We love French cuisine, and in Chicagoland, there is no better traditional French than Le Bouchon hands down, and we have tried them all. Now French Canadian inspiration, this might be worth looking into, but unfortunately it felt short. Not to compare to any specific cooking discipline but just quality vs. cost in general.
The duck liver mousse was very good, smooth house butter spread, pickled shallot, za'atar, toasted seeds to cut down the gamey flavor of the mousse. But $7.00 extra for the baguette? Come on now. This must be part of the French Canadian inspiration because who eats duck liver mousse just by it self, with butter? I can understand the hanger steak without fries situation. But not this. At least the server should have make it clear. I could care less about $7.00, but I don't like being scammed. I saw the 9 grain toast charge on the menu, but not the baguette.
The salad was very refreshing, the red wine vinaigrette with a hint of mustard was on point, loved it.
I couldn't stop eating the Fried Smelts, you don't really need the tartar sauce because you should really enjoy the flavor of the smelts, plus the already pickled carrots and squash. I think if that has some Kale in there it will strengthen the texture a bit more.
The Duck Leg was very tender, but the sauce was way to sweet. I can understand the sugar shack baked beans (too hard), but the sauce on the duck itself shouldn't be, there should be some balance there. Unless this is another French Canadian inspiration. The traditional recipe calls out bitter citrus, I still think that is more complimenting too enlightened the flavor of the duck.
My pork shoulder was basically a small piece of shoulder chop. From the preparation, it was cut from a larger shoulder roast and then pan fried. The celery puree and caramelize onion broth was a bit bland and it didn't really stand out the pork flavor, but the prunes were nice. My chop was over cooked, half was edible, the other half was so dry they start to get stringy. I think I should have ordered the steak which was a much better deal than the duck and the pork. Overall, a bit pricey for what you get for the French Canadian inspiration.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fried Smelts
Brett
I have never experienced your establishment, have had friends dine there several times...they are not into leaving reviews. Having spoken to them about the great food, exceptional service, and overall experience, I am giving Dear Margaret (chef's mother's name?) 9 stars...only 5 available.. and as to the negative folks..you handled responses well. Would not relish their invite to dinner at their house...
Sara Seibt
Delectable French food, attentive and knowledgeable wait staff that have a part in putting together the menu, small and cozy atmosphere. Try something different today!
Wheelchair accessibility: Would be difficult to get a wheelchair in here without help
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pommes Frites
Manny Petty
An incredible experience all around. The food was just divine particularly the Duck Liver Mouse appetizer and the Roman Gnocchi. The staff is so kind and knowledgeable and the ambience is just perfect/ can’t wait to take friends here.
It's clear why this restaurant is in the Michelin guide, and it is certainly deserved. Every dish that we had was prepared perfectly, and was absolutely delicious. The wine recommendation was spot on. The service was great. The atmosphere is exactly what you would want in a neighborhood french restaurant. I highly recommend this place.
Loved the Parsnip cake & apple cranberry dumpling.
I’m a pretty picky eater, I don’t gravitate toward French food, but the server and staff did a great job walking me through the menu and helping us pick items that they thought we would like.
I cannot wait to go back! Very cozy and warm ambiance but with exquisite food. I cannot wait to go back!
They also make their own butter & bread (bread is made daily!)
I stumbled upon this place not knowing much about it. It was outstanding! The pork chop was the best I’ve ever had — I loved the mustard based sauce and had to order bread to soak up all the extra. Service is personal and attentive. Only suggestion is not to have the bar be reservation based for walk-ins but otherwise thi roughly enjoyed and will return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Colleen Varney
Decadent comfort food and beautiful plating! Very quaint neighborhood spot with a mature crowd. Service was thorough but somewhat slow.
I had a wonderful time here. The food was all incredible, and service from Chad was phenomenal, one of the best servers I've had anywhere in the city!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pommes Frites
BOB Samples
What a charming and pleasant experience it was dining at Dear Margaret. We shared all our dishes and wine to help really get a taste of what is possible. We started with a wonderful white wine. A beautiful way to start the night. Then we shared a pair of Pommes Dauphine. Delightfully light, sweet and fragrant. Then we had Domaine Rolet, Fried Smelts, Vaudavon Sweet Potato, and Roasted Cabbage Crêpe. All seasoned perfectly and delicious. Then we shared the main proteins; a delicious Aged Duck Breast (this was the best duck I have ever eaten!) and the 21-Day Dry-Aged CDK Bavette Steak. The steak was great, but the duck won the day. Of course we had to have the Tallow Fries. We also shared the Roasted Squash, a sweet and savory delicacy.
And we wrapped up the night with the Apple Cider Crème Brûlée. It was a wonderful gastronomic adventure. Cheers!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Smelts, Aged Duck Breast
Small amount of food for a high price. Interesting recipes but pork was fatty, fish served as main course was about 3 oz. Cheese course only had 3 pieces of cheese Goose liver and bread was very good. Service was good. The sauces served with the dishes missed the mark as great French food.
Dayna Tooley
OMG! So yummy! If we lived in Chicago, this would be our place. Casual, yet the most wonderful food and sweet service! We will definitely be back on our next trip to Chicago!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Zachary Dellinger
My wife and I went for our anniversary. The staff made the experience unforgettable. Every dish we had was spectacular and we would love to go back!
We love French cuisine, and in Chicagoland, there is no better traditional French than Le Bouchon hands down, and we have tried them all. Now French Canadian inspiration, this might be worth looking into, but unfortunately it felt short. Not to compare to any specific cooking discipline but just quality vs. cost in general.
The duck liver mousse was very good, smooth house butter spread, pickled shallot, za'atar, toasted seeds to cut down the gamey flavor of the mousse. But $7.00 extra for the baguette? Come on now. This must be part of the French Canadian inspiration because who eats duck liver mousse just by it self, with butter? I can understand the hanger steak without fries situation. But not this. At least the server should have make it clear. I could care less about $7.00, but I don't like being scammed. I saw the 9 grain toast charge on the menu, but not the baguette.
The salad was very refreshing, the red wine vinaigrette with a hint of mustard was on point, loved it.
I couldn't stop eating the Fried Smelts, you don't really need the tartar sauce because you should really enjoy the flavor of the smelts, plus the already pickled carrots and squash. I think if that has some Kale in there it will strengthen the texture a bit more.
The Duck Leg was very tender, but the sauce was way to sweet. I can understand the sugar shack baked beans (too hard), but the sauce on the duck itself shouldn't be, there should be some balance there. Unless this is another French Canadian inspiration. The traditional recipe calls out bitter citrus, I still think that is more complimenting too enlightened the flavor of the duck.
My pork shoulder was basically a small piece of shoulder chop. From the preparation, it was cut from a larger shoulder roast and then pan fried. The celery puree and caramelize onion broth was a bit bland and it didn't really stand out the pork flavor, but the prunes were nice. My chop was over cooked, half was edible, the other half was so dry they start to get stringy. I think I should have ordered the steak which was a much better deal than the duck and the pork. Overall, a bit pricey for what you get for the French Canadian inspiration.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fried Smelts
I have never experienced your establishment, have had friends dine there several times...they are not into leaving reviews. Having spoken to them about the great food, exceptional service, and overall experience, I am giving Dear Margaret (chef's mother's name?) 9 stars...only 5 available.. and as to the negative folks..you handled responses well. Would not relish their invite to dinner at their house...
Delectable French food, attentive and knowledgeable wait staff that have a part in putting together the menu, small and cozy atmosphere. Try something different today!
Wheelchair accessibility: Would be difficult to get a wheelchair in here without help
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pommes Frites
An incredible experience all around. The food was just divine particularly the Duck Liver Mouse appetizer and the Roman Gnocchi. The staff is so kind and knowledgeable and the ambience is just perfect/ can’t wait to take friends here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Aged Duck Breast, Duck Liver Mousse, Pommes Frites
It's clear why this restaurant is in the Michelin guide, and it is certainly deserved. Every dish that we had was prepared perfectly, and was absolutely delicious. The wine recommendation was spot on. The service was great. The atmosphere is exactly what you would want in a neighborhood french restaurant. I highly recommend this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Aged Duck Breast, Roasted Summer Squash
A stellar experience from start to finish. The chef Ryan is so talented. Our server Shannon was very attentive and made wonderful suggestions.
Some of my favorite items on the menu were:
Pommes Dauphine
Pommes Frites
Vadouvan Sweet Potato
Roman Semolina Gnocchi
Steak
Charcuterie plate
DO NOT SKIP OUT ON DESSERT!!!
Loved the Parsnip cake & apple cranberry dumpling.
I’m a pretty picky eater, I don’t gravitate toward French food, but the server and staff did a great job walking me through the menu and helping us pick items that they thought we would like.
I cannot wait to go back! Very cozy and warm ambiance but with exquisite food. I cannot wait to go back!
They also make their own butter & bread (bread is made daily!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pommes Dauphines, Pommes Frites
I stumbled upon this place not knowing much about it. It was outstanding! The pork chop was the best I’ve ever had — I loved the mustard based sauce and had to order bread to soak up all the extra. Service is personal and attentive. Only suggestion is not to have the bar be reservation based for walk-ins but otherwise thi roughly enjoyed and will return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Decadent comfort food and beautiful plating! Very quaint neighborhood spot with a mature crowd. Service was thorough but somewhat slow.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Duck Liver Mousse, Pommes Frites
I had a wonderful time here. The food was all incredible, and service from Chad was phenomenal, one of the best servers I've had anywhere in the city!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pommes Frites
What a charming and pleasant experience it was dining at Dear Margaret. We shared all our dishes and wine to help really get a taste of what is possible.
We started with a wonderful white wine. A beautiful way to start the night.
Then we shared a pair of Pommes Dauphine. Delightfully light, sweet and fragrant.
Then we had Domaine Rolet, Fried Smelts, Vaudavon Sweet Potato, and Roasted Cabbage Crêpe. All seasoned perfectly and delicious. Then we shared the main proteins; a delicious Aged Duck Breast (this was the best duck I have ever eaten!) and the 21-Day Dry-Aged CDK Bavette Steak. The steak was great, but the duck won the day. Of course we had to have the Tallow Fries. We also shared the Roasted Squash, a sweet and savory delicacy.
And we wrapped up the night with the Apple Cider Crème Brûlée. It was a wonderful gastronomic adventure. Cheers!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Smelts, Aged Duck Breast
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent Restaurant! Great food and service, we will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Aged Duck Breast, Pommes Frites
Small amount of food for a high price. Interesting recipes but pork was fatty, fish served as main course was about 3 oz. Cheese course only had 3 pieces of cheese
Goose liver and bread was very good. Service was good. The sauces served with the dishes missed the mark as great French food.
OMG! So yummy! If we lived in Chicago, this would be our place. Casual, yet the most wonderful food and sweet service! We will definitely be back on our next trip to Chicago!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My wife and I went for our anniversary. The staff made the experience unforgettable. Every dish we had was spectacular and we would love to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Smelts, Aged Duck Breast, Pommes Dauphines
Thank you Celia for giving us great service. You really made us feel like home and made that night feel special. It's a cute place with great people!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
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