Niche Restaurant — Restaurant in Geneva Township

This place is one of the best places I have been to in some time. Our experience was perfect.

I met a colleague for dinner on a Thursday night.

One of the highlights of the night was service. It was simply perfect. Our waiter cared, was observant without overwhelming us and really made our experience perfect.

I started the night with one of their "unbelievable selections" of bourbon. I had a "tasting pour" of the Jefferson 21 year old. It was wonderful. A tasting-pour is 1 ¼ ounces, while a full pour is 2 ounces. It was really good.

My colleague had a glass of Cabernet. It tasted a bit off, almost jammy and we almost thought that was the way it should taste. The waiter noticed that I also tasted it and came over to ask about it.

He insisted that he take it back, they opened a fresh bottle and it was a really good cab. I ended up having one with my dinner.

For appetizers, we split the Scallops and the Seared Scallops with buffalo fried oysters, and the Steamed Buns with sweet and sticky flank steak.

They were both fantastic. The buns were really fantastic, great texture, soft and just the right chew, while the stuffing was really GREAT flavor, just enough kick. They were served in a taco shape (check the photos) and were great.

The Scallops were really good as well. They were served with some crispy rice which was an interesting texture. Really enjoyed that dish.

For dinner with actually split the Cornish Hen Roulade. We wanted to stay with a small-plate theme so we could try different dishes. They actually brought us 2 plates, each with our portion beautifully arranged. You wouldn't have known we were splitting a dish. How awesome was that. And it was fantastic. The flavor in every part of that dish was really great.

For dessert we tried the BlueBerry Fritters and the Pineapple Crisp. They were also a hit.

We will be back (even with the 90 minute travel time to get here). This...

This was a mixed bag for us. Service was good. Food and drink? See below...

Cocktails, while tasty, we didn't even feel on our empty stomachs. Felt like very little alcohol, even with the spirit-forward-tasting Manhattan.

The steam buns were the highlight. Very tasty all around, and glad they weren't swimming with aioli.

Tomato soup was also quite good, though a little crostini or crouton would put it over the top.

Then we decided well, if it was that good, let's try some more. Went downhill.

The burger... Extremely fatty grind of meat, and when combined with the (good) cheese, we couldn't taste the meat. The menu explicitly says "caramelized onions", but they most definitely weren't even brown. Just translucent, oily sauteed onions. It also mentioned horseradish which there wasn't even a whiff of while eating.

Fries decidedly underdone. Not crispy. Undercooked. A decidedly pale color. Could see they were still translucent. They needed another minute in the oil minimum. Either that or the oil wasn't to temp.

Brussel sprouts... Extremely sweet sauce. The top ones that were elevated above the pool of jam had a nice glaze without being overpowering, but as we descended to the bottom of the bowl, it became an abject sugar bath, excessively sugary and far-overpowering what nice hint of char there was on the veg.

Ambiance... Nice place, but despite reservation, we were a bit disappointed to be stuck in the back at a 4-top while we were just two. We just felt disconnected from the space, especially for our first visit. One of the track lights was shining annoyingly/distractingly brightly directly on us.

Lastly... My spouse said the bathroom had only the thinnest single ply toilet paper. C'mon now... For these prices we deserve at least 2-ply, maybe even quilted if we're feeling...

Hands down my favorite restaurant in the area now! Went here tonight for our anniversary for the first time and have zero complaints! Andrea was fantastic, attentive and extremely kind. Would come back just for the service even if the food wasn't as incredible as it was!

We had the brioche carrot cake appetizer. Super satisfying, warm fresh baked bread with sweet and salty butter and spread. We also took home a side of the mac and cheese which is so decadent and creamy. The broccolini and cornbread top added such a nice texture.

My wife had the scallops which were served with a table side sauce poured into the dish. Super premium and cooked to perfection, she loved the various textures, vegetables and sauces lingering throughout the dish.

I had the special which was a ribeye served with mushroom, potato croquettes, mustard greens and bordelaise sauce. Absolutely outstanding, legit no notes. Couldn't have asked for a better steak dish.

For dessert, we shared the lemon cheesecake and the Schrute chocolate cake. Very different dishes but both such a satisying end to our meal. The cheesecake was refreshing yet caramelly with so many varying textures and browned butter notes. The chocolate cake was somehow rich yet light. The fluff added a nostalgic aspect to the dish along with the sorbet. This was my favorite two of the desserts.

I also want to mention that the bartenders are killing it. I had two different old fashioned which were made with the perfect ratios. Interested in trying their various whiskeys but their cocktail menu is pretty stacked.

I love Niche and can't wait to come back. Tbe staff was great and welcoming, food was consistently delicious, atmosphere was cozy and the drinks were spot on. Highly highly...