Tru

3.5 stars. Been to several high profile restaurants in Chicago. Tru wasn’t as good. We thought the menu was a bit old. Nothing we haven’t seen before. As with all restaurants of this caliber, service was good.

Everything is luxurious especially the service and food presentation.
What’s not good? Well, the containers and food presentation are quite creative and attractive, however the taste is way too plain… Dessert is the only part that we could say it’s good.
This is a good place for a date because everything luxurious. But for a foodie, perhaps only check the dessert tasting menu, not the dinner tasting menu.

Attended on New Year’s Eve early setting. Was not offered the menu
Set menu was a little disappointing. Wine Paring was good portion this time around was lacking
Left hungry

Had a great experience here at Tru. My date enjoyed it too. The ambiance is perfect for birthdays, anniversaries or for some other special event.
I wasn’t a big fan of the of their wine pairings for each course. But each course was magical in its own way. My favorite was the Alaskan halibut and beef ribeye.
I recommend adding the cheese course too. So many to choose from, and a lot were unpasteurized so it made the flavors more memorable.
Also, if you’re looking for a Michelin starred restaurant experience, Tru wasn’t that hard to find and get a reservation. Jackets are required for guys.

Dear Lord I love this place. I’ve only been once because it’s too frou frou for my husband but you must, must dine here. The service, the food presentations and taste are all incredible. I’m not a huge wine drinker but the wine sommelier was awesome with me and my husband and really helped us with wine pairings.
I understand the menu changes frequently so if you go and love something it may be not be offered next time. However, caviar is always on the menu! Just order it and worry about the cost later! The presentation will blow you away and this is the good stuff for sure.
The is one of Chicago’s dining gems.

My husband and I came here for our anniversaries two years in a row, and Tru never disappointed us.
The first time we booked the private dining room, so of course the food was amazing and the service was wonderful. Our server waived our corkage fee after he learned that we just got our marriage license that day (or it could’ve been because we booked their private dining room).
My favorite is their duck breast, which costed extra from their winter 2014 menu, but it’s worth every penny! We tried to get the duck breast again on our second visit, but unfortunately they took it off of the menu. Tru changes their menu frequently, so I highly recommend you ask for their duck breast. Even if they don’t offer it at the moment, other main courses are just as good.
If your budget allows, don’t forget to ask for wine pairing options or wine recommendations. It’ll truly elevate your whole dining experience. During my second visit, I told our server that I’d like to go light on alcohol. She recommended one white and one red to go with my dinner. Both were so good that I asked for the details of the wine so I can get them later.
I’ve been to many fine dining restaurants in Chicago, and I have to say Tru is one of my favorites! I like it so much not just because of the food presentation or the creativity that goes behind each dish. They provide very good quality of food, very fresh, and their service is impeccable!
If my budget allowed I’d come here every week. That’s how much I love Tru!

This place simply didn’t work for me. Felt the dishes being bland and uncreative, but most of all, I was still quite hungry finishing the Prix Fixe. The venison was the only thing I could recall really enjoying, and the ‘very cold pop corn’ was fine but nothing memorable.

My experience with Tru starts with the almost invisible front door they have. I arrived earlier than my dinner’s organiser and wasn’t sure if I was at the right place as it seemed closed (couldn’t see any lights from the outside). Upon going inside, I found myself in a low lit foyer area, which explains why I couldn’t see it from the street. After explaining I was early and was part of a reservation my friend had made, I was allowed to wait in room further inside the building that wasn’t part of the main dining hall.
When I usually go to places like Tru, I go for the tasting menu option to see the chef’s full set of skills on show. This format was the only real option at Tru and it didn’t disappoint. A few stand-​outs on the current menu included the first course (a vivid red dish of beet, apple and raspberry) and the second (a barely scrambled egg with white truffle served in an eggshell). I also had a red wine, which was quite dry (not a style I’m overly used to) but was very high quality with a great taste. Service was of a high quality, with the staff answering our queries with depth and confidence. Also of note, the lighting was brighter than what I’ve experienced in other US restaurants (in my view, this was another plus for Tru as I like to see what I’m eating and appreciate the visual aspect of it). Definitely earns a place on the list of restaurants you must visit if in Chicago.

High Class! Anthony Martin is a food genius. A sensational taste bud experience.

Celebrated our anniversary at TRU and found ourselves wishing we had gone somewhere else. The food was good, the service was ok. We had a very long wait between drinks and our first course. It was almost an hour after being seated and we were starving.
Unfortunately we were still hungry up until the 4^th or 5^th course and nothing stood out yet as truly amazing. The Venison was good, a little tough for my liking but my husband said something like «finally» as it filled the need for food.
The very frozen popcorn was unique and the most memorable item for me. The frozen beet w consommé was excellent too. Other than that I expected more. I did the wine pairing and it was good. Overall, I felt like TRU was overhyped compared to our experience. The ambiance and the service lacked warmth. We spent a lot for 2 of us and that was with only the 7 course option. For that amount of money, I expect to be absolutely blown away! Unfortunately it fell short.

Tru is not a restaurant that I would get the privilege to frequent often, but I had an to celebrate a birthday there, and it became a birthday to remember.
The food is world class and the service is simply outstanding.
My mother, who was treating me, and I were treated as royalty. Every maneuver from the staff was synchronized and choreographed perfectly. Their talent and passion deserve recognition.
The food was second to none.
I’ve had the luck and privilege of eating extremely well. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the non-​traditional /​contemporary menu served by the chef hit the mark.
Every protein came out perfect.
The flavors were layered, and the textures of the ingredients worked in harmony.
The entire experience lasted perhaps three hours, and we were stuffed by the time we left.
Because the menu is always changing, I highly recommend beginning the night with vodka and caviar. And try a couple of cheeses before dessert.
Otherwise, like I was saying, this is an experience, so be prepared to settle in for the evening and allow yourself to be spoiled.

I dined at TRU solo on a Wednesday night while in town on Business. The staff was extremely accommodating and gave me a lovely table that overlooked the dining room– providing me some much needed entertainment.
I sampled the Grand Collection tasting menu and was pleasantly surprised with most of it.
I loved the white sturgeon «caviar” — I thought that the presentation and flavor was very appetizing. The avocado hazelnut purée was less than flavorful.
The summer tomato salad was beautiful and extremely acidic– a little more salt would have been appropriate but I loved the plating.
Obsessed with the floral artichoke barigoule sauce with orange– so amazing! Crunchy, salty, smooth — delicious and flavorful– probably the best dish of the night!
Alaskan halibut with coconut– was sadly a bore. After 1 bite I decided it wasn’t worth the calories and I didn’t understand the tropical presentation. If you are going to lean toward Thai cuisine– give me some heat! It would have been better If it was spicy.
The Jidori chicken was perfectly cooked I loved the crispy skins, and asparagus.
The cheese selection was way too much fun! And with the help of my server we made a few excellent choices. He created a honey smothered plate– that rivaled any cheese plate I have had.
Loved the compressed pineapple parfait and banana ice cream– after a heavy meal it was the perfect sweet treat. Wish the banana cake was warm!
I didn’t want any of the mignardises– which they sent me home with anyway! (because my server was persistent, quirky, informative, and truly made my experience worth while). Needless to say– I ate it after work today– and the butter cake with raspberry was to die for.
Thank you everyone at TRU I will be back!

WOW! WOW! WOW! I am blown away!
At Tru you are not just paying for the food but for the experience! Went here with the boss who paid for all of us, thank goodness as I would hate to see the bill! I have never be treated like royalty and it was almost comical to the point of making me wonder just what kind of job interview it takes to work at a place like this!
Everything and I mean everything is choreographed! No need to pull back your chair when you sit — that will be done for you — all of the gals together, and then all of the guys — TOGETHER. Napkins on your lap — all together now! Need something to drink? Here comes the water poured into our glasses, and did I say synchronized to a tee??? — all the gals together, and then all of the guys. Unreal!
Let’s just say that the food was 5 star.
Chicago, you really know how to impress! Having been to restaurants all over the world I’m happy to call you my new home!

TRU is truly an amazing dining experience! Service and food was excellent throughout the evening. Not many restaurants have the service so synchronized, for example they would pour water for all the women at once and then for all the men. All the plates come down to the table in a similar manner. Very impressive training and etiquette.
To start the meal, my bottle of Lewis 2011 Napa cabernet was decanted over candle light.
Then the courses began. I will describe those which were highlights through the meal and excited the senses.
English pea soup with cured salmon and bacon. The salmon was cooked slow and low till it was as soft and flavorful as could be.
Best mushroom dish and presentation I’ve ever had. Morels and toasted pecans topped with sunflower sprouts. Served on a wooden plate made to represent the forest.
Sea urchin (uni) and two kinds of caviar — one cured with special salts — on a lobster flan base with Egyptian star flower garnish. The saltier of the two caviars was the most enjoyable with all the flavored combined together.
The scallop topped with an abundance of shaved black truffles and cured Japanese plums smelled and tasted delicious. Can’t go wrong with a lot of truffles! The texture and savory flavors truly made this one of the best courses of the meal.
The halibut arrived on one of the coolest plated I’ve ever seen — it could have been used as a decoration. The fish was cooked to an excellent texture, soft on the inside and crispy on top.
Ribeye was cooked perfectly sous vide and seared with sunchoke two ways — one crispy and one creamy. Flavors and textures worked well together to add some sweetness to the saltiness of the steak.
One of the desserts came on a bed of confetti with liquid nitrogen oozing out of the dish, quite impressive and made for a fun conclusion.
A tour at the end of the night of the kitchen capped off an excellent evening. I closed the restaurant down. Great staff at all levels of service. The entire meal was enjoyable and service was superb throughout. I will certainly recommend this meal to others and return again in the future!

I’ve been to Tru four times over a period of seven years, and I think it is the most variable restaurant I’ve ver been to. One time I’ll have a three Michelin star experience, the next I can’t imagine what they were thinking.
On my first visit, every aspect of the food and service was perfect. Upon returning a year later, virtually every one of nine courses was a saucer of goo. A couple years after that we returned to have one of the most visually stunning meals I’ve had anywhere, accompanied by perfect (and not stiff) service.
But my most recent visit was again a disappointment. Aside from a couple of minor elements (walnut bread with the optional cheese course) nothing stood out gastronomically, and the service was stiff even though it was a quiet night. Worst of all was our inability to keep our wine glasses filled with the two expensive Burgundies we ordered. The sommelier placed them on the far side of the room, and then disappeared for fifteen minutes at a stretch. We finally took to just asking passing waiters to refill our glasses. After the third such time, you’d think someone would have taken the hint.
I’m sorry if this seems petty, but when you’re spending over $ 1000 on a dinner for three people, the food and service need to be home runs. I’m sure I’ll try Tru again, but I’m going to give them a few years to go through another revolution.

Ok, when we were here 6 years ago, this was a restaurant to be reckoned with. Tramonto was at the helm and, while some of his dishes were a bit out there, he was really crushing it.
This past weekend, my husband was throwing out ideas for a date night and when he suggested Tru, I jumped on it. Unfortunately I didn’t check Unilocal first to see how far it had fallen.
The service was a bit odd — as if the staff were uncertain of themselves, or that many were training still.
The sommelier was excellent and knowledgeable. I agree that he tended toward sweet whites, but I still thought most of the wines he chose were very good.
What wasn’t good? Almost everything else. The star of the night was the foie gras mousse encapsulated in sugar. Fantastic! It tasted divine and was plated beautifully with a slice of blood orange and gorgeous flowers.
The only other course of note was the morel dish.
I should state that the amuse bouche failed to amuse at all. I think there should be a rule that if the amuse bouche is disappointing — you just get up and leave.
Everything else suffered from lack of creativity, or lack of cohesion — sometimes both.
Also, since when does fine dining involve serving different breads and butter with each plate? That was, to us, ridiculous.
Furthermore, the savory dishes, such as the ribeye (which was bland and somewhat tough) and the halibut (which was boring, plain, and served in far too buttery a broth) were entirely unimaginative and felt like fillers.
The pea soup with salmon confit would have been boring, aside from the salmon being overwhelming.
The ramp soup with rice was decent, as was the wheatberry dish… but for this caliber of restaurant (or what it used to be) and the price point, these shouldn’t even have been memorable. They only were because everything else was so disappointing.
The frozen cider topped with warm tea also just didn’t work at all as a dish.
Tru really needs to get its act together… Or it isn’t going to be on the scene for that much longer.
Even the floors seemed like they haven’t been kept up well. I know, a weird statement, but something I noticed.
To see how far they’ve fallen, at least in my opinion, see my previous review.

Tru is an incredible experience. They fully deserve their coveted 1 Michelin star rating — in fact, I think Tru is more in line with some of the 2 Michelin star restaurants I’ve been to (but hey, Michelin’s not asking me).
Michelin defines a 1 star restaurant as «A good place to stop on your journey, indicating a very good restaurant in its category, offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard.» To me, Tru is a little more of a destination than that. I’ve been here 3 times, and every single time, the food and service has been flawless.
I’m not going to list everything I’ve had here, because that’d take too long. But I have attached pictures of everything below for you to feast your eyes on. Suffice it to say, Tru’s food, service, and attention to detail make it worth a visit (or multiple visits).
I love places like this: you can entrust the executive chef to reimagine classics in a new, delicious way, introduce you to incredible new foods that you’d never thought you’d try/​like, and present food and ingredients at their finest. You can go to Tru confident that you’re getting outstanding cuisine — Truly some of the best in its class.

We had the most wonderful culinary experience of my life (so far)! The service is impeccable! First we were greeted at the door by our party name. He took our pictures when asked and made suggestions where to be photographed at. When seated, we all received a purse stool (how cool is that!) we had 3 waiters for our table that gave us their full attention. Also if you got up, they were right there to help you get seated again. Unbelievable!
The food was amazing, flavors I never experienced. I enjoyed everything I tasted, especially the duck! Wow the duck! Amazing! So so flavorful! Wonderful! Can I say it again, I loved the duck. Lol!
We did the pre fix menu and got several extras compliments of the chef! Wow!
When we were ready to leave, they had a car ready, we received a special packaged treat, again compliments of the chef! Lastly we got to meet chef Anthony Martin himself. We felt special! Amazing place!

Tl;dr version: INCREDIBLE food, ambiance and service. Whatever you do, get the foie gras and muscovy duck!!!
See below for detailed review!
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Husband and I planned a quick weekend trip to Chicago to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. My main concern for the trip? Which of Chicago’s numerous Michelin star rated restaurants would we be having dinner at, of course! I am so happy we ended up choosing Tru.
Ambiance: Great atmosphere for a special dinner. The restaurant is elegant and modern. Tables are spaced far enough apart so that you have your own space and privacy.
Service: Amazing, as all the previous reviews have already mentioned. Yes, they really do pour your water and bring out your dishes in unison. We had several different servers come by throughout the course of our meal and they were all attentive, knowledgeable, and professional without being snooty or stuffy. [Side note: you’re offered the choice of a black or white napkin. For the love of gosh, if you’re wearing dark attire, choose the black napkin!!]
Drinks: Extremely extensive wine list. We started off with some delicious rose champagne to celebrate and also had a bottle of pinot noir per recommendation of our server. Both were great.
Now, onto the FOOD!
We ordered from the prix-​fixe menu. Our menus had «Happy Anniversary» printed at the top and we were given a copy to take home. Such a lovely touch!
Amuse bouche:
— Yellow sweet corn + black truffle: Good! Perfect little teaser to start out with.
First course:
— Array of river salmon: Husband’s choice. The presentation of this dish is absolutely spectacular. Salmon is placed on a plate of beautiful, smooth river rocks with dry ice creating the effect of a river. I tried a little bit and the salmon was flavorful and fresh.
— Seared foie gras, yellow peach, gem lettuce, pecan: I flipping love foie gras and of course, Tru’s is phenomenal. The foie gras was melt-​in-​your mouth amazing. The peach and pecans it was paired with created the most perfect bites.
Main course:
— Whole roasted muscovy duck, caramelized belgium endive, quince + ginger chutney: There are three offers for your main course. The muscovy duck is served for two people so do WHATEVER YOU CAN to convince your dining partner to agree to this dish! I really enjoy duck and this dish is the hands-​down best duck dish I have ever had. I am so glad our server recommended this. He told us that the chef has partnered with a farm in upstate New York that raises muscovy ducks SOLELY for the purpose of this dish. If that doesn’t convince you… I don’t even know what else to say! The duck was juicy, tender, and cooked perfectly. The skin was crispy and the seasoning blend on top was ridiculously good. Endive and chutney were perfect with it.
Mint + verjus, grape, consommé: Light and refreshing.
Dessert:
— Campfire of s’more: Delicious! Chef’s play on s’mores definitely did not disappoint.
We also received another small dessert plate with an assortment of sweets, compliments of the chef, along with a mini cupcake with a candle for our anniversary. Such sweet touches that were very much appreciated.
Tru is a splurge meal but I wouldn’t hesitate to come here again for a special occasion. This place is the whole package from food to service to atmosphere. It was quite honestly, one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Thank you, Tru, for making our first anniversary dinner absolute perfection!

I visited TRU for my birthday a few days ago, chose to trust their 1-​star michelin rating and enjoy a fancy dinner there.
The place is quiet, sophisticated, refined and elegant. Men are even required to wear a jacket! They have spare jackets for men not wearing one, which I found funny.
The waiters are all very polite, sometimes even a little too exaggerated on their concierge-​like attitude, but overall pleasant and discrete.
Their menu offers 3 fixed-​priced options: 3 courses, 7 courses and 10 courses (plus amuse bouche, sorbet, etc).
We chose the 3-​course option and we’re not disappointed: portions are relatively larger than on the tasting menus so we were served sufficient food (regular concern on these type if restaurants).
Their plates had a very nice presentation, dishes had very interesting and original flavors and portions were just right.
We had an overall very pleasant experience, however I did not rate it with 5 stars because, for the price paid and michelin rating, I did expect a little more. Nonetheless, it was definitely worth the visit and would agree on paying TRU another visit once the summer menu changes.