Vermilion

02/24/09

Very Overpriced and super small servings

by JoeSingh at Citysearch

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.

02/17/09

Huge disappointment

by kah1100 at Citysearch

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.

• Pros: Great location,nicedining room
• Cons: Disappointing food, bad service

02/05/09

Vermillion has average food, and lacks depth and complexity of flavor

by JimmyDavies at Citysearch

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.

01/08/09

Great meal and great service!

by LeahUptown at Citysearch

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.

• Pros: Spice, ambiance, service
• Cons: a bit pricy

11/30/08

Overpriced and No class

by midwestrvlr at Citysearch

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.

10/09/08

Shockingly and ridiculously overpriced.

by Verydesiguy at Citysearch

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.

• Pros: Ambience, art, cocktails
• Cons: Price for value

07/30/08

A disappointing dinner

by ariel88 at Citysearch

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?

• Pros: Waiting staff
• Cons: Food the reason we go to the restaurant

03/31/08

Amazing food, ambience and service

by giramonda at Citysearch

I have only been here twice but Vermilion has already made it into my top 5 favorite restaurants in Chicago. The food is creative and bursting with intriguing flavor. The restaurant is gorgeous and the service impeccable. I picked Vermilion out of countless options to spend New Years because of my previous positive experience and was actually blown away. The 7-course meal with champagne pairings was phenomenal! The vegetarian equivalents to the "regular" courses were very well thought-out and executed (e.g. the hearts of palm prepared and dressed in the same way as the scallops). The accompanying champagne concoctions were outstanding and beautiful to look at (my favorite one was something paired with either habanero or jalapeno although the pear was also fantastic) - some with fresh flowers adorning the glass. Anyone I have recommended Vermilion to also loves it and I have never heard anything negative about it firsthand.

• Pros: Perfect trifecta: fantastic food, service and ambience
• Cons: None

03/06/08

Expensive & Eclectic - needs more Experimenting

by smaddila at Citysearch

I took one of my clients here for a nice dinner, and I have to say it was the most I have ever paid in Chicago for a comparable place (never been to Charlie Trotters'). The overall experience was quite pleasant and we ended up staying for more than 2 hours, service was quite good and no one rushed us. But I wish we had a better table, we ere seated right next to another table with 3 other gentlemen who kept bumping into us. This was strange considering how empty the restaurant was on Wednesday evening.

We started out with 3 different Tapas among the 2 of us (quite small portions) and there were quite expensive (between $10-$15 each), all of them had an Indian component like Chick-pea Vadas or Cilantro Chutney, mixed with something Brazilian like tamarind or Chocolate sauce. Fish Ceviche with Avacados was the best of the lot.

Similarly entrees' were also on the smaller side but filling after all the appetizers. My guest had a Fillet Mignon (Brazilian style with a few good Indian chutneys) , he was less than thrilled about the meat, but overall happy with his selection.

I had a SriLankan style barbecued fish, which was surprisingly spicy. It was a whole Tilapia (I think)- bones and all, soaked in a Rasam (spicy gravy) served with a side order of Basmati rice. Fish was prepared well with lots of flavors, while it was some work to pick through the bones quite well worth it. I couldn't finish my meal as it was a bit on the spicy side (and I am an Indian).

Finally, we shared a dessert tray with Mango Flan, Chocolate decadence (with fresh berries) and Shahi Tukda (Royal Delight), a typical Indian dessert. All good but portions were too small to try a 2nd taste even among the two of us.

On the whole, I would certainly recommend this place for someone on an expense account, who wants to try out a high-end eclectic restaurant in Chicago. It would have to be really special occasion before I go back.

• Pros: Eclectic food, good service
• Cons: quite pricey, strange seating arrangments

02/08/08

Nice ambiance, lackluster food

by ashley123 at Citysearch

I was so excited to try this new place with some friends. The ambiance was great and the wait staff was very friendly. We ordered a wonderful chili mussel appetizer with some naan. But everything after that was a bit disappointing. This was a really fun place and we wanted to like it so much, but the food was a bit lackluster and the desserts were actually almost inedible.

• Pros: Great fun atmosphere, friendly wait staff
• Cons: Lackluster food, poor value, there are better places