Michael

Service at the restaurant was very good, waiter was attentive and explained all questions about menu items with respect and patience.
However, the entrée I ordered which was «Sautéed Wagyu Beef Sirloin & Short Rib Ravioli, Pomme Anna, Sauce Marchand de Vin», was rather mediocre in quality at best. Sauteed Wagyu Beef Sirloin was soft on the touch, but so chewy one can’t even swallow it and to pay $ 39 for a meat dish that one with good teeth has problems to swallow, rather not worth it. Overrated place in my mind.

This is a Restaurant I just love. I know the food will be over the top delicious and the room is perfect. The noise level is low the tables are well spaced and because of this you have a relaxing meal. The food is always wonderful. This time I had Spring pea and truffle soup with a quail egg on top to start, a wonderfully prepared Halibut and tried every dessert on the menu with my dining pals. All were heavenly. Everyone loved their meal. The service is the best, Michael is gracious and charming and everyone is comfortable doing what they are supposed to be doing. I live in the New York Metropolitan Area, and when we travel to Chicago, cannot wait to get to Restaurant Michael.

We had an awesome dinner last week. This was our second visit. We also came a month earlier for a Unilocal event and we were dying to come back. The service is outstanding. The food will please any foodie. I had a crab cake to start, fish for my entrée and a cheese plate for dessert. The dishes are beautiful, flavorful and appropriately sized. We were a party of 4 and we hardly talked because everyone was so focused on enjoying each bite. At our request, dishes came at a quicker pace because we had to get to writers theater. This was perfect for us but probably a mistake because you want to relax, take your time and savor each bite. Trust me. This is not an inexpensive meal, but it is a memorable satisfying one.
I recommend that you drink wine instead of beer. My husband’s boring lite beer was $ 8 a bottle. This was the only negative.

Do you want to be seduced by your food? If your answer is yes then Michael is the restaurant that you have been looking for. Michael is, without a doubt in this world, the embodiment of divine perfection. Out of all the restaurants in the land, there is truly nothing that can compare to Michael. You can search high and low, but still will not find the exquisite and holistic experience that you’re bound to receive here at this esteemed restaurant. I know I’m talking about this restaurant as if it’s a gift sent from Heaven, but once you step foot into Michael you too will discover how magical it is.
Michael, himself (the owner and chef of this restaurant) is, indeed, a bona-​fide genius as proven by his impeccable ability to one, imagine the stellar food combinations on his menu but two, create these masterpieces if you will. Every plate that was set in front of me looked like artwork, but with every bite I took I was left wondering how in the world those two hands of his could make something so amazing. Michael is truly one talented chef and he has completely changed the game of dining out. Chef Michael is not only a genius at what he does, but he is also an enormously humble and friendly person. He greeted me and my party and thanked us for coming while also engaging us in a pleasant conversation about the restaurant. In addition to the graciousness of Chef Michael, his staff was by far, some of the best in the business.
The food is some of the best I’ve ever had and although I will get to praising all of it, the best in show had to have been the stuffed hen entrée. I have praised a lot of restaurants for the juiciness of their meats, but Michael has set an entirely new standard to which I compare all future experiences, and it is all because of this infamous stuffed hen entrée. I will remember this meal for many more years to come because not only was the stuffed hen as tender as one could imagine, but the flavor was out of this world. Although everything on his menu is superb, I would highly recommend the stuffed hen… so long as it is on the menu still. This brings me to my next point — the menu changes seasonally so don’t get too fixated on ordering a specific entrée. The other current menu items I had, however, were the arugula salad with diced pears, goat cheese and candied walnuts and then I had the crème brûlée. The salad made me want to eat salads for the rest of my life (so long as they were made by Chef Michael) and the crème brûlée tasted as if it had been transported all the way from Paris. Now, my fiancé had the octopus salad, wagyu beef entrée and the chocolate soufflé. Each of those were just as delicious as the others and I couldn’t even begin to tell you what I enjoyed more. You can try any and all of these in either a three course or four course meal, but remember the fee for this pre-​fixed menu doesn’t include wine… which you will definitely want because they have a good collection of wine there.
If I hadn’t been mistaken I’d have thought we were sitting in a four star café near the Eiffel Tower because how excellent the service and food was, not to mention how picturesque it was on the inside. Albeit small, Michael makes for the perfect intimate setting with all the ambience that you could hope for. Everything is conducted so professionally here, from the moment you walk in and have your coat checked to when you walk out the door with complimentary chocolate truffles. The only decrement (a tiny one, at that) is that parking can be a bit tricky right around the restaurant, but once you find a spot you’re only moments away from one of the most grand experiences.

The service, presentation and quality is great! The food looked great. The only complaint that I have is the fact that they don’t always have lobster and great white fish. Overall a great experience.

The food was outstanding. The service was incredible The knowledge that our server had was awesome. I recommend this place highly

One of my and my husband’s favorite restaurants, for special occasions and just about anytime. We celebrated numerous birthdays, holidays, and just simply, life, at Michael, where the food and service never disappoint. Last Friday we had yet another exquisite meal at Michael. We enjoy the menu selection, great wine list, food presentation and the excellent, knowledgeable staff, providing world class service. The prime quality ingredients used in the dishes often inspired by haute cuisine of such French greats as Paul Bocuse or Escoffier, but with Chef Michael Lachowicz’s own twists, deliver memorable culinary experience. Both, the 3 and the 4 course menu are a great value. This is by far the best restaurant in the North Shore and one of eth best in the best in Chicago area. Why chef Michael has not yet been recognized by Michelin is a mystery to me.

We have eaten at Michael more times that I can count and the food and service is always on point. I have never eaten a bad meal here and the price cannot be beat for this type of food. My husband and I were shocked the first time we went when we saw how inexpensive it was for a 5 star dining experience. We are used to going to similar places downtown and you will pay 3x at least for similar food. Great great restaurant :)

First I have to say that I don’t write many reviews. Only those experiences that I find truly exceptional inspire me to sit down and let the world know. Today is one of those times that I feel compelled to let everyone know how tremendous this restaurant is. I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity to dine at some of the best restaurants across this country and I have to say, without any doubt, my recent dining experience at Restaurant Michael was the best dining experience I have ever had. I took my wife and we had the time of our lives. The food was absolutely top notch, the alcohol pairings were spot on and the service was impeccable. The chef even made the time to come out and spend some time with us. If you have not dined here, I highly recommend that you try it. I am confident that you will be very glad that you did.

Very nice quite restaurant older crowd, chef comes and speaks to you, food is very good not exceptional but very very good, if the lights were a little dimmer this would be one of the most romantic places in the Chicago area. Will be back.

We took my brother and his wife to celebrate their retirements. They had always seen my pictures from our wonderful dinners at Michael’s. The restaurant did not disappoint. We were warmly greeted and shown to our table. The sommelier introduced himself and offered help with choices. We all had the four course dinner, with drinks, and a bottle of wine. We started off with the Classic Presentation which included country pâté, squab liver mousse, and dried sausage and crispy toasts, a very ample appetizer that almost made us too full for the other courses. One person ordered the grilled foie gras and loved it. Three of us had the Petite Salade Maison with a Champagne-​Herb Vinaigrette. My husband ordered the Salade Lyonnaise which he has had before and loves.
For our entrees, one person had the Pan Roasted Loup de Mer, two of us had the Duo of Onglet of Angus Beef and Short Rib, and one had the veal. We really enjoyed our entrees and then went on to desserts.
My husband ordered the Nouveau Crème Brule, and the rest of us enjoyed the Hot Fallen Chocolate Soufflé and Hazelnut Crusted Butterscotch Gelato. We loved them!
Let me say that our server, Humberto, was so helpful, friendly, and professional. Our guests were most impressed and he made them feel so welcome!

First for the troll that thinks my review is funny, once again you are quite ill.
I honestly believe that the management was given instruction 1 ½ hours before our reservation to cancel because, they didn’t want to serve the truffle menu after 8pm. Which is within their right, but rude to us as a returning customer. It should have been clear the day before when I phoned to confirm, that our 8pm dinner reservation would be a problem and that is when a professionally ran restaurant would have asked if we could dine earlier.

Food there is very good, on par with better establishments I’ve ever been to. Portions are small for the price, choose 4-​cource prix fixe for a fuller meal or, better yet, stop by a fast-​food place beforehand. Staff is courteous and not over-​eager, plan for about 2 hours for dinner. The big chef made a personal appearance, which was nice — if you are info celebrity chefs, you might as well get an autograph. My only grief is they desperately tried to talk to me on the phone in order to confirm my Open Table reservation. If I wanted to talk to them, I would have called to reserve… What’s the point in having an Open Table service then?
Anyway, it’s a good place for special occasions.

Every bite was absolutely fucking delicious. The service was great as well. I had the arugula salad, the stuffed hen (I’m not sure how he packed so much flavor into that dish), and the lemon tart for dessert. Loved it all. Plus, Michael greeted me at the door and was very present in the dining room mingling with patrons and making sure everyone was enjoying their meal. Just visiting Chicago for a couple weeks, so I consider this a great find.

We have dined at Michael on many occasions and have always had a great meal. They recently renovated. Changes that I noticed on our most recent visit include the addition of an even more upscale restaurant (George Trois — 10 course tasting menu), more casual ambiance in the Michael dining room and slightly larger portions.
When dining at Michael you have a choice of a three or four course pre fixe or a la carte dining. We usually go all out and opt for the four courser.
First let me say that everything we had was excellent! The menu does change seasonally so depending on when you choose to go the menu may have changed. My meal began with a butternut squash soup with a foie gras ravioli. It was amazing! Then the salad course. I chose the salad with goat cheese, always a favorite of mine. On the waiter’s recommendation I had the venison for my main. Great choice! Not usually a venison fan this dish was outstanding! I would choose this again and again! Dessert was Michael’s fan favorite, chocolate soufflé. Always delish!
Service is lovely, just don’t go here expecting a fast paced meal. You are here for a whole dining experience. Sit back, relax and enjoy your whole evening, the food, the service and most importantly your dining companion (s).

Wow. I tried Michael because I was craving a chocolate soufflé and it was the only restaurant near Evanston that I could find that offered souffles. But to my surprise, Michael turned out to be the best restaurant I’ve tried in a long time. The hot foie is perfectly cooked and is not too oily that you get tired of eating it. Definitely top 2 among all foies I’ve ever had (the other is from Michel Bras in Toya, Japan). The escargot and sweetbread dish was amazing. The sweetbreads were fried very delicately and the escargot was very juicy. My main was a quail stuffed with truffle risotto. The quail almost tasted like duck! And of course, for desert, I had a chocolate soufflé and a banana soufflé, which were both fantastic. I have to say, I liked the banana soufflé better than the chocolate one, which says a lot about how good it was! Tip: don’t put the passionfruit sauce on the banana soufflé! The soufflé is perfect as it is! And more importantly, get the Groupon for the three or four course pre-​fixe menu! It’s a deal considering how good this place is!

Extremely elegant. We had a groupon so we went. I thought the food was excellent and the service was over the top. The place is very expensive so plan to come here for a special occasion or to spend money. The best thing for me was the dessert — banana rum soufflé.

Had a groupon. Would need to be special event to return because it’s pricey.
But food was delicious! I had ribs that were tender with great flavor. Partner had beet risotto. Very good!
Beer overpriced at 8 $/​bottle. Wine by the glass priced well 10 – 12 $.
Meal was well paced. Wait staff great!

This restaurant is amazing! The food is thoughtfully prepared and it shows. There is nothing better than fresh food that is intentionally paired with complementary sides. Sorta like a burger and fries, but better! The cheese puff starter is a wonderful way to be welcomed into the restaurant. The owner is such a nice man, as is Sergio. It was like dining with friends, but culinary friends who know their way around the kitchen! Every dish that came to our table was outstanding, but some highlights were the salad with egg, the onglet of beef, the salmon, the potato purée, and the chocolate bomb!
Sometimes we have to treat ourselves to the good stuff, and Michel is just the place to get it done!

Lovely
This restraint is definitely a gem in terms of food and service. Everything was outstanding. Having the chef/​owner come out for a chat was a nice touch.
The smoked lobster/​crab roll decorated with thinly shaved radishes was one of the most sublime dishes I’ve ever tasted. In addition we loved the simplicity and elegance of the halibut served with quinoa.
Our chocolate dessert was a study in decadence with it’s molten hazelnut center.
The décor at Michael leaves much to be desired as it’s a total throwback to supperclub times of old. Hoplessly outdated and in need of a good design dr.
We would love to have seen a more extensive wine and cocktail list a well a better selection of craft beer coordinated with this superb
food.