I joined Dutch Muse and four others for dinner at L20 this week, and I can only echo his praise. We were served fifteen course, and in perhaps half a dozen cases, they were served in two different preparation. The L20 kitchen under Matt Kirkley (of Ria), Pastry Chef Stephanie Prida (also of Ria), and Francis Brennan are doing great things. They are producing very high quality modernist cuisine, bypassing the excesses of molecular cuisine (so yesterday). While I will never forget Chef Gras's seafood cotton candy (and his scallops with blueberries), these dishes display a purity coupled with modernist technique. With the upending of Ria, L20 has triumphed hiring their staff, and with Avenues now closed, L20 is second only to Alinea among Chicago restaurant, but the cuisine at L20 is not as forced as Grant's experimentation. The dishes at L20 aim to please, and they do. They are remarkable creations without showing off. And Chef Kirkley was out-and-about in the dining during the evening, creating a happy sense of community

My only culinary complaint was the dessert - a perfectly prepared souffle, but not quite worthy of the meal that preceded it, and if I recall the same dessert was served under Chef Gras. I hope that Chef Prida will soon come into her own. I still find the space too corporate for my taste. Comparing the space to Alinea, well it simply is no comparison.

As with Dutch Muse's dinner, we were not given a list of dishes and ingredients, and so the photos must tell the story. With the excellent of the souffle and the palate cleanser (both of which were fine, if not memorable) the rest of the dinner was superb with the highpoints the Avocado, Tomato Water, Caviar and Tuna; the Fettucine with Lobster-Uni, the Peas, and the so-so-buttery Salmon.


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Melon Gelee by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Mini-Lobster Roll by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Caviar, Avocado, Tomato, Big-Eye Tuna by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Blue Crab en gelee, Fennel Cream, Basil by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011 by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Parmesan, Truffles, Fines Herbes by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-English Summer Peas with Truffle Butter, Lavender in Foam by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Carrot by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Scallop by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Maine Scallop Cooking in the Shell, Black Truffle, Leeks by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Fettucine, Lobster-Uni Emulsion, Caviar by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Salmon by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Lamb Loin, Zucchini Lattice, Squash Blossom by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Sorbet by garyalanfine, on Flickr


L20-Chicago-September 2011-Praline Souffle by garyalanfine, on Flickr

It was a terrific night, and I echo all of GAF's comments and observations. The "same" dish in two preparations was really remarkable, I thought. These guys are on a roll--Matt and his sous chef Nick have only been there 4 or 5 months. Watch them--I think they'll really grow into it.

One stand out dish they've been working on is a tripe dish (the pic of GAF's with the carrot is it). They served it with a hard cider served from a bottle with a label "imported by Joe Dressner" (RIP, Joe--he passed away a day or two ago) who imports fine wines. It was from Normandy, if I recall correctly, and was a memorable pairing. Lots of excitement about that dish.

Thank you GAF for a great report. We experienced the dinner with essentially identical reactions!

Dutch Muse is quite correct (not necessarily about the quality of my post) about the deliciousness of the tripe dish. It was truly one of the greatest dishes of the night, and with a tip of the hat to the Maxwell Street Market and to menudo generally, it was the greatest, most subtle and delicious tripe dish that I ever ate. I could live on tripe if it were to be prepared like this.

I see that L2O got bumped down to one star by Michelin. Frankly, I think that's all it deserves. My one trip there earlier this year showed the food to be unremarkable and the ambiance to be awful. I didn't post about it because it was a private dinner, consisting of about 70 people. The room was so noisy that I could barely hear the people across the table from me. That's not what fine dining is all about.

John Danza wrote:I see that L2O got bumped down to one star by Michelin. Frankly, I think that's all it deserves. My one trip there earlier this year showed the food to be unremarkable and the ambiance to be awful. I didn't post about it because it was a private dinner, consisting of about 70 people. The room was so noisy that I could barely hear the people across the table from me. That's not what fine dining is all about.

Sometimes a private dinner is not a typical experience for a restaurant. It can vary in so many ways: it can involve a set menu different from their usual, the kitchen may not be accustomed to turning out a large number of plates at the same time, the group can have its own dynamic (positive or negative), the room setup can be different from the normal dining rooms (especially if they use a separate room for private parties), etc.

nsxtasy wrote:

John Danza wrote:I see that L2O got bumped down to one star by Michelin. Frankly, I think that's all it deserves. My one trip there earlier this year showed the food to be unremarkable and the ambiance to be awful. I didn't post about it because it was a private dinner, consisting of about 70 people. The room was so noisy that I could barely hear the people across the table from me. That's not what fine dining is all about.

Sometimes a private dinner is not a typical experience for a restaurant. It can vary in so many ways: it can involve a set menu different from their usual, the kitchen may not be accustomed to turning out a large number of plates at the same time, the group can have its own dynamic (positive or negative), the room setup can be different from the normal dining rooms (especially if they use a separate room for private parties), etc.

All very true. In this case, we had the entire restaurant. I would think that the room noise would be typical of whenever they have 70 people in there at one time.

FWIW, when I ate there, they were doing a good business, and I didn't think it was particularly noisy. But I agree with you about the stars; one sounds about right to me, too. I particularly like your word "unremarkable" for the food. Nothing was bad, but nothing was memorable, either (except for the canele among the mignardises). IMHO, when you're spending a lot of money, at least some of the dishes ought to wow you.

The new chef has only been there about 4 months. Give it time. Look how long
It took Daniel Humm of EMP in NYC. Let's see what they give in a year.

Look how long it took Daniel Humm of EMP in NYC.

That would mean Eleven Madison Park, I take it?

Yes (sorry).

I had a stunning meal at l2o last night as the capstone of a whirlwind dining tour of the windy city. Kirkley's food was on point, the service was formal yet warm and entirely befitting of a place aiming to regain some lost Michelin stars. Many complaints that have been repeated over this thread and the last have been resolved or rendered irrelevant. Managed to snap a few photos, thought I would share those along with some brief comments on the menu(s). If I rave, stop me, but this was a damned fine meal.

We had e-mailed shortly after making reservations a month ago to see if we would be able to do some combination of the regular tasting and their luxury tasting menu. A prompt response from the restaurant informed us that Chef Kirkley would be delighted to prepare a 12-14 course chef's tasting, to which we agreed. Surprisingly, we were not only served 12 courses, but many of my dining companions dishes were completely different than mine (not just different riffs on the same ingredient). These also seemed to be plated for easy sharing between us (though I can't be sure there was any difference from normal presentations).

Before starting, I ordered the L2o sazerac, mixed tableside. It was my favorite rendition ever of my all-time favorite cocktail. The simple syrup was made from sugar that had been smoked with discarded bourbon barrels, and after the meal we found the recipe for the cocktail in an envelope with our menus. My dining companion had the ginger mint julep and found it quite enjoyable. I opted for the wine pairing - I won't comment further on that except to say the wines selected were all phenomenal, paired well with the food . Onto the menu:

Fruits de Mer
Small canapes of halved, balled melon split and filled. One was a cantaloupe filled with foie gras, another was honey melon with oyster, and I can't remember the third.

Mussel Tartelette, Garlic Lemon
The amuse proper was a very thin, airy crisp topped with a luscious green mousse that exploded with briny mussel flavor. I didn't notice garlic or lemon, ocean flavor was dominant. A great opening to the seafood focused meal. .

Bread service started, which as many have noted is top-notch. At this point, the restaurant's wine director approached our table and asked us to join him for a moment, and we were led back in the lobby of the hotel. Typically, I'm not used to getting kicked out of a restaurant before the first course, but instead we were brought through a back door into the kitchen.



After a full tour, including seeing some of the beautiful whole fish they receive daily, an impressive caviar drawer, and what we were told is the largest selection of Dom Perignon vintages in the Chicago-area, we returned to our seats to begin the meal proper.



Ahi Tuna Tartare, Avocado, Tomato, Caviar Cotes du Rhone Rose, Alain Jaume & Fils, "Reserve Grand Veneur," 2011, while my companion was served Kona Kampachi, Watermelon, White Soy, Yuzu-Pistachio Emulsion



The tomato was present in the tomato-water gel at the bottom of the plate, which was to my palate somewhat extraneous. The tartare was very fresh and well seasoned. In my companions dish, the watermelon was compressed with the white soy. Coincidentally, the last bite we had before this meal was yuzu-pistachio macarons at Yusho.

Maryland Blue Crab en Gelee, Basil, Fennel Cream Soave Classico, Gini, "Contrada Salverenza," 2006, while my companion had Smoked Salmon, Artichoke, Pumpernickel, Smoked Creme Fraiche, Beet



The crab was my least favorite dish of the evening. Too many soft textures and flavors that just did not gel. However, my companions dish was an architectural masterpiece of plating design that was a spot on rendition of a classic flavor combination. It was also quite large, with a substantial portion of (very smoky) salmon.

Scallop, Foie Gras, Hon-Shimeji, Argan Oil Savennieres, Domaine des Baumard, 2008

A circle of foie gras mousse topped with a small dice of raw scallops, tiny pickled hon-shimeji mushrooms, and an even tinier brunoise of a sherry vinaigrette gelee. The scallops, mushrooms, and vinaigrette were an inspired raw combination that I could have eaten a bowl of. The richness of the (delicious) foie wasn't really cut well from the mildly acidic mushrooms and the small amount of vinaigrette and struck a discordant note; I wound up scraping the scallops off the top halfway through to eat by themselves and eating the rest of the mousse on bread.

Turbot, Cepe, Champagne, Brown Butter, Parlsey Chablis, 1er Cru, Vaillons, Thierry Laffay, 2009

Thick pieces of poached turbot, stuffed with porcini mushrooms and floating in a rich, yet thin champagne/brown butter sauce. This course was an umami bomb. Very good. My only beef may be that the turbot was quite large but it seems silly to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Agnolotti, Artichoke, Ricotta, Clarified Barigoule Rare Wine Company, Savannah Verdelho, Special Reserve Madeira while my companion was served Dumpling, Loup de Mer, Broccoli, Scallop Sauce



The agnolotti were stuffed with carrot, celery, and ricotta, topped with a brunoise of the same vegetables and crispy artichoke quarters in an incredibly strong consomme that I believe was made from beef and duck stock. Kirkley has a way with pasta, this was well put together and had a wonderful wine pairing that bypassed the artichokes and pasta to focus solely on bringing out the richness of the stock. A gamble that worked. I didn't get to try the dumpling but my companion said it was one of his favorites.

Bouillabaisse, Daurade, Loup de Mer, Clams, Tomato, Fennel Hermitage, J.L. Chave, 2000 while my companion was served Rouget Barbet, Pea Risotto, Saffron, Lavender



Picture is of the bouillabaisse. Menu says clams but it was actually a mussel. The fish in this dish were the standout - all were cooked to perfection, meltingly tender with shatteringly crisp skin. The broth was almost redundant, as was the crisp topped with a saffron mayo. The tomato confit was nice, fennel was very thinly sliced and raw underneath the fish.

I wish we had a picture of the rouget barbet; this dish was an absolute stunner and maybe the best we tried this evening. Neither of us had tried the fish before, it was rich and oily with a texture (and taste) somewhat akin to king crab. I always worry when I see lavender foams anywhere, but this one had a thicker mouthfeel with just the subtlest hint of floral notes.

Butter Poached Lobster, Cepess, Potato, Clams, Hollandaise de Mer Saint Clair, Pinot Noir, Doctor's Creek, Marlborough, 2007

I am not a fan of lobster. Don't hate it, but if given nine other protein options at random, there's a good chance I'd rank lobster tenth in preference. This, however, was rich and wonderful. I love when chefs pull out the nods toward levity and throw down a certifiable gluttonous dish. Huge chunks of lobster perched over a square of potato that had been stuffed with porcini mousse, poached, and then grilled. Topped table-side with a (massive amount) of hollandaise cut with clam juice, all of which was promptly soaked up by that wonderful bread.

28-Day Dry Aged Ribeye, Lobster, Spring Onion, Brioche, Civet Chateau Sociando-Mallet Haut-Medoc, 1995 while my companion received Pigeon Breast, Foie Gras, Turnip, Apicius, Sweet Potato





After the huge amount of lobster on the prior course, I was surprised to see even more. This dish was a very solid take on surf-and-turf, with delicious steak and the aforementioned cephalopod alternating and perched atop a brioche toast. Nothing offensive about this but nothing really groundbreaking. My companions dish was my favorite non-seafood course of the evening. Foie gras torchon meat glued to perfectly cooked, rare squab breast and what I seem to recall was an apricot sauce. I didn't get to try the sweet potato component, as it's my companions favorite food, but he raved about it on the way home.

Palate cleanser was a lemon ice topped with spearmint granita. Lemon and mint are my all time favorite flavors so this was great.

Lemon Tart, Rhubarb, Basil Malaga, Jorge Ordonez & Co., #2, 2010, Fromage Blanc, Calvados Caramel, Apples, Praline Souffle, Hazelnut Anglaise



We each received our own dessert plus the souffle to share. These were all excellent. My tart was made from the most fragile, ethereal dough; I'm not sure how they were able to pipe in the lemon mousse without shattering it. The souffle was textbook. I didn't taste my companions dessert but he loved it.

Petits fours



Macarons (cherry-chocolate, yuzu, pistachio) and a canele (devoured before pic was taken). I could have eaten a bucket of these.

There had been a dearth of recent reports on L2o from this site and others, and I feared making my reservation that it might not live up to the price tag, but we both walked out pleasantly stunned. 18 different courses, all substantial and only one real miss and many huge hits. Combined with the bread service, flawless pastries, and excellent service, particularly from the wine and beverage staff - I will certainly return. Though I make this comparison based on the restaurants similar aspirations (Michelin and critically speaking) and not to ruffle feathers, I had two meals at Alinea in the past year, and our meal last night at L2o rivaled both of those. Phew, there's my first trip report! Some of you make this look easy.

While I find L20's haute-French-meets-kaiseki cuisinaire to be rather fascinating, I'm utterly ambivalent about eating there--am I the only one?

xlrbnc wrote:I had a stunning meal at l2o last night as the capstone of a whirlwind dining tour of the windy city. Kirkley's food was on point, the service was formal yet warm and entirely befitting of a place aiming to regain some lost Michelin stars. Many complaints that have been repeated over this thread and the last have been resolved or rendered irrelevant. Managed to snap a few photos, thought I would share those along with some brief comments on the menu(s). If I rave, stop me, but this was a damned fine meal.

<snip>

There had been a dearth of recent reports on L2o from this site and others, and I feared making my reservation that it might not live up to the price tag, but we both walked out pleasantly stunned. 18 different courses, all substantial and only one real miss and many huge hits. Combined with the bread service, flawless pastries, and excellent service, particularly from the wine and beverage staff - I will certainly return. Though I make this comparison based on the restaurants similar aspirations (Michelin and critically speaking) and not to ruffle feathers, I had two meals at Alinea in the past year, and our meal last night at L2o rivaled both of those. Phew, there's my first trip report! Some of you make this look easy.

Thank you, for the detailed report. L20 has been entirely off my radar for some time. Even before chef Gras' departure, I felt less and less compelled to dine there but your post makes me feel like I should go back and try it again soon.

=R=

Sorry for reviving a long buried post, xlrbnc. But, I was hoping you could tell me how much you paid for your modified tasting menu? According to the online menu, not much has changed since your visit, and I was hoping to do something similar to what you did in an upcoming trip.

I'm a huge fan of L20 post-Gras' departure. To me, its among the best of the best in Chicago.

I work at L2O, and the chef's tasting menu is $225 per guest.

The third of the fruits de mer canapés is a cucumber ball filled with smoked salmon mousse and trout roe.

The pigeon dish (since removed from the menu) had an apicius sauce, made with garlic, onion, orange, chicken stock, and pigeon jus. The clementine segments were brushed with honey gastrique.

The lemon tart is made with feuille de brick, a paper-thin Tunisian pastry dough.

I hope this is helpful.

Any recent visits? I have a reservation for Friday but a little hesitant to drop the coin, especially with the recent holiday spending.

I also have a reservation for next Saturday. Please let me know if anyone has any recent datapoints.

I went with two friends just before Christmas and had the full tasting ($198) and really enjoyed ourselves. My friends got the drink pairings and liked them, but it is a pricey add on (one course is PBR to go with a crab chip). I thought everything was at least good and a few things exceptional. No obvious clunkers that I recall. Don't burn your mouth on the shabu shabu broth like one of my friends did. The beef (Meyer ribeye) was really exceptional, funny enough given the seafood focus and that I was already stuffed at that point. The toro or whatever was raw on the little clear pyramids course early in the meal was probably my favorite dish. I thought overall it was worth the money. It was only half full on a Thursday night, but given the time of year and the cost, perhaps that not surprising. Service was attentive and we had a nice tour of the massive kitchen before the meal.

If you order the 7-course prix fixe, here are all the courses you could possibly have to choose from.



Fruits de mer - left to right: cucumber, cantaloupe and honeydew melon with various seafood mousses



Mediterranean Breeze cocktail - Grey goose le citron, limoncello, fresh thyme and thyme bitters;
I totally just ordered this for the limoncello. It did not disappoint.



Mussel tart on a crisp with lemon and parsley



Bread service! All made in house, so I had to try them all. Left to right: sesame wheat, baguette, milkbread, bacon mustard epi, rosemary croissant and sourdough



Rosemary croissant and sesame wheat bread. The croissant was my favorite, but I'm kind of a croissant fanatic.



Ahi tuna tartare, avocado, tomato and caviar. Really simple, clean flavors and beautiful presentation.



Ravioli, pine nut, caramelized onion, black trumpet mushrooms, lime. Gorgeous and a delicious pasta course, not heavy at all but very rich in flavors.



Dumpling, scallop, broccoli, black truffle. So pretty, but the ravioli was yummier.



Barbue (flat fish) cuite au plat, glaze carrot, almond, cockles. Perhaps my favorite course of the evening



Spanish Harlem cocktail - El dorado 12 year rum, vya sweet vermouth, benedictine, blood orange, allspice dram. Cocktails are all poured and served tableside. Each table has an individual service cart, where they would put the finishing touches on each dish.



Brittany blue lobster, royal trumpet mushrooms, grilled potato, clam, hollandaise de mer. The Brittany blue is definitely much sweeter than Maine lobster. I had never tried it before and I could really taste a difference. It is a $50 surcharge though.



Meyer ribeye, butternut squash gratin, onion, marine cider gastrique. I loved the onion and butter nut squash gratin here.



Lavender granita, fuyu persimmon foam and meringue. A lovely palate cleanser before dessert.



Cafe royale, espresso, lemon, clove. Really incredible flavors, and so beautifully presented. I loved the lemon gelee cubes in the parfait to break up the richness of the espresso mousse.



Raspberry, golden yuzu, mascarpone sorbet. All the dessert courses were incredible. I couldn't believe how creamy the sorbet was!



Mignardises!! Pate de fruit (sour cherry, yuzu and cassis), bergamot marshmallows (totally melted in my mouth!), black pepper caramels and almond macaroons. All delicious! Props to Pastry Chef Stefanie Prida.



Brittany blue lobsters just chillin' in the fish tank in the kitchen. They keep the water pretty cold so the lobsters stay calm and don't fight one another.

Hurdler4eva wrote:

Mediterranean Breeze cocktail - Grey goose le citron, limoncello, fresh thyme and thyme bitters;
I totally just ordered this for the limoncello. It did not disappoint.



Spanish Harlem cocktail - El dorado 12 year rum, vya sweet vermouth, benedictine, blood orange, allspice dram. Cocktails are all poured and served tableside. Each table has an individual service cart, where they would put the finishing touches on each dish.

Were these drinks on the menu? If so, god help them. Grey goose le citron, really? And look at those horrible sweet vermouth bubbles on top of the Spanish Harlem cocktail!

And yes, I realize this is a weird first post.

The drinks look pretty appealing to me! But then, I usually drink wine when I go to L20.

PopcornMegaphone wrote:
Were these drinks on the menu? If so, god help them. Grey goose le citron, really? And look at those horrible sweet vermouth bubbles on top of the Spanish Harlem cocktail!

And yes, I realize this is a weird first post.

Yes, these drinks were on the signature cocktail menu. $18 and $17, respectively. I liked the Mediterranean Breeze more but I'm not the most sophisticated imbiber.

Hurdler4eva wrote:Yes, these drinks were on the signature cocktail menu. $18 and $17, respectively. I liked the Mediterranean Breeze more but I'm not the most sophisticated imbiber.

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed your drinks, but I have to say I'm disappointed in L2O here. The craft cocktail scene has come to Chicago, but apparently not to one of our 2 stared michelin restaurants. Using flavored vodka and shaking/serving the rum drink with those sweet vermouth bubbles are travesties. Well, I guess it's not the biggest deal in the world, but shows they're behind the times and lack detail.

I don't see what there is to get worked up about. That Spanish Harlem cocktail looks like about 99% of the other pictures of cocktails that have been posted on LTH.

jesteinf wrote:I don't see what there is to get worked up about. That Spanish Harlem cocktail looks like about 99% of the other pictures of cocktails that have been posted on LTH.

I'm not worked up, it's just an observation. I love craft cocktails and fine dining. To further explain myself:

1) The sweet vermouth bubbles adds a sweet foam that that completely changes the taste complexion of the drink. I'm not sure if this drink should have been shaken, but I suspect it should have been stirred, which doesn't produce the bubbles. My guess is they used a blood orange liqueur or bitters and not the actual fruit.

2) Regardless, at the very least I'd expect the bubbles to be removed with a fine mesh strainer for presentation purposes.

Cocktails have come a long way in the past 5-10 years and a restaurant of L2O's class should catch up. You'd never see cocktails like that at Sepia, Graham Elliot, Blackbird, etc. Overall it's a surprisingly pretty amateurish effort.

Interesting to see the avocado bombe/orb preparation. I learned that working in Zurich about 10 yrs ago and demo'd it on WGN last summer. Haven't ever seen it anywhere else.

The Spanish Harlem is made with Thatcher's organic blood orange liqueur. L2O's in-house recipe calls for stirring.

While I understand that opinions vary on the topic of flavored vodka, I'd point out that gin is technically "flavored vodka." Many restaurants, including Sepia, flavor vodka. They use ginger-infused Tito's in their excellent Sepia Mule.

fleurdesel wrote:The Spanish Harlem is made with Thatcher's organic blood orange liqueur. L2O's in-house recipe calls for stirring.

It was clearly shaken, which leads me to my earlier point about attention to detail. It's impossible to see bubble like that on properly stirred drink.

fleurdesel wrote:While I understand that opinions vary on the topic of flavored vodka, I'd point out that gin is technically "flavored vodka." Many restaurants, including Sepia, flavor vodka. They use ginger-infused Tito's in their excellent Sepia Mule.

Comparing Grey Goose le citron to gin is kind of... odd. I mean, I guess that's technically true, but it's a strange comparison.

I've never tried their ginger-infused Tito's, but Sepia hand crafts it in house, which should be leagues better than what grey goose delivers. There's a big reason why you don't see mass produced flavored vodka in any serious cocktail lounge and that's because it's terrible. If a vodka drink calls for lemon the better approach is to add fresh lemon juice. Like I said, L2O putting Grey Goose le citron on the menu and charging 18 dollars for it is disappointing to say the least. Hopefully they'll recognize their current cocktail program is stuck in 2002 and update it.

Also, to be clear I'm not bashing all of L2O - judging from the pics their cuisine looks amazing.

I'd just comment, as somewhat of a regular at L20 and of similar fine dining establishments in NYC and Chicago, I don't frequent restaurants like L20 for their cocktail programs. If I want gastronomic cuisine, I generally pair it with champagne and Burgundy (or Bordeaux, etc., depending what I'm having for dinner). All this talk about shaken mules, etc., is a bit lost on me because I wouldn't go to L20 for a cocktail. I'd go, instead, to Sable, and ask Mike to make me a cocktail before having dinner elsewhere.

OK, when I'm at NoMad, in NYC, I ask Leo to make me my martini as he knows I like it (yes...stirred, of course, not shaken) but that's NoMad. At Eleven Madison Park, I'll have champagne off the champagne cart.

Not trying to say the cocktails don't matter-they should and do, but I don't think L20 should be viewed as the kind of place where mixology is at the cutting edge. The wine program, yes. Just one person's opinion.

Try getting a cocktail at most Michelin *** in France--they will fail, by your standards, I'm sure. That's just not what they're about.