L'etage Wine and Cocktail Bar

Love the cocktail choices. Constantly changing with the season.  Friendly bartender who will make anything you want.  Nice atmosphere with great sitting areas for conversation. Overlooked place in the heart of Andersonville.

I have been here a couple of times for cocktails.  Wether it was to start the evening or to end the evening, I have loved the drinks made for me. Plus the bartender takes pride in what he produces and honestly takes the time to explain the flavor profiles before ordering. Overall I enjoy my time when drinking here.

I am not one to write a review, so I will try to do this in the most constructive way possible.  I am a huge fan of brasserie 54 - the food is fantastic, the decor is simple and modern, and the prices are far from intimidating, in fact,  their price points are the reason I continue to come back.  I truly believe you can find great food and atmosphere within reasonable prices here in Chicago and Brasserie 54 is a great example of that.  

  So perhaps I was expecting a similar experience when I walked upstairs with friends a couple of weeks ago, however we ended up leaving before we even ordered drinks.  The first problem is the lack of beer, at the time they had one or two in bottle.  Beer is always a nice, fairly affordable option.  However, the server was kind enough to let two of my friends order from downstairs.  The rest of us perused the menu and noticed that the prices for both the cocktails and wines were significantly more expensive.  As a whole, cocktails downstairs are from 7 to 10 and the cocktails upstairs are 10 to 13 (this was a couple of weeks ago, so I could be off slightly).  Furthermore, the downstairs has a wine menu of both whites and reds for $8 in addition to their more higher end selections. 8 bucks is a great price.  Alternatively, the upstairs had one or two glasses of wine for $9 (whites only) and then all the rest were $10+.  Though I would not have asked, my friend did ask if she could also order a glass of wine from downstairs as they allowed the beers, but our server said that was not allowed - with good reason (yes - we became those people - I'm sorry for that).  In this economy, I can rationalize a $8 glass of wine. Needless to say, we decided to just leave.

   Sure - anyone reading this would just say - go downstairs!  However, we wanted to just have one round of drinks in an atmosphere that allowed for cohesive group conversation - hard to do at a bar.  

  I just found the overall experience to be awkward and a let down.  I realize that I am probably paying for the ability to sit in comfortable chairs upstairs, but the stark price juxtaposition from downstairs did not sit well with me.  I realize that they are separate restaurants, but when they are tied together and clearly operated by the same people, it can be confusing for those who are familiar with downstairs. I will continue dining at Brasserie 54 with delight, however the upstairs known as L'etage is not worth another visit.  But hey - if money is not an issue - I'm sure you'd love it!