Chalkboard: User Reviews

Fantastic
By JM from Rogers Park, May 8, 2008

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I have no idea what happened to some of the previous reviewers, but I couldn't disagree strongly enough. Chalkboard is simply one of our favorite dining destinations in the city. Warm and intimate, with a menu that is to die for. Go, go, go. You will love it.

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Wonderful!
By JTK from West Town, April 6, 2008

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Not sure why the negative treatment toward Chalkboard, the food was amazing, the service was top notch and the entire staff very friendly and helpful. We had a multitude of dishes at our table and they all sparkled. I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone.

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Not a good experience
By DK from Andersonville, March 20, 2008

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The first thing I noticed when I walked into Chalkboard was that it sure wasn't Tournesol anymore. The decor was pretty cold and uninviting. There just wasn't anything that pulled me in and made me want to really be there.
Our waiter was nice but never asked us if we'd like a drink so it was not until the first course came that we actually got a glass of wine. I really needed a glass of wine when I GOT there, not 25 minutes later.
DH got the 'cassoulet'. It was pretty expensive for not very much food and although he said it was OK, it was NOT cassoulet. Call things what they are. It was some duck with some white beans. Cassoulet that does not make. Our male friend got the boullibaise (sp) and thought it was great. Our female friend and I got the fried chicken with some sort of weird mashed and gravy. It was a pretty unatractive plate with a white glop covered by a big hunk of frien chicken. It needed some seasoning besides the fennel seed in the sausage gravy. A little salt and pepper come to mind. Being more than lukewarm might have helped too. The first few bites were fairly tasty--except for the lukewarm bit but after that it just didn't taste good. There was very little flavor than the fennel seed in the whole dish. That is apparently their signature dish. Not a good sign.
Then DH and I got desert. Our friends were smart and didn't. DH said his flourless chocolate cake was 'pretty good.' He usually raves about anything chocolate that is good so it must really have been just OK. I got the 'spicy chocolate pot au creme. A better name for it would've been pot au spackle. It was like a big pot of glue. They put something spicy in it but it didn't seem to be stirred in well because I didn't taste in in most of the bites but every once in a while it was WOW! there it is. I have to admit that I ate it because the chocolate taste was good. It was jus the texture that sucked. They need to think pudding, not spackle.
Even though the room was 1/3 to 1/2 full when we left, there was no 'life' to it. All in all I would have to say that you really don't want to spend $200+ for four at this restaurant. There are far too many places where you'll get a lot, lot more for that money. I predict they don't stay in business for long unless things change a lot.

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Chalk it Up/Write it Off
By Tom from Lakeview, February 1, 2008

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If you want to spend a pleasant evening dining with friends, go elsewhere. One must shout to be heard by the adjacent person. Nice room, but hard surfaces, lousy music, and patrons talking very loudly just to be heard make for an experience that cannot end soon enough. Small amounts of wine for significant amounts of money (same with the martinis -- where does one find such tiny up glasses), accompanied by above average pricing on the food render this restaurant a poor choice. We expected much more when we first saw the nice room, but that warm feeling didn't last. If you are set on trying this place for yourself, then have the pound cake.

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Chalkboard deserves a visit
By John from Lincoln Park, January 30, 2008

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I would recommend Chalkboard to anybody who is looking for a cool restaurant. The food is great, the location is great, the wine is great, and the service is great. What more is there to ask for? After reading a few of the previous reviews, I find it a bit lame to be critical of a restaurant's prices. In this day and age it is not diffiicult to find out the overall price of a restaurant ahead of dining there. If you feel that paying $25+ for an entree is excessive, then don't go. Chalkboard's prices are nowhere near excessive and the food is well worth a visit. My dining experience included the owner/chef recommending a bottle of wine that wasn't on the list but was at the same price point of a wine I was looking for. That is personal service. Also, any restaurant that serves such delicious and gourmet fried chicken as Chalkboard deserves a visit.

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Not worth the money
By xoxo from Uptown, January 18, 2008

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Average food, excellent service, cute atmosphere, WAY over-priced. When its all said and done, I would not go back because it was so expensive and the food was only average.

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Going downhill?
By Foodie from Uptown, January 4, 2008

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I went to Chalkboard for the first time a couple of months ago. Loved it then. Everything was perfect. I recently went again and was terribly disappointed. The food was edible but not particulary good and, for whatever reason, cold. Maybe the food was cold because it sat around for too long. My friends and I waited a long, long time to be served. It was a full 45 minutes between entree and dessert (which we should have skipped, anyway). I want this place to succeed, and I hope things improve.

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Stay away from the duck cassoulet
By Mark from Lakeview, December 18, 2007

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The bad: The wines were way overpriced and disappointing. The duck cassoulet was inedible (my wife ordered and could only muster a couple bites. I tried it and almost lost my cookies). Funny that this was considered one of their signature dishes.
The good: the apps were very good (tower, crabcakes, mussels, scallops, mac and cheese) and the braised short ribs were good to fair. The service was very good. The decor is pleasant, yet I felt I was in a potterybarn catalog.

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What?
By MUdesigner from LIncoln Square, December 12, 2007

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After making our way through the snow up to Chalkboard we were informed, by the worlds rudest man, that they only take reservations and even if we wanted to we could not wait. With their location you would think they'd welcome walk-in traffic. Apparently not. With a reservations-only policy you would also think they would at least let you know kindly in the hopes that next time you'll call ahead and make a reservation. Again, apparently not. Well, they just lost themselves some local business that would have stopped by regularly.

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