Sunday night, 8:30 6-top was one of the best restaurant experiences I've had in a long time. First, to get this out of the way, restaurant was 90%+ full and we had no issue with conversation, even with the eclectic music audible, even corner to corner at our rectangular 6-top. This mirrors my previous experience during which the restaurant was equally lively but conversation was not challenged. Noise: not a factor.

Yes, going with a larger group is the best way to experience Roister. As is well documented above, some of the main courses are relatively expensive but they're also quite large, so splitting them 6 ways allows everyone to get nice portion of each, at a per-person average cost that makes sense at this level of dining. Leading up to that, ample bites of smaller dishes really satisfied and helped whet our appetites without extinguishing them.

It's really hard to pick a favorite dish but what really stands out a few days later are the practically-iconic Whole Chicken & Chamomile, which remains utterly remarkable, an incredibly luscious Maple Poached Salmon (Ora King with creamed spinach, potato puree and chips), Anson Mills Grits (with gulf shrimp, crab curry, Thai basil), Aged Cheddar Rillettes (truffle, cauliflower, fry bread), Buttered Pipe Pasta & Clams (green chili ragout, assorted limes), Wedge Salad (bacon bits, 7 min. egg, smoked tomato) and a show-stoppingly awesome Rohan Duck Platter, which showcased impossibly juicy duck breast, a skewer of grilled duck hearts, a small pile of delicately-fried, crispy duck tongues, an unctuous portion of duck tartare, and -- last but certainly not least -- some phenomenal dirty rice, which incorporated a rich and flavorful duck sausage. I'm not much of a dessert lover but the Cookies & Milk (chocolate chip cookie dough, milk ice cream) was entirely compelling. I could go on because just about everything we ate (even some dishes not mentioned here) was delicious. Wow!

Service was great across the board. Our server Tanner took great care of us. He was quite friendly and exceptionally intuitive all the way through. Beverages -- cocktails, spirits and wines -- were notable, too. Chef Brochu's food has always spoken to me and it was a pure pleasure experiencing his work once again. He's a gifted chef whose palate happens to line up very exactly with mine (I've had plenty of immaculately-prepared high-end meals that just did not speak to me in the same manner), and it's just damn cool to enjoy dish after dish cooked by a team that's led by such a talented professional, at the very top of his craft.

=R=

i really gotta try this damn chicken

The duck is better.

I wish this place wouldn't coast so much on its laurels. I also wish this place wouldn't "crowd source" its playlist: we got Creed, Phil Collins, and Taylor Swift. You have a Michelin star, bruh: we're paying you so we don't have to hear them.

Executive chef Andrew Brochu, who opened the restaurant in 2016, is leaving the trendy Fulton Market spot.

https://chicago.eater.com/2018/12/17/18 ... et-shuffle

More here - https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html

Has anyone been to Roister recently? I've heard some not-so-flattering things after the chef change - curious on people's thoughts.