Crofton on Wells

We recently took a friend for her 30th Birthday celebration to eat at Crofton on Wells, a well reputed restaurant in downtown Chicago known for a fusion of French and American styles and a dedication to fine foods at a reasonable price. In this post I review the atmosphere, service, and of course, the food!

The atmosphere was pleasant and not too distracting. They have a silk paneled ceiling and some potted shrubbery separating the dining area, which together added a lovely sense of casual elegance to the room. The menu features a separate list of vegetarian offerings.

I ordered beet salad with frisee and their scallop entree. The beet salad was well presented and delicious. All of the elements were presented in perfect balance. But the star of the appetizers was the crab cake that my friend ordered. I have never had crab that tasted this fresh in the midwest, let alone in a crab-cake. There is no way to describe it but to say that my eyes rolled back in my head a bit, and I was unable to speak for a while. I strongly recommend this dish.

Unfortunately the main dishes disappointed. The three scallops came out on a palate of colorful sauces, but it seemed more attention was paid to the visual elements than to the taste. My husband had the lamb, which we both found chewy. It was similarly accompanied by a disappointing sauce. Our friends ordered the signature chicken dish, which smelled delicious. They were both satisfied with the chicken.

The desserts really shone. We ordered five desserts and shared, to taste everything. The chocolate tart was adequate, but did not rise above the memory of many other quite-fine chocolate offerings. However, the rest of the items delighted. The presentation was elegant, with a de-constructed lemon meringue tart featuring cloud-like meringue. Everyone at the table had a different favorite dessert, which was a testament to their excellence.

Our waiter was rude and condescending despite a fairly empty dining room. The appetizers and desserts are excellent, but perhaps innovations to the main offerings would improve the experience. Overall, a great place to try particularly for desserts, but by no means an outstanding value for the quality of food offered. The total bill was approximately $80 per person, including wine and three courses.