501 Local — Restaurant in New Trier Township

We came here a few days ago for a birthday dinner. there were four of us and they sat us near the doorway despite other tables deeper into the restaurant being available. It only bears mentioning as it was cold outside and produced quite a cold breeze every time the door was opened. So we moved further inside and the temperature got better, but it was still chilly inside.

The server came and took our drink orders. I ordered a mocktail and had them make it into a cocktail and they did a great job. It was made very well and it was very refreshing.

I picked this place for my birthday as I thought it had options for everyone. My wife and I both ordered soup. I had the chicken gnocchi and she had the butternut squash soup. My parents each had side salads. The butternut squash soup was very good. My soup had four gnocchis in it and they were probably sitting in the soup all day because as soon as they touched my tongue, they fell apart, no sturdiness to them at all. There was so much stuff in the soup that it overwhelmed the chicken, broth, and gnocchis and I couldn't taste anything else but the chopped up vegetables. It was a a lot overwhelming and the flavor was seriously underwhelming.

Next we ordered our meals. My dad had the crispy chicken sandwich (ordered without the crispy onions on it). Guess what? It arrived with the crispy onions. He just removed them. My mom got the shrimp puttanesca dish. She said it was very good. My wife got the portobello sandwich with a side of the roasted cauliflower and I got the 501 angus burger with truffle fries. The fries come with parmesan, truffle oil, bacon, and parsley. They arrived with the roasted cauliflower first. It was cold, and she asked for them to warm it up. Then they arrived with her portobello sandwich with the truffle fries on the plate. She said I got the fries and she doesn't like bacon, so if it's touching her sandwich, they have to redo it. They took away her sandwich. Then they brought back the roasted cauliflower. It was better, but not much.

About 7-8 minutes go by and they finally return with her sandwich (without fries) and my sandwich with the truffle fries. The fries were okay as I couldn't taste the truffle oil, parsley, or bacon. Why you ask? Because they were in a clump under the fries. I think they just dumped the fries on a new plate, warmed them under a lamp where the parmesan, bacon, parsley, and truffle oil melted together and not on the fries. They ended up being just mediocre and I barely touched. them. The burger was okay. It says on the menu that the meat is mixed with breadcrumbs and onions. I could taste the onions (they were a bit much). The burger was just okay. I'm told that burgers are half price on Monday. I'll think I'll skip that.

The server mixed up our meals, but never apologized for the mix ups or the additional wait time. She barely appeared at our table and we had to ask on a few occasions just to have water refilled. Overall, my dinner was lackluster,

They do offer a dessert on your birthday for free. Anything but their chocolate strawberry cake. I totally get that as the slice they give you is huge. And it is phenomenal. The whole strawberries through the center in mascarpone is very light. It was so chocolatey without being overly so. This was the highlight of the meal and well worth returning for (especially if you only go for dessert).

It's easy for me to skip returning to 501 Local as there are many similar restaurants in the area, but I'll be back for that...

I came to celebrate my Bday. What a disappointment, this restaurant is really damaging Winnetka’s reputation . The food was very mediocre plus poor service= disaster. The staff needs to be retrained, they have no concept of basic service. Took too long to get anybody to come to the table, then waitress finally showed up, took drink order and disappeared. Had to wave to get her attention and ask about my drink. Turns out she forgot but finally got it. My friend ordered her drink but the food runner kept spilling it as he was walking toward the table, we kindly told him that half of it is gone, he agreed , set the drink on table and walked away. Appetizers arrived and no plates on the table. Had to remind our waitress a few times about items ordered as well. Had to ask to clean the table before they brought desert( ran out of candles as well) it seemed like their idea of the service is just dumping everything on the table, really not sure if they were understaffed or clueless but something has to change. Where is the management??? The manager suppose to walk around and make sure that guests have what they need, drinks that are made should not be sitting at the bar and waiting for that waitress who is running around and can barely keep her head straight. On the busy night the manager should roll up his/her sleeves and help out! At the very end they come to your table with an iPad so you could pay right there. They stand right in front of you and want you to select a tip. There are tree options: 20%, 25%, 30%. Unfortunately I picked the lowest 20%, sorry could not do more. It’s very sad how places open and do great initially but can’t stay consistent when it comes to food or service. This restaurant would not survive in Chicago as there way too many options...

Having heard good reviews, my wife and I and another couple made early evening reservations for this past Saturday night. All of us were very disappointed. The service was good, but that is where the positives stop. We ordered drinks with two of us ordering gin and tonic. They had to be sent back three times before the bartender realized that the tonic water dispenser was not working. Three of us had lobster bisque which was ok but nothing special. It could have used more vegetables, lobster, seasoning and heavy cream. In other words, flavor. My wife had mussels which had some garlic but not much taste. Two of us ordered Vongole Pasta which, even after asking for parmesan cheese, had little flavor. One of us had the burger which he felt was tasteless and not very good. I had the chicken cutlets which were overcooked and also lacked flavor (not easy to do with two kinds of cheese on them - unless you overcook them as was done). The chicken was served with a small scoop of very bland mashed potatoes. I have eaten better cutlets and schnitzel at roadside diners. As the restaurant filled and became crowded, several times the wait staff leaned on my shoulder to serve water, etc. That is not a way to operate under COVID protocols. I do not mind paying more for good food and service. Unfortunately, given the above, this meal was...