Seasons Restaurant

The menu is very basic and overall good. I like their swiss berchumiesili oatmeal at breakfast. For lunch that spicy tuna roll was great. They added a thin crispy layer to the tuna roll which made it tastier!

This review is for their brunch.
Really, the best brunch I’ve ever had bar none. This is more of a buffet style brunch, and well worth it. I was really surprised to find some items here at a brunch like some Chinese food, some Mexican, etc but it was well worth it. The food was all excellent and I couldn’t have asked for more. The lox were probably the best I’ve ever tasted too. They actually had decent vodka (Kettle One, Chopin) for their Bloody Mary’s and tasted good. Service was excellent as well.
The price is pretty steep ($ 80/​person I think?), but well worth it if you can eat a lot and don’t mind spending that kind of money for a brunch.

Overall Verdict: This place is pretty good, and deserving of the recognition from Michelin. While not a place I would put at the top of my list, I do RECOMMEND it and will likely go back at some point.
LONG VERSION:
Continuing on my Michelin star restaurant quest and admitting up front that this review is biased based on comparison to the other Michelin star restaurants at which I have dined. See all reviews of the list here
Most relevant comparisons: Crofton (taste and appearance of the food); Spiaggia (old school décor and attitude); Avenues (hotel location)
FOOD: 4
Nothing we had (there were 6 of us) was bad and most people agreed they enjoyed their meals quite a bit. There was a strange menu oddity, however. We were first presented with a primary menu that looks fancy and expensive, more like L20. But a few of us had also seen another prix fix menu at the entrance to the restaurant. When we asked about this, it was brought out to us. Strangely, it looked like it could have been from another restaurant completely.
Bonus points to the chef for creating a special vegan bento box fpr me on short notice. Everything in it was flavorful and tasty and I did not leave hungry.
DECOR:4
Yawn. Yawn. Yawn. Firstly, there was no one in the room except us and one table of two. The restaurant is in this side pocket of a large floor of the hotel, hidden by a bar and lots of lounging space. The place looks like it has not changed since 1950 and I could see an episode of Mad Men being filmed here. I was actually surprised I did not look around and see men smoking at the dinner table.
I won’t knock them for this as it is still tasteful and quiet, so you can have a conversation during your meal.
SERVICE: 4
I think perhaps I would give the guy a 5 had their been moiré than two tables dining that night. Not sure if we would have gotten the same level of attention with a full restaurant. Also noted that the manager made a visit to the other table yet did not visit ours. In fact, late in the meal another two diners joined the restaurant and he REALLY kissed up to them. Still not a nod to our table. (I will NOT assume this had anything to do with the fact that I dined with 5 other African American men, though some may choose to question that.)
VALUE: 4
The Tasting menu would have made this place equivalent to Boka, Ria and Avenues. However, the fixed price options with three courses made it highly reasonable. They also had daily specials (which again made it seem like a menu from another restaurant) that looked good.
I would recommend this place but not over Avenues, Ria, or Sepia.

My family and I came here for Sunday brunch and could not have been happier with our experience. The seating area is plush and comfortable in classic Four Seasons style and the service is impeccable. The brunch buffet is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Every breakfast food you could possibly want or imagine is available for you here, along with a whole world of food you didn’t even know you wanted. At one point I had potstickers and a waffle on my plate at the same time. (Best waffle I’ve ever had in my life by the way, and I’ve eaten them in Brussels.) Everything was absolutely delicious and my biggest complaint is that I don’t have more stomachs.
My one and only criticism is with the desserts. The bread pudding was a little dense & dry. But the raspberry macaron was an absolutely divine eating experience. Eat the macaron, people! You will not regret it! This brunch is more than worth the price. Just make sure you clear your schedule for a nap afterwards.

My lovely 75 year old mom does enjoy a Sunday brunch in a fancy hotel, so I treated her to Seasons since she’d never been.
The food was quite good with the usual stations, but what sets Season apart is the generous space. Lots of room between tables and around the stations.
And of course the servers are so kind and delightful, just the thing moms love.
They offered unlimited signature cocktails and Bloody Mary’s (included in the price), so refreshing on a steamy Sunday.
Best treats were the carved prime rib, fresh sushi, mini biscuits, and crab claws (love that cognac sauce).

I’d give this place a 4.5 star because it didn’t live up to the expectations I had for being a Michelin Star rated restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good but not out of this world amazing, as I thought it would be. Great variety, both for vegetarians and meat eaters, nice dessert buffet and service is fantastic.
We had a private dining room for our large party of 15 and it was incredible. They gave us our own waitress who was in the room every few minutes asking if we needed anything else.
Overall, I think Seasons is overpriced for not blowing you away, but then again, you’re going not only for $ 75/​pp worth of food but to say you’re having brunch at the FOUR SEASONS. Makes sense?

I’ve been to the Seasons restaurant twice. Once because of Groupon and the second because it was so wonderful the first time.
This was the first place that I’ve ever had a whole lobster and my California guest insisted that it was the best she’d ever had too. All of our food has beautifully presented (think Iron Chef America style) and a real pleasure to consume.
The service is what really takes the cake at Seasons. It’s impeccable. Proof? They bring you a stool for your purse. Granted, the second time we had to ask for the cute little stools, but that’s only because they only have nine and all nine were being used.
Seasons is super fancy. I’ve always worn a semi-​formal dress, but I’ve seen men wear bow-​ties. I think that’s pretty fancy. There was also a live piano player and jazz singer outside of the main dining area, but within earshot. It was nice background entertainment and not at all distracting.
This is the sort of place where I like to truly enjoy my experience. It’s a place for lingering over conversation, food, and drink. Everything is surreal.

Dinner review. #4 on my 2011 Michelin star monthly visits. I’ve been vacillating between 3 and 4 stars. Since Bennie, the maître d’ really saved the whole experience for us and made us happy, and all the food was a solid 4, I went with 4.
Valet parked, elevators opened out to a beautifully appointed lobby. The bar area/​lobby lounge was packed and noisy, which was nice. The dining room is very quiet, more hotel-​like and mustier feeling than Avenues.
An elderly guy ignored us for a bit, then fiddled importantly with his screen some more, then finally plunked us at the worst table in the restaurant (center back, main service traffic), even though it was pretty empty, window seating available, and I had specifically requested it. (He did the same exact thing to another couple an hour later, and got corrected again. He needs to be fired). Didn’t bother pulling my chair out for me until he saw me waiting. Uh-​uh, I thought, are we going to have another Spiaggia experience?
Bennie came over, very smoothly apologized for the seating and offered us a primo table. Ruffled feathers smoothed. He worked the room, made all the patrons feel welcomed and special, and was very knowledgeable about wines. Special kudos to him. Can’t remember our server, she was ok. While he was there, service was efficient, but the last half hour they fell apart without him. Water glasses not filled, coffee took forever and this weak pale-​tea-​looking concoction appeared. I was not given the promised menu/​wine list on my way out.
I did the tasting menu with the suggested wine pairings, Hubby got a salad and the lamb, which was superb. My dishes were all wonderful, very solid, maybe slightly edgy. Didn’t have that delicious inventiveness and whimsy we got at Avenues with Chef Duffy. I can’t remember what I ate now, since I didn’t get the menu, but I got pics of all of it. The lobster starter was very good, the soup was excellent, Hubby’s perfectly poached egg with greens was very good, his lamb was superb, my veal was superb, and the desserts were good.

Ultra-​elegant Michelin star winning restaurant in the heart of the Magnificent Mile. Don’t show up at this place unless you are well dressed. Superb food and wine and surprisingly inexpensive for the restaurant of this caliber. We had a dinner for 5 and with drink our meal was less than $ 400.
My only issue was a dish that has black trumpet mushrooms as garnish. The mushrooms were not fully cleaned and so had a bit of gritty sand in them. Besides that it was close to a perfect meal. I will be back!

I spent $ 20 on a burger. Twenty. Dollars.
And I want to go back. And get another one. And another one. The wagu kobi beef burger at the Four Seasons is absolutely worth every penny and people who say differently can go back to McDonalds. (Ew.)
Last year, after a full day of Christmas shopping on Michigan and State streets, we lugged our bags up to the Four Seasons restaurant to treat ourselves for money well spent (bad idea, I know). At first, I was a little taken aback by the price of the burger, but when asking the server what he thought, I was convinced.
The other can’t miss option on the menu are the nicoise salad. Scrum-​diddly-​umptious!

The food at Seasons Restaurants lived up to what we’ve come to aspect from a place with a Michelin star. In terms of service, it also reflected what we expected from a Four Seasons hotel. We’ve stayed and dined at another Four Seasons out of the country and so far I can say that they are consistent with living up to how they carry their luxury hoteling brand.
We came here on the opening night of Restaurant Week. Seasons Restaurant and Seasons Lounge are right next to each other and given that there was only one host stand, it was a little confusing at first. There was a group ahead of us waiting to be seated at the lounge and another service staff came over to quickly help us out and got us seated inside the restaurant right away. The interior of Seasons Restaurants is very classic and walking in we felt like we were in a luxurious dining room.
For my starter, I had cauliflower soup with salt cod beignet. Biting into the beignet, it was perfect. The outside was crispy and the cod had hints of salt that would suddenly appear on my taste buds. My husband starter’s was salad with duck prosciutto. I tried some of it and was very good. We both ordered the same entrée: braised pork cheeks. They were extremely tender. My husband asked our server what was the name of the mushrooms that came on the side and he replied that they were called «enoi». They’re similar to enoki but enoi is what’s in season now. Now, that’s what I call a well-​deserved Michelin star restaurant. Not only is the food good but our server knows his stuff! The dessert came with dehrydated mocha sponge cake which was very interesting. The texture was like biscuit, kinda. And the espresso ice-​cream that came with it was also very good.
The service was very professional throughout, befitting the Four Seasons standard. Given that we were there for the $ 33 prix fixe during Restaurant Week, we really had a good deal. I saw on their ala carte menu that even some of their appetizers cost around $ 20. From my experience of their food during Restaurant Week, I want to say that the quality of the food befits the ala carte price point. Sure we won’t be coming to Seasons Restaurant every month but this is a place that we will keep in mind when we are planning a special night out with or without guests.

I’ve been here twice now.
For both times, I ordered the chef’s tasting menu.
First time, it wasn’t that great. I didn’t think I would come back because I was mainly disappointed with their main entrée of the 5 course meal, which was pork chop. It was nothing special. Afterwards, I was served a plate of bree cheese, which I only had a bite and could not continue.
However, I took a risk for the second time because I noticed they changed their chef’s tasting menu. I’m glad I took that risk because it was simply delish except for the bree cheese that they serve.
For $ 99, it is a great value. I can’t wait to try their brunch sometime in the future.

I’ve seen a lot of buffets in my days, but the brunch buffet far exceeded any expectations I came in with. Now, that says a lot!
Come prepared to be waited on hand and foot; and be met with more food than any one human being could ever taste! I’m now of the opinion that before death, everyone MUST visit Seasons. It should be a requirement to pass through the Pearly Gates.
Our inaugural visit was on Halloween, using our coveted Groupon. We parked ourselves in the middle room, by the custom made omelet station where you had the choice of crab, shrimp, lobster, and scallops to mix in.
After gandering past the prime rib and turkey stations, waffle station, parfait station, bloody mary station… we gandered into the second room. After the sushi, crab, lobster, and asian station, I wasn’t sure if I could possibly make it past the Indian food station or even over to the cheese and dessert area.
I had to pace myself at this point. Taking one nibble of everything I picked up. Eventually, after many glasses of water and digestion… I mustered up the energy to find dessert – and boy, am I glad I did!
Forget your average crappy dessert table of petite fours, Seasons brings their A game with custom made dessert confections! You must save room!
Yes, Virgina, Santa Clause does exist… and he’s the chef at Four Seasons!

With a Groupon burning a hole in my pocket, my bf and I made our way here for Sunday brunch.
Our original intent was to have dinner there a couple of weeks ago, but there was a snafu with our res, so in the end, we settled on brunch.
This is one of, if not most, pricey all-​you-​can-​eat brunch buffets in the city. I’m not sure I’d be willing to shell out this kind of cash on any kind of regular basis, but once in awhile, you gotta splurge, ya know? And with my trusted Groupon in tow, it made spending beaucoup bucks that much more palatable.
We had a lovely table by the window, which overlooked Michigan Avenue, and our server was very sweet and kept the coffee flowing.
There’s an enormous assortment to choose from, so your best bet is to to a quick once-​over of the offerings and then plan your strategy accordingly. It’s quite a bounty of brunch items to behold:
*croissants and muffins
*made-​to-​order omelettes
*regular and lobster benedict
*waffles
*ricotta blintzes topped with fresh berries
*sushi (both maki and nigiri)
*fresh shellfish (shrimp, stone crab claws and crab legs)
*smoked salmon
*assorted salads (caprese, nicoise, Thai beef)
*asian items (spring rolls, satay, shumai, potstickers)
*assorted cheese and salumi
*carved meats
*petit fours
*bloody mary bar, featuring premium vodkas
We indulged our inner fat kids until we could take no more. Then we went home and put on elastic pants and took a two hour nap.
Treat yourself to this over-​the-​top, gut-​busting brunch just once.

Had dinner here with our groupon. Probably would not have gone had it not been for the groupon because well, its a hotel restaurant, it seems kind of stuffy and dark, pretty expensive — but this is the beauty of groupon. We went, we dined, we LOVED it, and we will be back.
We had the risotto appetizer with wild mushrooms and a pheasant egg. Perhaps the best risotto I’ve ever had. Then lamb sauerbaten — not always crazy about lamb but it was delicious. Hubby had pork cheeks, also wonderful. Our waiter was not snooty at all, but was funny and informative and knowledgeable.
Great food, great service, can’t ask for more.

Fantastic service at the Sunday brunch. I’m a seafood lover so I didn’t think the quality of their seafood was top notch. Bob Chinn’s seafood is fresher. From their seafood bar, the crab legs were delicious but certainly not the best I’ve had. Their best dish was the braised beef (so tender!) and their himachi was quite fresh. Their seafood medley was a bit dry.
The servers and my waitress (Nicole) were absolutely wonderful and attentive. You pay for the service. If you’re looking for top notch seafood though, then I wouldn’t recommend this brunch.

My love of this place is based less on the food and more on the fact that they really take excellent care of you during your dining experience. The food is fantastic, but the service really makes this place.
My bf brought me to Seasons for my birthday dinner. Right off the bat, the hostess wished me a happy birthday. And the happy birthdays kept coming throughout the night. My birthday is a big deal to me so this really meant a lot.
I was indecisive but our server was lovely and helped me choose a main course based on my starter. She also helped us decide on wines. They offered to pair each course with a wine even though we weren’t doing the tasting. Sure, they picked the priciest wines, but damn they were good and they weren’t stingy with the pours. Huge delicious glasses.
The next two hours were a blur of amazing wines and earthy snails, smoky salmon with delicious butter lamb sauce, light and flavorful soft shell crab, tasty rabbit, and killer chocolate covered beignets with bourbon soaked cherries, thai basil, vanilla caramel and sour cream ice cream. Amazing.
The dining room is quite formal, but you can’t go wrong for a special occasion. What a great night!

I rarely give out 5 star ratings on establishments in my ~400 reviews and this is definitely a deserving one.
I went to Seasons for their Sunday brunch buffet, ($ 72/​pp) and it’s FABULOUS!
– the minute you walk into the Four Seasons building, you are in a different place, isolated from all that noise and dirt and wind outside. It’s like you are in a movie setting, beautiful crystal chandeliers, marble mosaic floor, carpet, wall hangings, etc.
– service: impeccable
– food: a feast to the eyes as well as my tummy. =)
~~ only thing though, their Asian food stations (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) are not that great… all the better, leaves me more room for the other goodies.
– the seafood section is so satisfying, I kept on going back to it. And they also served Serrano Ham, freshly carved off the leg of ham at the station, which I have not been able to locate anywhere in the States since I got back from Spain. Seafood: smoked wild Atlantic Salmon, king crab legs, snow crab claws, jumbo shrimp… ~~ the best!
– The fresh squeezed OJ and GJ and coffee are very good, and they had free Bloody Mary as well. THE BEST is the dessert station, usually one expect only 2 – 3 really great ones out of a selection of a dozen. But NO… HERE EVERYTHING IS FANTASTIC! even on a full stomach, I enjoyed every single bit of every dessert sample we took…
That’s just AMAZING! I have to try the NYC and SF Four Seasons to see if they are the same in quality and décor!
–

I’ve been here a few times for dinner and once for brunch, then most recently for Restaurant Week 2009. Every meal here was exceptional and this is one of my favorite champagne brunches, second maybe to the Phoenician in Scottsdale.
Restaurant Week dinner was excellent. I felt like I was practically stealing my meal, it was such a good value. I took advantage of the wine pairing option w/​the Restau Week menu and am so glad I did!
all 3 of my choices were excellent
1^st course — carneloni risotto w/​pomegranite seeds, apple and pork cracklings. Really great mix of flavors.
2^nd course — 24 hr braised beef tips w/​gnocci and some green purée… can’t recall what it was. The beef melted in your mouth. Well seasoned and cooked perfectly.
3^rd course — a chocolate caramel cake with rum & coke ice cream. hot damn, this is heaven!
The service was exactly what you expect from a 5 diamond restaurant. The servers were extremely friendly, accomodating and knowledgeable. I like to drink my water as fast as possible to see how long it takes for it to be refilled as a little test of how attentive the service is — and they passed!
When we left they told us they’d continue to have similar prix fixe deals like the restaurant week one through the end of March. And they sent us away with 20% off coupons that expire at the end of the year. I guess the lousy economy is my gain!
After dinner you must head for a drink at the Seasons Bar. They have an excellent martini and cocktail list. The chocolate martini is good. I also had a prosecco cocktail that was quite yummy.

This is a tough one to rate. We’ve gone for the brunch, rated the best in Chicago, and it is. But providing lots of good food for customers to stuff themselves isn’t my idea of a five-​star restaurant.
The brunch buffet assortment is fabulous, with everything and more. Breakfast items, lunch items, sushi, carveries, pastries, it goes on and on. But nothing is remarkable. A cheese omelet is a cheese omelet. Mediocre sushi is mediocre sushi. The smoked salmon is excellent, but it is in most restaurants. If you’re a real foodie, this buffet won’t do much for you. If you’re in town and hungry (and hopefully on expense account), this is a memorable brunch. The waitstaff at the tables are excellent — the «girls» checking you in and seating you are too impressed with themselves to bother understanding why they’re there.