Mitchel Lounge

We had our Valentine Day dinner at Mitchel Lounge.  The food was quite good; prime rib and steak served exactly as ordered.  The meat was well cooked and excellent quality.  However, the beans on my plate were cool.  Service needs work at the restaurant.  The wrong appetizer was served; returned for the correct one.  However, it took quite a while to make the crab cakes (which were good) and no one bothered to bring us bread or crackers to munch on while drinking our wine.  The bread did come with the salad (which came before the appetizer, but it was quite a wait)  The waitress knew nothing about the special citrus dessert that was featured.  Chef and kitchen should explain foods to wait staff.  We also had to wait quite a while for the waitress to pick up out bill.  No offer for additional coffee was made either.  Good food, but service needs work.

Wow.  Just read the other 2 reviews.  Can't believe it's the same place they're talking about.
We were only there once for the Father's Day Brunch this year.  The place was empty at 11:30 a.m. (bad indication - everyone must've been at Eggsclusive for breakfast), small selection of food on the buffet table was cold and questionable (as in - whattha heck is this?), waitress totally inattentive - I found the coffee station myself and refilled our cups.  Very expensive for what was offered in terms of food and service so . . . we'll never go back for sure.  Too bad.  Would be nice to have a good Chicago style buffet in Dekalb/Sycamore.

I didn't realize how much I missed the swanky and yet comfortably casual wine and martini bars common in big cities until I spent an evening listening to Sinatra and sipping wine at Mitchel Lounge. This 1920s/1940s bar (depends on the music playing) is gorgeously designed and is a delightful blend of white tablecloth dining (i.e. good for second dates) and spacious and friendly bar for those seeking a drink alone. They have a good wine list that offers glasses, quartinos and bottles. They also have a full bar, although they do need to make a martini list to showcase their variety. But whatever you want, I'm sure they will make it for you.

Besides the drinks, the food was delicious. I have only had a chance to eat here once but the prime rib sandwich was a perfect mix of juicy meat and toasty bread. I would make the suggestion that they increase their appetizer options for those who want something to go with their Manhattans and martinis but don't want to commit to a large meal, as their salads, sandwiches and entrees are rather substantial.

As a new drinking presence in town Mitchel Lounge is trying to draw a crowd based on their specials. Tuesday is $1.00 off all drinks, Wednesday is half-priced bottles of wine [I made sure to make note of that one!], Thursday is half - priced appetizers and Friday is ladies night out - $3.00 rail drinks & $5.00 martini's. Fridays also features Fish Fry. Lastly, make note that on Mondays the kitchen is closed so they only serve homemade frozen pizzas.

Definitely a place to frequent. This is now my place to go when craving a good glass of wine or mixed drink.

[Later edit: sadly my two favorite dishes were taken off in their menu transformation. And the artichoke dip is decent, but not worth it if they're out of crostini. I got it once with homemade crostini and it was wonderful. I got it a second time and got basically toasted white bread as a substitute...NOT the same. Bummer. So now I go for drinks but not for food.]