Value for $$ - quality ingredients, amount of preparation per dish. Â Each dish is about 2-4 bites. Â When food is prepared with complimentary ingredients, you don't need much food to feel satisfied.
Miracle Berry -- It was fun to sample two dishes with Miracle Berry. Â Tablet form is also sold at iNG. Â
4 courses for Restaurant Week -- Capon Puff, Wings, Venison Bratwurst, and Lemon Tart. Â As much as iNG is about re-inventing and gastronomy, the Venison Bratwurst lightly reminded me about the traditional German dish of sausage and mash potato. Â I am a fan of sauerkraut, and it was delicious.
Tables are available, not just communal.
Complimentary coat check is nice.
Subscribe to iNG's email blast to keep abreast of specials, events and menu. Â Chef Cantu's videos are professionally made that makes you appreciate the time, effort and originality per dish. Â Plus, the videos are amusing with natural human quirks.
I saw Chef Cantu on Iron Chef America and then saw a Groupon for this place and didn't even know it was in Chicago lol. Â I went to their website to see the price difference of the Groupon and it was only 105 so I went without the Groupon. Â
The service here is amazing - very friendly and knowledgeable. Â The food is even better. Â My boyfriend and I both loved the 10 course tasting meal. Â Upon making my reservation, they asked if anyone in my party had allergies and they accommodated the boyfriend's coconut allergy. Â The meal came with 8 alcoholic pairings and all of them complimented their course beautifully. Â Their menu changes approximately every 6 weeks - I can't wait to go back and see what else they have :)
The only negative I have is that if you sit near the door when it's cold outside - it's FREEZING. Â Wear layers as they do check your coat for you :)
Tried getting a last minute table at Moto. Wasn't happening so they recommended I go next door to iNG. They were doing a menu inspired by one of my gf's favorite movies: The Nightmare Before Christmas. I wasn't impressed by the presentations or the flavors. It was pretty ho hum. It was playful and ambitious and I got the sense they probably hit more than they miss there. Unfortunately in a city with so many great restaurants and new ones opening up every month, I probably wont be back.
Review Source:About 2 weeks before my wife and I ventured to ing we visited ... You know ... That restaurant next door ... Ol what's his face ... Next.
Next was quite delicious, however left us STARVING. Just not enough food to justify the price - and this was our fourth trip to Next.
Now ing on the other hand was fantastic. Even more delicious than Next and left us completely full!
If you're looking for a truly fantastic tasting menu look further than ing. Â It is probably the best tasting menu I have ever experienced in my life. Â The tastes, the portions, the flavor tripping ... It was all awesome. It changes with the seasons as do the drink pairings.
Ing is everything a tasting menu should be ... Delicious and filling!
[ January, 2013 ]
The miracle berry at iNG creates an interesting dining experience of would-be bitter and tart foods. I had a limited response to the berry, which made certain courses of the dinner slightly unpalatable throughout the course of the evening. Service was decent; what really rubbed me wrong about iNG was seeing the "iNG Cookbook" menu printed on cheap, 20lb white paper using a Color Jet printer. No forethought had gone into the design or printing of the menu, and since we were there on the night that didn't have a specific "theme" for the food, it really made errors in iNG's food and service more profound.
Hopefully it was an oversight as the printer didn't deliver high-quality menus that I'd expect when paying for an upscale dinner. All in all, four people ate rather well, but we all agreed that there would probably be no return visits...unfortunately.
It's early in 2013, I've already decided this was the most incomparable meal of the year for me. Â Haven't been to iNG Restaurant since it was Otom. And, after having read about the Miracle Berry and it's affect on one's ability to taste sweet and sour, I was more than curious. I opted for the 10 course tasting menu, with pairings.
1st course -- Capon Puff / Lemon Drop
The lemon slice I was given tasted as expected -- lemon, sour, sharp. Â After the freeze-dried Miracle Berry coated my tongue as instructed, I re-tasted the lemon and was immediately dumbstruck. I wouldn't say "lemonade", but, the sour was gone, & it had a sweet citrus flavor I find hard to describe & believe. Â I also tasted the lemon drop before & after - before: sour, almost acrid / after: Â perfect, refreshing, sweet - the sour note was now a slight back-note. The Capon Puff was nothing short of delicious - tender puff pastry, delicious filling, & the consomme was smooth and light.
2nd course - Crab Rangoon / Copain Chardonnay
First I tried the orange sauce. "Wow," is all I can say, especially with this miracle berry thing going -- absolutely no hint of sour, but a beautiful sweet, orange-y, citrus flavor rang true. Â I was so enraptured by the sauce I almost forgot about the crab rangoon. Â It was a perfect, crispy little bite - how do they get the crispy crust so feather like?! Â Oddly enough, the wine (chardonnay) did not have that familiar "cut" at the end, no "oaky" flavor (it was fairly muted) - was this due the miracle berry?
3rd course -- Wings / Three Floyd's Alpha King
I'm a fan of the 3 Floyd's Alpha King & expected the bitter note to be muted or gone, due to the miracle berry. Â However, I think it wore off at this point & tasted as I know it. Â The "wings" was not as one would think -- it was duck confit on house-made udon. Â Three courses in & I've selected my favorite - it is this course. Â The udon was tremendous; I could eat a large bowl of this & be satisfied. Â Chewy but perfectly done. Â Duck confit was stellar; a perfect accompaniment to the noodles.
4th course -- Pizza / La Chouffe Golden Ale
Deconstructed pizza; probably the most fun, playful, cool & inventive of the courses (very Moto-like). Â Pepperoni powder is, well, just crazy. Â The venison sausage is delicious; I wanted more. Â At this point, I'm wondering if the miracle berry has completely worn off?
5th course -- Venison Bratwurst / Stillwater Farmhouse Ale
Here's where Moto's influence is obvious - the dish arrived in a large smoke filled globe. Â The cold smoke was intended to flavor the bratwurst - it smelled fantastic, but, I hardly noticed it as a flavor. Â I did, however, smell it later when I got home...in my suit. Â Best part of this course is the house made sauerkraut. Â Best. Sauerkraut. Ever. I was told the aioli was flavored with yuzu, but it was hard to tell. Â Although the menu says there are peanuts, I'm pretty sure those were cashews. Â This was my least favorite course.
6th -- Korean Beef / L'Ostal Cazes Minervois
This was the most tender, most flavorful, short rib I've had. Â Although the spicing isn't what I call Korean, necessarily, it was nonetheless delicious. Â The house made kimchi wasn't spicy enough but was still tasty. Â The sambal sauce was sick! I could've used a bottle of that to take home! Â This was my 2d favorite course of the evening. Â Also it wins best pairing - the mineraliness & boldness of the Minervois went together perfectly with every aspect of this course.
Now desserts. Â I'm given a 2nd "dose" of the freeze-dried miracle berry & lemon wedge. Â Still works exactly as it did the 1st time!
7th course -- Lemon Tart
I tried the tart BEFORE I took the MB & as described, since no sugar was added, it was very, very tart. Â After the MB I couldn't stop eating it -- so delicious! Â This course really made me a believer. Â So much so that all I could say was, "This doesn't make sense. Â This miracle berry makes no sense."
8th course -- Yogurt Parfait / 'Orange Creamsicle" "
The orange creamsicle is the drink of the night! Â What a fun drink! Â It seems so sweet& no sugar nor simple syrup nor any other sweetener was added. Â Again, "it makes no sense." Â Since I did tell the server when asked before the meal I am lactose intolerant, the yogurt was substituted with some additional sorbet -- my favorite part about this course was the rosemary in the granola. Â Brilliant!
I can't tell you about the rest, as I'm at the end of my 5001 character limit. Â Go try this, you won't regret it. The Miracle berry is, well, miraculous. As well as the food.
As an update to my previous review, I did receive a personal call from the Chef of iNG apologizing for the cancelled reservation. Â I hope this was a one time snafu and believe Chef Cantuto was sincerely apologetic about the negative experience with his staff. Â I give them props for trying to rectify a bad situation.
Review Source:On Friday February 1st my wife and I were lucky enough to try two of the new dishes that will begin mid March on the Wonder Years menu. Â Think back to when you were a kid and all of the same foods you would eat over and over again. Â This menu does a great job bringing those back but with a few ADULT twists! Â
Before I begin I wanted to thank Emilie Bishop (our cocktail specialist) for an amazing first drink at the bar. Â If you haven't tried one of her drinks you are missing out. Â She made us each a kimura (grapefruit juice, lemon juice, st germain, campari, and campari spheres). Â One of the best drinks I have had in a long time. Â She also made us the cocktail for the new menu. Â I will review that below.
Dish #1: Shrimp Cocktail Margarita (my name for the dish)
Remember as a child thinking you were so cool because you liked shrimp cocktail! Â Well here is a grown up version of this with a little kick to it. Â The shrimp is served cubed and mixed with tabasco sauce and other spices. Â The rim of the small margarita shaped glass covered in horseradish salt. Â At first I thought it was one large piece of shrimp but quickly found out it is actually 4 or 5 smaller pieces. Â The first taste immediately brought back my childhood but then the kick of tabasco made me realize again that this is the adult version. Â The next bite I added some of the salt on the rim and that gave it even more flavor. Â I demolished the dish very quickly after this because everything was so fresh and the flavors together were perfect. Â This dish is going to be a huge hit in my opinion.
Drink #1: Bottle Mary (again my name) What better way to start your meal than with iNG's version of a bloody mary. Â Excited? Â Well you should be because you have to drink it out of a baby bottle! Â Don't cheat and take the nipple off! Â This drink was made with celery root instead of tomato juice and was very spicy. Â I had never had a bloody mary before but really loved what Trevor (the mastermind of this drink) did to make this enjoyable. Â
Dish #2 Deconstructed Candy Bar (again not the actual dish name) I was very excited to try one of the deserts off the menu and what better desert than a candy bar (while flavor tripping) Â This dish was presented with all ingredients separated on the plate. Â They included: coconut macaroons, miracle berry chocolate sauce, and most importantly broccoli ice cream. Â As a kid I would have had nothing to do with this but now that the miracle berry is in play I bet I could get my younger brother to try this without hesitation. Â While flavor tripping the ice cream tasted just like pistachio ice cream. Â I couldn't taste the broccoli at all! Â The macaroons gave great texture to the desert and the chocolate sauce tasted like the most expensive chocolate I had ever eaten. Â FYI the chocolate sauce is made with zero sugars! Â There were nuts as well I believe. Â Honestly can't remember because once again I ate the dish so quickly because I enjoyed it so much.
Overall I gave both dishes A's and can't wait to come back to try the full 10 course menu. Â I would also like to add that I am in no way affiliated with the restaurant or chef Cantu. Â I am just a customer for life who appreciates a good meal and great service.
Thank you to chef Cantu and team iNG for allowing us to try both dishes!
So after going to Moto, they gave me a ticket for a discount at their sister restaurant  iNG. So I figured I would try it out with 2 friends. (We were given 3 tickets).
Well. They had the miracle berry menu when we arrived and decided to do the wine pairing. The miracle berry was a completely unique experience and was quite interesting. The food was good. I guess after eating at Moto a couple of nights earlier, going here was not comparable. I think if I had come to iNG first, I probably would have liked it better. My friend does not eat pork so they changed the menu for him slightly but it was still good. I do have to say that some of the dishes were fantastic while others were just not very good at all. The desserts were a disappointment. The wine pairing was pretty good but nothing really mind blowing. The amount of alcohol that was given to us was a lot smaller than we expected so we ended up getting drinks on the side as well. Service was very good. Not Moto-like service but still good. Â However, for the price, I was hoping it would be a little better. The discount was only $5 per person.
We (two foodies who recently moved to Chicago from NY) were very excited to try ING, after we'd heard excellent reviews. However, we were dearly disappointed.
First, the food- the miracle berry is exciting and very cool; it is definitely a very different experience from anything else you might choose to do with your dinner. In fact, our favorite part of dinner was tasting lemons before/after the berry. Outside of that, the food was "tasty", but not much more. Out of our 6 courses, I'd say we enjoyed 2 of them, and ate the rest of them because we were hungry and they were there. They were not remarkable, and they cost us $220... (!). We literally headed straight to the bar across the street once we were done, and ate delicious empanadas for $3 a piece. That should tell you something, after a $220 meal!
Drink pairings were tasty, but the staff was not generous pouring them out (one time they brought out a small bottle of belgian beer, poured us each a few sips, and took the remainder back. What- you can't just give us the rest of the bottle??).
The ambiance was terrible, and on a Friday night!. The decor is cute but nothing more, and the space had bright lights on with dubstep in the background... Far from what we were hoping for. On top of that, it was nearly empty (four couples total) and you could hear what everyone was saying.
The service was very attentive, which may be the one good thing we can say. But- Â perhaps they were compensating for the food- they were TOO attentive ("we're trying to have a conversation!"). Even after the meal, when we were sitting and talking, they came over and suggested they take our coat-check tag and bring us our coats. Way to be welcoming iNG!
Loved, loved, loved this restaurant! Â We went with a livingsocial certificate and were blown away. Â We went during the "Nightmare Before Christmas" menu.
The food was great - we did the 10 course menu with drink pairings. Â We loved the octopus and mushroom, the frog's legs, the pork belly and the different holiday plate. Â The miracle berry portion was definitely different and interesting, but it wasn't anything I would want seconds on. Â The service was fantastic and our waiter was really friendly and nice. Â Everything wowed us - the presentation was so inventive and fun. Â It was definitely a different dining experience.
The only thing I would say is that at first, it seemed like the pours for the pairings were stingy, but toward the end we were so full, we didn't care. Â We will definitely return.
8/365
We decided to stop in at iNG for a drink while we waited for our reservation time for Aviary. I was surprised at how empty the place was, but that also meant we were seated right away and service was pretty quick. We were kind of hungry so we got the pizza and they easily accommodated that we didn't eat pepperoni and offered to add other ingredients. It was pretty delicious! Our drinks were good too, just a few beers, glasses of wine, and a glass of champagne. Overall, it was a good experience. After talking to a friend who used to work there, she was surprised that they didn't ask if we wanted to try the miracle berry- kind of disappointed our waitress didn't after hearing about it :- maybe she knew we were waiting for our reservation time at Aviary so didn't bother. Oh well..!
Review Source:I've been a great admirer of Homaro Cantu's work for years and have been dying to go to either Moto or iNG. The recent package deal in celebration of Cantu's new book that included a signed pre-release copy, a cooking class and a full 6 course meal provided enough motivation for me to grab a friend and head on down to the city to experience it firsthand. Walking in, I had the same feeling as Charlie Bucket had stepping into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. We started with the cooking class where a highly energetic and knowledgeable Cantu dazzled with demos that included the Miracle berry, enlightening us on its properties and potentials. The berry, if you have never heard of it before, contains a complex protein called miraculin which essentially makes you taste sour foods as sweet (makes a lemon taste like lemonade) and is the focus of both the book and the new menu.
For the meal, we opted for the 6-course with pairings rather than the full 10. One thing I should mention before I begin my full overview of the dining experience is that we are under age, and got non-alcoholic pairings with our meal. The mixologist, Emilie, invented 6 custom virgin cocktails to perfectly accompany each course. Not only did she successfully create pairings off the top of her head which completed the dishes, but they were also really good.
Course 1: Capon, feta, nectarine and cherry filled puff pastry resting in consume. Eaten with MB. - although it was small, it was packed with flavor. I had a bite before and after eating the MB and it the change was incredible. Whale at first the fruit was distracting, the MB took away the tartness and amplified the umami, so overall a great start.
Pairing: Virgin lemon drop. Indescribably amazing with miracle berry- had multiple dimensions of flavor that I was not expecting from such a simple drink. The MB tricked my taste buds into sensing it as sweet rather than sour, yet still left me with a bite on the finish, so it was great both as an accompaniment to the dish and as a palate cleanser after.
Course 2: Venison bratwurst over sauerkraut with aioli and peanuts. Still under the impression of MB when I ate it. This was probably my favorite dish of the entire night, since I am a big game meat fan. It was brought out with a big glass orb over the plate which was filled with smoke. After the waiter set it down, and lifted the orb, the smoke streamed out over the plate and surrounded the table filling the air with a woodsy bbq smell. The MB made the sauerkraut taste both sweet and umami so when all the elements were eaten in unison, it was a symphony of flavors. This dish was probably one of the high notes of the night and left me quite satisfied.
Pairing: ginger drink of some sort which was really interesting with the MB and actually paired quite nicely with the venison.
Course 3: Pizza- flat bread pizza with aioli sauce, pepperoni, kalamata olives, mushrooms Fontana cheese and micro greens. This was probably the low point of the night and really let me down. Not only was there nothing special about 4 squares of pepperoni pizza with veggies (you can get it for about $85 less at dominoes) but it was overwhelming and almost unpalatably salty. I seriously considered sending it back, and it really put a damper on the rest of the night.
Pairing: Once again Emilie amazed us with her powers with an impromptu virgin cocktail based on a sweet red currant reduction. This really offset the saltiness of the pizza, and was quite refreshing.
Course 4: Short rib with cucumber kim chi and sambal. This dish was refreshing after the pizza we were served the course before. The short rib was softer than butter and the kim chi was so good with the cucumber.
Pairing: I forgot exactly what was in it (it involved orange and chi), but it was quite tasty.
Course 5: yogurt parfait with cactus pear sorbet and granola.
Pairing: Orange Creamsicle drink which was like a dessert in itself.
Course 6: finished with the 'Buckeye' course which heavily used miracle berry with a sugar free peanut butter ice cream, sugar free sourdough doughnut and a balsamic/oj chocolate sauce. This was amazing. Before the MB it tasted disgusting but afterwards it tasted like a billion calorie guilty pleasure ice cream treat which proved MB's promise in fighting obesity and diabetes.
The service was impeccable. Our servers were attentive and knowledgeable (however I noticed they gave shorter explanations to us than to adult guests because of our age) and were highly enthusiastic about their work. I also thought it was cool that one of the head chefs, Trevor, was a server too. Finally I have to commend Emilie on an impeccable job coming up with 6 brand new virgin cocktails that went perfectly with our food, completely on the fly. In addition she was really friendly, and really put a smile on our faces :). Overall this was a meal that I will remember for a long time, and I would even go as far as calling it inspirational. Thanks Chef Cantu!
lets start with some of the most friendly and professional servers you could ever ask for. they all play a part in making sure that you feel welcome and informed on every course. The cocktails and pairings are spot on. As a cook and a man who loves to drink you do everything right. I have also been following the web series cooking under pressure if you have not seen it youtube it so you can learn what they are truly trying to do. i have eaten at his other restaurant Moto and no offense but ing you take the cake its a little more chill and Trevor the GM is one of the most amazing and welcoming men youll ever meet. Cantu you are a genius and a madman but that just makes me love you more. i cannot wait to come for the new menu. Oh and how can i forget a 10 course for a little over a 100 you are kidding me. you are kind on my wallet  and on my palate. i love this place and will be a follower and a friend for as long as they are open. if you have not experienced flavor tripping you do not know what your missing. its beautiful food in a friendly atmosphere and you steal my heart a little more with every bite. Cantu i cant say enough about you vision of food. just know that i will be in your cooking course and dining room soon. seriously amazing and exciting place five stars is an understatement.
Review Source:Decided to spend NYE dinner here with 6 other friends... Â The food was amazing! Â The service awesome! Â Truth be told we had no intention of spending the actual midnight toast at the restaurant, so this probably took some of the shine off the meal, as I had informed the hostess upon arrival that we did not intend on being there until midnight (the 12 course meal with drinks went over 4 hours, we figured closer to 2 hours) I actually at one point mentioned to the waiter that we had no intention of spending New Years there, and he said Oh I know but you guys are so much fun so I decided to make sure you were here for Midnight... Â Ok so that is maybe worth a star deduction, but truth is we all had an amazing time, we loved almost every course! Â Actually 11 of the 12 were almost universally loved, with the exception of one of the miracle berry centered deserts... Â Anyway having said that, we would all go back for sure, we just think on a night where we have no where to be, or nothing to do afterwards... Â You guys and gals are all awesome thanks again for your hospitality!
Review Source:Honestly, when I was going to go to ING, I thought i'd have a horrible time. Per alot of reviews, some says the restaurant is great, some says it's bad. But I'm the type of person who needs to have my own opinion and not others. So I went anyways and had their 10 course tasting menu. The following's what a had
1) Jack's Lament - octopus mushroom
2) Thanksgiving Town - Yams, Maple
3) Pumpkin King - Pumpkin Turnip
4) Lab of Dr Finkelstein - carrot, horchata foam
5) Frog's Breath - pearl onion, frog's legs
6) Holiday Trees - Duck, Candy corn, Eggs
7) Jack in Christmas Town - Lime - Gin
8) Roasting on an open fire - chestnuts, Rum Almond
9) Jack's return - mulberries, gingerbread, bay leaf
10) Sandy Clawn Cinnamon - Tangerine, chocolate
To my surprise, besides the 4th course (it had too much pepper). The rest of the courses are pretty good. Perhaps my expectation was low, but the courses' progression is pretty well thought out. I know one of the complain of this restaurant is the progression of the dinner, that the dishes come out too slow. To their defense, my experience here is spectacular as courses are flowing out fairly quickly with the right amount of time inbetween.
Overall, the food is good and I'd come back for another themed dinner.
Just left Ing and will definitely be back. The attention to detail was awesome.  Favorite was the swordfish and the short rib but enjoyed every single course. The pairings were right on and innovative. Especially liked the mango margarita with the smoked jalapeño infused salt. Highly recommend Ing!
Review Source:I have a habit of adding "ing" to nouns and adjectives to make them verbs. Strange, but I'm a creative type which attracted me to the "Nightmare Before Christmas" menu at "iNG"- it's fate.
The setting is a bit banal and sterile. However, it's pragmatic because it provides a blank canvas and doesn't detract from the food.
Anytime there's a tasting menu I get apprehensive yet I needn't fear. Chef Homaru Cantu is a visionary. Each serving and drink pairing perfectly encapsulated the "Nightmare Before Christmas" themes of naughty and nice, black humor, and gifts with surprises. It was all so elaborate and impressive. However, please don't think he sacrificed substance for style because the food was "Nom Nom Noam..Chomp-sky Chomp-sky Chomsky."
It all looked so beautiful and sinister and really incorporated seasonal flavors. Favorites were Jack's Lament with its funny Jack Skeleton head and eastern taste, the gin and tonic snowman running from its own shadow (stupid me. With the outline it looked like a police drawing), and Chestnuts on an Open Fire which was so whimsical and cozy. I love they integrated sinister fire (the cinnamon bark and chestnut on a literal fire) and soothing ice (chestnut ice cream).
AwesomiNG.
Wow. Â I can't think of anything bad except for maybe - too much food!! Â :-)
My boyfriend and I came in for the 10 course (living social deal) we thoroughly enjoyed every morsel and every moment. Â The pacing was great, the staff is super friendly and not stuff, the atmosphere is cool and the cocktails are fab. Â We got to try some beer and wine with our courses and they were all good picks too. Â They were also very great with not serving me meat. Â No tude! Â (take that Dale L.)
It very creative and we wanted to take pictures of everything. Â I'm not sure about the miracle berry...we got it on the 2nd try but its kind of gimmicky. Â I supposed that's ok. Â I'll take a cool gimmick every now and then.
I would def come back -- but probably only with another deal which I see they do often.
What a treat!
and PS this review is sans cheese. Â That's right there wasn't any cheese and I still LOVED it. Â But yes there was chocolate so I wasn't totally without a fave.
Came here starving after a big work presentation to celebrate. Â Of course we splurged for the 10 course meal, the Nightmare Before Christmas theme. Â These were some of the coolest dishes i've ever tried. Â I loved the pork belly on the skeleton hand, just wished i could have eaten that as well! Â The thought put into the drink parings was excellent and probably the rose of the meal.
I think this is a great place to go and have some fun but I don't think this will go into any sort of regular rotation.
So here's the thing. I got a travelzoo certificate for ING and was exited to try it. Â The Hubs and I decided that we would do a combined bday dinner and treat ourselves to a great meal.
Everything was pretty good. I mean. It was an experience, don't get me wrong, but I was left a little unsatisfied. Â However, if my stomach got full and was able to enjoy great tastes through my eyes, then the meal would have been spectacular.
Everything was presented beautifully but nothing particularly wowed me. On top of that, the service was mediocre. Â They forgot a drink order until the end of the meal...weird, and our courses were mistimed. Â There were tables that were getting further in the meal (same courses as us) that arrived 45 minutes after us. Â All in all we were there for over 3 hours. THREE. I mean, I love my husband but after 3 hours, Â needed some food. Real food.
Had a blast! Was here a few days ago for the Nightmare Before Christmas 6 course meal. It was quite the experience. While I didn't love every course- the service and friendliness of the staff was bar none. It takes a LOT Â of creativity to be able to theme multiple courses around one film- and the pairings fit so well!!
Miracle berries? My dinner companion and I had equally joyful looks on our faces after biting into the lemons.
I'll definitely be back for the next menu!
This is a review for the 10 meal course. If you are willing to pay big buck for the experience, then it is a "yes" to go here. The food isn't that amazing that makes me want to come back. The chef needs to go easy on the sodium. Everything was very salty! The chef needs to be a dessert chef instead. The dessert is the best after all.
Review Source:Going to iNG was one of the most fun dining experiences I have ever had.  I had a smile on my face the entire time I was there because the food is so whimsical.  But this is not a restaurant that is all show and no substance.  The food, drinks and service were among the best I have ever had.  I went during the Martin Scorsese themed dinner and it was fabulous.  So great that I plan to go back during the Christmas movie themed menu in a few weeks.  For my full review of iNG, please read my blog post: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fyoungfoodies.com%2Fdinner-at-ing%2F&s=d59217ffc8211a7a00c5f1aa48990db931bef023867ac1ffdaea4b46808455ac" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://youngfoodies.com/…</a>
Review Source:First I'll start with the positive -- though service was slow, our server and everyone else working there really went above and beyond to be helpful and friendly. They were so nice that I feel a little bad leaving a negative review. Â
I agree with the other negative reviews on here and thus won't belabor the details of why I did not enjoy my dinner at iNG. Â The main issue is that they seem to have thought through every minor detail except for the taste of the food. Â We had the 10 course tasting menu and ended up skipping 3 of the last few courses because the wait between each course was painfully long, and each course seemed to taste worse than the last. Really, that's what it comes down to -- the food just doesn't taste that good.
For example, Catherine's pasta was ok, but they spoon oil on to it straight from the candle burning on the table. Â The result is that it ends up tasting a bit burnt -- like the smell that results when blowing out a candle. Â They seem so preoccupied with the "shock" factor of spooning what looks like candle wax onto your dish that they overlook the fact that doing so actually makes the dish taste worse. Â Also, the last course involved a chocolate "cake" in a "petri dish" that had the blandness and dry consistency of crushed up chocolate grahm crackers. Â My husband and I decided at the end that our experience at iNG was really more like taking part in a social experiment than going out to dinner, in that we felt like the whole experience was some sort of secretly televised prank. Â Sorry, iNG. I wanted to like it.
I dined here with my cousin two weeks ago and had a blast. Although I wanted to do the 10 course tasting menu, for the sake of time on a weeknight, we had to enjoy the six courses. It was fabulous. I've never had a better dinner in Chicago that I have not cooked myself. I am not one to remember the names of dishes, but the "Diet Sandwich" which led off the first of the two dessert courses was terrific! The "9mm" was a creative dish that knocked my socks off. I wanted to try it ever since I saw the video and it did not disappoint. Trevor, my server clearly explained my dishes without even blinking and answered every question that I had with great knowledge and back stories about the dishes and paired beverages. Overall, if in Chicago, iNG has to be your first stop! For the quality of dishes and service this has to be one of the world's best kept dinning secrets.
Review Source:I TRIED: "Director's Cut" 10 Course Prix Fixe
- Sleeps With The Fishes (7/10)
- Dinner In Prison (7/10)
- 9mm (7/10)
- The Color Of Money (7/10)
- Catherine Scorsese's Pasta (8/10)
- Cannoli Veal (10/10)
- Intermission (4/10)
- Diet Sandwich (7/10)
- Taxi Driver (5/10)
- The Aviator (6/10)
iNG is sort of like Moto's little brother. I've never been to Moto, but I hear it's hella expensive, but this was only $100 with the Living Social deal (6 course version is $80 normally). It's been a while since I've had a meal like this, and probably the first that I'm reviewing something like this. I'll probably need all the letters I can get so, without further ado:
SLEEPS WITH THE FISHES
To start things off, you get a clear bowl with a black forest inside with a clear plastic wrap over it with 2 shrimp chips lying on top. They're the size of a Taco Bell Cinnamon Twist and it has the same consistency. It's drizzled with garlic aioli powder, but honestly, it tastes like a regular shrimp chip you can get at your Asian market. The power adds a very tiny garlic taste, but easily missed.
Part 2, they take the plastic wrap off, and suddenly the bowl starts smoking! It's a seaweed forest underneath, and in the middle are 2 small dumplings each skewered on a chopstick. They're a bit bigger than a sharpie marker cap. It was pleasant, and had a real smoky flavor, but it didn't taste infused, more like forced. Definitely not liquid smoke, but tastes a lot like it. The sauce in the middle is pretty interesting, because it's got the thai chili flavor but none of the spice, amongst other things.
DINNER IN PRISON
Bunch of things on this plate. There's a piece of pork belly wrapped in, um, ham? And there's a cured ham piece too. You can tell I'm a very sophisticated guy, right? They're both very salty, and I wish I didn't drink all my Riesling in the last course, because it would've gone very nicely. It's not unlike any other cured meats I've had, so can't say it was anything spectacular. The scene this depicts, apparently, is somebody slicing garlic with a razor blade. This course comes with very thinly sliced elephant garlic chips, which pack a delicious garlic taste - make sure you have wine, or else this ruins other flavors for a few minutes.
9MM
Essentially, it's a crepe with a piece of gun-shaped cheese on top. The inside has a plethora of ingredients minced and cooked together (i.e. onion, basil, eggplant, and more). It made for a decent combination, but I really couldn't tell you what was in it; they all sort of blended together. Seasoning was good.
COLOR OF MONEY
This was weird. You get what looks like a mozzarella ball and a parmesan shortbread, and they're in a small pool of basil tea. I spooned the basil and was like Whoa! That's basily, but as the course went on, it started to mix well. The cheese ball is actually a mushroom mix but it's densely covered by the mozz. The mushroom "stuffing" was good, but seasoning was a little light. When you add the mozz, it practically engulfs the seasoning and it becomes very bland.
CATHERINE'S PASTA
There's a candle on your table that they put out and drip on your pasta! Apparently, it's some kind of oil. The pasta was seasoned quite well, and was very buttery. The mushrooms were fantastic too! BUT, don't know if it was that candle oil, but something gave it a very light chemically aftertaste. It's not glaring, but barely noticeable.
CANOLI VEAL
Homerun! Shredded veal inside of a canoli-looking crust, but it's way more crispy and chewy than a canoli - practically eggroll-y. The veal is great, but the mascarpone cheese adds this incredible buttery taste to it that makes it incredibly delicious! Every bite had the buttery flavors, meaty textures (like a tender pulled pork), and a beautiful crisp too! Perfect!
INTERMISSION
You get this sorbet that feels like foam. It tastes disgusting! Some bites were like fruity ocean foam! You put the Miracle Berry powder in your mouth for 45 seconds and things really do change! The sorbet goes from disgusting to acceptable, but there are some pockets where I still got the salty flavor. It's a fun and cool experiment, but taste-wise, this began the decline.
DIET SANDWICH
Lemon poundcake acted as the bread and there was a deep fried sage leaf and a flat piece of, I think, earl gray ice cream! It was really bizarre, but tasted pretty good. There's no gnawing on that sage leaf, it was crispy, and bit clean off. The clean taste of the sage complimented the ice cream and made it taste even colder! This was fun too.
TAXI DRIVER
Served on a whiskey barrel plank, there're different geletin cubes in different powders. Nothing special.
AVIATOR
The devil's food cake with earl gray icing and kaffir lime drops was an interesting combo. That earl gray gave it a bitterness that was actually quite welcome. It complimented the chocolate cake very well. The cotton candy tastes like regular ol' cotton candy.
COM-ING AGAIN?
HappyIExperiencedIt,ButNotComingBack
Friends that have dined here recommended it as a cheaper option of Moto. Â I've never been to Moto but if it's anything like this, I'll pass. Â Our party tried the 6-course Scorsese dinner, which included drink pairings. Â It's an interesting concept to have a themed menu inspired by a set of movies, but some of the courses were too gimmicky and not enough taste. Â Â None of the courses were bad, but I was expecting more refined flavors. Â I didn't care for any of the pairings- one tasted like old chinese medicine and several were ales, which I'm not a fan of.
Service was great. Â Our waiter was pretty attentive and made sure our water glasses were always full and we were enjoying our meal. Â
Overall, not impressed. Â Not horrible, but not the type of food you would expect for a place like this.
If you read anything, read this: Â I walked away from an $80 meal thinking I need to go to Wendy's and get something else to fulfill me. Â That's how disappointing this meal was. Â It was gimmicky and not very well thought out. Â It almost seemed like they were doing it just to do it rather than because it fit. Â If this were presented to top chef judges, they'd say, "did you think about the menu? Â the progression? Â why did you do that?" Â My bet is that they wouldn't have a good answer. Â Sure the drinks they included were neat and unique, but as a meal, I'd much rather have had something tasty rather than "cool". Sure, seeing smoke billow out of a bowl is cool, but so was dry ice when I was 10, but ultimately you can only mask so much and this one just failed miserably.
Review Source:iNG was fantastic last Saturday night. Â We did the full "Director's Cut" (10 courses) for his Scorsese-themed menu. Â Everything about iNG was exactly as it should be at a great restaurant - awesome food (one of the best pasta courses I've EVER had), great people/service along with a creative/fun twist. Â Cantu and his team continue to do world class work. Â Thanks!
Review Source:The miracle berry is really a miracle. I was doubtful at first, but now I am a believer! I first tried it with a lemon. It tasted like sweet lemonade after the miracle berry had lingered on my tongue for the full 30 seconds. SO COOL!!!
We purchased a living social deal and got 10 courses for $99. Â The majority of the courses tasted good, except for the desserts. They were quite disappointing. Â The dinner was interesting because their courses were themed (we had rock band) and they played rock music while we ate. Â They definitely get a lot of credit here for creativity in manipulating the element of the foods.
The courses came with drink pairings. Â The waiter immediately noticed that I am not an alcohol drinker, so he offered me non-alcoholic drinks. The drinks were creative and some were good, but some not so good. Nonetheless, I was happy they catered the drinks to me and my non-alcoholic palate.
Service was fantastic! The meal took over 3 hours and we were pretty tired by the end of the night. It was a great dinner though!
Amaz - iNG
Astonish-iNG
Mindblow-iNG
Electrify-iNG
iNG - crediable
Shall I go on? I think not.
As you probably can already tell I am, thanks to my recent visit to iNG, now and huge fan. The food was fun, the atmosphere was cool and above all the staff was amazing. They made our group experience completely awesome!
What brought us to iNG was a desire to go out for a fancy dinner, what kept us there was the amazing 10-course, 6 drink Martin Scorsese dinner. Literally by the time we had to leave most of us felt like we could role out because of the amount of good food booze we had just consumed.
There were too many great dishes to talk about at this restaurant, so I will keep it short and stick with my favorite few. My favorites included the the 9mm, The Color of Money, Catherine's Pasta and Intermission (see my pictures). The 9mm was unique and completely outside of the box as was The Color of Money. Catherine's Pasta with mushrooms was rich and decedent and Intermission was fun. I could go on, but what I know of this restaurant is that the menu changes every couple of months so get in before this menu goes (sometime around Thanksgiving)!
Please note, this review is NOT of the food, just drinks...
My good friend from NYC came to town this past weekend and wanted to get together with some folks here in Chicago. She and her friend got tickets to NEXT at the last minute, and it was decided we would meet somewhere close by for drinks before they left. We nixed The Aviary, just because we didn't think we'd get in and so it was decided to try out iNG.
Honestly I didn't know if iNG even had a bar for us to sit at, so I was a bit skeptical. I was *this close* to not wanting to go, but I love my friend and didn't want to miss the chance to see her. I'm glad I went.
The bar space for iNG is tiny. I know it's not meant for folks to actually go there just for drinks like we did, but rather probably for people to hang out while they wait for their table. Granted the place was about half full, so there would be no need to wait (maybe the poor reviews are making an impact?)
My friend had the Gin and Tonic in Ice and loved it (not a fan of gin and tonic myself.) Two of her friends got The Kimura - one felt it was too sweet, but the other liked it. The last of us got a bourbon and ginger (he's from South Carolina, so it seemed like a go-to), but he thought the bourbon was a little too sweet as well. I had the Lambic Sour Ale. In fact I had two, because they were so delicious.
Will I go back there? Not likely, but it was good to say I've been there even if it was only for drinks. The bonus? Met a couple really awesome people, so I can thank iNG for expanding my social circle :)
I've been here twice.... once for a 10-course flavor changing menu and just last week with work colleagues for the Martin Scorsese dinner (we did the 10 course "director's cut" version). Â Both times were with out-of-town guests.
My guests thoroughly enjoyed dinner. Â The group from Texas had never tried modernist cuisine before and were basically blown away.
However, I've been to Alinea, Next, Tru, L20, Elizabeth, and a number of other very expensive and fancy restaurants. Â iNG is not one of these restaurants. Â I'm paying nearly $700 for EMP @ Alinea and I paid $500 for the El Bulli Menu at Next. Â The cuisine at iNG is not quite as strong as these expensive heavyweights and the service is not quite as attentive but both are well above average when compared to a "normal" restaurant.
The Martin Scorsese dinner was $100 including 10 courses and six pairings. Â For the complexity and novelty of the dishes and the overall experience, this is a tremendous value. Â It's casual upscale and is very approachable.
iNG is playful, and innovative modernist cuisine. Â Occasional dishes fall flat but some dishes really shine. Â The friends I brought to the dinner were smiling from ear-to-ear with some of the courses and really enjoyed themselves.
I'll be back.... and I'll bring more friends. Â It's a fun dining evening when you hang out at iNG.
I'd really give them more of a 4.5 because there was a bit of a long wait between some of the earliest courses but I'm rounding up rather than down just because my guests all had such a great time here.
Also free WiFi and they will respond in realtime to tweets.
iNG was a lot of fun. I went with my brother and a friend of his who I've also known for a while. Â We went because my brother had been to Moto and that made him want to check out iNG.
When we were there, there weren't many people there so we seated promptly. Â Service was friendly, informative and responsive. Â We followed the menu's suggestion encouraging live tweeting and more than once the staff reacted (in a helpful way) to the tweets.
The menu at the time was the one with miracle berry, which was a lot of fun. Â I'd been wanting to try some for several years, so it was nice to finally get the chance. Â It definitely muted sour components in dishes.
The food was all well-crafted. Â Some of the flavor pairings weren't my favorite thing, but I think at a place like iNG part of the reason you go is to test your palate and try new things - in that regard they were very successful. Â I haven't been back yet, but I fully intend to.
I haven't written a review for a long time but felt compelled to after my dinner at iNG. Quite frankly, I am surprised by the amount of good reviews. I think that people are blinded by the silly tricks and unnecessary hype.
More surprisingly, diners around me were oohing and aahing at puffed rice and nacho cheese. Seriously?! Just because they throw some flavor changing miracle fruit and liquid nitrogen does not mean the food is 'out of this world' as one person put it.
We had a total of 10 courses. I won't bore you with the details because they really aren't worth mentioning. Nothing completely stood out and the silly tricks were not innovative and did nothing to enhance my food experience. I just have to mention that my friend (who is usually easy to please) pointed out that her mother could make a better pork belly, blindfolded.
I think the best thing from all 10 plates was a little piece of potato I got. Yum.
Everything was so mediocre and just OK... Sort of like "I reheated the leftover mexican food in the microwave and it was OK" or "I may have left it out in the sun for too long but it tasted OK".
I compliment the wait staff on their energy and enthusiasm though.
And finally, I will end with the story of a conversation I overheard from the table next to us.
Man: I really liked this dish. It is a stuffed pepper, isn't it? I really loved the heat from the pepper. It was spicy but just enough that it didn't overpower the flavors. What kind of pepper is it?
Waiter: O... Well... It is a sweet bell pepper....
I had the dish. There was no spice at all. IT WAS A SWEET BELL PEPPER. DAMNIT. Stupid man!!
This place was what I chose for my personal celebration with the gf' for her birthday...
and it didn't disappoint at all!
We got the 10 course menu which came with 5 drink pairings. Some dishes weren't as strong as others, but a lot were very good. I won't really go into detail on the dishes as they will be going to a Scorcese theme soon and I don't know if they totally reboot the menu or not.
Service was great and very attentive.
Ing's price isn't cheap, but it's very affordable compared to other places and I think was a great value.
I can see going back again for another special occassion or small celebration soon.
This may be the first time I have thought that 5 stars isn't enough. My husband and I went to iNG with a Travelzoo deal for a 10-course tasting menu, and it was hands down the best meal we've ever had. Lasting close to four hours, every course heightened our anticipation for the next one. It felt like being on vacation, when you start to get sad that there are fewer days left than days that have passed.
Every course was truly unique and memorable, but the highlights were the watermelon "sushi" wrapped in coconut rice and bacon, the short rib with "corn bread" three ways (a powder, a sauce and some hard pieces that had been frozen with liquid nitrogen), and a French toast dessert, which came with a big lemon mousse cake made to look like a stick of butter and an orange that had somehow been carbonated, baffling even my Physics-teaching husband.
The service was also impeccable, with clear explanations for every course and how they were meant to be eaten. When one drink order took too long to come out, the waiter comped it even though we didn't complain. And they offered to call a cab after the meal, a nice touch on a street where catching one could be challenging.
The menu changes every six weeks or so, and at $75 per person with drink pairings, iNG is more affordable than Moto, Next and the like. I can't wait to go back.
My fiance and I went back to iNG this weekend. Â We went during restaurant week and thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to go back. Â We loved it even more this time. Â
First of all, the service is great, our server was so attentive and there was never a lull between the courses. Â She was enthusiastic and adorable!
Most importantly, the food and pairings were awesome. Â I loved every course. Â The sushi salad was delicious. Â y favorite was the umami pork belly course. Â I could've had a huge bowl of that broth. Â Both the meat dishes - the twist on gyros and the short rib - were so good. Â My second favorite course was the may flowers dessert, which was like a key lime pie. Â I could have had a huge plate of that. Â The pairings varied from cocktails to wine to ales, and they were all amazing!
I hope more people will try out iNG, it is priced great and the food is excellent!
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