Northshore - Quince is booked; Michael's or Chef's station?

Going out this Friday for the parent's 50th anniversary and want to stay close to home. Was hoping to get into Quince, but 2 large parties have monopolized the dining room that night. So I'm wavering between Michael's and Chef's Station. I've never been to either and have heard both very good and very 'meh' things about each.

Wildcard in the mix is that, if allowable, we may like to bring a couple of private bottles of wine with us. Not certain which establishment is more receptive to this.

What say you?

For BYO I would try LTH favorite Bonsoiree. Its not too far of a drive.

My visits to each were years apart, but I preferred Michaels. Michaels, to me, is influenced by traditional French cooking. Lot's of cream, butter and rich sauces, but done extremely well and damn tasty. Chef's Station tried to be more creative, and while I liked it, I don't think the cooking was on as high a level as Michaels. Chef's Station has the unique location and funky decor.

Jonah

I have not been to Michael's, but I was not very impressed with Chef's station for a variety of reasons (nothing horrific, I just found myself thinking I rather have spent my money elsewhere). There must be some other possible choices in the area, besides these two restaurants (I have always liked Campagnola). But given these choices, I would have to say Michael's, because I haven't been there, and I would not go back to Chef's Station.

Oceanique? I don't know what they currently charge as a corkage fee, but you can BYO.

You can't really go wrong with either one, but my preference is Restaurant Michael. Just call and ask about corkage. They will be less receptive on a Friday vs. a Tuesday, but you may be able to bring a bottle if you agree to purchase one off of their list.

Restaurant Michael
64 Green Bay Road
Winnetka, IL
847.441.3100

I thought a little more about my reaction to Chef's station, and realize that a lot of my aversion to the place had to do with the fact that everything was geared towards a more affluent and less urban and edgy (post downtown renovation) Evanston audience. The place probably works OK for that crowd, but I can't help but think that if it were located a few miles south, it would be a very different restaurant. The decor, the food, the wine program and to a lesser extent the service didn't really excite me. There is nothing seriously flawed about the place, it just wasn't for me. I didn't feel it was worth the prices they charge, and I found it all to be a little provincial and pretentious. I especially thought the whole ambience just did not do such a cool space justice. I guess I expected a restaurant in a concrete bunker beneath the train tracks to be more, well, underground. Now if I were a blue haired lady from the North Shore, I might have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I can't really fault them for playing to their audience.

FrankP wrote:You can't really go wrong with either one, but my preference is Restaurant Michael. Just call and ask about corkage. They will be less receptive on a Friday vs. a Tuesday, but you may be able to bring a bottle if you agree to purchase one off of their list.

True, but if you call in your reservation and mention "50th Anniversary," I bet they will be more receptive.

TomInSkokie wrote:True, but if you call in your reservation and mention "50th Anniversary," I bet they will be more receptive.

Good point. And the fact that it's some nice 1982 Bordeaux that we're willing to share with Chef, may not hurt either [although I read in his blog that he went to rehab some time back in 2011... so not certain I should be offering him a glass or not].

I'm leaning towards Michael's at this point, if for no other reason than my folks were big fans of Le Francais back in the day and he was one of the former chefs there.

And I did check Bonsoiree- but no luck on the reservation front there.

Thanks for all the replies so far!

Hi- How about Terra American Bistro, which is a new restaurant on Green Bay Road in Evanston. It has gotten rave reviews here, and they have BYOB, and free valet parking.

Terra an American Bistro
2676 Green Bay Road
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 563-9100

Here is a link to their site.
http://www.terra-bistro.com/

Hope this helps, Nancy

teneicm wrote:

TomInSkokie wrote:True, but if you call in your reservation and mention "50th Anniversary," I bet they will be more receptive.

Good point. And the fact that it's some nice 1982 Bordeaux that we're willing to share with Chef, may not hurt either [although I read in his blog that he went to rehab some time back in 2011... so not certain I should be offering him a glass or not].

I'm leaning towards Michael's at this point, if for no other reason than my folks were big fans of Le Francais back in the day and he was one of the former chefs there.

And I did check Bonsoiree- but no luck on the reservation front there.

Thanks for all the replies so far!

I think mentioning that you were planning on celebrating your parents 50th wedding anniversary at Michael and would very much like to bring that special bottle of 1982 BRDX would be a great way to inquire about their corkage policy.
Better a '82 than a '62.... (unless you have a stash of 1962 DRC that is...)

I've had numerous excellent dinners at both Michael and Chef's Station. If I had to pick only one, though, it would be Michael, which has garnered several personal "best meal of the year" honors. Also, for a 50th anniversary, the atmosphere at Michael tends to have more of a "special occasion" feel to it, whereas Chef's Station is more casual (even whimsical). Campagnola, mentioned above, is even more casual and "neighborhood-ey" in feel, while excellent in its own way. Quince would have been a good choice, too. I recently ate at Bonsoiree, mentioned above; I was disappointed and am not likely to return or recommend it to others. HTH!

So reporting back after having spent Friday evening at Michael...

The entire table had the 7-course tasting menu ($77) with the accompanying wine pairings (4 half glasses, $22). The meal was good, but not great. All of the dishes were solid, but there were really none that made me say "wow". Same with the wines- all nice, but none spectacular. That being said, I really did enjoy the squab course and the sauce that came with it was very well done. The service was excellent. The focus of the meal was the parent's anniversary, and in that regards it was a success. Had the focus been on the meal/food itself, it may have been a bit disappointing. Part of the issue may have just been the individual items that were selected for us- were I to go again (and I might), I'd probably opt for the 4 course pre-fixe and choose the items that appealed to me. Also, I have to keep reminding myself that this food was served at a relatively lower price point than you might find elsewhere- for a 7 course meal this is a probably a relative bargain. However, I think if I'm going to go to the trouble of finding a sitter for the kids and spend the evening out, I wouldn't mind paying another 25-30 dollars to be wowed.

Courses:

Amuse bouche: Cheese filled pastry balls
First: Lobster bisque
Second: Fois gras and mushroom pastry
3: Frise and beet salad
4: Salmon on polenta
5: Squab
6: Beef with morels
7: Chocolate soufle and side of amaretto hot chocolate
After: Dark Chocolate truffle