Dear Margaret — Restaurant in Lake View Township

We love French cuisine, and in Chicagoland, there is no better traditional French than Le Bouchon hands down, and we have tried them all. Now French Canadian inspiration, this might be worth looking into, but unfortunately it felt short. Not to compare to any specific cooking discipline but just quality vs. cost in general.

The duck liver mousse was very good, smooth house butter spread, pickled shallot, za'atar, toasted seeds to cut down the gamey flavor of the mousse. But $7.00 extra for the baguette? Come on now. This must be part of the French Canadian inspiration because who eats duck liver mousse just by it self, with butter? I can understand the hanger steak without fries situation. But not this. At least the server should have make it clear. I could care less about $7.00, but I don't like being scammed. I saw the 9 grain toast charge on the menu, but not the baguette.

The salad was very refreshing, the red wine vinaigrette with a hint of mustard was on point, loved it.

I couldn't stop eating the Fried Smelts, you don't really need the tartar sauce because you should really enjoy the flavor of the smelts, plus the already pickled carrots and squash. I think if that has some Kale in there it will strengthen the texture a bit more.

The Duck Leg was very tender, but the sauce was way to sweet. I can understand the sugar shack baked beans (too hard), but the sauce on the duck itself shouldn't be, there should be some balance there. Unless this is another French Canadian inspiration. The traditional recipe calls out bitter citrus, I still think that is more complimenting too enlightened the flavor of the duck.

My pork shoulder was basically a small piece of shoulder chop. From the preparation, it was cut from a larger shoulder roast and then pan fried. The celery puree and caramelize onion broth was a bit bland and it didn't really stand out the pork flavor, but the prunes were nice. My chop was over cooked, half was edible, the other half was so dry they start to get stringy. I think I should have ordered the steak which was a much better deal than the duck and the pork. Overall, a bit pricey for what you get for the French Canadian...

A Remarkable Birthday Dinner at Dear Margaret

My husband and I recently celebrated his birthday at Dear Margaret, a fantastic new French-Canadian restaurant in Chicago. The entire experience was nothing short of amazing!

Creative Cuisine and Perfect Pairings

The menu offered a unique take on classic French-Canadian fare. We started with decadent Pommes Dauphine paired with caviar and oyster mousse, which perfectly complemented our bottle of Champagne. This was followed by two more delightful appetizers: crispy fried smelts (a delightful twist on the tiny fried fish I love from the South of France) and Beignets D'Escargots with their rich, earthy flavor. The escargots were a revelation for me – a must-try for anyone who enjoys adventurous eating!

For the main course, we shared the melt-in-your-mouth sweetbread special, a true testament to the chef's creativity. It was cooked to perfection and bursting with buttery goodness. We also opted for the 21-day dry-aged Babette steak, which was cooked exactly as requested with a phenomenal sauce. A classic order of French fries completed the savory part of the meal.

Stellar Service and Perfect Timing

Our waiter, Chad, was professional, knowledgeable, and attentive. The entire staff worked seamlessly as a team, ensuring our food arrived perfectly timed throughout the evening.

Sweet Endings and Lasting Impressions

We finished off the night with a delicious butterscotch maple pudding, the perfect sweet conclusion to a remarkable meal. The wine list was extensive, and our bottle of André Clouet Grand Cru complemented every course beautifully.

A New Chicago Favorite

Dear Margaret has quickly become my favorite new restaurant discovery in Chicago. The combination of creative cuisine, impeccable service, and a delightful atmosphere makes it ideal for a special occasion or a memorable night out. Merci, Dear Margaret, for making my husband's birthday an...

NYT picked this as one of their Top 50 Restaurants of 2023 for good reason!! From the second we walked until the moment we left, our experience at Dear Margaret was immaculate! Our waiter was super helpful with explaining the menu and offering his recommendations. Our dishes were as follows:

Pommes Dauphine: A perfect way to start off dinner. These little fried potato balls were topped with caviar and pickled red onion. They were light, bright, and a nice introduction to DM's menu.

Pommes Frites: 10/10 fries. Not much more to say. They absolutely banged. Don't fill up early!!! The best is yet to come!

Olive Oil Poached Sturgeon: Super super tasty! The mint chermoula went extremely well with the olive oil and the lentils underneath really rounded things out and made the dish feel just the right amount of substantial. Our only letdown was that they forgot grapefruit on ours that we saw on another one coming out of the kitchen, and I think that would have been the perfect spot of brightness to take the sturgeon to the next level. Even without the grapefruit, it was a fantastic introduction to sturgeon.

Duck bolognese: Star of the show!!!! (For us anyway lol). Man, take everything you love about bolognese and kick it up a few notches. Then you will be close to how good this was. Hearty, meaty, complex, and comforting. This was exactly what I wanted on that cold March evening and it hit unbelievably hard. If this is on the menu when you go, I 11/10 recommend you get this.

Dessert: our only "meh" of the night. The chocolate mousse is good but they really pile on the hazelnut praline. Could have done with less, or frankly without dessert entirely. I bet the other things would have been outstanding.

Overall: an amazing dinner. Just make a reservation and go here. You will...