The Evie — Restaurant in Chicago

Tldr; my opinion is to save your money and go elsewhere. Even with a reduced restaurant offerings, there are many better options in Chicago. First time visit for lunch while in Chicago. As I was walking up the steps I wondered whether or not this was an ADA accessible establishment as there were no signs indicating an elevator. Hosts were professional and welcoming while quickly seating us at a prime window seat overlooking Michigan Ave. We barely sat down and the waitress was upon us asking us if we'd like to order drinks. We said water was fine for now to get some time to look over the menu. I immediately noticed that my menu was dirty with doors of food and even had some green stuff between the plastic and paper. The music was overly loud and more fitting to the after work bar scene than a lunch in a nice restaurant. A lowering of volume would have made for a much nicer experience. Still looking through the menu the waitress was back rushing us to order. I settled on the prime rib sandwich while my companions ordered the grouper sandwich and burger. The waitress stated that the grouper and prime rib sandwich were here two favorite items. Good arrived relatively fast. The burger: two beef patties and loaded up with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Very big so much so that my companion had to dismantle it to take a bite. The burger itself was average in flavor, nothing extraordinary about it but not terrible either. The grouper sandwich: batter coated in a thick chewy batter more suited to fish and chips than to a sandwich. The batter was tough and not easily bitten through. Because of the thick batter and being on a bun any potential flavor of the fish was lost. Truly a terrible sandwich. The prime rib sandwich: overcooked prime rib on a toasted brioche bun with overly salty au jus ensured that I drank all of my water as I was eating it. Sadly, the pouncing waitress never bothered to come back and make sure my water glass stayed full. A better beef sandwich for half the price can be had at the Nordstrom restaurant. We skipped dessert too about further expenses on bad food and the waitress brought the bill while I was in the restroom. My companion asked her to refill my water glass and instead she stood there waiting for payment. Truly awful service. I looked over the website priority to coming to this restaurant and got the impression that this was a more upscale restaurant with well regarded chefs involved but it was nowhere near the quality of food or service for the...

4/5 stars

Food 3.5/5: The Mussels & Clams Starter with excellent wine broth and grilled sourdough bread beat our already great main courses of Butter Poached Lobster (and not a sushi!) Roll, Crispy Jalapeno & Hamachi (sushi) Rolls, slightly-too-mayo-infused Crab Cake, and Market Fish. The Market Fish came with an alluringly dramatic, massive block of cornbread which looked great for photographing but was still just cornbread in need of spread.

Don't bother with the boring Volcano (sushi) Roll or the Seasonal tomato soup, the latter of which tastes just like Campbell's. The Evie Classic Burger, specifically requested to be served deconstructed with its two beef patties and cheddar cheese, was flavorful but not beat by something from Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, which would cost a little less. And while chicken, biscuits, gravy and scrambled eggs on the side are worthwhile, take a pass on the Prime Benedict and its side of potatoes.

For dessert, the Brownie Sundae was fun with an addictive salted caramel sauce. The relatively mild flavors of this dish's banana and ice cream worked well with the strong flavors of its brownie and sauce. Bliss was not amiss with this one. Wildberry Sorbet went well with its ultimately necessary embedded berries. Key lime pie is tart but not overly so.

Service 5/5: There were fantastic servers here. They truly succeeded in making sure our groups were happy with each visit. Staff was attentive, and if Charlie Trotter's restaurant were still around our front-of-the-house would have been a shoe-in.

Atmosphere 3.5/5: Here we've sat in clean and cozy booths as well as tables right by windows with a sparkly view of Michigan Ave. But alas, the plumbing in the men's restroom didn't operate nearly as well as the front-of-the-house, which is not paid to install Sloan Flushmates. Note also, an atmosphere killer is the 3% "service fee" on every bill, for using a credit card (really?) and/or paying the servers a decent wage (hopefully) and/or paying the steep rent for this...

In the final hours of a quick jaunt to Chicago with my son for the weekend, we goggled for a nearby brunch. We happened to be steps away — we would have never known it was there. (That’s why I posted the pics of the entry)

First - I’m so excited to go back. That’s how I feel sitting here 5 days later writing this. I can’t wait to go back to this restaurant for dinner.

Atmosphere was spot on elegant, warm and welcoming enough to not make a person feel they should have planned better. We were not dressed for fancy - but we were welcomed the same. The tables along the windows provided a view of Michigan Ave and enough light to open the space for the brunch.

The complimentary beignet service was a treat. Brunch menu had something for everyone. Avocado🥑 toast for me. My son on the other hand elected for the sashimi 🍣. He was in heaven. It was - hands down- the best sashimi of Ahi I had ever seen arrive at a table. And we love sushi. I could not believe everything was just better than the last dish.

Saving this for last, but no kidding on this comment. You MUST try the cinnamon roll. We shared it, didn’t finish, though he did his best…. It was amazing. We boxed a second to go. Apparently they have a bakery on site and make all their own pastries. And this cinnamon roll was everything you would hope it to be.

To the staff of The Evie- Congratulations on such a wonderful establishment. I’ll be sending all my friends and family. 🥂 cheers to...