Dear Margaret

Charcuterie platter with duck liver mousse with gooseberry aigre-doux, lamb sausage, some local cheeses and honeycomb. Escargot that was roasted with rosemary and compound butter, an amazing beet salad with burrata cheese served pommes dauphines; some kind of lightly breaded potato stuffed with oyster mousse topped with caviar, and house-made French baguette & grilled 9-grain whole wheat bread and fries fried in beef tallow.Then we had 22-day dry-aged bavette beef with escargot butter and a silky demi-glace, and tubetti and pistou.And then for dessert, we had sweet and sour cherry clafoutis with whipped crème fraîche, butterscotch maple pudding with butter brittle, and a brown butter financier with rhubarb and orange blossom yogurt and lemon.The staff is amazing as is the atmosphere. Not an open table all night. Thank you Terry and Shannon; we had a fabulous dining experience!

I stumbled upon this hidden gem during our three-day visit to Chicago. After dining at both three and one Michelin-starred restaurants on the previous two nights, we saved Dear Margaret for our final evening. And let me tell you, the Michelin-starred establishments in Chicago could certainly learn a thing or two from Dear Margaret.This cozy and unassuming restaurant completely surpassed the renowned Michelin offerings. Every dish we sampled was simply divine, leaving us wishing we could indulge in seconds of each. From start to finish, Dear Margaret delivered an unforgettable culinary experience that exceeded all expectations.No pictures to post - the food just disappeared so fast!

Probably one of the best places I've been this year thus far. Not loud or too quiet, not too posh or too casual. Starting with a tip, make sure to ask if they have the baguette for the charcuterie board. The menu with toast instead so it's important that you ask.Great service! Friendly, attentive, not too fast or too slow. We were 4 people and we were told with the charcuterie board you should get 1 small and 1 large plate per person. We got 5 dishes in total and I this we made the right choice. The lamb, rabbit liver, fries, whey braised carrots, and the asparagus. I can recommend them all actually.

Super cute spot! Our waitress was incredibly nice and very knowledgeable about the menu items. She answered all of our questions thoroughly.What we ordered:Pommes Dauphine: Honestly the best bite ever. The bar was set high when the first thing we had was this. I was so tempted to order them again.Grilled Scallops: Great and standard.Tomatoes: I'm trying to understand how tomatoes can taste this good. Seriously, one of the better dishes that we ordered!Glazed Blue Ridge Rabbit Quarter: Very tasty. Loved everything that came with this dish.Aged Duck Breast: Yummy and flavorfulThe kitchen gave us a complimentary dessert for my birthday. This is a very nice little spot; I will be coming back!

Stepping into the restaurant you are transported to your French Canadian auntie's home. The simple decor, dining ware, and aesthetic truly make it feel like you have been transported back to a kitchen in Louis St. Laurent's Quebec. The service was very friendly and helped guide us through the menu with recommendations. We ordered the pomme frites, country pate, and slow roasted duck leg. The charcuterie came with a delicious house made butter. The duck was well seasoned and flavorful. The restaurant helped us pick a delicious Pinot noir that worked perfectly with the dishThe only drawbacks I found is the price point felt a little high but given the quality meal it certainly can be justifiably. I also wish they invested in sound dampening solutions as it got a little loud as the restaurant filled up.

Absolutely outstanding experience celebrating our anniversary tonight. Such a cute and homey place serving French Canadian cuisine. Wonderful service, amazing food, and just all around a wholesome experience. Make sure to make a reservation in advanced this place packs up fast!We ordered the baguette with Stilton cheese, green beans, fried sweetbreads, pheasant, and panna cotta. Everything blew my mind and was too notch quality. If you've never had fried sweetbreads I highly recommend that you try it here. Great quality food and ingredients all around but be aware that portions are smaller. Would recommend for the restaurant to either increase portion sizes or decrease price point if possible for future. Either way, still a place that all should check out.

Maybe I'm not a huge fan of Canadian-French cuisine, but it was pretty meh. Food was good but nothing too outstanding. It was also a little on the pricier side as well. The scallops were a little too over cooked and dry, so I didn't enjoy them as much as I thought it would.Pomme Frites we're nice and crispy. Delicious.Heirloom tomatoes were nice and plump!Fried sweetbreads were just ok. It kind of tasted like a popcorn chicken, but softer.We also got a little charcuterie board and I didn't like how they charged us for butter and bread. The baguette was $1 more and tasted worse than the one that came with the plate. The cavatelli was actually refreshing! It's not a saucy pasta, so if you're into that, skip this one.Overall, not entirely impressed

Came in for dinner last night and had an exceptional meal. My wife and I are continuing to work through the Bib Gourmand restaurants we had not previously tried (about 15 in total), and Dear Margaret checked a lot of boxes.First, the price point for Bib Gourmand worked out; we were able to get an entree, a side or dessert, and a glass of wine for just about $50 per person before tax and tip.Second, the space: intimate. It's a little tight in here, but it wasn't too loud and tables seemed to flip quickly. I was bumped a few times by servers moving around the space (we were seated smack dab in the middle of the restaurant), but nothing game-breaking. Just know that you are entering a space that feels more like eating at someone's house (a little like eating at a Tavola in West Town) than eating at a restaurant.Third, the food. Across the board, loved the flavors. We tried the beets, the bass, the frites, and a baby charcuterie board of duck liver mousse and the "Brillante by Donge" triple-cream cheese with a baguette and the house butter. We added the chocolate pot de creme for dessert, and that was also pretty good (although the chunky crumble that came on top of this was a little unwieldy, TBH).Service was great, and the general vibe felt right. This spot is a bit far from my home so I don't expect to come here regularly...but as a one-off meal, I thought this place was great.

Six stars. I said what I said. Trying to think of something not to like about Dear Margaret...and I cannot. Don't let the relaxed bistro vibe fool you. This is fine dining. Just sit back and order all three courses of a creative and taste bud-tastic meal. And then pay what is required. You will not be disappointed. The chef does the magic without being particularly beholden to any particular culinary tradition. But it all works, just the same. Even better, in fact, than if it was contorting itself in a performative bow towards anything in particular. It just is, and it is glorious. The wine list, the foods, the desserts, the cheeses, the service. All of it.

We came here for dinner to check out this highly rated restaurant. Our waitress recommended 2 small and 2 large dishes total for 2 people so we opted for fried smelts, gnocchi, chefs special lamb, and parsnip ravioli. We were told the dishes get larger as you go down the menu.Fried smelts ($14): I liked some of the fried vegetables but found the smelt to be too fishy for my liking so I only had a few pieces of thoseGnocchi ($18): this was probably the best dish of the night. The gnocchi was soft and pillowy. The carrots and nuts added nice textures. It was just a small portion for the pricePinn-oak farms lamb (chefs special) ($23): the lamb was crispy on the outside and a nice texture overall. The cut was a bit fatty but if you don't mind it's a nice dishParsnip ravioli ($30): the presentation of this dish was beautiful and it had a lot of potential with the different textures of the soft ravioli and crunchy pistachio however it was a bit bland in flavor overall for me personallyChocolate pot de creme ($14): really good! It was delicious and we both really enjoyed it! My husband also got the Pinot noir from Scherrer winery in Sonoma ($16) which was really good! Overall I liked Dear Margaret but took off 2 stars for the following reasons: 1. The flavors were a bit bland for me. I'm sure others may enjoy more (based on the high reviews) but I personally didn't find the flavors that exciting and 2. The portions were a bit small for some of the dishes given the price point. Otherwise this was a cute restaurant and made for a nice evening out.