Chef's Station

Better than most nice restaurants in Evanston but besides being located in an old train station, there wasn't much unique about this restaurant. I had the rabbit as an appetizer and the ham covered veal for my entree. Both were pretty good but didn't blow me away for the price. The best part of the meal was the souffle for dessert. Delicate and crispy on the outside, it melted in my mouth.

The only real problem was the service. For some reason the server decided to bring our appetizers out at different moments. With a party of 4 this made for slightly awkward dining. The first two dishes were cool by the time the second two came to the table. He did the same with the souffles. We ended up eating them before the other two desserts came to the table. Not a good way to impress customers.

Taste is good but over priced.

We were so excited to try this place and ended up leaving a little disappointed. Apparently the "winter" menu started about a week before our visit around Thanksgiving, so ... nothing looked like what we were expecting.

The rabbit appetizer was nothing special. The lamb was delicious, but each sat on some sort of meatball that was so dry and stale I had trouble swallowing the few bites I took.  The dish was missing some sort of balance. The "sauce" was way too acidic - past brightening the dish to the point of being overwhelmingly unpleasant. Foie gras was apparently very good but hard to eat everything at once. The veal medallions felt a little tough in my mouth, but the sauce it came in was very nice. I don't remember what it was though, something very bean-like.  Between the app and the entree, we were given a melon sorbet palete cleanser, and it was perfect and tasted great! Overall, I think the meal was a bit heavy too - protein, protein, protein with minimal carb and veg. We opted for sorbet as dessert to finish on a lighter note, and of the 3 scoops, 2 were waaaaay too tangy for me, but I'm sure those who prefer that would find these to be perfect. Their espresso is average...

Service was great. We were greeted cheerfully on the way in and out. The waiter was polite, patient, and attentive. Decor is mellow; it's nice.

My first experience there could've been better. But maybe I'll return if their menu changes again, if the chance comes, but at least for the moment, for restaurants in this price range I've got much better options.