The Den

My sister and I were looking for a place we could meet for a glass of wine.  I had some online gift certificates to use after Christmas and a quick search of that website lead me to The Den.

It looked harmless and we were mainly going for wine and to catch up with each other so I bought the certificate and off we went.

The Den is located inside the Oak Brook Doubletree hotel and there is no indication from outside the hotel where the restaurant is so I punted as far as parking was concerned.  Luckily, I picked the correct side of the hotel.

At first glance, the inside of the restaurant is a little dated, but it was clean, cozy, and quiet. I was directed to pick any seat I wanted.

Looking over the menu there were some affordable starters/small plates, and a decent selection of entrees (@ 5 non beef and 5 beef).

The wine list was nothing special either in information or choice.  I was going to start with a Pinot Noir, and asked about a particular Wine maker as nothing else was listed on the sheet besides the wine maker, appellation, variety and vintage.  I knew that wine maker had several labels of Pinot Noir so I asked the server which they were pouring.  He came back and said it wasn't listed on the bottle.  I guess I could have asked to see the bottle, but it just seemed like too much work for me too.

I went with it and it was fine.

Started with a Caesar  salad with no croutons.  Not only were there no croutons, but the listed "crispy prosciutto" and cheese was missing.  Whatever.  I was STARVING and ate it without complaint.

Next on the list was a cheese plate.  The cheese plate was listed as having brie, blue and aged white cheddar, along with grapes, crackers and walnuts.

What we got was a young yellow cheddar, some smoked gouda, and boursin cheese spread with crackers and dried cranberries.  Again, i was using a gift certificate so I didn't want to make a fuss, but my sister and I brought it up to the server that basically nothing that was described on the plate was actually on the plate.  Also mentioned the salad mistake too (might as well go for broke).  He apologize and went back to the kitchen and see what was up.  When he came back he apologize as he noticed the salad was incorrect but didn't do anything about it, and he also said that there were two different menus going on and the chef was working off a different menu.  He then brought out a much bigger plate with a little brie, some blue cheese, what I think was a mild mexican cheese, and something that tasted like minibabybel.  Still no cheddar.

We ordered more wine, and got some olives and I ordered a rib-eye.  The server suggested I get the all-you-can-eat NY strip, (thanks for bringing that up) but I still went with the rib-eye.  While only 14 oz, it was decent and bone-in (which was a nice surprise) and I would think I great selling feature.

For our third round of drinks, the server suggested a meritage they had.  My sister stayed with the cab, but I tried it.  It wasn't bad, but it was very warm.

When we asked for the check, he brought it out and I noticed it was just under $100.  I waited for him to come back and explained I had one of those $50 off it you spend $100 certificates and we would probably need to split another glass of wine.  He explained that it would be no problem to just use the certificate now as he had not charged for the last round of drinks as a thank-you.  That was really nice of him, but it was really something he should have addressed when he first dropped off the check..." hey folks, sorry for the inconveniences you've experienced.  I got you a round of drinks.  I hope you'll try us again."

Overall, our server was nice, but he lacked presence on the floor.  And there were only 5 tables at the most going on.

Now I get that this is a hotel venue, so perhaps repeat business isn't a priority, but with better service and some quality control, I could see this place really taking off as an after-work location.

As it is now, I would go back if someone else wanted to go, or if I had another gift certificate, but it definitely isn't on my list of "must go back" spots.

It's a bar in a suburban hotel. That should pretty much tell you everything you need to know about "the Den", the newest addition to the Doubletree Hotel in Oak Brook.

Located in what used to be Anthony's, the Italian steakhouse, the ambiance is actually quite nice- but it's the service that needs some work.

We stopped in after a meeting in the hotel for a drink with a small group. The space is nice- leather chairs clustered around tables in front of a fake fireplace. Murals on the walls, and a bar that stretches across the one wall.   Even though there wasn't a big crowd on the night we were there- service was slow.

We finally walked up to the bar to get our drinks. We ordered a snack of some chips and guac but it was disappointing as there wasn't enough guac to go with the quantity of chips provided. If you like a good martini- they've got them here- but no blue cheese olives which is a must in my book!

It's a bar in a suburban hotel. I didn't expect much and that's what I got.