SugarToad

The meal was excellent, menu was limited but our food was beautifully presented and tasted fantastic.

One of the best places I’ve ever eaten at. Between your standard courses– Appetizer, entre, desert, the staff brings out very interesting sampler size dishes (artichoke heart with tomato chutney and balsamic, some kind of lavender ice cream to clear the palate, etc). For the appetizer, I had a Caesar salad, but did not taste remotely anything to Caesar salad. It was composed of lettuce, bacon, fried sunny side up eggs, and the dressing looked like a soapy bubble bath, but it was great. For the main course, Lobster and one of the juiciest steaks I ever had, with Brussel sprouts, artichokes, and very tasty garlic mashed potatoes. For desert, a soufflé topped with gold flakes. Not the best I’ve ever had, but still exceptionally good. Me and my girlfriend decided to take the wine pairing which I kind of regret. For each of the 3 courses, the restaurant provided a wine that matched the course. I’m no wine enthusiast, and the wine was pretty decent, but nowhere worth the ridiculous cost of $ 110 for a total of 6 half filled glasses between the two of us. At other elegant restaurants, you could grab a couple of good bottles for that price. Overall, an amazing experience. Would certainly reccomend to those looking for an elegant place to eat for a special occasion.

Was introduced to this restaurant through Chef Geoff Rhyne. Have to admit, we were crushed when he left. Haven’t dined here as much as we used to when he was still the chef. He always created perfect portions. I hope they still have the anchovy butter. May sound disgusting but it’s delicious when paired with their warm brioche bread

Had breakfast here with my daughter. We both ordered the frittata and thought it was excellent. It has goat cheese and veggies which work very well with the egg whites. Came with whole grain toast and a big dish of fresh berries and fruit. Service was very friendly and prompt. May be a bit pricier than a typical «pancake house» but not by much, and the food is fresh and creative. The atmosphere is casual upscale and overall comfortable.

This really is a awesome hotel bar. I mean for a hotel bar you typically don’t expect much, but these guys do it up right.
They have really friendly staff who are engaging and serve whatever you like up quickly.
It’s pretty large inside and have quite a few tables for food/​etc. the menu is huge but we never ate there. The room service that we ordered did come from the same place and it was really good.
Highly recommend this place if you have time to kill before going out and you’re staying at Arista.
The only downside, they use a measuring shot for Grey Goose and other expensive alcohol. Whatever though

This was our second time at Sugar Toad. The first time our food was outstanding, 5 star experience all the way and I thought we found a real gem close to home! The place is empty on a Friday night, we knew it would be, so the atmosphere is not at all lively. They mostly do a weekday business with business travelers. The food, however, made up for it the first time. This past Friday, my wife and I went again and we were very disappointed. Service was fine and our waitress was very nice. Unfortunately, the food was below «fair.» I had the swordfish, which tasted fishy on the ends and was extremely overcooked. My wife had the lamb which was also very overcooked, completely brown all the way through. The only reason I can come up with for the huge swing in quality is we had a different chef that night? I don’t know, but I don’t think we’ll be back.
After giving it some thought, I’m changing my review from 2 starts to 4. My first experience was so good, I think the bad experience we had the second time was just a fluke! I’ll give them another try and make it 2 out of 3!

My husband and I tried Sugar Toad when we stayed at Hotel Arista during our stay in Chi Town for a wedding. To me it wasn’t that good. Not what I would expect from a breakfast that you actually order from a kitchen. My husband had the American breakfast (or something like that). It was eggs, sausage, toast and breakfast potatoes. He liked his food. One day I had the turkey sausage hash and the next day I had the traditional eggs benedict. I’ve have scrambles from another breakfast place and this one was nothing like the other one which was good. It seemed like everything was a separate entity. It didn’t flow well together. The eggs benedict wasn’t bad. That was my first time ever having eggs benedict be I would never eat a poached egg. I tried it another time and it wasn’t bad at all. My husband and I both split the French toast both days. It had a good taste but was soggy. My husband that it was good but I didn’t. The second day I didn’t eat that much of it. Overall I wouldn’t waste the money to eat here again if I stay at Hotel Arista again.

Delicious lunch! Friendly hostess and waitress. We shared the charcuterie, which was plenty for the 3 of us. We had the lobster roll, vegetable oxtail soup, and the seared tuna on the salad. All meals were thoroughly enjoyed and filling. Very enjoyable lunch.

I had high expectations from this place, and really wanted to like it. We went there the day before Valentine’s Day, and they only had the pre fixe menu out, which I guess I should have expected, but I didn’t. However, the really professional and helpful server let us order ala carte.
The pork belly amuse bouche was a nice touch. We were very pleased with the delicious scallop appetizer that came with a brown butter/​balsamic concoction. The shishito peppers were very flavorful as well. The good times ended there. My pork tasting entrée, while it sounded very well thought out, failed in execution and flavor profile. My husband’s ribeye entrée was something you can find at a chain fast casual restaurant.
Cherry on top was something that’s never happened to me before-​they lost my coat that I coat checked! There was no apology offered that night. I call back to check the next weekend and my coat was gone, but they offered us a comped meal after I expressed disappointment. Needless to say, I won’t be returning.

What a tremendous letdown. I am not one to write negative reviews, but I felt compelled to write one here as I have been looking forward to this place for years. First, the service was terrible. It took 20 minutes each time we ordered a class of wine. Second, the main course was brought out too early and when they realized it, all they did was take it back and returned it to us cold (medium rare steak cold is not very good). Finally, the cake that we had for desert was way too dry, and really couldn’t eat it (considering we were once again waiting on wine to pair/​wash it down with). Overall, for the high price of this place it was probably the worse dining experience we have had. Your money will be better spent at any other place in Naperville.

This place is simply in a class of its own. I haven’t eaten a lousy thing there yet! Seems kinda taboo to order a burger at this place because you know they had to put a burger on the menu to keep people coming in but… I’m a sucker for it! It is AWESOME. Beef is from a local farms and I swear that beef tasted so fresh I thought I heard it «moo»! I’ve also had the scallops and their strip steak. To die for! I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention the bartender. A young gentleman (half Asian I think… look out for him and sit at the bar to eat. You’ll get the best service there) with exceptional skill and even MORE exceptional customer service. My wife wanted an Irish coffee with whipped cream. Not common to put whipped cream on an Irish coffee but what did he do? Yea. He went back into the kitchen and whipped the cream himself!!! Then he made made me an old-​fashioned and it was GREAT! Sugar Toad simply puts the other Naperville wannabe fine dining restaurants to shame. If you’re in Naperville and looking for something extraordinary, go here!

My wife and I went here for the second time for an anniversary dinner. Went on a Sunday evening and were literally the only ones in the restaurant. I have to admit that even though our first experience was terrific this had me a bit nervous.
Since it was our anniversary we were given two glasses of complimentary champagne to start off our meal. We had an appetizer which was a sampling of cured meats and pâté. This was good but not over the top.
The wine list is small but we were able to find wines which were appealing.
My wife had the venison which she said was outstanding. Since this was her first experience with venison and she doesn’t care for gamy foods it must have been prepared quite well.
I had swordfish which was served with a lemon sauce, coos coos and spinach. The fish was cooked perfectly. Sauce complimented the fish well and there was not too much of it.
Desert was good and after our meal the chef came to visit and get our opinions on our meal.
Overall a great meal and worth the money.

SugarToad has quickly risen to my top choice for a splurge on delicious food. I honestly don’t know why more people don’t know about this place — maybe because it’s tucked away inside the Hotel Arista. The food is out of this world! Everything is made fresh and the quality and inventiveness of the dishes rivals anything I would travel to downtown Chicago for — except here I don’t need to wait in line for hours or fight with people for parking.
The atmosphere adds to the culinary experience: modern sophistication in a small dining area with a quiet ambience that is relaxing and upscale. Take your time when coming for dinner — this is not a quick chain restaurant when you want to grab a quick bite.
The dishes can be a little pricey, but you’re getting a gourmet experience in my opinion. I’ve never had a bad meal here. I’ve had breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails, and desserts — all have surprised my expectations each time for taste and presentation.
The service I have received has always been top notch. I’ve come here for special occasions such as a birthday dinner and our wedding anniversary — the restaurant even surprised us with glasses of champagne which just made the evening all that more enjoyable.
If you are near SugarToad in Naperville you owe it to yourself to make a special trip here, you won’t be disappointed.

Trying a bit too hard perhaps but I applaud the chef’s inventiveness. Some dishes were a complete fail, others were out of this world.

Was a fun night with the MR. The food was interesting and kept the conversation up.
The staff seem a little over chatty about the food… as though they are instructed exactly what to say about the food.
Would try it again though

Duck, Duck, and more duck!
My husband and I came here on a mission! Their Chinese 5 spice Duck Breast. My husband had this dish when we were out here for a wedding and has been talking about it ever since (June).
We decided to have a little staycation and came out from the city and got a room for the night. We had 8pm reservations but after getting out there we decided we wanted to eat in our room. I had brought some good champagne and a pinot noir I knew would pair way better with the duck than their offerings.
The girl at the hostess desk was very friendly and I glanced at a menu even though we knew that we would be getting the duck! She told me it would be about 20 minutes and since we were hanging out in the lobby she would come let me know when it was ready.
To our surprise when it was ready, a server (probably the same one that does room service) brought it over to us. He was also very friendly. They didn’t add a service fee or a tip automatically for this which we appreciated so we did give him a tip.
The meal did go great with our wine and I love the Farro side that comes with it with the smokey bacon and I believe kale. The only reason they are getting three stars instead of 4.5−5 stars is that my duck looked very grey and was overcooked (although flavor still there) while my husbands duck was red and slightly under. Again, both still had great flavor and we still enjoyed our meal, but had to knock them for the consistency of the meat temp as this should come out perfect every time!
We will still come back and try it again though.

I typically don’t give bad reviews or maybe I’ve just been lucky not to find many faults with places I go. At any rate I had to give this place one star for a number of misses.
Ok here we go.
I would say overall the food wasn’t horrible but I had a few issues. This might be a preference but my side of fruit came to the table warm and looked like it was a few days past it’s prime. The raspberries looked to be breaking down and the blueberries looked shriveled and might have been recovered from a box of cereal. The rest of the food wasn’t really bad but nothing to really mention either.
The next complaint would be the mimosa that was served with flat champagne. I just feel if a bartender is serving a mimosa and notices the lack of bubbles from the obviously old bottle of champagne maybe you open a new bottle. This was fixed when we sent them back but again this seems like a lack of effort from the staff.
My last issue was the service staff. I really don’t like to knock anyone in the service industry as we all have bad days and I’m sure it’s a tough job. With that being said the entire place had a sort of negative vibe. The place wasn’t busy so it’s a situation of being super busy. I even witnessed a server knock a full glass of coke over and gave the guy a couple napkins without even saying oops, sorry or oh geez that’s embarrassing. She simply handed him a few napkins and walked away. lol
Maybe this was just an off day but I felt I had to be honest and say I’m sure there are better brunch options in the area.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed w/​our experience here.
We met friends here for a first parents’ night out, day after Valentine’s day, and it also happened to be close to my birthday. I was surprised at how empty the place was, for being so small. The ambiance is nice, dimly lit, somewhat romantic, with contemporary décor and furnishings…
We started with drinks, and I went for a pre-​dinner cocktail in lieu of wine, since it was my bday and all. They had a list of ‘winter cocktails’ so, figuring this was a signature drink, it should be great, and was happy to see one that included St. Germaine. This was just… water. It was a vodka drink that said it was infused w/​lime & berries, St. Germaine and topped with a Thyme sprig w/​a splash of soda. Sign me up! I rarely drink since the Babe, and this tasted as though I ordered a plain soda water. Barely any flavor from the St. G and nary a vodka taste in sight. And wait… is that a ROSEMARY sprig in my glass?! Um, yeah… For $ 12, I shook my head and had the hubs ask for more vodka after I took some sips of it. Ugh. Just… BAD
Forward to dinner — friends joined us and we ordered the Salumi platter and added cheeses and the tuna appetizers. Both very good, delish selection of blue cheese, not a huge fan of the meat selection, but was happy w/​the size of the cheese platter and tuna was spot on.
We ladies split a Pappardelle pasta platter and the Atlantic salmon dishes. The pasta was wonderful. Cooked well, lovely cream sauce. The salmon, on the other hand, was super dry, and the accompaniment was just weird and not good at all. Being a high end restaurant, I would have expected that they get basic salmon right..
My hubs had the steak and it was cooked to his request and he enjoyed the sprouts, which was his driver for even ordering the dish. I was told the pork chop was fine as well.
Service overall was just so-​so. Our waitress disappeared for a long time after she initially came to our table. To the point where our chatty group was all wondering where she was so we could order more drinks. She was nice enough, but seemed almost uncomfortable talking to us, and very inattentive.
We also ordered 2 bottles of wine, and she never checked on us or our glasses after the initial pour, and we ended up filling our own glasses the rest of the time.
They did redeem themselves a bit w/​the cheesecake covered w/​a tart berry sauce. It was damn good, but that could be the wine talking! My friends husband had cherries jubilee and it could not have been that good, as most of it was left on his plate.
Very long story short, I am willing to pay good money for a great meal. I wanted to like this b/​c the name is fun and we are looking for good places since moving to the burbs from the city. This was far overpriced for the mediocre service and average experience and food.
We will not be back. I recommend spending your $ 300 elsewhere!

This is without a doubt the top restaurant in Naperville. Excellent ambiance, excellent food, excellent presentation, and excellent service. The value is on par for a restaurant this caliber.
The prix fixe menu changes monthly. It is a must try if you are in Naperville. The restaurant is owned by Calamos Investments, it’s top notch.
Hotel Arista is one of the best hotel in the area, and this restaurant is the perfect place for dinner if you are staying at the hotel. All of the items on the prix fixe menu can be ordered ala cart if you don’t want to do the full menu.
This is a great restaurant, and I would highly recommend checking this place out for dinner.
Appetizers:
Braised Local Pork Belly Coffee Glaze, Crispy Potato, Fried Farm Egg;
Bouchot Mussels Chorizo, Garlic, White Wine;
Castilian Cesar Salad Local Red Romaine, Caramelized Halloumi Cheese and espelette croutons;
Entrees:
Short Ribs Leeks, Celery Root, Shitake Mushrooms, Soy Caramel Vinaigrette;
Pomegranate Cornish Hens Oven-​Roasted, Whipped Winter Squash and Sage Polenta, Red Ruby Chard Pomegranate Molasses;
Atlantic Salmon Oven Roasted, Artichoke Barigoule, «Tortilla Espanola,» Crisp Garlic & Dill Soda;
Desserts:
Chocolate Banoffe Pie Banana Ice Cream, Butterscotch Schnapps, Macadamia;
Tangerine Crème Brulee Kumquat Chip, Shaved Chocolate;
Marbled Red Currant Cheesecake Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust, Black Currant Noir Sauce

Date night in the burbs.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
For being in the burbs and being a hotel restaurant, Sugartoad surpassed my expectations.
Service was all I could ask for. Friendly. Attentive. Great recommendations.
I ordered the pappardelle pasta with parmesan, eggplant, and rapini. Increadibly rich and creamy white sauce. Great grilled flavor from the eggplant.
My husband went with the braised oxtail risotto with spinach. So glad that he was full from his corn soup so I was able to have most of this dish to myself! Risotto could have been more creamier but the oxtail was perfections-​tender, flavorful-​I must learn how to make this!
We had leftovers of both dishes and both tasted even better the following day!
We didn’t have room for dessert, but that didn’t stop us from ordering it! Could not pass up the chocolate croissant bread pudding with white chocolate icecream. MMmm. mmm…mmm. Flaky on top. Chucks of chocolate pieces busting out of the croissant. Just enough icecream. TDF! to die for!
Too cold to park your car in the lot… Hybrid vehicles can valet for free!
They also have a sleek looking bar/​lounge area. Must come early for dinner next time to grab a drink!