Maple Tree Inn

06/19/09

great food, service, atmosphere

by sarjentsoysauce at Citysearch

Imagine a square building with windows all around...ok that's not this place!

We went with our friends tonigiht. the place was great. the food was great (pork tower). My wife had the jumbo shrimp boil, great.. we snacked on some crawfish(great). And did I mention the drinks? Hurricane's that actually were good omg!

I'll be back to this place for real.

• Pros: awesome mudpie
• Cons: need signs on the bathroom doors!

03/07/08

Not only the best cajun food in the Midwest, the best restaurant on the South Side

by neworleansgrl at Citysearch

The Maple Tree Inn is located in a quaint area on the South Side of Chicago in Blue Island in a little nook that overlooks the river - yes, the Metra train goes by occasionally but it is hardly noticeable - fantastic ambiance, especially in the summer out on the veranda; I remember it when it was in Beverly and the quality of the food and service is still outstanding. The original chef, Tom, still prepares all the food and it is top notch. Easily the best restaurant for flavor and ambiance on the South Side. Try the Hickory Buttered BBQ shrimp or scallops - perhaps their best dishes; the seafood is extremely fresh. The baked oysters, crab cakes, crawfish etouffee, blackened scallops and Dixie Doorstop Porkchop are all fantastic, too. Interesting dishes with alligator meat and ox tails, as well. Sometimes on Sundays the owner has a deal with live jazz and and an all-you-can-eat special. Completely worth the trip time and time again. As close as you can get to New Orleans, if not better... no crackers or steak sauce needed...

• Pros: Awesome, flavorful food, relaxed ambiance, and great service

02/25/08

Okay Cajun food, kind of close to authentic...

by misslouisiananative at Citysearch

Overall, I would say that the food was very flavorful. I started out with the country gumbo. It had a decent taste, but I did not like that all of the ingredients such as the sausage, chicken, and seafood was cut up so small to the point where it all kind of blended in and I wasn't sure what I was eating. It was served with rice, but not with crackers, which I did have to ask for. I also ordered crawfish etouffee. The roux was redder than I preferred (I like it a little more orange), but it did have a good taste. I would just recommend that they serve it with rice rather than risotto and make it a little more thinner since it seemed a bit to thick and chunky. It had a boiled whole crawfish on top, which was cute, but when I broke off the tail and tried the tail meat, it was old and bland. I guess it was really just meant as a garnish/decoration and not to eat. the $22 steak was very tender, but was not seasoned and there was no steak sauce. The cornbread dressing was bland and had the taste of something that had been in the refrigerator too long.

The atmosphere/decor was more like a makeshift sideroom that was added on to the original building and had large couch-like side chairs that were a little too low and hard to pull up to the table.The original dining/bar area is nice, however.

Basically, if I had not been from Louisiana and been so used to how food is cooked and prepared down there, I would have been more impressed. Close to the real thing if you haven't had Louisiana food in Louisiana before. The flavors were good, but there were some little things here and there that took away from the cajun experience.

• Pros: Good flavor, good service
• Cons: Sides are not included in the cost of the entree, a little pricey, makeshift added side room.