It’s restaurant week (more like month!) here in Chicago, and I always try to check out a few new spots each year, since the menu is usually such a great deal. Often, there are a handful of Michelin-starred restaurants offering a shortened tasting menu. Last year we checked out Boka, which I thought was really excellent, but had a somewhat uninspired restaurant week menu, making me want to go back and check out their normal prix fixe fare. This year, we checked out Esme, which also has one Michelin star, and is even in the same neighborhood(ish) as Boka. Overall, I thought that the Esme restaurant week menu really showed off Chef Jenner Tomaska’s (formerly of Next) skill and expertise in creating unique and delicious flavors, but the setting of the restaurant itself, and quick pacing of our meal was off-putting, and doesn’t really make me want to come back.

Esme is located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago, and for our 5:30pm reservation, street parking on Clark just outside the restaurant was easy to find. By the time we left (around 6:45pm) there were no spots around, though, so take this into consideration when you go. The restaurant itself is very open, very stark, and very hard. I would go so far as to say the space is totally uninviting, and it seems more like a corporate cafeteria than a one-star Michelin restaurant. There are no soft surfaces here, and even the cushioning on the wooden chairs is thin. There is a very large, strange counter/bar taking up half the restaurant, and the tables are spaced quite far apart, so there is no sense of community here. Everything is white and bright and sterile, and I really just didn’t like the vibe here.

That said, the servers were all amazing, chatty, and personable. Service here is excellent, even if the pacing is very fast. I was shocked that we were totally done with our four course dinner in about an hour and 20 minutes. I think, though, that due to restaurant week, they need to turnover tables quickly in order to break even with the specially-priced menu. That said, we added on about $200 worth of stuff to the menu including wine, drinks and a few extra courses, so I’m not sure that the quick turnover due to restaurant week is really necessary, or whether it’s just always fast-paced here. I think some of the courses could have been spread out a bit more, and I’ll expand on this later.

The food here was truly excellent, though, and probably one of the best restaurant week meals I’ve experienced in many years. Indeed, I felt that the menu was really interesting, and showcased a lot of cool flavor combinations, and had truly beautiful, artful plating. For the first course, there are no options. They bring you a brightly colored braised endive salad, with creamy ricotta, yuzu, and almond. The flavor combination was amazing, and I loved the textures of the different lettuces and vegetables with the creamy ricotta. Served alongside this masterpiece were “flaming hot cheetos,” which were very large cheeto tubes covered with not-too-spicy powder. With the cheetos was a delectable caramelized onion dip, which is 10x better than anything you can get a store. This was a whimsical offering, sure to be a huge crowd pleaser.

For the second course, you had the option of foie gras with a very basily gelee, or burnt maple consomme with potato, leek and bacon. I absolutely loved my soup. It was so umami and just ever so slightly sweet, that on a cold winter day in Chicago, it was a really perfect warm up. I do wish that they would have given me a larger spoon for the soup, as the tiny silverware that they use here is just not conducive to eating soup at all. Brian wasn’t super thrilled with the foie gras, because he thought the basil gelee really overpowered the flavor of the fluffy foie gras mousse.

We were also offered the option (the server did such a great job of selling it, that we couldn’t say no!) to add on a caviar course, which was a healthy dollop of caviar served on top of a sweet potato ice cream and white chocolate. I thought this course should have been served after the soup and foie gras, but it was all served at the same time. Luckily the caviar and ice cream was served on a very very cold dish, so the ice cream wasn’t too melty by the time we got to it. The combo of the salty, but not super briny caviar with the sweet white chocolate and ice cream was totally dynamite, and one of the chef’s signature dishes that hasn’t changed since Esme opened about four years ago. If you do opt for this add on, I would suggest splitting it with two people, it’s very rich and plenty to share.

For the third course, you had the option of sturgeon, or wagyu short rib, or sunchoke agnolotti. We opted for all three for a small upcharge. Again, I thought they could’ve brought the agnolotti first, and then the sturgeon and short rib, making our meal seem a bit more coursed out and elegant, but they brought all three dishes out at the same time, crowding the table with the very large but stunning serveware. The sturgeon was expertly prepared, rolled in spinach, with a really nice Normandy sauce and parsnip chips that were light and tasty. The short rib was actually a Pithivier, which is sort of a meat pie, although looked more like a personal sized beef wellington. I thought this dish was extraordinary, and the real star of the show. The beef was tender and delicious, and the pastry dough was outstanding, and really melted in your mouth.

I also really loved the sunchoke agnolotti. You are served four agnolotti which are relatively large, and oozing with filling. The dish is covered with freshly shaved black truffle, really elevating the flavors, and the kale pine nut pesto was divine. These three main courses really sang, and we loved it all.

You have the option to add on a dessert for only $12, which I thought was a really good price considering the care and thought going into each of these delicious desserts. Brian ordered the Chocolate Cremaux cake, which was served in the base of a deep picture frame. Esme switches up it’s dessert gimmick and Brian’s was served with the picture in the frame being an edible, sugary crust that you can break with your spoon, which added to the flavor of the dessert itself. It’s an actual work of art! Sometimes, they cover the dessert with paper that they light on fire, which disintegrates the paper for an extra show. I ordered the amazing sticky date cake, which is not anything like what you get in the UK – it’s more of a traditional cake texture, with creme fraiche ice cream and little puffed rice nibs giving it an extra nutty crunch. Yum!

We absolutely loved the food here at Esme, and I truly thought that they showcased their typical menu really well here, without cutting too many corners for restaurant week, or dumbing down the menu for less discerning restaurant week diners. That said, the vibe here is so sterile and cafeteria-like, that you really need to come here and focus on the food. I can’t imagine going here for a romantic date, or a special occasion, because it’s just so impersonal feeling. Also, I really hope that they typically do slow things down here to give you time to really enjoy and think about your food, rather than churning you through as quickly as possible to make a buck. I would recommend a visit to Esme, but with those few caveats.