Windy City Social — Restaurant in North Township

I’ll be straightforward and to the point. I’m actually a culinary consultant for big name restaurant groups in the city of Chicago so my review carries some weight here. I live in NWI, saw that this place opened a while back and decided to give it a try.

Billy needs an attitude adjustment. Bad experience with his upon arrival and during service he was walking around chewing a cocktail straw in the front part of the restaurant by the bar and host stand. Reservation for a party of 6 and did NOT request a high top, that was it. We wanted a regular table. Instead we sat right at the front door with three 2 tops put together, very uncomfortable. Not sure if he thought we had a disabled person with us or what but if I reserve a table for 6 I’d like a regular table for 6. One of those tables were wobbly I had to ask the hostess for a card or something I could fold together to avoid drinks or plates from falling over.

The hosts were very professional and approachable.

Our server was good, for a restaurant in Indiana I wouldn’t expect it to the best service I’ve ever had. She was kind, respectful, answered questions and checked on us when needed.

Bussers and food runners were great, they checked on us and kept the table cleared the entire time.

Food was good, nothing spectacular. Octopus could have been braised a little longer during prep, still too chewy. Presentation and flavors were great, needed more salt and some sort of acid to balance flavors.

Calamari was overcooked, breading was too dark for how calamari should be fried and the bottom of the plate was covered in oil. The lemon slices were too thick so they came out soggy, slice them thinner they should be like chips.

The crab and shrimp crostini was great but also lacked salt and acid but still very good.

Chicken sandwich breading was very dark. I wouldn’t have sent that out to a table. Your oil needs to be changed or your fryer is set too high. Either sous vide the thigh ahead of time or check your procedure for that dish, something isn’t right.

The radiatore was ok way too overpriced for a pasta with zero protein. Needs to be dressed up a little more to show more value.

Crème brûlée was excellent.

The strawberry shortcake was ok, the bread or cake was dry and a little hard. I’d change this up and soak it in a tres leches cream as large cube of shortcake, roast the strawberries then macerate. Finish with the remainder of the ingredients. Flavors were good the bread was terrible and oddly shaped.

Blueberry cake was just fine, the ice cream needs more salt. Too sweet.

Cocktails were good.

Overall, I’d rather drive into the city for the amount we spent. I understand what the restaurant is trying to achieve and would maybe come back had Billy been more pleasant but now he’s turned us off to the point where we won’t be back. I know he will remember our table because we went to the restroom before leaving and the server was already telling him what I had said to her about him, I asked for his name and she asked what the issue was. When we walked out it seemed she was laughing or smiling (not sure what was funny) and we clearly heard him point at the table we had sat at saying loudly “that table right there?”. It’s pretty obvious. They had no idea we were still there. Anyway, great job to everyone else that...

Food , service, and atmosphere all receive top marks. I only removed one star because of the pricing.

The employees were all courteous, accommodating, and friendly! They were keen to give recommendations as well as to take our feedback on our dishes. I felt well taken care of. We were visited by a couple servers to ask about our experience with our food. We went during a busy time and even though our server appeared to be quite busy, she took her time at our table when she was with us. She made sure to check on us and to get new drinks each time.

The atmosphere was super nice and well done! It was fancy and the bar had outlets under the counter with USB ports. That’s so courteous for the lunch crowd! The dishes and cups were unique and stylish. On a Friday night, it was louder than normal but not terribly loud even though it was full. I did have to speak louder than I usually do but I could still communicate my guests without yelling like I have to do at other places.

The food and drinks are very good and I could tell there was a lot of intention behind them. I The chicken wraps were deconstructed and it was more like a salad. It tasted like a Thai dish and it had so many great flavors! The chicken plate setup was awkward with the sauce dishes and the wraps on the side because they didn’t all fit in it while you eat. I think you are supposed to take the sauce cups and chicken plate out of the extra plate and put them on the table so you can build the mini wraps. The wraps were too small to wrap and eat neatly so I just made a salad out of it. It was a fantastic flavor medley! It was so tasty. The burger had a good flavor. I don’t know if it’s a usual thing to ask how it’s cooked, but they didn’t ask. The fries were just fine and tasted good. My guest was not a fan of the mac and cheese and didn’t want to finish their plate. I had a bite and it was just like regular mac and cheese to me. I wasn’t amazed by it like I was with the chicken, but it was fine. I think it needed just a little sprinkle of salt to make the flavors pop. The bacon pieces on top were thick and tasted good.

Overall I had a good experience and they fulfilled my expectations. I had looked at the pricing on the menu ahead of time so I knew what to expect before I was invited to eat here by my guests. One star is lost on this review because of the pricing for everything based on the portions sizes. The pricing surprised my guests, who are frequent travelers to many popular cities of the country. The sides were too much for me to add to my bill and I was definitely still hungry when I left. My main feedback for this team is to adjust the pricing and portion sizes to be more inclusive, and to consider including sides with entrees.

I won’t be coming back of my own volition solely because the pricing is not sustainable for me but I am definitely glad I was able to experience this fine dining atmosphere and gourmet presentation of food and drinks. I envy those who will can manage eating there and who will get to experience the summer atmosphere!

I wish this team well! Thank you...

Windy City Social is in a prime location, and the outdoor fireplace gives it a wow-factor from the road. I was excited to try this new local restaurant but have left my first experience there genuinely confused about their concept, intended audience, and likelihood of success.

Windy City Social promotes their menu as representing Chicago cuisine, but aside from the Chicago style dog, it is not inherently Chicago-inspired, nor do the eclectic mix of dishes make sense being on the same menu together. The most Chicago-esque part of this restaurant is the service, which is somehow both impersonal and incredibly inefficient. The entirety of the drink menu and the price point of the food menu seem like such a poor fit for a local audience. The ambience is cute, but cliché, unoriginal, somewhat dated, and such a weird fit for the local restaurant supporting demographic. I don’t understand who their target audience is…. While Illinois residents frequent so many of the local establishments, I can’t imagine a weird knock off of a Chicago scene with relatively high price points would appeal to that crowd, either.

I know that at this point, my review is completely vicious, but I want to be clear that I WANT this restaurant to succeed. It is a great location and has the potential to be cool. The food was genuinely tasty. I liked my server, though I had to work to engage her. The management staff was visible and seemingly trying to hustle. I can just tell after dining here that the concept is off and needs tweaking and tightening to be successful. As a former restaurant professional, I was tempted to find someone to talk to or to try to help in some way. 😂

I wish them nothing but the best and will give it another try when the weather warms up, but I think they need a reimagined identity to become a...