Crofton on Wells: User Reviews
I don't get it. My table ordered a first course, second course, entree and desert and we all left hungry...not what you'd expect for $130/head. Some of the portion sizes looked like something you'd see in a movie that was mocking a pretentious restaurant. The service was also slow...our meal took more than 2.5 hours.
I'm glad others had better experiences but I won't be going back.
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Went here a few weeks ago - the decor is very average and we were seated at a table smashed between another two tables next to us. I ordered the wild mushroom appetizer which was excellent and the venison which was good. Nothing about this place really stands out to me, the ambiance is average, they somehow were out of bleu cheese stuffed olives (I can make them at home in 2 seconds, why can't they?), the bread service... the whole experience was average.
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Tried this place out, based on the rave reviews here. Pretty much everything I read was true. Bread service is light, although we were given a second roll, when we asked. The crustini was the size of a nickel. The Amish Chicken was simply the best piece of white meat I've ever eaten. The Yukon Gold mashed potatoes were also excellent. The Risotto was superlative, but it should be illegal to charge what they did for that portion size. Also, the crabcake was NOT that great, and for $17, I give it a Skip It rating.
Bottom line - the prices are ridiculous, the portions are NOT what we're used to seeing in Chicago, but the food really is some of the best we've tasted. I'd take someone here only when money is no object.
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We had a very good anniversary meal at Crofton on Sept.3rd. The entrees (swordfish and beef) were steller and the dessert ice creams and sorbets were excellent. Especially the salted caramel. The only low note was the crab cake appetizer. RUBBERY... I could taste the crab, I could see the crab but they must have used pollock as a binder and then overcooked it because it was not the flaky delish melt in your mouth crabcake I was longing for. Luckily the perfection of the swordfish made up for it. My husband also enjoyed the Pinot Noir very much. All in all, very good but pricey we will probably not be returning very soon.
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One of my ongoing desires is that I could dine at Crofton more often. She does such a good job on the food, and the room is an unfailingly fine combination of elegant and casual (with listenable yet unobtrusive music to boot). Tonight, we enjoyed prix fixe specials offered as part of Chicago Restaurant Week -- three courses for $32 -- and the food was divine: no skimping on quality, portions or presentation. I won’t detail the courses, but will say that there are no better crab cakes to be had anywhere that I know of, and that the Amish chicken was unbelievably perfect (tasty, moist, tender, perfectly prepared & seasoned). Only two things detracted: wine by the glass seems overpriced to me, and, more importantly, our server was not warm & gracious (a problem we’ve encounter before at Crofton). Some good news: an insert with the check stated that Crofton will start offering $35 prix fixe meals from 5-6pm starting 3/1/09. Hooray!
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We chose Crofton on Wells based on all the good reviews it had been getting! We were promptly greeted and seated in a rather small overall space; the room was fairly cramped with little privacy, not ideal for an anniversary.
We started with a tasty complimentary starter (shot of potato soup with crostini, beets and venison). Bread service was sub-par as we received a single roll (not bad tasting though) and there was no choice of different breads either. Our appetizers ranged from good to excellent. We especially enjoyed the signature crab cake as well as the quail with foie gras. Duck raviolo tasted good but was unremarkable - the pasta seemed undercooked (although we like al dente) and the flavors were somewhat subdued, given the duck and foie gras filling. Our diver scallop was a tad overcooked, but pleasant overall. Three of the four appetizers had bacon in some form - we like bacon, but it was still somewhat repetitive. Our main courses were also good to excellent. The pork entree was good, and well cooked, although we personally did not enjoy the belly part. The venison on the other hand was excellent in every respect.
We relied on our waitress to match out food with wine and were happy with the choices she made, though she did not inform us of the price of the half-bottle she chose for us. Fortunately it did not brake the bank. Service overall as a mixed bag. Pace was too fast, since we did not have a second between appetizers. Kitchen respected our wish to wait between appetizers and entrees though. We were not offered additional bread on a regular basis and our waitress was largely missing in action - a busy night it was for sure. On a positive note, we received complimentary sorbets as well as dessert wine at the end of our meal.
Overall it was a nice dining experience and we will come back.
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We had dinner Saturday night, everything was wonderful. It's a beautiful dining environment, conversation friendly (although only 1/2 full), the food was superb, service excellent, all in all a wonderful dining experience.
Troublesome was that it was 1/2 full on a Saturday night!
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My boyfriend and I went there for a special celebration and we were extremely happy with the food and service. Everything we had was excellent. The price was right. I will be coming back.
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Amazing Dishes + Attentive Service
By Lizzie5726 from Heart of Chicago, March 4, 2008
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Went with my husband for my birthday. He ordered the crab cake appetizer (large chunks of crab with mango sauce), and I had the risotto (perfect creamy texture with pulled pork on the top). We were both jealous of the other's choice, but still happy with our own. Our entrees and desserts maintained the high expectations set by the first course. The service was attentive, but did not make you feel rushed. Just an easy-going, enjoyable place to have dinner.
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I knew of this restaurant, but the first review I saw of it was this past January on WGN news, when Phil Vittel gave it at least 3 stars - I knew we had a winner. I immediately told the hub we were going for Valentines Day, and he didn't argue. It's a good thing too, because the food was OUTSTANDING! The service was great, the cost was about what I expected, and overall I would have to put it in the top 5 for small venues in the city. For appetizers, we had Bison short ribs and a dish of "flapjacks" made from quinoa. His entree was Venison cooked rare; mine was 4 huge scallops on a risotto bed. His desert was this poached pear combination, and mine was a chocolate banana plate. It was small, but filling - a shot glass of chocolate malt, a double-espresso sized banana creme brulee, and a little chocolate mousse-type cake that was bite sized, but so rich that it required it to be eaten in smaller bites. Even the cappucino was great. I highly recommend this place, and be prepared to be nicely full when you leave.
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Review Summary
The following scores represent the average rating submitted by 49 users:
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