Chef's Station

Very warm and inviting atmosphere. Have a cocktail at the bar and then move on to have a delicious dinner. It's the kind of place that's incredibly delicious, so you'll need to order an appetizer, main and dessert. Because they're not trying to be the Olive Garden, the portions are reasonable, not overwhelming. Incredibly high quality food. A number of us had salads and were impressed. The seafood was FRESH, which is hard to do in Chicago. Cocktail menu was very impressive. Place is perfect for a business dinner, small birthday/anniversary or date night dinner. A lovely place to have an adult meal in an adult atmosphere. The staff were pleasant and only seen when you needed them, always attentive. They were very flexible as we had a large group, and they were very patient as we figured our orders out. Only knock? With a large group they kept messing up who ordered what and placed plates all over the place. Small organizational nit that did not detract.

Recently dined at The Alcove -- first time in person since they remodeled and changed their name. The new design is beautiful, elegant and understated. The food was excellent and the service was great as well. Added bonus -- not too loud so we could hear each other talk! Perfect for a special occasion, date night or just to treat yourself to a nice meal. Great location in downtown Evanston as well, and glad they are still here! We will definitely be back soon -- highly recommend.

The octopus was AMAZING! Irritated that they sat us at the last table near the kitchen when we clearly passed an empty table. Felt like the service was just basic. Some of the staff was very nice, took our picture for us. The Rhurbard Tart was overly sweet and was kinda soupy, had nothing inside as a binder. Duck was was prepared well. Definitely get it how the Chef prepares it. Mashed potatoes were also delicious.

Went to the Alcove for an 8pm dinner reservation with my partner and his parents for his ma’s birthday. The food was very good but the service was embarrassing and careless: Our server was disengaged. Twice, he walked off right as we began asking him for something. The food runner had no idea what was going on. I can’t imagine this place not having position numbers. We asked him for share plates for our salads and he forgot. Half the entrees came out and we waited about 10 minutes for the rest. Our water glasses sat empty again and again. After both first and second courses we sat with empty plates piled up as staff walked right on past. My guess is because we made an 8pm reservation, the staff were mentally checked out by that point. Not what I would expect from a restaurant like this. We’ve dined here once before as a family and raved about it. Not this time. A huge let down. Memorably bad.

The entrance to this place gave me serious pause: damp, dark, peeling paint and rusted metal in the tunnel underneath the train station. What have I randomly chosen? Fortunately the inside was clean, elegant - a hidden subterranean treasure to match the food. The star of the evening was the corn bisque soup: sweet, velvety, so deliciously subtle. Paired with the thin-crusted warm bread, it was amazing. The tuna tartare was flavorful with a hint of sesame oil. My husband's favorite was the quail on rice with a demi-glace. Not gamey and we didn't leave a drop of sauce. My favorite was the octopus charred perfectly with another great sauce and thinly sliced radish and other pops of flavor and without the dreaded rubbery texture. The lamb meatballs and mussels were good, but just paled with the stellar dishes. We finished with the coconut souffle with creme anglais and vanilla ice cream. Once again, very subtle and smooth. Notice a theme? Service was attentive, but not intrusive, and my water glass was never empty. If you're looking for food made with care and an emphasis on sauces and subtlety, this would be a great restaurant to choose. We ordered all appetizers to get the largest selection of flavors, so we would happily revisit and try out the entrees.