Proxi — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Revised: 3/22/24 Ok, this is officially my absolute 💯 favorite place to eat. I'm a total fan girl and geek out about the food, service and I am absolutely star struck by Chef Zimmerman and the amazing staff. Jennifer Kim is just fierce and bold. love, love, love looooove it here.

So after a long workweek in a workshop with colleagues, I wanted to share this restaurant experience by treating 4 other colleagues to a nice dinner. Unbeknownst to me, 3 Of the 4 colleagues had food pallettes of a 5 year old and were somewhat frightened by the menu and were totally out of their comfort zone. I was heartbroken and prepared to leave. But, somehow, each of them said no and found 2 things on the menu to eat and we ordered. We all shared and tasted dishes.

The first course, Chef Zimmerman actually presented to us. it was appetizer to the table ( I literally was omg gushing with joy). My friends were wowed, but with each dish, they complimented and experienced the level of joy and suprise with each bite. By the end of it, all 4 colleagues were blown away and thanked me for an amazing, and memorable experience. Funny enough, the one dish that colleagues (the ones you recall with 5 year old pallettes) liked the least was the Charcoal grilled steak. They all felt the steak tasted good, was seasoned and was executed perfectly, but after all the flavor bombs-the steak was flat in comparison to now this new extraordinary food they were having. Perhaps a sauce to tie in?

That evening not only did we become more closer friends and colleagues, but our worlds and taste buds opened. Thanks to crew: Yasmine, Moises and Ian and Chef Zimmerman. Bummed that Natalie and Taylor were not in, but all the staff are so so great and friendly. Thanks for making this foodie girl swoon each and every experience i get here. I can't wait to come back!!!! Need to let my husband know where I want to eat for my birthday. Might need a more regular cadence here. Thank you Proxi!!!!! March 21, 2024 Kicking off my favorite time of year-Chicago's Restaurant Week. Let me say that I don't know if anything can top this experience. The chef's take on world cuisine takes things to another level. Every dish balanced with sweet, salt, heat, acid,umami. This is the reason to go out to dinner to try foods you can't replicate. I'm a descent home cook, but the food is creative, it's layered, textured thoughtful. We had seats by the kitchen and the rhythm, hustle and energy- I was mesmerized and could watch all night long. All the key staff were in the house- Chef Zimmerman, chef de cuisine Jennifer Kim. I was completely geeking out. My server Taylor and Natalie-the manager were outstanding and so friendly and knowledgeable. We had tasting menu fed 2- Samosa chaat- the most beautiful and tasty samosa. Foie Gras with Filipino steamed buns- OMG- Luxurious umami bomb that elevated the "puto" in a whole different way than I could ever imagine. Littleneck clams-spicy, salty and please, please give that dish some rice to not waste that precious broth. Black cod musiyoki- suprisingly buttah,smokey, sweet, umami paired beautifully with simple cabbage apple slaw to balance. Seafood laksa- creamy, fragrant with lemongrass, fish sauce and heat, brimming with perfectly cooked seafood. Chili braised lamb shoulder- balance of fatty, crispy, smoke, spice, creamy goodness from the karma. Dessert: Turkish Opera cake, decadent rich dark chocolate, coffee, with browned caramel hints Turmeric pavlova- delicate and ice cream refreshing. Such a sweet ending. This was such a happy, amazing and memorable experience. Thank you to the the entire Proxi team for being so welcoming, hospitable. To Chef Zimmerman, thank you for just taking the few moments from a busy night of expediting, cooking, greeting to stop and talk to just normal diners who weren't some big shots. When I complimented a dish, you did so with grace and gave credit to your chef de cuisine and Natalie. Thank you to this team, for inspiring me to cook again, awakening the taste buds and...

My best friend and her husband who are naive Chicagoans have raved over this place. We joined them for dinner last night (on a Thursday). Our reservations were for 8PM and they told us that the people at the table were paying and we would be seated shortly. The restaurant was not crowded and there were many empty tables.

We went to the bar and had a drink. I had the take on the old fashioned and it was well balanced. The highlight was actually Keep it spicy which is a non alcoholic drink. The spice of the ginger is magical. We ended up waiting 20 minutes for our table.

We finally got to the table and started to look at the menu. Our friends gave us some recommendations, but our waiter did not say anything. He did not offer suggestions or tell us how large or small the portions were. For starters we had the cauliflower Indian special, the burrata, and the elote. These dishes were the highlight of the meal. The cauliflower was super crispy and the sauce was so rich and flavorful with a hint of spice. The elote was crispy with a creamy corn flavor in the middle. The burrata was creamy and I liked the addition of the squash. It needed acid to cut the fat. The bread was perfectly grilled and seasoned.

We ended up ordering more drinks after the first courses and we waited around 15 minutes to get them. Our waiter never refilled our water glasses.

For the rest of the meal, we had the mussels and coal oysters. The mussels were great. The broth was bold and flavorful and I like the addition of the saltines of the sausage. The oysters should not happen. They were torched, but had no flavor. The oysters were cooked and were very one note. It ended up being a weird texture.

We also had the lamb chops, which were cooked perfectly. The raita could have been seasoned more. The pork shank fell off the bone, but the sauce was too sweet. It had a great heat, but finished sweet. We could have done away with the pork. We had no idea how large the portions were and it ended up being a lot of food for us and our friends ordered more.

There were some dishes that were more successful than others. For the price of the meal, the service did not match it. I wouldn’t come back again because nothing really popped, the food or...

I visited Proxi for the first time this week and had an absolutely incredible experience!! I came in with a dear friend (who I was visiting Chicago with for a conference) - we made the reservation at her recommendation. At first glimpses inside this restaurant, the atmosphere is modern, while being equally warm + inviting. We were sat right away at a cute corner booth table facing Randolph Street, and it was clear right away that we were going to be very well-cared for during our visit! The staff here are SO attentive & kind - Jordan was our server and he made excellent recommendations right away as to how we may best navigate the A La Carte Menu vs. the Chef's Menu. We ended-up ordering from the Chef's Menu and it was not a mistake - the food is incredible (which I'll get into in a second). :-)

I have to make a quick note: Jordan made a great rec - when you order from the Chef's Menu, for Course 1 + Course 2, just tell your server which items you DON'T want ordered, because you get 3 selections for the table on each course (and there are 4 choices for each of these courses). It will make it clear for both you & your server as to which items you cannot wait to try!!

For drinks, The Hot Seat is a great tequila-based cocktail on their menu (fresh + delish), and I highly recommend it!

For food, we tried the following and loved every single dish!! :-) A La Carte, we had the Seasonal Banchan, which was delicious. Our Chef’s Menu selections were as follows:

Course 1: (1) Grilled Yuba Skewers, (2) Bhel Puri, (3) King Salmon Salad. Course 2: (1) Mushroom & Goat Cheese Tamale (this might have been one of my absolute favorite items throughout the night), (2) Coal Fired Baby Carrots, (3) Crispy Rice Cakes & Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. For Course 3, we tried the Lentil Dumplings and the Thai Yellow Curry. Both were excellent, but the Thai Yellow Curry is an absolute cannot-miss.

We concluded with both of their desserts, which were also incredible!! I wish I could give more stars - what an amazing dining experience. We will definitely be back when in Chicago, IL!! Thank you so much for having...