Herb — Restaurant in Lake View Township

I took my wife here for her birthday, it was our first time visiting Herb. We went in a Thursday night, so the restaurant was quiet with a few other patrons. The atmosphere was nice, elegant, and peaceful. We were seated right away and shortly after the hostess brought an ice bucket for the bottle of wine we brought with us, as we had heard the restaurant was BYOB.

Our hostess described how the prix fixe menu worked, the different dishes, and which options were recommended. We were very excited for the higher quality, higher concept Thai cuisine, and went with the 5 course options so that we could sample more dishes. We were also given the betel leaves starter in addition to our orders as a gesture from the restaurant, on the house. From the moment the betel leaves came out a few minutes later, everything we tasted was very delicious.

We are fans of spicy food, so we confirmed to the hostess when asked that we were happy to have our dishes made at a moderate spice/heat level. The spiciness was just right; each spicy dish had enjoyable heat but also allowed you to taste the flavors and ingredients.

Starters, soups, entrees, and desserts came out at good intervals; small waits in between so that we didn't feel rushed but we also weren't waiting long. It provided a relaxing experience to eat, talk, and simply enjoy our time in the restaurant.

Pricing was fair and well worth the culinary experience. The menu changes seasonally, so there are incentives to return and try new dishes. I'm a happy customer and plan to...

Wow and more wow. Being born in Thailand, I've eaten a lot of Thai food, a lot. This place is not your typical paht Thai, paht seeuw and done. Don't expect anything you have eaten before. After the betel leaf one-bite appetizer I really didn't care what the menu said, just bring me more amazing food. Every single spice, every single ingredient is masterfully crafted, transformed, elevated way beyond the menu descriptions anyway. I vaguely recognized Thai dishes, but the quality, the presentation, the twists and the way the flavors played in my mouth was unprecedented. The fact it was healthy and organic was an extra bonus. My husband hates cilantro...he ate cilantro. That aforementioned betel leaf appetizer he has hated for decades, then he popped one in his mouth and went silent enjoying the flavor explosion. He is not a fan of lamb, but fought swapping dishes with me and sopped up every bit of curry he could when he got it back. Ditto for the delicate, coconut mushroom soup. Even the cucumber water was the perfect palate cleanser for each dish. Patty, the chef and evil genius, came out and talked to us and you could see the passionate sparkle in her eyes. We had the whole place to ourselves as the Cub's were busy winning their spot for the World Series and reservations were cancelled. Lucky us on both counts. The menu changes seasonally, so we are sad that our amazing meal will not be duplicated...but just trust in any of the prix fixe options and enjoy the ride! Your taste buds...

This place is so special. Thai food gets type-cast at a certain (not too high) expectation for cost and presentation, but this is definitely fine dining. I mention that as a warning if you're distractedly scrolling in your phone to pick a "Thai place" based on neighborhood in making plans with someone. That's how I discovered Herb, but if my time/money budget had been tighter, it would have been a problem!

The food is absolutely gorgeous and delicious. You're not going to taste much better or snap much better on your cell phone camera.

What has brought me here twice (despite having discovered this place after having moved 1000 mi away from Chicago) is Herb's offering of a full-bore prix fixe plant-based menu in addition to an omnivorous menu. There are not a whole lot of places to really treat a vegetarian or vegan, and this is one of them.

Patty, the chef, is adorable, and on slow nights she'll improvise an omakase experience and come out and tell you about the food. She is a lovely, genuine person.

Herb is pretty quirky in some ways - BYOB, and they bring you your water in 500 mL plastic bottles from the grocery store. It's also quite affordable among the Michelin-grade eateries. If you're stuffy and trying to impress someone, that might put you off, but I personally don't care much about that kind of...