Seasons Restaurant - Four Seasons Hotel Chicago

As a family we’ve wanted to go to Seasons during the winter holidays for years, but just never seem to get around to making reservations in time. Parents suggested taking Mrs Sweet Willie and I to Seasons for our birthday dinner, we didn’t say no.

As one can imagine the lobby/restaurant is very pristine with lots of wood accents/paneling. LOADS of flowers everywhere, the decorator being on a kick of placing 16” pinned bouquets on an angle at the very top of 3’ glass vases, we all thought a unique but goofy look.

We were greeted warmly and seated promptly for our reservation which was somewhat early on a weekend night, I was surprised at how few other diners there were. I believe a total of 14 other diners were there throughout the evening. Apparently the chef from the Chicago Ritz Carlton is now the head chef at Seasons. The view is not very stunning as one looks into old Playboy building that is going under rehab.

Starters:
Surf & Turf Tartare – American Kobe Beef with violet mustard & Ahi Tuna with wasabi sorbet and tamari soy geleé. Read wonderful on the menu but did not translate into wonderful flavors.

Hudson Valley Foie Gras “Slider” and “Sundae”. The “slider” was wonderful (how could a sautéed piece of foie gras not be!!?? The “Sundae” was creamy layers of foie gras pate between layers of cherries and nuts. Nice creativity but did not taste/eat well.

Zucchini Flower and Sweet Corn Bisque with homemade ricotta cheese fritters. Bisque was ok, deep corn flavor but the spices used did not go with the corn. The highlight were the ricotta cheese fritters which was ricotta cheese stuffed into a zuchinni blossom, the coated lightly with batter and delicately fried. I could have eaten these all night.

Entrees:
Alaskan Halibut cooked in clay pot with Kaffir Lime scented broth, Chinese Sausage, forbidden black rice and Thai basil. Halibut was overcooked.

Pekin Duck Breast – glazed with honey and lavender, cherry gastrique and duck confit “pierogi”. The duck breast was so-so, tender but not much flavor, I’d be curious what type of duck it was as there was simply not much flavor. The duck confit pierogi was a smash.

Mediterranean Colorado Lamb Rack served with chick pea polenta panisé, tangine sauce, and Merguez sausage. First sausage had so much harissa in it, one could not taste anything else, lamb was fine but like the duck breast, lacked flavor.

Harris Farm’s Beef Tenderloin with Braised Kobe Shortrib and Morel Bone Marrow Custard and Truffle potato purée. Potatoes were wonderful, creamy, earthly just the right amount of truffle. Bone Marrow custard was so lacking in bone marrow as to have virtually no taste. Shortrib was overcooked mush and the sauce had burnt. The tenderloin actually had the most taste of any of the meats during the evening !!!

Service was wonderful for the whole meal until just after the dessert menus were placed in front of us, then poof, no one for maybe 20 minutes. We had a second bottle of good wine we were enjoying but just found it odd that service became very poor. Thankfully an assistant noticed we were looking around waiting to place a dessert order. Sorbets and peach tartin were just like most other things this evening, just ok.

Needless to say after this meal we are not going to be going back to Seasons anytime soon. Chicago has a wonderful array of fine restaurants and Seasons did perform at all.

Seasons Restaurant
120 East Delaware Place
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 280-8800

My wife and I had a rare night out on Saturday and went to Four Seasons for dinner. Overall, it was a very nice experience although the "experience" was better than the "taste of the food."

The evening was tbe night of the Michigan Ave. Festival of Lights parade. As a result, getting to the FS was a bit of a challenge (we live close enough to walk, but we live east of Michigan Ave.) Michigan Ave was packed, but the walk to FS did put us in the mood for a nice evening. I note the dining room was relatively empty all night.

We got there a bit early so we decided to start out with a glass of wine in the bar (our choice -- we went to the bar rather than going to the dining room. It was not like we were parked there as happens sometimes). The bar reminds me a bit of the Ralph Lauren place on Michigan Ave. It is supposed to look like it has been there forever, but we all know it is relatively new so it seems slightly out of place. Still, it is a warm and inviting place to have a drink. We sat at the bar. The place was pretty crowded and there was only one bartender. Still, he very quickly nodded to us to show that he was aware of us and would get to us. The bartender was slightly older and it seemed he had been doing this for quite a while. He was a true professional bartender. My wife and I each had a glass of Pinot. The wine was OK, but the experience of sitting there before dinner was very nice.

We then went to the dining room. Our table was of course ready. Due to the events on Michigan Ave. the place was relatively empty. Our waiter came and offered us a glass of Champagne. We thought that was a good idea so he brought us two Champage glasses and dropped off a wine list. As I was going through it, he came back with a bottle of Champagne. By that time, I noticed that the average Champagne on the list went for about $35 per glass, but a half bottle of Krug was available for $140.00. Given the setting, we went with the Krug. It is an amazing wine. A perfect way to start a meal. Considering that my wife and I likely would have had two glasses of the other, it was actually a pretty good value.

Menus were brought and we decided to go with al la carte rather than a degustation. A bit after we ordered, an amuse was brought. A small pastry (with crab?) and some other stuff. Not particularly memorable, but decent. My first course was a truffled pumpkin risotto. I've actually had a few different versions of this dish over the past few years and although not the best (Capische in Maui of all places had the best, and NoMi used to do an amazing rissoto with truffles), still, it was very good. My wife went with a tartare that was odd but still worked well.

For the main course, I had duck with lentils. My wife had beef. The duck was great and the lentils were outstanding. I found it odd to enjoy the lentils as much as I did. My wife's beef dish was complex (not the usual beef) and she enjoyed it.

For dessert, we went with one pumpkin with bread putting and one conventional chocolate dessert. As I look at the receipt, I am reminded of the fact that there also was a dessert amuse which I vaguely recall.

A note on service -- the waiter was not the most talented but his personality (charming is probably the best word) made up for it. At times, courses were slow (it almost seemed like the kitchen took a cigarette break before the main course) and it seemed like it took him a long time to take our orders, but due to the room and the waiter's personality, it just did not seem to matter. The guy was very likeable and the setting was beautiful. It wasn't like there was some place we had to be.

Overall, if food was the only criteria, we might not return. The food was very good, but not truly exceptional and since we have kids we only go out a few times a year food must be exceptional. However, the place overall has a feel that makes it a place that we will return to. There is just an amazing sense of comfort to everything about it.

DML wrote:We got there a bit early so we decided to start out with a glass of wine in the bar (our choice -- we went to the bar rather than going to the dining room. It was not like we were parked there as happens sometimes). The bar reminds me a bit of the Ralph Lauren place on Michigan Ave. It is supposed to look like it has been there forever, but we all know it is relatively new so it seems slightly out of place. Still, it is a warm and inviting place to have a drink. We sat at the bar. The place was pretty crowded and there was only one bartender. Still, he very quickly nodded to us to show that he was aware of us and would get to us. The bartender was slightly older and it seemed he had been doing this for quite a while. He was a true professional bartender. My wife and I each had a glass of Pinot. The wine was OK, but the experience of sitting there before dinner was very nice.

The bar at the Four Seasons is my all time favorite hotel bar in Chicago. They make a perfect martini.

I've only been to Seasons once for dinner. It was probably 5 or 6 years ago. I remember that the food was quite good, but nothing out of this world. What does stick out in my mind though was an incident that happened right before dessert.

Coffee had just been served and a waiter was approaching with a tray of creamer, sweeteners, etc. As he was about to start putting the tray down, he dropped it and spilled creamer on one of the guests at our table. Obviously the staff was mortified by what just happened. They took his jacket and tie (fortunately his shirt and pants were relatively untouched), had them dry cleaned and returned by the time the check arrived.

Major, major kudos for how they handled the situation.

Seasons is on groupon today. $40 gets you $85 worth of food.

http://www.groupon.com/chicago/

Seasons is on groupon today. $40 gets you $85 worth of food.

I'm overdue for a brunch visit. Good deal.

I bit on this groupon as it can be used at the easter brunch and because the rules allow the use of 1 coupon for every 2 adults. great deal.

Is the normal Sunday brunch really worth it? $72 seems like a lot. It's certainly not an exact comparison, but Shaw's is $30 less.

BryanZ wrote:Is the normal Sunday brunch really worth it? $72 seems like a lot. It's certainly not an exact comparison, but Shaw's is $30 less.

I've never been, but Phil Vittel was on WGN Radio yesterday to talk about brunch options (specifically Easter). He said The Four Seasons and Shaw's are both among the best brunch options in the city. He joked that so many people load up on cheaper things at an all-you-can-eat brunch, while he focuses on the most expensive (oysters).

Is the normal Sunday brunch really worth it? $72 seems like a lot. It's certainly not an exact comparison, but Shaw's is $30 less.

I think it is. It was certainly a better deal when bloody marys and mimosas were included in the price but it's a pretty fantastic spread - larger and broader than Shaw's. You can get equally full at either so Shaw's may be a better value in that sense, but in terms of options and "Wow!", Seasons is the better bet (and it's only $50/person with the Groupon).

Deal on Gilt City - Chicago today is for Seasons.

$145 per person gets you:
The Progressive Seasons Experience for one includes:

• Two signature Cocktail Samplers at Seasons Bar
• Hors d'oeuvres sampler with four different menu items at Seasons Bar
• Five Course Chef's Tasting Menu and Chef's Visit
• Wine Pairings for each course
• Interactive Kitchen Tour
• Executive Chef Kevin Hickey signed menu
• Restaurant giveaway

Wondering if anyone has any recent experience here? The reviews in this thread, sans brunch, don't sound appealing.

The Four Seasons Hotel Chicago announced it will close its Seasons Restaurant, just days before the Michelin Guide releases its star designations. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... ur-seasons

It is unfortunate to see it closing.
However, in reading the thread I realized it has been three years since I've been there and I suspect that's the case for a lot of people.
It is interesting that the Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons at one time had some of the best restaurants in the city, and as of January, neither will have a serious restaurant.

DML wrote:It is unfortunate to see it closing.
However, in reading the thread I realized it has been three years since I've been there and I suspect that's the case for a lot of people.
It is interesting that the Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons at one time had some of the best restaurants in the city, and as of January, neither will have a serious restaurant.

The Hyatt also closed NoMi. Other than Trump, I'm not sure that there's any hotel in Chicago that has a serious restaurant any more.

Athena wrote:Other than Trump, I'm not sure that there's any hotel in Chicago that has a serious restaurant any more.

Well, there's Ria in the Elysian Hotel - two Michelin stars. And L2O is in the Belden Stratford Hotel, if that counts.

nr706 wrote:

Athena wrote:Other than Trump, I'm not sure that there's any hotel in Chicago that has a serious restaurant any more.

Well, there's Ria in the Elysian Hotel - two Michelin stars. And L2O is in the Belden Stratford Hotel, if that counts.

Coming in 2012: Ria Bistro and L2OMG! fish taco stand

Chicago needs a good fish taco truck.

Jawz Taco in Wailea or L20? That would be a tough decision. Damn good fish tacos.

Athena wrote:The Hyatt also closed NoMi. Other than Trump, I'm not sure that there's any hotel in Chicago that has a serious restaurant any more.

Closed, remodeled, reopened.

DMChicago wrote:

Athena wrote:The Hyatt also closed NoMi. Other than Trump, I'm not sure that there's any hotel in Chicago that has a serious restaurant any more.

Closed, remodeled, reopened.

Yes it has, as NoMi Kitchen. Here's some evidence from the "Best Thing I've Eaten Lately" thread.

nr706 wrote: And L2O is in the Belden Stratford Hotel, if that counts.

I lived there for a year--I would vote "no" on whether it even counts as a hotel, let alone a great one

Athena wrote:The Hyatt also closed NoMi. Other than Trump, I'm not sure that there's any hotel in Chicago that has a serious restaurant any more.

Well, it all depends on what you consider "serious". If you mean, a high-end restaurant with lengthy tasting menus and high prices and where business attire is required/recommended, then there aren't very many of those places left anywhere in the city, hotel or not. With the closing or re-concepting of NoMI, Carlos, Seasons, and Avenues, that only leaves Alinea, Spiaggia, Everest, TRU, and Charlie Trotter's. Not a big list.

But if you mean a restaurant with a creative chef turning out interesting high-quality food in an atmosphere that is at least somewhat more casual, there are lots of good places, including some in hotels, such as NoMI Kitchen, Mercat a la Planxa, Atwood Cafe, the Florentine, Sable, Shanghai Terrace, deca, Balsan, Custom House Tavern, David Burke's Primehouse, and Michael Jordan's Steakhouse.

I imagine they'll continue the Sunday Brunch in some fashion, but I hope the manner in which they continue it will be exactly the same! Not that I've been doing my part in the last few years to support it, but I want to know it's still there for me.

Kevin Hickey leaves Four Seasons

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... ur-seasons

Rather disappointed they are reconcepting (or whatever the word would be) Dragon Ranch - our work team ate their just before the fire and really enjoyed it for lunch - I was hoping they would come back.

Since leaving the lead post at River North's Epic in 2010, chef Stephen Wambach has moved around a bunch, but he's landed back in Chicago to take over as executive chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... utive-chef

AKA: Allium, where when we dined there a couple years ago you could enjoy a house Bourbon or a 10 dollar can of PBR with your meal.