Oceanique — Restaurant in Evanston Township

Went to Oceanique last night for a last-minute reservation. I needed to use a silent auction win which had an $180 value for two 5-course meals, but we paid even more given the auction competition (I forgot how much). Anyway, we had the 5-course meal that was included + 2 cocktails + green mashed potatoes because sides were an extra charge. We paid an ADDITIONAL $140 for this meal. $18 per drink (which we knew). I don't remember how much the potatoes were. But they charged us a $59 tip + a bunch of mind-spinning taxes. Yikes! My husband and I left laughing that we got GOT GOT. lol.

The service and dessert were amazing. The fish and scallops were tasty. The other "5-course" offerings were terrible. Like really really bad. One of the dishes was a SINGLE shrimp in some kind of butter sauce. DEFINITELY not a $320+ meal (crazy). We could have gone to a much finer restaurant for the price.

We didn't let the getting GOT GOT get to us, but instead chalked it up to a $320 funny story and keeping the staff employed.

It's clear that they need to work on the pricing. They have potential, but they'd probably have a lot more business if they better balanced the quality vs. cost. I'd pay $320, but it better be a lot of food and not be some diced up raw zucchini and carrots or cold pate straight out of the...

This family-owned restaurant is top notch! Chef Mark, his wife and their son actively work to make each dining experience engaging, elegant, and delicious! From the beginning, we felt welcomed...even before the dinner! One example, we reserved a table for 8, then changed to 10, then back to 9 people at 5:30pm on Friday night. Lots of other surprises occurred. They addressed every surprise/change with "no problem" or "that's fine." For example, even though everyone did not arrive on time. They graciously waited until all arrived. Meanwhile, providing their tasty bread, butter and libations.

The meal, as aways, was superb. All the new guests were impressed. The repeat guests just relaxed and enjoyed every dish of the 5-course fixed-price menu.

A special note about the staff - many have been with the restaurant for years. That makes for professional, knowledgeable service every time and a great experience with every meal. It also tells me that the management and staff are loyal to each other. One night, I called in 1.5 hours after closing and Chef Mark answered. He was still in his restaurant preparing for the next day! How much more loyal could one get? Tip - Look for coupons on Groupon or Living Social. That's how I've been able to afford many more meals at my favorite restaurant...

Very expensive for what really is just mediocre food. For instance, the mushroom side we ordered tasted extremely similar to the food that came with the Bass. We've been to several fine dining venues, and the food here did not impress us. The only exception was the dessert. Both the desserts we ordered were delicious. We got Groupon for this establishment. Please look at your bills!! They initially charged us without the Groupon. When we mentioned it, the waiter took it back and removed the charge for the 5 course meal. However, there was still a charge for dessert. Then we pointed out again that the desserts are in the 5 course meal. He went back and removed that. After that we were still left with a $100 plus bill. We ordered a side that was 17 and 1 glass of wine that was 16. They added a 50 dollar tip. There was a restaurant surcharge on top of that, along with a bunch of food taxes. We again asked to remove the restaurant surcharge, and they did. The only reason for the 2 star is because they removed the extra charges when we asked. However, they really shouldn't make so many mistakes. The staff were all friendly! Indoor decor was boring. I wouldn't...