Grand Lux is actually operated by the Cheesecake Factory folks, hence the feeling that you are in a Cheesecake Factory when you walk in.

Decor/Ambiance: A huge place, supertall ceilings, lots of wood. Very similar to the designs of the various Cheesecake Factories, but a bit more upscale. Best places to sit are in the circular room on the corner of Michigan and Ontario, as it’s filled with tons of natural light, or along the windows looking out towards Michigan Avenue. Obviously great for groups, but waits are generally long with all the traffic from Michigan Avenue toursists/shoppers. As noted in prior reviews dress is very casual.

Service: Usually good, and a few times I’ve gotten lucky and had an excellent server.

Basically you can’t go wrong here. Like the Cheesecake Factory, menu is huge, portions are huge, and everything is pretty good. It’s always a dependable place for dessert as well. Good times to go (in terms of wait) are after dinner (obviously) and afternoons after walking up and down Michigan doing power/window shopping.

The Original Pancake House started in Portland, Oregon, and the Walker brothers started the first Chicagoland franchise at their Wilmette location. However, I frequent this Highland Park location the most.

Decor/Ambiance: Lots of oak booths/tables and several stained glass windows. The best place to sit is the atrium. Lots of families eat here, and it can get really busy during weekend brunches especially after church. Parking can be difficult when it’s busy but you’ll always find a spot. A great area to walk around as well, with several shops.

Service: ranges from average to really good.

Food: Ok, so you go here for the apple pancakes! People will drive the 45-60 minutes from Chicago just to eat these pancakes. People who are just visiting Chicago but have had the pancakes will make the trip out here for the pancakes. But I don’t want to overhype it … just try them out.

This restaurant offers great Persian/Middle Eastern-influenced food, and has an extensive menu.

Decor/Ambiance: The place is as huge as its menu, as a brewery existed before the restaurant. Bar area has big fat comfy leather chairs, and dining area is great for huge groups. It’s clean and upscale, but you can still dress casual. Good for dates as well.

Service: Usually good.

Food: Menu is solid throughout. I almost always get the Fessenjan duck though. There’s also a buffet (weekday lunch and weekend brunch) that’s good bang for the buck.

In the northern suburbs of Chicago, there’s not much in terms of good Asian food, and the more north you go, the worse it gets. Oh there’s plenty of Chinese places, but they’re usually bad to horrible. This restaurant, while not great, serves good solid Thai food, and is a boon to those in the area who want to eat something ethnic. They will also adjust the spiciness of the dishes, something rare for similar restaurants in the area.

Decor/Ambiance: It’s in a quaint old house, a small clean space with hardwood floors. It can get busy, but the wait’s never too long. Parking is located in the back.

Service: Ranges from average to good. It’s a small staff so if you go a few times they’ll recognize you.

The off-shoot of the much heralded Momofuku Noodle Bar. During the day, a simplified menu of ssams (described as Asian/Korean wraps) is served, and late night a more extensive menu is available.

Decor/Ambiance: Cool and modern, lots of dark woods, consists of a long bar with rectangular stools and some actual tables, at it is much larger that Momofuku Noodle Bar. There is also a cool Nike John McEnroe ad from 1985.

For the lunch menu, you walk up to the counter, and the operation reminded me a lot of Chipotle. You can choose the ssam or go for the rice bowls.

I had the Original Ssam and split the pork buns. It was filling without being too heavy. The place has had mixed reviews, but I loved it. I definitely will need to come back to try some of the dinner items … like the Berkshire pork sausage wrapped in bacon, bahn mi filled with ham, pate, and veal head cheese, and there is also a Bo Ssam meal for 8 ($165) that includes a whole pork butt, oysters, and sides. Mmm pork overload! Actually on their dinner menu they print “vegetarian friendly items not served” or something to that effect. Awesome.

A Berkeley institution, on Telegraph Ave. Delicious, cheap eats.

Decor/Ambiance: Casual, typical Mexican mom and pop. Seating is usually no problem, except maybe during football game days.

Service: Good, attentive.

I think it’s way better than La Burrita, another Berkeley favorite. Stick to the Super Burrito and you can’t go wrong!

This French steakhouse is located at the Paris Resort/Casino. Also has locations in Chicago, Oakbrook, IL, and Bethesda, MD.

Decor/Ambiance: Inside has a warm yet airy feel, with dark woods, super tall ceilings, and large hanging dim lamps. It reminds me of Les Halles in New York but on steroids. That’s Vegas I guess. But it’s all tastefully done. If it’s warm outside, get a seat on the patio and you can watch the Bellagio fountains during your meal, as well as people watch. Great for groups or dates.

Service: Friendly, fast, knowledgeable, and excellent overall.

Drinks: Extensive wine list.

Food: Overall the steak frites at Les Halles was better quality-wise, but here they do offer different toppings on the steak. I prefer Les Halles at this point, but would come back here to try something else, or at least a different topping on the steak frites.

Located in downtown Monterey, the restaurant includes a bar area and offers live jazz on Sunday evenings and late evenings the rest of the week.

Decor/Ambiance: Uncreative but pleasant and upscale decor. Plenty of tables. Great for large groups as well as romantic dates. Crowd age ranged from mid-30’s to 50’s. In the restroom they have a recording giving lessons on Italian, which I thought was interesting.

Service: Very friendly and good service. Attentive to keeping our water cups filled, if not our other drinks. I did note a weird occurence when another server, apparently needing glasses for a new set of diners, came over without saying a word and grabbed an unused wine glass from our table and another table and used them for his new guests. Yes the glass was clean, but we had been talking over it, and who knows if we coughed or sneezed or dropped bread crumbs in it? I thought it was unbecoming of this type of establishment.

Overall it was a nice place but food was disappointing (except the house chianti which was very good). There are several other restaurants in the area which looked interesting, so if I’m ever back in the area I probably won’t be coming here.

As noted in previous reviews this place offers various bento box lunches as well as sushi and curry dishes. Lunch specials are good if not spectacular. Will have to return for dinner/sushi.

Decor/Ambiance: Typical Japanese decor. Plenty of tables. Good for larger groups.

Service: Excellent and attentive.

If serendipity is finding something pleasant that is not sought for or is unexpected, then a quick search reveals zemblanity is to make unhappy and unlucky discoveries occurring by design. A little extreme, but pretty much sums up my experiences with Serendipity 3.

I’ve been here more times than I wish to have gone; seems that every visitor I have wants to come here. Hell, it seems like all visitors to NYC want to come here. Yes those famous 60-90 minute waits are true, even on weeknights. If you do come and find yourself waiting, head down the block where there are some outdoor seating areas, and also Dylan’s Candy Shop to browse around.

Decor/Ambiance: Definitely different, with plenty of Tiffany-style lamps and some retro items on the wall. A small general store with kitschy-type stuff as you walk in. It’s icebox cold inside, maybe to keep all the desserts from melting?

Service: Definitely colder than the room or the desserts, from the host/hostess to the waitstaff. Most of the time they come up to you with Parkinsons-type facies, bring you some water, take your order, bring your order, take care of your check, and that’s that. One time my server did actually crack a smile. I was completely caught off-guard. Another time our server brought the wrong item, but told us it was our fault. That sums up the whole gamut of service to expect. Oh, and they are very quick with their math. After taking your order within seconds they’ll let you know if you’ve fulfilled that $8.50 minimum per person.

Overall, I think the amount of traffic and hype surrounding the place makes it less than it is perceived to be. The desserts aren’t worth the wait. The staff seems jaded due to the amount of customers (they’re New Yorkers already, and to become even more jaded than the norm? Fugghetaboutit). Of the visitors that have dragged me here, 12 out of 13 have walked away disappointed. You can come and see what why it’s so famous, but I think there are many better tasting dessert places with better service and less of a wait. If you must try it out, just keep your expectations really low (and then you might experience some serendipity)!