Happy New Year!
I brought in the 2017 Chicago restaurant game right. While it’s been open and well-reviewed for a handful of years now, I headed to Maude’s Liquor Bar in West Loop for dinner for the first time the other night. The restaurant is dimly lit, small and quaint, fitting about 20 tables in its first floor walk-in space and includes an exclusive-like bar. Known for its cocktails and French-inspired dishes, we decided to sit back, relax and enjoy our first 2017 dinner out at a restaurant in Chicago.
I started and stayed with their Vodka Smash the whole night. Smashes are a fresh, mule-like drink customized with your favorite type of liquor. If you like sparkling wine, my friend loved the French 75, which is one of the three sparkling inspired drinks on the list. There’s plenty of shaken and stirred drinks on the menu plus a respected wine list to keep patrons satisfied.
The food options at Maude’s are incredible and I wish I could have tried everything. We shared the French Onion Fondue, which is a French onion soup like dip with bread. We also had the Braised Short-rib, Scottish Salmon, and Cassoulet. The Scottish Salmon was perfection and my favorite, but the others were quite delish, too. We ordered the highly recommended Lentils for sides along with Brussel Sprouts and they were well received from the party. We ended the night with a Crème Brulee. One of the largest I’ve seen of the dish at a restaurant, I had no complaints.
Overall, the service was really great and this is a fantastic date for a romantic date night out with your significant other or with a group of four.
If I went back to Maude’s Liquor Bar (which I plan to), the other items I’m looking forward to trying are the Croque Madame and the Ricotta Gnocchi.
Diana Lynn 
What are your thoughts??