Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House — Restaurant in Naperville

Hello folks, another disappointed meal, I heard from my friend recommends this place. So, i made reservations for 6:15 but this restaurant only does increments  by half hour, So, my reservation was for 6:30, now you would think for making a reservation, they would give me a decent table, right? Guess again, it was the worse possible table, it should have been outside, it would have been better, so, let me tell where it was, as you enter the restaurant, you are at the hostess desk, to your right is the bar, and to the left is the dinning area, so, my table was to the left ,as you enter the dinning area , i was the first table against the wall  facing the bar. The reason why its the worse table, is because, of all the drunks in the bar, and yelling just to be heard over the loud piano playing. A little recommendation for the restaurant, if you install a mic inside of the piano, and install speakers around the hotel, then this poor piano player would not have to hit the keys so hard. Also, if you want to have a restaurant that has finesse, you need to think on ways to have an enjoyable dinning area while maintaining a bar area, and this piano is not it. I think you have a good notion but not an end result, you are still in the making.  Also, your spring bench seat are horrible, i felt the springs, this is not a taco stand.

The appetizer,

Fried Rhode Island Calamari

with SLICED JALAPENO PEPPERS served with hoisin garlic chili sauce, the calamari, half was fried correctly, not over-cooked to where its springy, so, i give you a 10 on that, but the other was over cooked and brittle , to where you felt you were eating fried ants(which i never ate)

the bread that was served before the meal, was plain and with hardened butter.

Now, onto the meal , I ordered the Steak Porterhouse, and this is a quotation from your menu" We serve heritage verified Black Angus Beef. Our steaks are aged for 50 days & cooked in an 1800 degree infra-red broiler. This gives the steak a thin charred crust to help seal in the natural juices".

If you have  such perfection like this, any person off the street walking by, would know not to put this steak at high flame and over season it, because , it is super tender and i want to taste the steak, but most important its already pre-cooked in YOUR 1800 degree infra-red broiler. As, you look at the steak, 1 side was over cooked and a little chewy (caused by over high heat) and the 2nd side was also, a little less chewy then the other side, and to the rear of the T shaped bone was the most enjoyable, about 1 square inch, not bad , 49.00 a square inch of steak, because, that was the whole value that i placed on the steak. My date ordered, Pan Roasted Miso Marinated Chilean Sea Bass, it was the size of 3" x 3" at 42.00  and for their vegis(WILD MUSHROOMS , SWEET PEAS & SOY REDUCTION) was a like a liquid underneath the fish. The sad thing is that she couldn't really taste the juice of the fish because, of the wine or liquor that was suffocating the drowning fish.

Over all , my first visit to Hugo's , was disappointing because, it was recommended, especially at 121.00 and 19.00 tip, to a waitress that doesn't know how to be a food server. I think she had to be new, I would ask her for bread, she never brought, she was blond, a little chubby, about 23 years old, and i asked her for A-1 sauce, and also, she never brought it, so , I asked the Mexican older gentleman around 50 years old about it, he said, yes sir, i will take care of it. I think the waitress and this gentlemen should change places at their job.

Recommendation, should install a glass door that slides across the opening to the dinning area to shut off the loud drunks from yelling over the piano and guitar playing because, it destroys the over-cooked steak.

VERY   ...

From the moment the valet greeted me to the time I headed home, I was treated like royalty at Hugo's Frog Bar and Fish House.

This was my first visit, chosen because I'm familiar with how Gibsons does business. I was not disappointed.

Let's break it down this way:

Food - Amazing, as expected. Decadent and prepared to perfection. Varied menu to please everyone. Ample portion sizes. Cooked and seasoned to perfection. We enjoyed the shrimp cocktail, prime rib, seared tuna, and creme brulee. Oh, also the coffee! Yes, even the coffee is something special here. Aces across the board, you're not going to find a bad meal here.

Drinks - Already mentioned the coffee. Yum! A pre-dinner martini at the bar was prepared and served with perfection. Expansive wine list, sure to please by the bottle or the glass. If you're a bourbon fan, give a Paper Plane a try. They're done correctly here!

Atmosphere - comfortable, welcoming, a bit loud. Come as you are, settle in, relax, and enjoy the Gibsons experience. Super popular equates to super crowded, so it does get a bit loud. Table conversation still possible, so don't let it bother you that everyone else is having just as good of a time as you are.

Service - We were extremely fortunate to be seated in Phillip's section. We didn't know it when being seated, but he had already made up his mind to ensure we had a fabulous and memorable dinner. He freely offered recommendations and opinions, displayed extensive menu and wine knowledge, was attentive without being intrusive, and just simply made our visit that much better. I would return just to experience that level of service again, I really couldn't ask for better! Speaking of service, the bartenders were equally attentive, professional, and personable. The hosts and hostesses were friendly, prompt, and helpful. Management was visible and helped wherever needed. Service staff were there to quickly clear dishes and did so with a smile. The valets were also great.

While I consider Gibsons in Rosemont to be my "go to" spot when I need a really good meal, I think I'll now be splitting my time between Rosemont and Naperville!

This was just a great visit in every way possible. Sincere thanks to all who...

Worst case of customer service - period . Just read what happened to me ...so ... It was my birthday , Sunday morning 11am . Wife called two days in advance and told them : this is my husband's birthday , we want to reserve the private booth for Sunday morning , when do you guys open . They said no problem , we open at 11am on Sundays and the private booth is yours . We show up at exactly and I want this to sink in to you guys EXACTLY at 11am Sunday morning and tell a snotty , arrogant hostess who we are and that we here for our booth . She says : oh , we gave the booth away , we don't hold booths .... And I'm going to repeat myself here : birthday reservation , Sunday morning , not a minute late - walked in the door at 11am sharp . I don't even know how the food tastes in there because after this on my BIRTHDAY reservation I'm not going to spend a dollar in a place like this ever again . I hate bad leaving bad reviews , but in this case people need to know . This is how Hugo's Frog bar "appreciates" their customers . 08/05/19 Update : After me leaving this negative review assistant manager Ryan called on 7/25 and left a message apologizing about the situation , stating that hostess "dropped the ball" and that he would like to make things right . Left his cell number and asked to call back . I called him back next day on his cell and left the message with my call back number . So ... Today is 8/5 and I still haven't heard anything from assistant manager Ryan or anybody else at Hugo's Frog bar . This just shows you one more time guys how much they care about their customers and their reputation .Talk about "dropping the ball" ... 9/11/19 I'll calm this review a good 'ole American comeback . I have to give credit to management of this place , especially Ryan . Guy contacted me again after my updates and made sure that everything will be fixed and guaranteed my next experience at Hugo's will be a pleasant one rewarding me with the gift card which I lost ( must be bad carma , lol ) , so I can't comment fully on the food and atmosphere of the place , but I still plan on visiting the place soon enough and that's when I will update my review . Thank you Ryan for great service and caring about your...