Fiddlehead Cafe: User Reviews

My dream brunch!
By Reelgodess from Edgewater, June 9, 2008

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I took my dining club to Fiddlehead for Sunday Brunch. We had plenty of room at the bar to wait for everyone to assemble. The host and hostess were cordial and truly love food. We were schmoozing about our favorite restaurants. As my guests arrived I took my steaming mug of delicious coffee and moved into the dining room. We were seated on cushy sofas at long tables. Our servers kept a close eye on us, but were never intrusive. And there was plenty of room between tables. We had a lively discussion and never bothered anyone and vice versa.

The food was pretty standard brunch fare but very good. Omelets came with lightly herbed potatoes which really added something special. I selected the asparagus/crab egg white omelet. At home it may take me 100 egg whites to do this and it would taste like something was missing. Here, it was terrific, a little shy on crab, but plenty of peppery arugula, mango bits housed in a nice spongy egg white fold over. Nice place. Never an empty water glass or coffee cup and no rush enjoying the meal. I can't wait to go back!

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Worth the drive
By Nick from Aurora, June 3, 2008

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We heard of Fiddlehead Cafe through friends and felt a trip from the far western suburbs would be worth it. As it turned out, we were delighted with the food and the service. The wait staff was knowledgeable and very attentive, the wine selection, excellent and the entres could not have been better. We have told many of our neighbors about Fiddlehead and will be returning. I would highly recommend.

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Could have potential, but rude server ruins our experience
By Amy from Irving Park, May 26, 2008

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Some of the dishes our party ordered were really good, while others mediocre. Still we love the wines and cheese and the location, and were likely to come back, but our rude waiter changed that. Never once even attempted to be pleasant or helpful. Acted put out when we asked a question ('the description of the dish is on the menu'), and overall was just rude. I just don't get how restaurant owners can let waiters like this work in their restaurants. There are way too many choices for diners these days to put up with that.

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Delicious
By dinnerfortwo from Lakeview, May 17, 2008

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Really enjoyed the atmosphere and dining experience! My girlfriend and I had the bison and halibut both of which were fabulous. For dessert we tried the banana cream pie, best pie we have had! Service was good and portion size was perfect. Would definitely go back again.....

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Nice wine spot w/ great cheese plate
By Chytown1017 from Wrigleyville, April 19, 2008

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This was a pretty good place to spend an evening. I love the 3 type French cheese plate I had. It was perfect portion for me as I was not too hungry, yet wanted to nibble. I'm not sure their proclamation of "best sangria in town" is accurate, but its still pretty good. The outdoor seating area was a little awkward because I was sitting inches from a parked car on a downward slopping sidewalk. Overall, I would return, but may try sitting inside next time.

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Definite Decline
By jll from lincoln square, April 17, 2008

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We've eaten at Fiddlehead four times now. The first time we thoroughly enjoyed it, thought the preparations were inventive and everything was impeccably fresh. We especially loved the homemade sorbet! The second time we enjoyed it but not quite as much. Meat seemed a bit overcooked and menu certainly wasn't as interesting. The third time all our dishes were unanimously below average. Underseasoned, majorly overcooked, vegetables tasted bland and old, and they were literally out of half of the menu. We decided then not to return, but some friends invited us to dinner there so we decided to give it one more try. Again, all the food was just plain unacceptable. And up to then the service at least had been decent, but this trip everyone, from the hostess to the server to the bartender, was rude and unhelpful. That's it for us! We do occasionally stop in for a glass of wine since there is no other upscale wine spot nearby, but we'll say no to the food! There are too many other better restaurants nearby in that price range.

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What Happened?
By Gastro Man from Bucktown, April 6, 2008

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I have been to Fiddlehead Cafe ten or so times since November '07 and I really liked each and every experience. The desserts here were simple and mind blowing, the food was organically driven with a seasonal menu that was not to busy and worked very well with the wine list. The chef makes homemade Salumi and the Kona Kampachi Carpaccio was sexy as hell. The service and management was attentive and very friendly. In fact every server seemed well versed on wine selections, the ever changing wine flights are a nice touch.
I had friends coming in from out of town this weekend and I thought Fiddelhead would be a lovely place to take them. I was wrong. It became clear to me that a chef change had happened since my last visit, the menu which claims the salmon is organic is nothing more than cheap farmed raised Chilean or Atlantic. Pasta with crimini mushrooms and some other forgetable vegetables was less than thrilling. I could go on but I won't. For whatever reason the previous chef is gone and that is really sad. I'm sure the new chef will appeal to some but for me Fiddlehead is not the same.

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Not Bad, but a bit pricey
By HuffDaddy from Wrigleyville, March 31, 2008

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I went for a late lunch on sunday. We had a couple glasses of wine, a flight of cheese, and the pulled pork sandwich. All the food was good, but I had a couple minor complaints. First of all the lunch menu was very minimal. There were really only 3 entree type options on it, and they were out of one of them. So I got to choose between the sandwich or smoked salmon. Also, I thought it was a bit overpriced. The cheese platter was $10 for 3 very small pieces of cheese.

I may go back as I liked the atmosphere, but I probably won't do lunch there again.

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Great wine, service & atmosphere !!
By D from lincoln Square, January 18, 2008

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I had dinner last night and it was amazing ! This was my second time at fiddle, the first time about 6 months ago was simply average. The wines we had were good, like before, but the food was so much better. I had the lamb shank, and my wife the monk fish, both were excellent. The atmosphere has also greatly improved, brick walls, dark wood, and great lighting. Service was also good. I hope to go back soon !

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