Brasserie By LM

My husband and I stop by here fairly frequently, as it is one of the few restaurants in the South Loop that isn't either a sports bar or geared to the college crowd in some way.  They do a very nice job on the more familiar french menu items; last Saturday night we had coq au vin and duck confit, both of which were excellent.  And since martinis were on sale, I broke from my usual wine/beer selections and had a cucumber martini made with gin--it was so delicious that I ordered another to split with my husband, drank it and then was sorry!  But it was absolutely wonderful and I'd have one again.  Just wouldn't follow it with any part of another.  We've also had the beef bourginon, salmon, sausage dish (all very good) and quiche (ho-hum) .  I'm waiting to see a slightly more varied lunch menu so that my group of 6-8 individuals who lunch once a month will be lured.

I love this place for its good location. and its always quite, we came on friday night, there were only few customers here. its on my way home, I always want to come. Finally, I came yesterday, I actually made reservation online which is really not necessary...

food is good but not great. I ordered the cop au vin dish($14), its really tasty, chicken with mushroom, smashed potatoes. I ordered the market salad ($7), its nothing special, and small plate.my friend ordered soup as starter and sausage grille ($13) as main dish, both is just okay..we didnt order drinks, its $45 before tips..not bad, but I think I could have better choices though..

service is very good, waitress is very nice.

Went to LM for Restaurant Week in 2012 and loved it, so when I learned that Brasserie by LM opened up closer to where I lived, I was thrilled.  I've since moved even closer, to just a few blocks from the restaurant!  

I haven't had everything on the menu yet, but I've liked everything that I've had there. The menu is simple (not in a bad way).  Things don't necessary blow your mind away, but it's just what you'd expect; in other words, it's reliable.  Last night, I had the onion soup gratinee and chicken coq au vin with a glass of cote du rhone.  Everything hit the spot.  The complimentary bread and butter were good too.

I've gone with just my husband (for Thanksgiving dinner! - we were moving and didn't have the time/energy/space to cook at our packed up apartment), with my husband and a mutual friend (outside seating, great summer night on Michigan Ave), with several friends (plenty of space), and with just a girl friend. I could easily do business there if I worked in the area and had the sort of job where you took clients out for a meal.  

I gave it 3 stars, "A-OK", because the food is really good, the price is reasonable for what you're getting, there's never a wait, and the service is decent.  To get 5 stars, it needs to have a livelier atmosphere and better service.  I don't want it to become so popular that I'd have to start waiting in lines to get in, but it felt appropriately busier and more energetic during a summer night when I got to sit out on the sidewalk and enjoy a beautiful breeze and Michigan Ave scene.  I'm a bit concerned that it won't make it if it's mostly as slow as it was when I went there the other times.

As for service, it's not that it's bad, but it's just a bit off, often times a bit too slow.  Maybe the slowness of the atmosphere is contributing to the slowness of the service - people are affected by others' energy.

In any case, I'm coming back and sincerely hope that it succeeds because I love the food and it's good value!