Hub 51

Has anyone been to the new Lettuce Entertain You restaurant? I have wanted to try it out, but was wonder what everyone thought. I figured there would already be a thread about it on here, but I am surprised I can’t find one.

It looks like they take limited amounts of reservations. I looked for tomorrow and I can’t get a table after 6:15pm till 9:00pm.

HUB 51
51 W. Hubbard
Chicago, IL 60610
312.828.0051

They received a pretty scathing review from Time Out Chicago this week. Let's just say that my level of desire to visit the place has remain unchanged.

The "Timeout review is right on the mark. Its a very lively, fun place but, the food is just ok. It's not bad if your hungry and looking for ok food but, it's not spectacular. I had the pull pork tacos and my wife had fish (Halibut I think). I would visit again if nothing else was open.

I don't think this is a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant. It's owned by the sons of Rich Melman, but is not part of his empire.

stevez wrote:I don't think this is a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant. It's owned by the sons of Rich Melman, but is not part of his empire.

It is listed under restaurants on leye.com, so I think it must be. I think it is just the first one created by his kids.

My wife and I just stopped after work at Hub51. We sat at the bar and decided to eat there instead of a table in the dining room. The bar staff is very friendly and helpful and offered several suggestions. We ordered the pulled chicken nacho's and the grilled halibut tacos which were highly recommended by the bartenders. We also ordered a side of the crispy onion rings. The bartender asked if we wanted the nachos as our appetizer and we said that would be fine.....well about 7 minutes later they arrived, along with the other items we ordered.
The nachos were very messy and poorly assembled. Most of the cheese was buried in the middle of a large pile of decent tortilla chips. Some of the cheese pooled at the bottom of the plate while much of it was not even melted. The pulled chicken was very sparse and lacking in flavor....all in all, a very mediocre attempt at nachos.

Next the grilled halibut....the grilled halibut filet comes on a very large platter filled with rice, black beans, pico di gallo, store bought cole slaw and a flavorless guac. They serve 4 small soft tortilla's in a wax paper bag and they were dry and overcooked....we asked for another batch and they were better but still not the quality of a decent taqueria.
The halibut was slightly overcooked but had decent flavor.

The onion rings might have been the best thing we tried, light and crispy and just a tad greasy.

The place was pretty full with a fairly young afterwork crowd.

It is important to note that while we were there, about 6:30 on a Tues evening, Rich Melman himself was having a very in depth conversation with his two sons. The boys did not seem too happy as he talked. This may be the boys creation but it is obvious who footed the bill and will make sure it does not fail.

I might stop in again for another sample of items but I was not overly impressed by this new arrival.

I was there briefly last week - just for a drink. To my mind, it definitely had the "seen and be seen" vibe of many a place that rarely sees its second anniversary.

We ate at Hub this past Saturday. Had a nice ceviche with a generous serving of shrimp and scallops and fresh chips. We shared a really good salad called the Sonoma with grapefruit, sunflower seeds, avocado and a really good dressing that made it the best thing we ate all night. We also shared a gazpacho with a garnish of crab that was not good at all. I had the halibut with summer ratatouille, which was ok. The fish was cooked right. Husband had the Sake Salmon which was a little salty but had a delicious base of "melted fennel." We liked their beer and wine selections. The place was hopping, the music rockin', the room, industrial loft cool. We liked the vibe. It has a young feel, but we're fortyish and we didn't feel old or out of place. I would go back.

So I'm not much of a writer (often getting C's in english throughout my life and hating to read or write until now...) but I figure I'll give it a try on this review. (please don't get upset with run-ons and my constant usage of parenthesis, it breaks up my thoughts)

A friend and I (both culinary grads and food lovers) dropped by HUB 51 today before going to pops for industry night. We got there around 6pm and it was dead...only filling in around 7pm to about half capacity closer to the time we left.

I started with sushi - Crunchy tuna roll (I believe thats the menu name) and it was pretty good for sushi outside a sushi bar. It was served with what I saw as a spicy mayo with sesame (even though I didn't try it) and soy sauce. Good and affordable.

My friend went with 'Guacamole' from the cold apps part of the menu also and was served a heaping dish of fresh and delicious guacamole with corn beneath it and a nice portion of chips.

For entree we each ordered the overnight braised short ribs with mash and roasted veg. (carrots and celery) For the price ($19 and one of the cheapest entrees) it was well worth it. The meat fell apart with a push of the fork and went great with the hearty flavorful dish. This was a great meal for anyone looking for a home-style dish at a nice place.

After being disappointed that we had each ordered the same entree we went on to desserts. While not the largest dessert menu, it covered the bases. I can't quite remember what was all on it but my friend ended up ordering the 'Big Brownie' which was quite large and was served with ice cream and whipped cream. Me on the other hand went with the butterscotch pudding. It was almost mouse-like in size. It came to the table in a dish just larger than a shot glass (at $3 I didn't expect much) but it hit all bases. This creamy, smooth, delicious 3 ounce cup of glory was amazing. There was what maybe looked to be 2 1/2 ounces of butterscotch pudding topped with a layer of salty caramel. It was the perfect end to a pretty good dinner at a place I had marginal hopes for.

I don't have too much to say about the service other than that it was good for me. When eating out I don't tend to have many questions or require much more than a fill of my water so generally and service short of forgetting our table get's my typical 20% tip and I move on ( the only service I've enjoyed more than any other was Alinea...I don't remember the guy's name but he had a mind blowing amount of information about everything he spoke of that night and I even ran into him at the bar tonight, a pleasant surprise) . The decor and ambience were upbeat, relaxed, and fun. It's what I consider a smart-casual crowd. A younger clean crowd at a somewhat sophisticated place. It almost reminds me of what the W shoots for...the younger upper-scale crowd which is great to me.

All in all the bill came to $85 for two apps, two entrees, two desserts, and a drink (non-alcoholic) which was fair for the time we had.

I'd recommend HUB 51 to others as a place to try. Nothing special but no complaints from me.

Went to Hub 51 last night. Was seated for two immediately even though it was packed.

Had the wine special, sauv franc. Was decent, for $11 a glass. My wife had 312 on tap.

I had the short ribs, even though I was skeptical since I was just at Bottega in Napa Valley with the best ones ever.



Kind of small. Not enough sides. Lots of fat on one edge, and not the good kind. Root veggies were a couple carrots and onions. Mashed potatoes were good but sparse, laying underneath. Was decent but nowhere near Bottega

My wife had Chicken Enchildas. She really liked hers. I tried a bite and found it passable, if not pretty good.



Service was fine, and we weren't in a hurry. We had a waiter with a trainee. The place is huge and spacious inside. If I had a booth on the edge for two, I probably would've sat longer and maybe had dessert. As it happened we went over to XOCO for dessert.

Total bill before tip was $55.

I'd recommend Hub 51 in a pinch, but it's no destination.

Has anybody been here lately? Going to stop by there to meet some friends and was wondering if anybody had any suggestions (other than go someplace else which I am sure is the best idea but not one that is likely to go over well with my friends.)

Discretion being the better part of valor I decided to stay in the city last night and not try to fight traffic, slush, ice and snow to return downstate after a business meeting. Found a hotel in River North diagonally located from Hub 51 so I tried the Hub for dinner.

I enjoyed a couple Daisy Cutters, the crunchy tuna roll (half-price before 6pm) and a blue cheese burger with fries. The sushi was solid - nothing exceptional but good. My burger was very, very good. Cooked perfectly medium-rare with a wonderfully funky blue cheese flavor to complement the beefy goodness and the bun stood up well to the burger and dressings.

$40 including tip. Not a bargain, but I enjoyed a tasty and filling meal with great service and didn't have to walk far for it. I would go back when in the area.

Davooda