12/11/08

Rome does not need to fall.

by ChicagoZagat

I give Cafe Absinthe 2 stars. And I will stand by this rating...... but if the server staff and bartenders improve their demeanor and the food is actually brought back up to what it was 7 months ago......well.... then i would give it the 5 stars it once had!!! OH!! And it wouldnt hurt to keep the place clean ( ESP THE BATHROOMS) Either make the improvements or lower your prices!!! Id rather see improvements.. because the place is lovely.. Hello Owner and staff!!!!!!

• Pros: Great Location, Lovely to walk in to.
• Cons: Staff is borderline beyond horrible, food and drink is OVERPRICED for the experience

04/02/08

Our old standby..........

by michaelgastner

Im sorry to say, but after a recent visit this place is no longer the gem of Wicker Park. This was once an old standby for my wife and I. The menu which use to be top notch and inventive was the same when we visited 6 months ago, and so were the specials (the waitress said they change daily). As creatures of habit we miss the great bartenders that made the best cosmos, replaced by a bartender that doesnt care about his craft and "doesnt drink" Wheres the jazz, always a key feature. Time for a revamp CAFE ABSINTHE.

01/14/08

Really Great Food

by sillybillyteely

We went on a Friday night and it was dead. Our waiter was great, very knowledgable, the wine was great. I liked the menu selection, and our food was very good. I asked the waiter a question, and she didn't know the answer, but came back 10 minutes later with the answer, so she did follow up. The decor is nice, very urban, a little drafty, so if you are a cold person, you might not want to sit near the door. The hostess was very nice to us, took our coats, and seated up promptly. No complaints. Will be back.

• Pros: The food
• Cons: A little chilly/cold

06/07/07

Good date place.

by jackstraw1030

Good food, great ambiance, only neagative would be that it's extremely loud and hard to have a quality converstation

• Pros: Great food , ambiance
• Cons: Very loud

01/04/07

service was bad on a slow night; over cooked duck breast

by soundslikejimmy

Overall, my family (7) had a very enjoyable night out - everyone else loved their entrees, it was a pretty quiet venue, conversation was great - though I had some serious issues. We went on a Thursday night recently, and we were pretty much the only diners there.

The server didn't know the French side of the wine list well. Considering it was half the list, this was a disappointment. She could only recommend one Bordeaux ("a lot of people order this one"), and she pushed us into a more expensive Cote du Rhone despite asking for less expensive alternatives. She didn't have a suggestion for a "medium bodied, fruit-forward, dry red". Oh well.

The duck breast was medium-to-well, despite our insistence that it be "medium-rare". It should never leave the kitchen like that. Next time order it "rare." They did much better on the traditional Midwest fare - beef tenderloin was juicy with a nice crust, the lamb was perfectly cooked. The salmon was pretty standard for any restraint (it could have been easily done at home), so the >$20 price was shocking.

• Pros: bar is really nice, menu had several things for everybody, appetizers and salads were tasty
• Cons: a bit overpriced, one dish over cooked, poor service (inattentive, uninformed, slow, didn't want to be there at night)

11/20/06

we had a great time

by furilla

tucked away from the street , this place is very intimate and dark and casual. I like that. our waiter was amazing . He knew the menu up and down and made excellent wine selections. we were a party of three and all ordered different things from lamb to beef and salads and such. we all tried each others food, drank wine and had an amazing time. from what i understand the menu changes frequently so i'm sure what i had might not be on the menu when we return. the after dinner capp's and coffee's are awesome too as well as the sweet stuff.

• Pros: excellent food and service
• Cons: a little hard to find if you dont live in the city

10/06/06

DON'T GO!

by pleeese

The words that would properly describe my experience there would surely be blocked by Citysearch's censors! I have never been treated so POORLY by the staff at a Wicker Park eatery in my life. This place is a pathetic attempt at trying to be a trendy upscale "cafe". BUT wait...walk inside and you will be greeted by an additional failed attempt at wanting so bad to be important? but you are a hostess!!?? This blatantly RUDE reality T.V wannabe thought we were beneath her prestigious hostess ranking. She proceeded to scold our entire group because we used "their" valet service and went to the adjoining bar and not their restaurant. The two (Wicker Park Tavern and Cafe Absinthe) are by the way connected by a glass door located inside. This place is sad and with service like this ABISMAL!

• Pros: None
• Cons: To many to detail here

05/10/04

A Wicker Park favorite for fine dining in a romantic, intimate atmosphere.

by Contributor

Candlelight flickers off exposed brick walls and muted curtains in this cozy, hip space. A well-dressed, established crowd buzzes at close tables while cooks work up a sweat in the open kitchen just beyond. The inventive, contemporary American menu usually hits the bull's-eye. Fab grilled ostrich is complemented by a fragrant avocado chimichurri, while creamy seared foie gras in sauterne may be one of the best in the city. Sauteed skate wing stands out among the entrees, thanks to a subtle, flavorful porcini beurre blanc. For dessert, don't pass up the house-made ice cream or the wonderful, light apple blueberry galette with vanilla ice cream.

• Pros: romanticgreat French fare
• Cons: service can be slow

11/10/03

Just not worth it

by jhkoh

We'd heard so many good things about Cafe Absinthe, we had to give it a try. And yes, the food was good, and the service was friendly and helpful. But, the noise was excessive, and it was a weeknight at less than capacity. But the real kicker was the high cost of the meal, which can be summarized in five little words: six bucks for iced tea.

• Pros: food is good
• Cons: loud, expensive

07/21/03

Nice treat

by tentic

Inventive food that doesn't blow your socks off but satisfies. Warm, cozy setting, if a bit cramped. Excellent service and manageable wine list. An out-of-town foodie who would return.