Vermilion

Doesn't Recommend

Dorni12

Joined 2 years ago

Bad night at the Vermilion. My husband took me to Vermilion for my 30th birthday. We arrived for our 8:45p reservation on time and were seated within 15 minutes, not too bad especially since it is restaurant week in Chicago. Our waitress came over after about 15 minutes took our drink orders and then rushed off even though we had questions. She came back a few minutes later so at that point we were able to ask questions. This was my first time at an Indian and Latin American fusion restaurant so I wanted to ask her about some of the entrees. She was really vague with her answers so I played it safe and ordered the skirt steak and asked for it to be cooked well done. My husband ordered the seafood stew and a tropical salad. His tropical salad came out right away and was very good.

An hour went by after we received the salad. I looked around at the other diners and most of them were eating their meals but many of them looked just as frustrated and hungry as we did. Finally the meal comes out. Honestly I wasn't upset about the meal coming out an hour later because I figured since I ordered a well done steak it would take some time. I was some what irritated that during the hour that we were waiting for our meal the waitress did not come by at all.

Anyway we get our meal and to my shock and disbelief my steak is medium rare. The steak was still bleeding! Luckily the waitress walked by and I showed her my steak. She immediately took it away and apologized. I told her to please send the manager over. In the meantime my husband starts eating and actually finishes his meal while I am still waiting for mine. The manager walks pass our table seven times (I counted) and does not once stop to talk to us or even say I will be right with you.

I waited another 25 minutes for my steak to come back and would you believe when it finally came back it was just as red as it was the first time. How is this possible? We arrived at 8:45p and now it is 10:30p and I still have not eaten. And to make matters worse I saw our waitress talking to the manager and she pointed at our table and he looked over and waved his hand as if to say who cares and he went back into the kitchen. I was in shock and disbelief at the total disregard for our problem. At this point I was done and just wanted to go home. I waited another ten minutes until someone walked by (not my waitress) and asked them to take the steak away and that I was done and leaving. Once I sent the steak back a second time out walks the manager. I told him that I was not paying for the steak and if he had come over to our table I would have showed him how it was cooked. He told me that he was very busy and couldn't come over but saw the steak when I sent it back to the kitchen. I told him I understand you are busy but we are customers too and when you are charging $30 a plate you have to do better then this. He walked away and he did take the steak off the bill but I ended up leaving hungry at 11:00p at night. So for my birthday dinner I ended up eating McDonald's.

Recommends

CSMobileUser

Joined 5 years ago

Dipti g approves!. U could not have asked for a more flavorful experience. I doubt I will ever taste food more fantastic or have better service! Maybe if I opened my own place I would be treated better but I doubt it. Whatever they are doing here they should keep it going and spread it everywhere!

Recommends

CSMobileUser3

Joined 5 years ago

Dipti g approves!. U could not have asked for a more flavorful experience. I doubt I will ever taste food more fantastic or have better service! Maybe if I opened my own place I would be treated better but I doubt it. Whatever they are doing here they should keep it going and spread it everywhere!

Doesn't Recommend

JoeSingh

Joined 4 years ago

Very Overpriced and super small servings. I definately would never ever go there again or would I recommend this resturant to anyone! Tonight was the worst expierence I have had at a resturant in a long long time.

Doesn't Recommend

kah1100

Joined 4 years ago

Huge disappointment. Extremely disappointing. Most food was served tepid; flavors on many dishes bland. Fell very short from the interesting descriptions on the menu. Service was awkward. Took 20 minutes to get 3 drinks--which were weak and missing a key ingredient (the chili pepper). The Lobster (their signature dish) was the worst of all. It was overcooked and the bland sauce was starting to congeal over by the time it was served to us. The restaurant was half empty at 7 pm on a Saturday--should have tipped us off that this was no longer the hot spot all the reviews from a couple of years ago indicated. Way overpriced for the quality.

Doesn't Recommend

JimmyDavies

Joined 4 years ago

Vermillion has average food, and lacks depth and complexity of flavor. One recommendation to the owners of Vermillion, as a Indian food connosieur, I recommend you buy round trip tickets to Swagath Restaurant in Defense Colony, New Delhi. This is Indian cuisine executed at its finest.... It is only then that you will see how far you fall short of brilliance.. Come back, and realize that experimentation with discernment is bound to lead to less that stellar results- which is what Vermillion typifies. Indian cuisine can truly be masterful, but it simply is not at Vermillion.

Best wishes.

Recommends

LeahUptown

Joined 4 years ago

Great meal and great service!. Could not recommend this place more! The Indian-Latin spice combination was excellent and unique. It might be a little strong for those who don't like heat, but for me it was perfect. I really enjoyed the scallop appetizer which was perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. The steak was the perfect temperature, tender and well spiced and the crab konkani really brought together the best of Latin and Indian spice. Our server was also very attentive and went out of her way to make my birthday special. Throughout the night, the service was great and anticipated our needs without being intrusive. At the end of the night without prompting (she checked our ids for the spiced white sangria) she brought us a mango torte with birthday wishes written in chocolate in an elegant script. The care that went into the food, the atmosphere and the service really impressed me and I hope to return soon.

Doesn't Recommend

midwestrvlr

Joined 5 years ago

Overpriced and No class. We were so disappointed with this place. The food was below average, so was the service and the price was outrageous for the food we got. The Konkani crab wasn't very Konkani at all and had the distinct taste of raw red chillies -not appetizing. We ordered a chicken curry which evidently came with naan. Well, the naan wasn't ready so the server brought the curry with rice and then stuck us with a bill for it. That was not classy at all, considering we didn't really order the rice at all. We were charged for extra servings of rice and naan with a thali which was terrible considering the small portions they serve out. The chocolate cake for dessert was pretty good. The chicken curry and other Indian veggies were average but not extraordinary. Overall do not waste your money on this place.

Doesn't Recommend

Verydesiguy

Joined 5 years ago

Shockingly and ridiculously overpriced.. The ambience is good, and the art decor is very pleasing to the eye. This, along with the layout of the restaurant, lends to a cozy or relaxing atmosphere. The ginger lychee and ginger pomegranate martinis are out of this world. The appetizers are "almost" cooked - sort of like "medium" steak - still partially raw inside, or not marinated completely, as the case may be. The daikon salad was good. Overall, the creativity of eclectic recipes is above average, and the presentations are very appealing, and that's where it ends; the food taste is nothing out of the ordinary, and for the price you pay for the food, you are guaranteed to feed 2 or 3 times as many people in several of the great restaurants this town has to offer. In fact, if you go to India-town or Chinatowan, you'll be able to feed 4 times as many people, and have an enjoyable meal. Unless you have extremely large amounts of disposable income, don't bother to spend your money here - and don't mistake this restaurant for the namesake in London - they are not connected. Even on an expense account, I'd rather take my guests to a restaurant where they'll enjoy the meal.

Doesn't Recommend

ariel88

Joined 5 years ago

A disappointing dinner. We were looking for a good restaurant around downtown area. After a lot of searching, we decided to try something new. After trying it, I don?t think that there was anything new about this restaurant. The place looks like a spa and it is very loud. The food sounds better on the menu than on your table. The only thing Indian is their sauces and by the way I had better for a lot cheaper at a real Indian restaurant on Devon. I don?t consider the food to be South American. I tried lots of South American dishes and they are nothing like them. It takes more than meat, cilantro and lime to make a South American dish. The portions are very small and unless you are used to eat small portion, eat something before going. The food takes forever to cook (we waited 1 hour for a steak!!!!). The only thing good about this restaurant is the service, but what should your response be when your waiter comes at your table every 15 minutes and you don?t have any food on your table?