Where has Cameron gone? I used to regularly attend Filini with my business associates and somehow always managed to get Cameron as our waiter. Haven't seen him in a bit and the service just seems to be reaching a record low. A treacherous shark infested vibe is breathing here. Foods GREAT!
Review Source:My two girlfriends and I just had a delightful lunch at Filini (shout out to Francesco, the manager - thank you very much!). Â I ordered the roasted halibut with trumpet mushrooms and spinach which was roasted to perfection. Â My friend ordered the dish of the day which was the flat iron steak with grilled polenta and she said it was done to perfection and delicious. Â And my other friend ordered the diver scallops which she licked her plate clean! Â Followed by the chocolate hazelnut and rum raisin gelato with the mini donuts in dipping sauces, this was one of the best meals I have every had. Â I will definitely be going back to Filini!
Review Source:While I'd love to give it 5 stars since it is right around the corner from us, the service can be a bit slow, and some of the dishes are a miss, but the rest certainly make up for it! I had one of the BEST white fish dishes of my life here the 1st time we went. We went back again for Valentines Day this year. I'd say all, but my pasta dish were delicious, and while I did enjoy the seafood in my pasta, the pasta itself was quite bland, it needed some sort of sauce. My husband had the rib eye  & it was amazing. So, I guess the entrees are all quite amazing, they just need perhaps one additional server in the evenings, and to spice up a few of their pastas...
Other than that, I also LOVE the bar downstairs, the lobby, and the overall atmosphere/design. I feel like the bar is a hidden gem in our neighborhood still & they also serve brick oven pizzas in the bar which are as good as you can get in Chicago, excellent! :)
Ummm, the décor won't stand the test of time... I don't know who thought black and white checked tile was poppin because it's not. It was actually a pretty decent vibe in there though and I would consider stopping back in because it's a convenient location for after work.  And the drinks were well made well so I can't complain.
Review Source:We should've know to just sit at the bar as we usually do- Angela (the bartender) is great. We just came in for a nightcap of a drink a dessert and sat at in uncomfortable stools at a high table. Ordered a trio of gelato and fried donuts. The gelato game out first and was, well, $8 gelato. The donuts never came so we asked about them and the server said "Oh thanks for reminding me!" They came out 20 minutes later and burnt to the point they weren't edible. $8 down the drain. The server didn't apologize once, didn't discount anything- even though she clearly forgot to put in part of our order- and the bill was $81. For burnt donuts, gelato and a couple drinks? Good grief. Â C'mon FIlini's...get it together.
Review Source:My bf and I stayed at Aqua Blu on Saturday and had an early dinner at Filini. Â I had been for drinks but not dinner. Â Amazing! Â My bf is a big eater and usually has issues with portion size, but these were perfect. Â Shared a pizza as an app, I had the morscapone pasta and he had the short ribs. Â Delicious! Â But the best part was our server, Gilbert. Â He went out of his way to make our dinner and stay at the hotel perfect. Â Definitely ask for him and you won't be disappointed!
Review Source:Good stuff! Â I've eaten breakfast and dinner here several times. Â Menu is pretty simple, the food is well-prepared (try the braised lamb Friday special!), and the wine selection is decent too. Â Best of all, the prices are very reasonable, which means you can actually take a family or group here without going broke if you wanted to. Â The service was very good each time we went. One night they forgot to bring out part of our order, and once we pointed it out, they had it out within minutes, from the chef, with an apology and free dessert. Â Now that we're back home after a 10 day stay at the Radisson (we live across the street and were having the floors replaced), I think we'll make the trek back across the street again and let someone else make us dinner!
Review Source:The correct answer to "is there anything else I can get for you, miss?" was ACTUALLY "yes, the rest of my meal, please," rather than "everything is fine." I'll get to that in a minute.
I'd been here for my birthday in June and had a great experience. They even brought out a little piece of lava cake at the end to contribute to the celebration. Â Went back again today after the good experience in June to celebrate someone else's birthday, but everyone in my party agreed that we won't return.
The service gets 5 stars. No question. Efficient, polite, professional...everything a restaurant like this needs.
It was really the food that left us all disappointed.
1) When we went for lunch before, they included a little piece of crumbly cheese to enjoy with the olive oil and bread. No cheese this time. I was looking forward to the cheese!!
2) They had a new lunch combo which we all got...this is where the "where's the rest of my meal?" part comes in. For $14 you got to choose two options...the two options combined equal less food than one of their sandwiches. We all were confused, hungry and decided that we'd better just stuff our faces with bread after we polished off our "lunch" in 5 minutes. I mean, these portions were SMALL. The little pasta that was half of my lunch combo would have satisfied the appetite of a young child. Maybe a 4 year old. The salad was equally tiny. If I had known how small the portions were, I would have ordered a regular meal for approximately the same amount and left filled with something other than bread.
3) What, no anchovies on my caesar salad? It said it came with anchovies.
4) What, the soup is barely warm? I didn't realize I had to ask for warm soup.
5) No lava cake for my friend's birthday? I even mentioned that it was her birthday when the hostess seated us.
All-in-all, the little things that impressed us and brought us back were missing this time. Nice place, but I think we'll go somewhere else for the next birthday gathering.
I did enjoy the food, the pizza's are amazing! We ordered two and each tasted great! I highly recommend trying them!
My only complaint is that there was no one to greet us or offer us a table, we had to walk to two of the waitresses who were busy chatting. Neither of them even said hello or offered to get us a table, they just stood there until we asked them where we could sit down, then they just shooed us off and said "just sit anywhere! Just sit anywhere!"
Besides that, the service for the rest of the night was alright and I would go back but just for the food!
Came here on accident when we couldn't find another place open to have some drinks after a meeting. Â The space is rather interesting - very modern and sleek. Â We sat at the bar and just had some beverages. Â They are a bit pricey but not ridiculously so. Â The beer menu is smaller but the cocktail list is fairly imaginative, which I always like. Â It took a bit of time to get refills and the bill but it was a place that definitely deserves a return visit. Â The food menu looks good and I would like to give some of that a try!
Review Source:The best way to describe this place is an absolute treat.
It was our first (and surely not last) visit to Filini. Instead of navigating through the extensive menu, our group decided to go on an "adventure" and let Chef William Johnson make all the decisions. Each coarse was a pleasant surprise--from the calamari, to the risotto, to the butternut squash gnocchi, and of course, the mysterious black squid ink. Asst. Manager Joe F. checked on our table numerous times and made sure our taste buds were sufficiently stimulated, then gave us some background info on the Radisson Blu Hotel and Filini's launch. Our server Tomas was very polite and attentive. The atmosphere is extremely modern and bright but the menu still reflects traditional Italian cuisine, where simplicity is key.
Our first visit to Filini was fantastic. Â We met the assistant mgr - Joe F. and the chef William Johnson. Â Instead of ordering off the menu, we asked if they could do a tasting of their favorites. Â William was thrilled and made a spectacular selection of dishes that were delicious and impressive. Â Our friends from NY were quite impressed. Â The restaurant is modern, sleek and the booths are very roomy-even for 6 people.
We loved it and will be back soon. Â Impressive food with great service - what a concept!
Kevin Barrett
Hello anyone there? Hello...
Sat for 20 minutes in the downstairs bar and no one even said, "hello, be with you after I finish talking with my co-workers". Such bad manners to ignore someone -- not to mention hurt the profitability of any business.
Fun and shimmering decor...does not make up for poor customer service. Might be a great place....just don't know because I never had the opportunity to taste the drinks or order any food.
yikes.
We had a fabulous dinner here.  It's a gorgeous, silvery space, and we were seated at a wonderfully big yet cozy purple booth.  Our waiter was  great the whole way through, and we had good service from other staff as well, bringing us more bread, water, etc.
The food: Â we LOVED our dinners. Â Arugula salad and asparagus/crab soup to start, steak for 1 of us, kids meals for 2, fish for me. Â It was all delicious. Â I left with our baby before dessert but heard rave reviews (donuts & tiramisu, I think). Â
While many reviewers have complained about the price, I have to say that the portions are BIG! Â Plus, along with the bread they bring small plates of the best aged parmesan and olives. Â We in no way felt ripped off. Â No this is not a cheap corner cafe, but it was a wonderful dining experience.
I live across the street so this is the closest place to unwind after a rough day. It's  too classy and expensive to go as often as a regular bar but the atmosphere is calming and the selection of drinks is great.
Food-wise, most of the dishes are tasty but extremely over priced. The tiramisu was exceptionally memorable.
Only gripe is I wish they opened a little bit later. Then again, most of the places around here close up fairly early.
The room looks great and our reception was very nice. Cheese, olives and a nice assortment of bread came to the table in short order. After about 10 minutes our server stopped by introduced himself and disappeared into the witness protection program (never to be seen again). Unfortunately our drink order evaporated along with our server. We eventually flagged down the manager who apologized for our rocky start and said he would oversee our service. Our bottle of wine arrived but the martini was still MIA for another 20 minutes. When the food arrived, two entrees were fine but both pasta dishes were cold and the noodles in one were stiff as a board.
The manager was again quite nice and provided a complimentary desert selection.
He did mention that this must have been an "off night" as they are usually much better.
Well, an off night on a Saturday is not good when there are so many fine Italian restaurants to choose from in Chicago.
Looks great but fails to deliver.
This review is only for breakfast. More upscale breakfast menu than your typical bacon and eggs affairs, which of course, they have also. But they had poached eggs over smoked salmon bacon that was really good, as well as "skillet' of eggs, ham, and hash browns. Located in the very awesome Radisson Blu Aqua.
Review Source:Rule #21: first impressions are important, but not always right.
First impression of Filini, the new restaurant/bar/lounge inside the Radisson Blu on Columbus Ave: looks $$$, hoighty toighty, and a good stop for all those business travelers staying at the Blu.
The price point at Filini is pretty spendy, but the food is quality, the service stellar, and the selection of vino plentiful. Â My duck entree was bigger in quantity than I anticipated, and the meat was done perfectly. Â The tomato flan that accompanied the protein was exquisite. Â I've never had a savory flan before, but the flavors complemented the duck so well. Â Bf's prosciutto pea pasta (say that 10x fast) was creamy, filling, and satisfying.
Each of us could not pass up dessert either, as we all know rule #9 is there's always room for dessert. Â I opted for the donuts with chocolate, banana, and caramel rum sauce, and he got a hefty bowl of vanilla gelato. Â Two yum's up! Â Add on drinks for both of us, and it set us back about $50pp.
On a final note, don't forget your OpenTable reservation points. Â Also, the dining space visible to pedestrians on Columbus is the bar/lounge area. Â There is a restaurant (where we dined) on the floor above it that doesn't feel as stiff. Â Overall, I will be back sometime!
When you walk into Filini -- in the architectural-award winning Radisson Blu hotel -- the first thing you see is an exposed brick wall, which is sort of ironic since the entire experience of Filini is in no way rustic or industrial. The modern bar literally glimmers, and booths are aligned against infinity balconies that overlook the expansive hotel lobby. This isn't your checkered table, dark wood, Rat Pack-crooning Italian joint, and I like it that way.
Dinner starts with a complementary small cheese course, which we followed with two different bruschetta: prosciutto di parmi ($8) and tocco fagoli ($8); both perfectly crispy with just the right amount of topping. The entrees were also strong. Garganelli with prosciutto, marscapone and truffle oil were rich yet light at the same time. The steak was perfectly cooked, though it did have a slightly Teriayki flavored sauce, which seemed not to fit the tenor of the other dishes. And dinner would not be complete at Filini with out the Bombolini (mini almond donuts). Here, the trio of sauces is the best part -- one tastes exactly like brownie batter while another is as strong as a cocktail (trust me, that's a good thing). I had had enough wine at that point of the evening, I even finished off the bowl with a few swipes of my finger.
While Filini's food is four-plus stars here, the service falls a bit short. I wouldn't hold a neighborhood joint to such high standards, but a high-end hotel restaurant should have servers who know the wine list back and forth (our waitress told us only one Chardonnay bottle was listed; there were two). She also didn't know what a Sazerrac was or how to pronounce it (she looked dumbfounded when my boyfriend ordered one). That said, the wine was exactly what we wanted (a not-too-oak-y chardonnay) and priced really affordably (virtually every bottle is under $40 and a great deal are under $30). What our waitress lacked in knowledge though, she made up in sweetness. With just a bit more training of its servers, there'd be little to complain about at Filini. In fact, there's little now.
I spend 40+ hours each week next store to Filini. Â My co-workers reported back fairly mediocre reviews of Filini after it first opened. Given the dismal (though growing) dining options in this part of town, I decided to check it out first-hand and headed over there with very low expectations. Perhaps for that reason, I was not disappointed.
My first impression was the decor - it is modern and purple- themed, which I love. Â Large windows give the room plenty of natural sunlight. Â My only complaint regarding the atmosphere is that the booths can feel a bit cramped. Â I'd recommend sitting at a table.
Onto the food. Â I've been twice and the highlights have been the Burrata (a very healthy portion of creamy cheese) and the Garganelli - though be forewarned that this very flavorful dish it is very heavy. Â I've also had the Cappellacci, which was a bit bland. Â I'll take the extra calories in the Garganelli again.
Service is attentive. Â Some complain of high prices but given it's location in a hotel where food does tend to be over-priced, the prices were what I expected ($2-3 more a plate than a non-hotel restaurant). Â
I wouldn't recommend going out of the way to eat at Filini, but if you're in the area or staying at the hotel, I think you'll enjoy solid food in elegant yet trendy surroundings.
The giant 9 course menu was dippy for a place like this. The halibut was bland and the accompanying balsamic glaze was overpowering. Service was very slow - long time for drink orders and delivery made a bid delay in starters--- and the place was empty...? The arugula salad was good. The cheese and olive tidbits before dinner were nice.
Review Source:Really happy with our visit last night, went there expecting to just try it once.
This is the best authentic Italian food I've ever had in the city.
I've never eaten a diver scallop so slowly - it comes with celery root and saffron vinagrette, none of those words describe it, definitely try if you like scallops.
The all stars of the evening were the blue prawns, I instantly felt like I was sitting on the shore in the Mediterranean. Instantly. The citrus with olives combo was insane.
I am so pleased with the bottle of Rose suggested to us, it paired perfectly. Thank goodness, my last Rose/seafood combo elsewhere went awry.
Eggplant bruschetta was awesome, glad I tried it but wouldn't really get it again - peppers aren't my favorite.
The aged risotto wasn't up to par with the rest of the meal. They picked up on that and comp'd our desserts as a result. We didn't expect it but really appreciated it.
We had a great night and we'll definitely be back.
Grade - "A" for ambiance "D" for disappointing food. Â
Came here on a Friday night for dinner. Â The lounge on the lower level was very nice. Â A little on the bright side in my opinion, but the decor and the layout is very modern and chic. Â We sat up at the bar seating with the bar area/ dessert kitchen. Â The drinks were strong but was quickly annoyed by the bugs the freshly prepared desserts attracted.
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The dining room on the upper level had the same type of vibe as the lounge. Â Very clean, and tables not too close to each other.
For dinner, we decided to try at least one item from each category. Â
Formmagio - Mix of 4 cheeses
Bruschetta - Prosciutto Di Parma
Risotto E Pasta - Gnocchi
Secondi - Olive oil poached Halibut
Contorno - Roaste Brussel Sprouts
I was rather impressed in our decisions from the menu and was looking forward to each item, but when it came time to eat, our stomachs were only filled with disappointment. Â
Cheese was good, but I can't really reward them for plating cheese. Â It's cheese. Â
The prosciutto was good but not the best I've had and not far from something I could have prepared with the right ingredients. Â The rest of the entrees we ordered came out warm and did not wow us one bit. Â The only surprising dish was probably the brussel sprouts. Â
Service was very good as our servers (even though they did a little switch a roo on us during the middle of our dinner) were very attentive and gave us a lot of help on both the wine and dinner menu. Â
Overall, great place to stop by for drinks if you're near the area, but I would suggest finding another place for dinner if you're looking for great italian cuisine. Â Very unfortunate for a place like this to not have great food, with so much competition already in italian cuisine.
We heard quite a bit of buzz about Filini and the Filini Wine Bar at the Radisson. We went the wine bar first. The bar is very cool with lots of eye candy. The server was very good as we sat at a very long white table. The appetizer choices were good, especially the pizza. They validated our parking and our overall takeaway was that the bar was worth it.
The restaurant is a more refined version of the bar downstairs and delicious to look at. However the impression we got when we checked in was confusion. We were taken to a table right across from the open kitchen and was concerned about noise. The menu is simple with appetizer, pasta and second course. The wine list is good and expansive. The service was good. The food is adequate. The restaurant is more aspirational than the service or the food can meet - right now. Worth visiting once.
The first time I visited Filini, I wasn't too impressed with my shrimp salad and soup of the day. The second time, we enjoyed the Fritto Misto di Marre -- fried calamari, shrimp, fish, zucchini, and asparagus-- as our appetizer. It was perfect to share! For entrees, my friend and I split the scallops and monkfish. The scallops were cooked perfectly, and the monkfish was meaty and had a tasty broth with it.
Truly, the best part of our meal was the dessert. We ordered the vanilla gelato with olive oil and sea salt, and it was absolutely amazing. I had no idea olive oil would be such a wonderful companion to gelato!! We loved the olive oil so much that we asked the waiter where to purchase it. The waiter went to go ask the chef, and the chef (who was very Italian) came out and explained he gets in in Florence. We were so impressed that the chef came out and answered our questions! It made my rating go from 3 to 4 stars at Filini :)
Time for a review update, since I've been here several more times.
The mini donuts (think donut-holes) with three dipping sauces are great. The chocolate one has a slight salty edge to it, which is perfect, and the raspberry was also a good complement. The vanilla sauce was the least exciting of the three, if only because its slightly more watery texture didn't lend itself as well to dipping.
The pizzas here are also good if you go for crunchy, thin crust types (I do).
One of the times I visited for dinner, I had an excellent fish dish; the "Ipoglosso", which is an olive oil poached halibut, served with brussels sprouts and wild mushrooms, and garnished with macadamia nuts. The server was a little weird that time (I got a 'trying too hard' vibe, which was slightly awkward in a semi-casual restaurant).
The highlight for me so far has been the breakfast. I can't find the breakfast/brunch menu online, but they made a great 'benedict' with polenta replacing the english muffins in the traditional preparation, a very salty and delicious speck, and perfectly poached eggs, topped with a great hollandaise. The small biscuit on the side to mop up the sauce was the perfect touch.
As a service industry professional, I care about what I do and strive for the best I can offer. As such, it's disheartening to see people who truly don't care about their work or how they conduct themselves.
I stopped in for drinks with a good friend. We had an option of two bartenders: Disgruntled or Inept. We left quickly. If being behind a bar makes you feel and act like a miserable person, then perhaps this isn't the industry for you.
I gave them two stars because I felt bad. :(
Came here for our office department holiday luncheon
Definitely love their complimentary bread, olives and cheese service before our meal
For entree, i had the monkfish stew with shrimp; while the monkfish was meaty and cooked perfectly, the shrimp were overcooked and rubbery
the broth tasted very good but a tad oily
I opted for their fried donuts for dessert and they were slightly over fried
My co workers all seemed to enjoy their food so perhaps in time, they will smooth out the execution
Living right next to Aqua, I drive past Filini nearly everyday. For a long time, the bottom part of Aqua was vacant but it seemed like once construction on both Filini and the Radisson Blu started, they were open for business in record time. I never read up on Filini at all, so I really had no idea what to expect when we decided to go there for lunch this past Saturday. All I knew was what I could tell from the outside: it was two floors, very white and the decorator really liked tile.
If you don't know by now, Filini is the hotel bar/restaurant for the Radisson, so you go through the lobby to get in. Now, I don't know much about a Radisson, let alone a Radisson Blu, but apparently they are fancy. The lobby is very, very nice. Once inside, Filini encompasses the entire right side of the lobby and is surprisingly open. I liked the whole set-up. If you are looking for the bar, you head down. For the restaurant, head up. (I was only in the restaurant, so that's really all this review is good for.) We got there at 130PM-ish and it was pretty dead. That might not be very fair though, because I think it might close in the afternoon until dinner. Either way though, we were seated in a booth near the window in an empty restaurant. The place has a very clean feel to it. Lots of white, wood and steel with some soft accents thrown in.
We were a little surprised when we got the menu though. It was mostly breakfast with a few pasta and sandwiches added in via a "brunch" menu. I'm not sure if this is normal, but if you are looking for a robust lunch menu, this is definitely not the place. We started to order our drinks and encountered a few hiccups. First my mom ordered a Diet Coke. No good, they were out of the syrup (apparently Radisson guests suck down the Diet Coke?). Next, my brother ordered a smoothy. That was also a no go, their blender was broken (they only have ONE blender?). Eventually, we all got some available drinks. No real problems in the meal portion of lunch. My mom and I got some pasta dishes, both of which I liked. Fair price, good portion size. Mine was creamy with prosciutto and truffle oil. Everything I tasted was good. We also grabbed a dessert that was good as well.
When the waiter came to pick up the dishes, he dropped one of the very heavy glasses on our table which shattered and spilled everywhere. Luckily it was only water. As we were walking out, we heard him drop some more dishes near the kitchen. Not sure if he was having an off day or if he was new to the whole waitering thing, but it was kinda strange. Overall though, based on what I saw/tasted, I'd give this place a go for dinner at least once to see what it was like. It seems like it would either be great or a disaster. I guess we'll see.
Coming here for drinks, I ordered espresso, and the two other women I sat with had white wine, and a coke. Â Then came little plates of meatballs, eggplant parmesian, and the ambiance of the lower level is gleaming from head to toe with black and white tile cubes. Â
The tables were mirrors underneath the surface with decorative votive candles. Â The water was served to us in frosted glass bottles and the water was refilled to the top and it looked empty so we asked the server for a refill because we couldn't tell. Â We laughed the whole time since we were excited to be in a new restaurant.
After we drank and ate a little we walked toward the east side of the restaurant and in the lobby of the hotel seen the longest fire place I've ever seen, and went up stairs to see the art on the walls. Â The restaurant has a few flat screen televisions and a stretched bar area with silver booth space and tables.
Our server watched us near by and since we were the only ones in the restaurant in that early afternoon we had all the attention from the bar tender, and the cooks. Â It was nice. Â Oh and one of the other dishes ordered was called Beef Carpaccio Brushetta. Â Tender sliced beef covered in large shavings of parmesian.
Five of us for a Saturday night celebratory dinner and overall it was a pretty good experience:
The only "complaint" from our table is regarding the daily specials on the menu. Â They are ONLY available on that day. Â Period. Â The way the menu is set up, it's not clear - if they just put a little disclaimer it would squelch the question up front. Â One of my friends really wanted the monkfish which is for Friday (if I remember correctly) and when she asked about it our waiter's response was that he gets asked at least 5 times a night whether a different daily special is available. Â If people are asking that much then make it more apparent and there's one less point of confusion for all.
The decor, as described by many, is chic. Â Very modern, clean lines, spacious - lots of whites and steel grays. Â Symmetry between the 1st and 2nd floor with regard to the large bar lining the back of the 1st floor and the large *open* kitchen lining the back of the wall of the 2nd floor. (I think it's a treat to be able to watch chefs)
Wine list is impressive for it's true-to-Italy bottles and it's fair diversity of affordable and higher end prices. (Most of the wine menu was available by glass which is a also bonus in my book). Â I was in the mood for a malbec of which there is none on the menu - the waiter made a suggestion and I actually loved it (this rarely happens).
Water on table - huge bonus points. Every restaurant should do this. Â I believe someone mentioned they thought it was weird it had no ice, but I personally prefer room-temp water. Â Is it really better to have a "sweating" carafe of ice water that's loud and splashes everywhere when it's poured? Â
We ordered quite a bit and not one person had a negative comment about the food. Â I can only review what I tasted: Â
Bruschetta - Yums - tomato mixture had good flavor, but only a couple come with the order. Â We awkwardly cut up the toasted baguette bread so we'd have enough to share. Â 3.5 stars primarily due to size
Ceci - Pretty good. Â Not sure if one of my gf's cut it up so that there would be enough bites or if it was a larger serving than the bruschetta, though. Â 4 stars assuming the serving size was appropriate for us.
Iron Steak with arugula salad and grilled polenta (Sat night special) - Thank you and good night! Â My steak was cooked to perfection and paired excellently with my wine. Â There was a braised jus drizzled over the steak and a bite of that with the bitterness of the arugula salad and a cherry tomato was just delicious. Â The grilled polenta did nothing for me. Â It was 100% bland (don't know if that's intended) and if you get a bite with grill marks on it, it tastes like...burnt polenta! Â A little seasoning/flavoring would mask this and make it a more harmonious part of the plate. Â The serving size of this meal was absolutely perfect. Â I didn't feel too full - 100% satisfied. - 4.5 stars
Amaretto donuts and dip; Mango/Passion Fruit/Lemon Sorbet - Mmmhmm! Â The amaretto donuts are AWESOME. Â The sorbet was a great, smooth, cold way to end the dinner. - 4.5 stars
Summary: Â It's just fine. Â Dinner menu is pricey, so know what to expect and it shouldn't be an issue. Â Our bill was $340 which included two bottles of wine and 3 courses for 5, so I don't think it's wild by any means (especially given the location). Â Service was fine - they were around when we needed them and away when we didn't. Â Food is solid, but I will admit I didn't eat anything that would make me say "I MUST go to Filini for their xxxxx" - I feel that if they play around with the flavors and serving sizes they could do quite well for themselves. Â I'll be back.
This review is for drinks only (no one ordered food), but any place that leaves bottles of water on the table for you has a special place in my heart. Â The water bottles look like the frosted Absolut vodka bottles but with Filini written on the side. Â Despite it being a Tuesday night, making sure all the new additions to our table had water glasses and replacing empty bottles with full ones did not always happen without having to request it, but still. Â I love being able to keep my own water glass full. Â (One thing I just realized though...there was no ice. Â Our glasses didn't have them and the water wasn't particularly cold.)
Almost everyone at the table ordered wine and we all eventually found ones we liked - and prices weren't bad! Â I think most were around $10/glass. Â One friend's prosecco-based cocktail was $12. Â Given the fancy, modern look of the place, I certainly expected to pay something more outrageous. Â Food looked a little pricey, but we stayed away. Â It was drinks only for this booth full of girls celebrating a friend's birthday. Â The second glass of wine was a significantly heavier pour than the first glass - wonder if that's some sort of thank you? Â I'll take it! Â As other reviewers have written quite a bit about the decor, I'll leave that out. Â In short, I'm looking forward to going back for an office happy hour.
The decor? Â Quite the "eye candy" with it's liberal use of tile, on the floor, and on the ceiling, with different orb lights punctuating the space and in the bar hundreds of mini "candles" caught under the table glass. Â But that is where my love for Filini stopped, for there seemed to be a theme of form over function and the little details that would set this restaurant apart from others were missing.
Take for example the beautiful bar on the first level. Â If you are over 5'5"- don't even think of sitting at the bar as the stools have been permanently placed too close to the bar so that your knees cannot fit, and you end up sitting "side saddle" all night. Â And the bigger issue? Â The beautiful tile that faces the underside of the bar has points on it so your knees are bruised and hurting by the time you step into dinner. Â The stools are also just set too far apart so if you are with someone- you are constantly leaning over to hear what they said. Â It's like sitting at a diner counter. Â The service in the bar was friendly and welcoming, though, I just couldn't wait to get into a more comfortable chair.
Walk upstairs into the restaurant and you will be greeted by more friendly, smiling people. Â There are booths along the window and a long row of tables down the center of the restaurant, with the open kitchen in behind. Â The booths seem perfect for an intimate party of two- but I suspect a party of 4 in the rather smallish booths would feel cramped. Â We opted to sit at a table in the middle.
Our server, Raffini, was great! Â He knew the menu, had plenty of suggestions for us to start and really knew his Italian wines, finding us the perfect Barolo after much consideration. Â As for the wine prices- they are reasonable but if you are looking for anything outside of Italy you will be disappointed. Â
We tried a wide range of the menu; the chacuterie and cheeses of the day, and burrata to start. Â Both were good although I'd like the burrata to be creamier- this was a little dry.And know that you will get a small bowl of complimentary Parmesan crumbles at the table so you may want to swap out one of the cheeses of the day, if that is on the list, for something else.
For our entrees and sharable dishes- the clear winner here was the bacon wrapped veal (perfectly cooked and delicious although the arugula that was served along side of it was so bitter that I couldn't manage a bite) Â Other entrees were the cioppiano (a smallish dish that seemed to need more broth) and the oil steamed halibut which was not very artfully presented with it's white fish on a white plate on a white table. Â Pretty boring! Â
The squash ravioli was good (only about  6 little pieces to an order so make it a side) and the mushroom risotto was just okay.
But for me, while I know they are still new (open 3 weeks at this writing) they broke the cardinal rule of good service. . . . . . the women's restroom had no toilet paper. Â Here in this amazingly beautiful room with mirror shards reflecting light and silver, was the biggest lack of attention to detail. Â
All in all- it was just okay. Â As hard as they tried, I still felt like I was in a hotel restaurant. Â And as we left- we all wondered if this could ever be a destination , or was it destined to feed the road weary travelers that find their way to the Radisson hotel.
My advice? Â Stop in the bar for the chacuterie and cheeses and a couple of glasses of fine Italian wine. Â A great after work meeting place or first stop of the night. Â And then go on to wherever your final destination beckons.
The bar downstairs is pretty good. Â I'd stick to that. Â This review is mainly for the restaurant upstairs. Â The decor is great, but the food is just not up to par. Â My friend ordered their ravioli dish and the waiter made the comment, "Just to warn you, that isn't a big dish". Â So I check the price and its $17. Â Uh ok. Â He then says "Its more like an appetizer." Â Uh ok, so why is it $17? Â I'd understand if it was perhaps ~$10 or so, but $17 for a "snack"?
I ordered the spaghetti with mussels, clams and scallops. Â What a disappointment, the shellfish had hardly any meat, the quality just seemed low and it was very little shellfish. Â I'd expect more for a $17 dish. Â
I think they need to get Gordon Ramsey or something in there on the food, I think they could do a lot better considering the price. Â
I do love the building this place is in, but they need to get somebody who can bring in some better quality food for the price.
Filini would and could have filled a big gaping hole, which is the lack of upscale restaurants east of michigan, where clients can be taken out. Ever since I read about Filini, I was hoping this would be it - my go-to dinner place for meetings, frequenting it once a week.
When I finally made it over there last night though, I realized I will have to wait for a good restaurant to pop up in the block.
The ambiance and decor at Filini are great! But that's it.
The service is just absolutely terrible.
The servers were barely able to walk in their high stiletto heels with small petite frames, and more importantly, knew zilch about F&B. Â
It took us about 20 minutes to get the attention of a server, even though the place was about 30% occupied. The servers seemed to be avoiding eye contact and orders, possibly afraid of the walk over and fear of falling.
When we did finally order, another 20 minutes passed before I could get the attention of our server again to ask about my beer. Her response? Specialty cocktails take a while. Sweetheart, Peroni on draft isn't a specialty cocktail that takes time to prepare. Eventually my beer was brought out by a manager, who seemed to be doing almost all the food deliveries to all the tables, while the servers were just hiding.
Given it took us 1.5hrs to get our first drink and some bread & almonds, both of which had to be ordered off the menu too, for $6 and $4 respectively, we decided to skip dinner and go elsewhere - afraid it would turn into a 4-hour affair at the pace of their operation.
I don't understand the rush to open a new place with sub-par preparation. Couldn't they use 5 more days to train their servers and then open to a 5-star response versus gaining a sub-par reputation..
I was on the fence about whether to give Filini three or four stars. Ambiance was cool, decor was modern. Crowd--after work happy hour crowd in the eat-in bar area downstairs mixed in with some tourists (it is located in the new Radisson Blu at the bottom of the Aqua building). I think the food and service dropped it down to a three for me--for now. I will have to come back and try more items on the menu to decide if it can be upgraded to four stars.
Our Sangiovese wine was great, no complaints there. The meatballs were great, not spicy at all as indicated on the menu, and the sauce it came in was also very fresh and delicious. The funghi (mushroom) pizza was good and actually tasted more authentically Italian than some others I've had here in the States. But it was just a bit dry, it was a lot of crust and not a whole lot of sauce or mushrooms. I was dipping my pizza into the leftover sauce from the meatballs. The eggplant parmesan wasn't quite what I was expecting. The eggplant needed to be more thoroughly cooked and mashed up a bit more.
Service was lacking, I was not sure who our waitress was because different people stopped by our table throughout our meal. The managers did try to make up for it. They brought us water and cleared our plates. They were packed in the bar area on Friday night, but service needed to be more attentive and consistent. Make reservations if you want to dine in the main restaurant upstairs. When we got there, the place was empty and they claimed they were booked for the night and any tables left were reserved for hotel guests. I'm sure Filini will do well because this area desperately needed some restaurants, but I hope the folks at Filini work on their service issues and try to improve some of their menu items.
I had the opportunity to dine at Filini on it's "soft" opening on 10/31, the restaurant officially opened today.
While they have a few minor "new" bugs to work out, for the most part they've got a good thing going so far. Â
The restaurant bills itself as "Almost 100% Italian" and according to the assistant GM of the joint, he and one of the chefs are Sicilian. Â Everything (ingredient wise) in the restaurant has to come from Italy and supposedly the real deal.
We sampled some meats and cheeses, octopus salad, an eggplant brushchette and olive oil poached halibut before moving to dessert--which I'll gladly cover here in a minute.
The one stand out dish was the octopus salad. Â I have to say, I'm a huge fan only when it's done correctly. Â This wasn't my #1 favorite, but it certainly ranks up there. Â My Chicago favorite has actually closed (Cibo Matto, ironically inside the Wit hotel) so now I'm searching to fill that void and Filini's might be a contender for this title.
The halibut was slightly overcooked, so I did not enjoy it as much as I would have liked. Â Eggplant brushette was nice, and the giant basil leaf atop the bread made for a great flavor compliment.
NOW...on to the dessert. Â We ordered the tiramisu and amaretto donuts--both house made. Â The tiramisu was good, but certainly not spectacular as the server boasted it to be. Â The mascarapone was light and fluffy like egg whites, not thick, creamy and custard-y like I enjoy. Â Maybe this is a personal preference??
The amaretto donuts were AMAZING though. I would highly recommend them and will most likely be back just to enjoy these. Â They come out piping hot and topped with some confectioner's sugar, along with three dipping sauces: Â fresh vanilla, raspberry and chocolate. Â The chocolate was the real deal! Â Not some imitation hershey's syrup type sauce, it was grade A melted chocolate with a touch of grit! YAY! Â The vanilla also was delicious and you can tell it's made with fresh vanilla bean. Â
Now, where did it fall short? Â The new bugs, all which I'm sure will be worked out with time. Â They had pizzas in the bar area below, which were from the restaurant...however, you can't order them in the restaurant. Bizarre? Â You also can't order mixed cocktails from the bar below. Â Really?? Â The only drinks available are bottle beers (Peroni, etc) and wine. Â They only have ONE sparkling that isn't a dessert wine. Â And it's a cheap prosecco (Zardetto). Â For a place that charges $25-30 for a small cut of fish, I think they need to step up their game on the adult beverage side.
All said and done, we spent $124 plus tip for our meal which I felt was a touch high--but the ambiance inside the hotel was trendy and chic and I chalk that up to a new experience. Â We'll see in time how they mature and develop, I'm sure there will be some procedure and menu changes as they grow.
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