Oriole

There is no question about the Michelin quality experience. Their unique ambiance, Serving style, service and presentation were beyond excellent. What surprised me was that the tasting courses were mostly unforgettable but there were a few misses. Our table hated the squab and the skate. I get that when you are serving this many courses there are inherently going to be some displeasure but I felt that these were big strikes. We also felt a bit rushed although in fairness they did occasionally ask if we were ready for the next course. Our server was a consummate professional and automotonic. Was a bit surprised that no one ever ‘checked in’ to see how we were going. They just cranked through the courses. Perhaps I’m being too critical but we eat out alot. Should mention the mixologist Quinn who was spectacular!

This was the best meal and service I've ever had in my life. My friends and I pick 1 Michelin rated restaurant a year to splurge on and I honestly can say this was the best experience ever. The servers made sure we were all taken care of and they even gave me a card and a bag of tea that I loved as a present for my birthday. I found myself saying, "that was the best thing I've ever tasted" after literally every course. I don't have enough great things to say about this place, I would love to go back every year if I could. Worth every penny.

Finest meal I've had in Chicago. Chicago is stacked with amazing fine dining spots, but Oriole is one of the few names that always comes up in the same breath as the best. My friends and I came in with months of built-up expectations and somehow left with all of them met. Interactive, with a real shift between spaces. Personal stories folded into a few of the dishes. And beautiful execution on plates built from seemingly pedestrian ingredients. This was one of the top three meals I've had this year. The space-shifting gimmick usually feels a bit tacky to me, but here it felt organized. The progression from the old elevator entrance to the bar, into the kitchen, and finally to the table had a sense of order. We opted for one of the two tables with a full view of the kitchen, and even with the hectic foot traffic, the pop-culture drawings scrawled across the ceiling and walls kept the whole thing oddly calming. Most of the evening was impeccable, but a couple of dishes lodged in my brain for weeks, which says a lot given how deep my fine dining fatigue runs right now. The A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Ribeye and the Matsutake Custard were some of the best bites I've had in my life. Matsutake Custard was soft on soft. Paired with foie gras, and I walked in assuming a soggy foie wouldn't hit the way a grilled one does. I was wrong. That nuanced umami balanced beautifully against the luxurious earthiness of the matsutake. Another thing I loved was the Rosemary Ice with Lemon and Olive Oil. They let one of the junior chefs weave her own childhood story into this dessert. Plenty of places build the head chef's narrative into the menu, but handing that spotlight to a junior cook was a bold move, and it made the dish more memorable than any dessert I had all of last year.

Oriole is, without question, the finest dining experience Full stop. I have dined at some of the most celebrated restaurants in the world, and Oriole does not just belong in that conversation. It leads it. Every single element of this evening was a perfect 10: the food, the drinks, the service, the ambiance, the décor, the pacing, the presentation. Not one weak link in the entire experience. The tasting menu is a masterpiece of intention and creativity. From the ethereal cucumber course served over crushed ice with delicate white flowers, to the impossibly perfect Miyazaki Wagyu on a slate plate with a dark reduction that looked like fine art, every course felt like a revelation. The Blue Fin Tuna, the Squab with its dramatic tableside presence, the Cacao finale served inside an actual cacao pod. This kitchen is operating on a level that very few restaurants in the world can claim. The service matched the food beat for beat: warm, knowledgeable, attentive without being intrusive. The wine program is exceptional. The space itself is intimate and moody in the best possible way. Thomas Keller and The French Laundry better be paying attention. There is a new standard in town and it is called Oriole. Chicago has been hiding this gem long enough. I will be back. Soon.