Review: Flatwater Grill (Chicago)

Note: this also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.

Overall Impression:
Save this place for warm spring / summer nights. Even better if you can expense it. I had a better experience than some other reviewers here (even on a quiet Saturday night in January), but would agree that the value for money isn't delivered unless views are your absolute #1 priority.

Highlights / Lowlights:

What was great -

- Appetizers. We tried both the Aloha Avocado Egg Rolls (fantastic) and the Baked Apple Brie (solid).


Aloha Avocado Egg Rolls - excellent

What wasn't so great -

- Service. More spotty than poor. Our server was friendly enough and mostly attentive, but both he and the runner missed a couple of small details you would like to see nailed, especially on a slow night. For example, our knives weren't changed out when they cleared the apps; and an empty wine glass was left behind when my second glass was delivered. Certainly not end of the world stuff, but when the tab hits ~$150 for two, those are table stakes kind of service details.

- Dessert. The chocolate opera cake was something only real chocolate freaks could love. It was dry and not particularly warm. Really could have swapped it for something out of the frozen section at a 7-11.


Chocolate Opera Cake - disappointing

Essentials:

Food - Mostly good. Great appetizers, solid entrees (halibut and buccatini caprese), disappointing dessert.

Service - Again, mostly good with a few misses. On slow nights your server can either fall into a semi-lethargic rut or give you top notch focus. We got more of the former than the latter.

Amenities:

Space - Low lighting, loungy feel. Almost feels retro sleek in some vague way.

Valet - Beware of these guys. They were AWOL when we arrived (had to pass our keys to the manager who went and got it taken care of for us). And they weren't real personable on the way out. Plus, we saw someone's Mini Cooper go from 0 - 30 in reverse in about 3 seconds. Not that you get real TLC from any valet service, but this guy seemed extra disrespectful.

Would I eat here again?
Maybe for drinks and appetizers in the summer, especially if I can do it on someone else's dime. Otherwise, no. Too many other places to try.

Did it seem like a good value?
Depends on how much of a premium you place on the view. Felt a little steep to me.