![]() ![]() Very friendly staff from the moment we arrived. They had a lovely round table waiting for us. My group of 8 girlfriends came here for dinner. We probably won't return - we like our local French bistro better - and there are other restaurant choices in the Edison Park area. We had eaten here once before and it seemed to us that our first experience was better than today's. With 2 courses and wine, expect to pay at least $50 a head. We did order desserts - profiteroles with warm chocolate sauce for her and gateau de pain for me - and they were really good and the best part of the meal. ![]() My steak was hot enough but my wife said her meal was only at room temperature but, by the time the waiter had come around to see how the food was, she had already eaten about half so there seemed no point in complaining. I ordered a ribeye with avocado salad special and a side of gratin potatoes while my spouse had the short ribs. We did eventually get the bread and the busboy turned out to be our waiter although he never introduced himself as such. We were told by what we thought was a busboy that bread would be served when it had been warmed. Luckily the sun wasn't that strong because the window blinds no longer functioned - the sunlight affected other parties but not us. So we sat at the bar and had a pre-dinner drink and were eventually seated in the front window area - probably a little after 5. I was a little peeved because I had at least one e-mail reminding me of the 4:45 reservation. We arrived a little before that time but were told by the host that a post-funeral party had arrived late and their event was still in progress (apparently taking up the entire restaurant) so we would be seated when people had cleared out and our table could be setup. We planned on eating here after watching a play at the local WIP theater so we made a 4:45 reservation. Prepare for the entitled set to possibly be there, and just go for solid, fresh, well-prepared food guided by a chef who really knows how to produce first-class product at a very reasonable price. The downside to the atmosphere is the acoustics and the crowd that can afford to be loud and don't care how much they disturb everyone else, because it is all about them. ![]() Personally, I can at least adjust to seeing a party and expect some noise from the kids and such much better than I can going on a week night and having an over-Chardonnayed table of 4 Park Ridge Divas cackling and shrieking at how incredibly funny they all are - NOT. ![]() The negative comments about parties or crowds or the lingerers at Sunday Brunch are understandable as this is not a large place and the acoustics are poor. The daily wine specials are a great touch when you just want a glass of something decent. The wine special on Wednesday is great if you have a party of 4 with varying tastes or needs. Prime rib on Sunday is classic Sunday dinner. Cassoulet, when in season, is as it should be. When I can't make my mind up, the oysters are always very reasonably priced and a portion coupled with his excellent Steak Tartare make a great light supper. Unlike one of the other commentators, I have never had a bad Salade Lyonnaise here. I have made a dinner out of an appetizer portion of smelt and a bowl of soup. His small plates are generally not small. The menu has had its tweaks since the onset, but a lot of the solid choices remain. When you already know how good the chef is, you can figure the new venue will be just fine - and it is. So, when our Vietnamese place closed and I heard that Joe was going to open a French/Creole place, I was ecstatic. Notably, he always has the freshest seafood. Joe made his reputation by creating Zia's, just down the street, which has been head and shoulders above all the other Italian restaurants in the area from the get-go. Since Walter's closed, locals have their choice of two Mexican places - neither of which is at all friendly - or a bunch of Italian restaurants. When it comes to dining out, Edison Park and Park Ridge historically suck. ![]()
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