Le Bar

to celebrate my birthday exactly at midnight, a few friends and i went out to downtown Chicago and camped out at Le Bar. the place was relatively filled for a Sunday evening, and the service was decent. aside from getting some of their signature cocktails, we also ordered from their bar menu, which wasn't too shabby. overpriced? yes. delicious? yes.

A, J, JT, T, and i shared the Le Bar Sampler ($17), which consisted of 2 mini tuna tartar tacos, 3 mini crab cakes, beef skewers and truffled popcorn, and crispy shrimp.

out of all of them, i definitely liked the taco the best. they were about 2 inches big, but full of flavour! it must've been a seasonal item, though, because it's not on their menu anymore. the "crispy shrimp" was basically popcorn shrimp, which was delicious with the sauce. the beef skewers were average, and the crab cakes were great, but a bit too salty for my taste.

they had a special that night - purchase the Strawberry Crush cocktail and get a smoked ham crepe all for $9.50.. of course i had to get it!

the presentation was super cute, but the taste was ... average, i guess. i was really amused that it came in a little pot, yet the crepe was lukewarm at best. it would've been great if the temperature was increased! the cocktail was extremely watered down as well, which was disappointing.

finally, the five of us shared 2 orders of the handcut potato fries ($10 each order), which came with pesto mayo and also had truffle oil on it.

that was probably my favourite dish at the bar! the fries were super good, especially since they were served piping hot (notice a trend?). the mayo made a great dipping sauce, and i think we were all very pleased with it.

with these appetizers, we also ordered a few drinks as well (these are the ones i can recall):
The Luxury Southside Royale
Sazerac
Mint Julep
Backyard Blackberry Margarita
Mango Bella
none of these stood out that much, except for the fact that the Sazerac is definitely a stronger drink. no one was incredibly disgusted or incredibly happy with their drinks...i think the response was fairly positive / neutral.

the atmosphere is nice - definitely a much older crowd, but it's a great place to catch up with either girlfriends or just sit at the bar and discuss your day. drinks were quite pricey, but what can you expect from downtown Chicago lounges?

Le Bar (at the Sofitel Hotel)
20 East Chestnut Street
Chicago, IL 60611