Chez Joel Bistro

Great place! Love the small room, and small tables, very reminiscent of Paris. We got bread, butter, and this incredible spread to start. I forgot to ask the waiter what it was, but it was so good and tasted like balsamic and zest and fruit. We got the cheese plate, Coq au Vin and Steak au Poivre for dinner, and all three were delicious. Our sever was quick and very pleasant, and we got a scoop of vanilla ice cream as we were celebrating a birthday. It was no throwaway ice cream either, it was really good. Recommend!

Discovered this cute French bistro on Yelp as I was looking for something new to go to with my BFF of 36 years to celebrate our friendiversary.The restaurant is located on the corner of Taylor and May Street, in Little Italy. I was somewhat surprised by the address and discovering this place in the middle of the land of UIC, pizza, pasta and Italian ice. Can't speak to the parking situation as I used Spot Hero, but there is street parking all along Taylor Street.The restaurant is intimate, a.k.a on the small size, but very nicely decorated. There is a small bar in the front and a patio to the left of the restaurant (didn't see it as we were sitting inside). Based on the size, I would never just walk in here to be seated, I think you definitely need to make a reservation. The room is laid out in a very French way, with tables sitting very close to each other. I love the blue palate, it was very relaxing. The tables themselves are nicely decorated but are definitely on the small side for folks like us who like to share multiple dishes. Getting a bottle of bubbles and the holder took up some real estate along with the water and drink glasses.We started out with the Pâté de deux Sortes (Duck Liver Pâté with Traditional Garnish & Toast Points), the special which was a very lovey Tuna Tartar wrapped in avocado and topped with roe, and the Calamar Grillé au Pistou et Jus De Citron (Grilled Calamari with Pesto, Arugula and Roasted Peppers). All three of these starters were very good and I would do them again. The pâté was as to be expected and I did enjoy the toast points. My only complaint about this dish is that they need to put more of those lovely pickles with it. Presentation on all three dishes was lovely.For dinner I got the Souris d'agneau au Jus de Romarin (Braised Lamb Shank, Wild Mushrooms, Vegetables Fricassés, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Rosemary au Jus, my BFF got the Steak Grillé au Poivre (Center Cut Grilled NY Strip Steak with Crushed Black Pepper Corn, Cognac Sauce and Pommes Frites), The Doctor got the Filet de Saumon Grillé (Salmon Filet Grilled, Julienne of Vegetables, Asparagus, Potato Tournée and Mustard Sauce) and The Queen got the Linguine aux Fruits de Mer (Linguine with Shell Fish, Garlic, Basil, Sherry Tomatoes and Extra Virgin Olive Oil). Everyone agreed that their dish was very good. I tried a little bit of my BFF's steak and it was cooked to the correct temperature requested. The pommes frites were very good and sooooo thin! Absolutely lovely. My dish could have used a little more seasoning, but the lamb was very good, sliding off the bone.For dessert, my BBF got the Profiterole (Cream Puff filled with Vanilla ice cream, Warm Chocolate and Toasted Sliced Almonds), The Doctor/Queen got the sorbet and I got the Gateau aux Amondes (Baked Almonds Gateau Served Warm with Vanilla Ice Cream & Caramel Sauce). The cake was a little on the dry side for me and not enough almond flavor. My BFF loved the Profiterole and cleaned his plate.The wine that I got was the Varichon & Clerc, 'Privilège' Rose from France. I thought this was a lovely dry sparkling (too dry for The Doctor). I will definitely look for it at Binny's.Our server Omar was so nice and funny. He took very good care of us and was aware (I believe) of the limited space on the table and spaced out our food as best as he could. Overall the meal was lovely, we had a very good time, but three things happened that took this review down to three stars for me:1. The wine buckle holding my bubbles had a very long hair wrapped around it. I am not good with hair near anything I am drinking or eating and that included my own. I immediately got Omar's attention and he apologized and got a new bucket.2. For the dessert serve, I was given what I perceived to be a dirty spoon. The Doctor thought it might be dried paper towel, but whatever it was, it was on their solid. Again, Omar was called over and he took care of it immediately.3. There was a slender gentleman in a very nice dinner jacket who went between two tables that were occupied to open the drapes in the window. This actually required a little bit of reaching over the people sitting as the tables were situated in such a way that there was no way to move them over without leaning over. The second thing was in the middle of our dinner, while we were talking/laughing, he comes over and reaches onto our table to relight the candle in the middle of our table. When he couldn't get it lit, it took it with him and brought it back. No greeting of any kind or a comment to say pardon me, going to light your candle. All four us just stopped talking and looked at each other with that WTHeck look.So those three things took this review down to a three. Would I go back? Yes I would. The food, service and decor were nice. The Doctor and I were talking about if we go again, maybe we would sit at the bar and not at a table.

Decided on Chez Joel for my bday dinner with Mom largely because she's hearing impaired and other reviewers noted it's a quiet restaurant. Unfortunately, we had the opposite experience and it was incredibly loud during our Tuesday evening visit. The restaurant itself is quite small so they really pack everyone into one room. The patio may be better but it was too chilly to dine outdoors for us. I would actually say if you're looking for a cozy but lively atmosphere, this bistro is for you.Other than having to shout over the meal, I felt the food and drinks were mostly enjoyable. I started with the sparkling wine cocktail, which was very refreshing. For dinner, I decided on the scallops, which were absolutely scrumptious - well composed and very flavorful. For dessert, they were kind enough to bring out a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a candle in it but we also ordered the almond cake and it was just ok (a little dry). For a nightcap, we ordered off menu and our waitress was gracious enough to accommodate and make us some delicious after-dinner drinks. Overall, I felt the service was pretty good. We also lucked out with free street parking across the street. I can see how this is a neighborhood staple for French fare but in our experience I'd give 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Service was great and the atmosphere was welcoming. My salmon was unfortunately very under seasoned.

Free street parking if you can find it. We found some free spots close to our reservation time. Service was exceptional. Every dish was superb, can't find any faults. Price is standard for this type of cuisine.-grilled calamari with pesto, arugula, and roasted peppers-Frog legs with garlic spinach, capers, and brown butter sauce - not on current menu unless you ask-Rack of lamb, mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, au jus - any lamb is good on their menu-magret et confit de canard, sauce a l'orange-gateau aux amondes-profiterole

I have been here a few times and always enjoy it. They have a really cute patio to eat outside when the weather is nice. The food is good quality and the menu is reasonably priced. Some favorites are the onion soup, the coq au vin, and the filet. Great date night!

As always excellent food, the duck was great and the Coq au Vin was outstanding .....................

I recommend getting the duck, snails and beet salad with a bottle of Muscadet! If I came back, I'd definitely order it again.Cheese board is boring with not-so-fresh fruit, salmon is barely edible (simultaneously too much seasoning and yet so bland - perhaps just overcooked) but the overall ambiance and service are top notch! It might get noisy at times but that's not surprising with high ceilings.

Lovely, elegant dinner. I couldn't have been more impressed with service, food and ambiance. Spyros was the highlight, his service was impeccable! The interior is quaint, romantic and each table was appointed with a single fresh red rose.I started with the Escargots A La Bourguignon. The dish was delivered to the table, piping hot and was exceptionally dressed with garlic butter and pernod. The dish is served with an abundant amount of garlic butter, so if you are the one who loves to soak up the extra sauce with the delicious, warm, house baguette, you are in for a treat. Second dish: Calamar Grillé au Piston et Jus De Citron. Tubes are sliced on the vertical, lending to an extra unique presentation. The peppers were roasted perfectly and dish was balanced nicely with pesto and arugula. The calamari was prepared perfectly.Main entree: Magret et Confit de Canard, Sauce à L'orange. I was truly wowed by this entree. I feel duck is one of the most challenging dishes to prepare to perfection. There were two large slices of duck breast plated on each side of the leg/thigh confit. The balance of cranberries, perfectly poached pear slice, aromatic orange zest, red cabbage and beets could not have been better accompaniments. The duck breast was one of the most tender I've ever had, and the skin was crispy, which is why the chef recommends a medium preparation vs. medium rare. Parts of the confit leg were a little too done (extremely dry and over cooked), but because there was ample amount of duck breast, I didn't feel like I missed out on anything. I felt like I was in a fairytale dining at Chez Joël. This will be a must each time I'm in CHI town.

I enjoyed a great New Year's Eve dinner at Chez Joel Bistro. The food was really good! And the service even better! My waiter was Omar. He was so sweet and funny. He made great recommendations and was attentive to our needs. We ordered the mussels which were 10/10. They were flavorful and you could taste the fresh ingredients. We also tried the escargot. It was okay. We got 2 steak options on the menu and they were flavorful. We ended the night with the cream puffs stuffed with vanilla gelato 8/10. The drinks were really good though! The ambiance felt authentic! Beautiful with a classic touch. They gave everyone NYE hats, beads & party favors, that was so fun and special! I will definitely be back to try more dishes (: