The Florian at Lyric Opera — Restaurant in Chicago

Star ratings are a problematic way to rate online. We all know that five stars means someone was really satisfied, a one star means someone was unhappy...but almost no one leaves a 3 star review for an average experience. Also, Star ratings are relevant to the type of place. A 5 star hot dog stand isn't the same as a 5 star fine dining establishment.

All that is to say, this rating is contextual for what The Florian is within context.

The biggest reason to choose The Florian is its location at the Lyric. The sheer convenience of being to stroll out the door directly to your seats is...delicious. The ability to order snacks and drinks in advance and have them available at your table, ready and waiting is even more delightful.

Service when I was there with my daughter was great. The place was packed, but food and drinks were ordered and delivered promptly. More impressive, when I had to cancel our intermission reservation, I called to let them know, but no one answered...until they called me back! They were very understanding, and I was impressed they had taken the time to call, just based on a missed call with no message.

The food ranges from good to above average, with a few low points. The prime rib, sauce, and mashed potatoes were tasty and well made. The accompanying mushrooms were under seasoned, though, and rather unappetizing as a result.

The starter salad was a surprising high point, though, perfectly seasoned with interesting textures and flavors and one of the best dressings I've had of late.

Prices are fairly high, I should note. Not way out of line, but higher than they're be for similar fare at another location

So, is this fine dining five stars? No, it isn't going to compare with some of Chicago's best restaurants...but for its location, yes. Ultimately, this rating reflects that I intend to return as my default when we get to attend shows at the Lyric. I'd say to...

One of the least organized formal dining experiences I've experienced.

No signage anywhere throughout the entire Lyric Opera house - nowhere. We must've walked into 6 different entries, told different things by different, not at all helpful people.

We finally find it (it's a door that says "employee entrance", by the way), and wait in a 20-minute line for someone to bring us to the elevator. Nobody said what we were supposed to be doing (again, no signage here either, had to ask other patrons). The security guard was loudly yelling into her phone on facetime with someone else who had kids running around yelling. Didn't acknowledge us once. Didn't tell us to have our vaccine cards/IDs out - didn't know we needed that until the people right before us were showing theirs.

A man came down and demanded to see our ballet tickets (weird, because the people before us didn't have to show those), then as he got tired of waiting for me to pull them up on the phone told me to show them when I came down after dinner (originally the plan, but ok). He wasn't clear whether I should follow him, so I started to, and he told me to go back. K.

The waitress kept forgetting basic things about our order (I asked for coffee 3 times), but otherwise everything was good about the actual food. Good tasting, came out relatively quickly, nice and hot, nothing unexpected, nice big portions. The fish was delicious and cooked perfectly. Prix fixe is a nice easy setup, paying ahead of time was easy as well. The price was reasonable for good food.

Women's bathroom is hard to find, and, shocker, another security guard on their phone unwilling to help. As I was in the bathroom, several male workers were coming in and out of the bathroom without announcing themselves etc. - shocked to see there's a STAFF DOOR IN...

The only reason I am giving ANY stars is because of the service. They were just lovely, very attentive and pleasant. Fom the hostess desk to payment, they attended us very well. Unfortunately, they could not help the food quality. The food, sadly, paled in comparison to the service. The salad was fine, but I preferred to nibble my sons with no dressing than my own that was drowning in it. The wild mushrooms were slathered in truffle oil until it was so overpowering they were inedible. It even overpowered the horseradish for the prime rib. I'm so glad I avoided the truffle risotto. I imagine a bowl of oil and a few grains of rice. The prime rib was covered in sauce, chives and other items, I assume to cover up the mediocre meat quality. My son's quail was a dried little hockey puck, yet I was still concerned it was undercooked. The mashed potatoes had so much butter they were practically soup on the plate. For the amount of money you spend to dine here, it is surprising how little they know of preparing a balanced ingredient entree. Especially when there is an included tip. Over $200 for two people is understandable when you are getting delicious, high-quality food, but not when they are trying to cover up mediocrity with sauce, truffle oil, and butter. The space is nice and of course very convenient, so there is that. The one saving moment was the lemon sorbet at intermission, but it was waiting at the table before we arrived and was melty beyond my preference. I promised my son the next time we attended the opera that I would find a different dining option. As I stated previously, I don't mind spending the money if the food is good, and Chicago has many options with higher quality food at this price. It would definitely be worth the Uber cost to...