Tru

When planning on attending Tru, think of it as an experience. I wasn’t sure what to prepare for when going, and it was perfect from beginning to end. I strongly suggest spending the extra money and ordering from the left-side of the menu or the tastings. This will allow you to taste b/w 5-9 dishes rather than 2-3 and you will be quite full at the end. The service is outstanding from their knowledge of the menu/wines to walking you to the bathroom. At the end of the meal they offer you complimentary chocolates/lollipops that I couldn’t pass up eventhough my stomach was quite full. Just an amazing experience that is worth a trip once in your life.

Overall, this is the finest dining experience I have ever had. The food, of course, was exquisite – no surprise there. However, in addition to the incredible taste, you can actually feel that everyone working in the kitchen is a master at his/her craft. Every detail, from arrangment and presentation, to timing, to wine pairing is done with love for the art of cooking, and deep respect for the fact that most people visit such restaurants for a special occasion. The servers look like perfectly synchronized dancers as they place the plates for everyone at the table at EXACTLY the same time. Something they clearly practice. There is also the comfort of knowing that pretty much any request – even if it’s not explicitly stated on the menu, will be fulfilled.
As a quick example – I actually forgot to bring enough cash to tip the valet. Very absentminded of me, but there was nothing I could do about it in the middle of dinner. So, feeling very foolish, I nervously asked our waiter if I could include the valet tip on my credit card. He calmly nodded his head with a smile, and immediatly put me at ease. These little things are just part of what sets a 5-star establishment apart from any other run of the mill eatery. Nobody had to go “check with the manager”, my request was their pleasure to fulfill.
TRU is the kind of place that shows us how grand life can really be. It should be almost a religious experience for those of us caught up in the muck and toil that can overpower our lives sometimes. Thus, TRU gets my highest recommendation as a place you simply can’t afford to miss.

We decided to have the full tasting menu with the wine pairing. It was incredibly filling. I can’t say that it was one of our favorite dining experiences. Sadly, nothing was really noteworthy other than the dessert and les mignardises. The little pedestal for my purse was a nice touch!

This was my wife’s and my splurge dinner out when we were in Chicago last January.

Fantastic meal from beginning to end. Taste and presentation are world class. The pumpkin soup served in an ornate esperesso cup with some sort of foam was the pinnacle of the evening.

My wife took the Vegetarian tasting menu and I did the Tramonto collection. I couldn’t possibly have eaten another bite even though the taste buds were more than willing.

Chicago has a few elite fine dining locales and unfortunately we have only been able to make it to one of them. But the one we did was absolutely stellar.

tru is definitely my favorite restaurant in Chicago. My wife and I have been going for years now – probably 10 times in total. I’ve been in a group of two, and I’ve been in a group of seven, and the service is always top notch.

The food is fantastic, but one of my favorite aspects of the tru dining experience is that no matter what the group size, everyone at the table will have a different dish (e.g., different “salad”, different soup, different preparation of foie gras… before our city council screwed that up).

I’ve only had one disappointing evening at tru, and strangely enough that came when I was at the kitchen table. This is the only time where each dish was not personalized – there were five of us, and we got two variations for each course. The food we did receive was still fantastic, as was the wine – Scott is fantastic with the wine list.

Great Food, but none the less overpriced. I felt the service wasnt at the level of the prices on the menu!