be hoping that 6:30 was early enough on a Saturday night to avoid the madhouse effect. By no means would I have a sense of certainty that this would be so, but I'd be guardedly optimistic enough to follow through with my original plan. And then take the consequences if I were wrong. That is totally what I would do. Your mileage may vary, but you're not asking us to tell you about you.

riddlemay wrote:

hoppy2468 wrote:What would you do?

There is no "right" answer, so I can only tell you what I, riddlemay, would genuinely do. Which is go. Based on my two fine experiences on weeknights, I'd be hoping that 6:30 was early enough on a Saturday night to avoid the madhouse effect. By no means would I have a sense of certainty that this would be so, but I'd be guardedly optimistic enough to follow through with my original plan. And then take the consequences if I were wrong. That is totally what I would do. Your mileage may vary, but you're not asking us to tell you about you.

Seems reasonable. I support that.

hoppy2468 wrote:Now I really don't know what to do. I have a reservation for my wife and I at 6:30 Saturday night. The first page of posts makes me really want to go and the second page makes me really want to go someplace else. Chicago mag picked them as one of the best new restaurants(not that I put a lot of faith in their reviews vs. LTH whose I do). I guess I'm asking fellow posters to make up my mind for me. I would hate to be rushed out the door as they try to turn my table and rude service would totally ruin the night.

What would you do?

I'm one of the OTB defenders in this thread. In fact, I even described the food as "sublime". I would absolutely go. However, if I were you, the answer would be different. For me, the food was easily good enough to outweigh the bad service - and bad is what it has been in each of my visits. But, if - as it sounds - crappy service will ruin your night no matter how good the food is, you should stay away from OTB.

I sent a friend of mine there with his gf for a going away dinner (she was going to CA for 6 months) They had a wonderful dinner and still mention it when we get together as one of their best Chicago meals.

We did go. All I can say is that the OTB that we went to must be on a different planet than the one everyone has been bashing. Our dinner was wonderful on all levels. We were greeted warmly, shown to our table promptly by a host who was just doing his job, not overly friendly but I wasn't elbowed in the stomach either. Seated at a very nice table(I looked around for that horrible corner table but didn't see it and that doesn't mean that it's not there). Bread and water arrived immediately, followed closley by our waiter. We ordered and drank martinis while our waiter kept our order on hold so we could enjoy them. Dinner was certainly delicious and service was never slow or clumsy. The meal was perfectly paced.
A "clubby hierarchy that drives service"? Don't think so. I've only noticed this once in all the times we've eaten out and it was at Gene and Georgettie's. Certainly not at OTB. Don't tips drive service? Any waiter who adhered to such a policy wouldn't get much in a tip, at least from me.
As for the older, ecletic Eurotrash diners, yes, most were older but jewelry encrusted Eurotrash?, didn't see them. Maybe they stay home on Saturday night? Also, not a single hooker in the place unlike one of the times we were at Spiaggia where her "date" grabbed her B--- as they walked out.

My only disappointment was that we were so full we couldn't finish our souffles. I also wondered aloud to our waiter why there was no degustation menu. He apologized and quickly informed us that all we have to do is call the day before and the chef will accomodate us. Next time!

Based on my experience, I will go back. Wonderful service and food. I know that this review differs greatly from other posts but I can only write to my dining experience.

hoppy2468 wrote:Based on my experience, I will go back. Wonderful service and food. I know that this review differs greatly from other posts but I can only write to my dining experience.

Hoppy,

Yes, it differs greatly from my previous experience, though I am happy you had a overall positive experience. Frankly, I am a more than a little miffed, not so much at the implausibly egregious interaction we had with OTB, but the fact neither of the bus boys have followed up dinner with so much as a note, much less flowers, chocolate or a valentines day card.

Enjoy,
Gary

hoppy2468 wrote:Based on my experience, I will go back. Wonderful service and food. I know that this review differs greatly from other posts but I can only write to my dining experience.

It's great to hear that things may be improving at OTB and it's also great to read about your positive experience there. I don't think there are many people in this town who can cook as well as chef Roland and I do hope that the service and overall hospitality at OTB can consistently rise to the same level as his food.

=R=

hoppy2468 wrote: Also, not a single hooker in the place unlike one of the times we were at Spiaggia where her "date" grabbed her B--- as they walked out.

She wasn't a hooker and I'm sincerely sorry you had to see that.

I'm glad to hear that positive things may be happining again at OTB. We dined there soon after it opened and, though we enjoyed it overall, felt it had some growing pains to work through.

Time to make a return visit.

Monday is Bastille Day, and OTB is celebrating with a 3 course, $39 dollar prix fixe menu. There will be a choice of Appetizer(including squash blossoms from Chef's own garden!), entree, and dessert.

I have to agree with Hoppy. I found sooooo much to love about Old Town Brasserie - the food and the service - that I cannot wait to go back.

Dear Husband surprised me with reservations the past Saturday night AND he arranged the babysitter AND he made me a cocktail at home while I was getting dressed, so the evening started out well. Even walking up to the restaurant was a treat, as it was a warm evening, the patio was full and the flowers were in bloom all around the diners there. It was a pleasant, buzzy atmosphere from outside that that continued into the bar and the dining room.

Our reservations were at 9PM and we arrived at 9:05, but still had to wait another 5 minutes, totally acceptable to me. I found only two things irritating about the entire evening, and both have been mentioned before. The first was that the host (big guy, dark hair, uncomfortably warm in his suit, I'm sure!) told my husband that he would "have to see if the chef would allow us to order from the menu after 9PM." WTF? That's what time our DINNER reservations were for, so why wouldn't they serve us dinner then? Anyway, that issue went away promptly when our utterly charming, young server assured us we would have a great dinner and would we like a cocktail while reviewing the menu... Oui, s'il vous plait!

I will mention a few highlights of the meal, food-wise:

"Nectarine salad" special for my starter: Micro-greens/mache perfectly dressed and hiding a few delectable chunks of ripe nectarine, alongside a drizzle of grainy vinaigrette, accompanied by the most amazingly delicious part...a tomato that had been marinated in Campari, stuffed with French feta, coated in panko and fried, served in halves next to the greens. Oh. My. God. Possibly the best "salad" I have ever eaten, no joke.

"Corn chowder" for me and "Veal consomme" for DH: My husband said that with each bite of the chowder, he felt like he was eating a fresh ear of corn, dripping with butter and cream. Add to that a few bites of tender lobster and snips of gorgeous asparagus and you get the idea. The consomme has been reported here earlier, but I have to mention that the two little fois-filled dumplings floating near the bottom of the bowl were pretty outrageous.

"Stuffed squash blossoms" that we shared: These are from Chef Roland's garden, as been mentioned upthread, and not all of them were stuffed with same thing or fried in the same way. Most had a cheese or perhaps a mushroom or other finely chopped herb inside, some dusted with a coating and some not. Thus, each of the 5 blossoms on the plate gave us a discovery with each bite.

"Veal strip loin and sweetbreads" for my husband's entree: the main ingredients were tender, earthy and crispy with some sort of mesmerizing sauce that took the idea of brasserie to a new level. This is FINE French dining.

"Lobster and scallop nage" for me entree: Wowee, again! I believe the lobster was poached in butter, the scallop seared in butter, and the "surprise" shrimp and artichoke fritter also cooked in a heavenly fat. Can something taste light and decadent at the same time? If so, it is this dish.

OK, it's probably no surprise if you have read this far, but I was having an amazing meal at OTB. We had a great server, who reported that his dad had worked with Chef Roland 20 years ago, he had basically grown up in the kitchen, and now it was his turn to learn FOH. Also, we had a table next to the half-wall with a clear view of the bar and the breeze blowing in from outside, and we had enjoyed several glasses of wine (none of them over $8, all recommended by our server). Then...

Chef Roland came out to our table to say hello! This was the surprise of the evening. DH mentioned to the person who brought us to our table that he had met Chef Roland at a Kendall College event earlier in the week, and he would love to say hello if it were possible. This was incredibly gracious of the chef, because it was the end of service on Saturday night, and I'm sure he wanted to go home. The best part for me was talking with him about his garden. He said he loves growing things for the restaurant, that is garden is twice as large as the restaurant itself, and that he gardens mainly because "it is good for the soul, and it clears the mind." It is also good for the brasserie's diners, I pointed out, and he smiled humbly. We talked about his kitchen staff, and how people stay with him for years and years, and he explained that the only time he will ever raise his voice or allow himself to get angry - when someone repeatedly makes the same mistake or does something dangerous - is a reason staff like to work in his kitchen. I'm sure this is rare in a professional kitchen (though it strikes me as similar to Aigre Doux, when I was there in its opening week), and I thought this was good advice in general. In any event, I was as impressed with Chef Roland as everyone else who has met him is. I could not believe he stood there talking with us for at least 10 minutes! So cool.

For dessert, we shared a chocolate souffle, with chocolate poured into it tableside, and coconut sorbet with it. It was great, but what's not to love abut a chocolate souffle done well?

The mignardise - passionfruit gelee squares and tiny shortbread cookies drizzled with chocolate - were brought with our coffee. However, I was too stuffed and asked our server if I could take them home for our kids to have as a treat for breakfast the next day. He took the tray with 2 of each treat away and brought back an entire box filled with them! Now that, to me, is excellent service. This kid is going to have a great career if he pursues one in the restaurant industry, because the entire evening he had the pacing and attitude that made it feel relaxed and warm, rather than formal and stuffy.

Now I did say that two things were negative about the evening, and so I will tell you that after dinner, around 10:30PM, the restaurant experience changed completely. The place filled up with regulars in the bar, and I felt like I had been not only transported to the Viagra Triangle, but to an alternate universe. Women over 50 appeared collagen-injected and silicone-enhanced within an inch of their lives, and spoke loudly with sparkly pink lips and hair that belonged at a ball in Dallas. And the men all looked to be well over 60, many with orange-tan skin and jet-black (dyed) hair or obvious plugs...and these guys were escorting hot blondes not a day over 30. My mouth was agape by the time we finished our coffee, and the "piano bar" ambiance was in full swing in the bar. I asked the server about "la transformation," and he confirmed that it changes on Friday and Saturday nights, when they have live music. It is really a scene for regulars, and clearly everyone seemed to know everyone else. Our college-senior/rock-musician server who speaks 3 languages added that he could not tell me how many times that some of the women (all regulars) had tried to pick him up or made indecent proposals. He just smiled and laughed about it. I found it really disgusting, and totally out of keeping with what we had experienced on the other side of the wall. I wish I could just erase the last 30 minutes at the restaurant from my mind!

Overall, I would have given the meal a 9.5 out of 10, but have to knock it down to a 8 because of the cheesy ending. My advice would be to go on a weeknight and enjoy the amazing food. Chef Roland is still unbelievably talented and the food we experienced was as exciting as anything I have eaten this year.

We celebrated hubby's birthday last week at OTB and had a fantastic time. Our server was attentive and knowledgable. Food was outstanding. Hubby had the foie gras for a starter, it was a bit too crispy on the outside for our liking, but stil very rich, tasty. I had the oysters, which were from somewhere in Washington state, I can't remember where, but they were the best I have ever had. They were huge, mildly briny, and had a lot of oyster liquor to slurp. They came with mignonette, mango curry and cocktail sauce. I tried the mango and mignonette, which were fine, but these oysters were best on their own. For mains, hubby had the Osso busco with herbed spaetzle. Meat was tender, full of flavor, and spaetzle was perfectly al dente. I had the lobster and scallop nage, which was rich, yet not overly so. It came with israeli couscous, which is one of my favorites.
For dessert, hubby had the chocolate souffle, which was well balanced, not too sweet or too chocolately, but delicious. I had the profiteroles, also very good. The pastry was flaky and fresh and the vanilla and chocolate ice creams were dense and creamy, not too sweet as well. They were covered in a fabulous milk chocolate sauce, which was a perfect compliment and not too thick or sweet. I ate every last drop of the sauce, and normally I am more of a dark chocolate fan.
My only quibble is with the wine list. It is very short on French wines (for a French restaurant) and decent wines overall. We ended up just having a kir and I had a glass of NZ Sav blanc, hubby had a glass of french chardonnay, but I think they really should improve the wine offerings.
The menu is varied and interesting and we had a hard time deciding. Our waiter noticing our difficulty deciding, told us that if you call in advance the chef with prepare a tasting menu for about $10/course. I think this is a great option and I can't wait to try it.
The whole evening was fantastic. They even wrote happy birthday on dessert, which was a nice touch.
LO

Apparently, I'm not the only one who's had enough of OTB. According to a special Dish Flash from Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby, chef Liccioni is leaving . . .

Dish wrote:Today’s big news: Roland Liccioni, who put Le Français back on the map in the nineties, is apparently leaving Old Town Brasserie (1209 N. Wells St.; 312-943-3000) just before Christmas.

Dish wrote:[owner Bob] Djahanguiri says, the two have tried to work out an agreement, a claim that Liccioni finds baffling. “If he wants to negotiate, I don’t know because he hasn’t said anything to me,” Liccioni says. “In my mind I know I’m leaving. That’s it.”

=R=

I see that the owner is taking a soft negotiating position with Liccioni:

Dish wrote:Bob Djahanguiri, OTB’s owner, sees it differently. “I told him, ‘You go to France and when you come back we will sit down. And if you agree with my agreement, we will work together.’ . . . ”

[Emphasis mine.]

Long ago, following my dad’s lead, I told my children I didn’t really want any gifts I couldn’t eat. Now, my oldest daughter takes me out to dinner for birthdays, Xmas, etc., and last week we went to Old Town Brasserie.

I liked it just fine, and I noticed no major service glitches, though I can’t say our server knew much. Why is it, even in a French-type restaurant, I get frozen stares of bovine incomprehension when I ask if they have any interesting aperitifs? I keep hoping they’ll surprise me and say, “Ah, we have a very refreshing Carpano Antica Formula” or something like that. But, no, that never happens. From now on, if I want a little pre-dinner palate awakener, I’ll just ask for a glass of Cinzano or some other name brand they’re likely to have.

My entrée was duck with cracklins, and I thought it was damn tasty.



Fluttering down a layer Brussels sprout leaves over the duck was a good idea; the relatively strong, sulfurish flavor of the sprouts comes across less intensely, as more of an accent, and they look great.

And check this out: I got to eat dinner next to a dog, just like in France!

Is that a pit bull at the next table? I'm a huge fan of dogs in cafes, but sitting next to a pit would bother me a bit.

Does anyone know who has taken over the kitchen here since Motto left?