RT Lounge

closed

This place is yummy. The reason it loses a star is because it’s overpriced. Love grabbing the balcony couches when coming in with a group on summer nights!

I get that this is a hotel sushi bar and may not be up to others’ standards, but as someone who is a fan of veggie sushi and does NOT eat fish, I was pretty happy. Stuck at the Westin for an extra night due to a freaky March snowstorm, I came over here for my last meal in town before I moved to Chicago. Granted, it took awhile to find the place (not marked very well from the hotel) but once I settled at the bar, I was sold.
I ordered a scorpion because a tropical drink is just what you need on a cold night, and decided on edamame, peanut noodle salad, and the best avocado roll I’ve ever had (which isn’t on the menu but they were kind enough to make it for me).
While the peanut noodle salad was my least favorite, the bartender was exceptionally nice and made the evening that much better. Plus, this is apparently a local hangout for Wheeling’s finest.
All in all, I had a pleasant experience and would come back for the drinks and avocado rolls.

Their happy hour menu specials are a good deal. Though the sushi is okay. While it’s fresh, it’s nothing special. I thought the wait staff was very attentive.

As mentioned before, I’m a fan of sushi. I came here to catch up with the girls in the middle of the, wasn’t very busy. We got seated right away and our drink order was taken. It took about 15 mins to bring out 3 Martinis. We noticed the rolls were small so we decided to order soups, appetizers, and 6 rolls. The appetizer was good, we had ahi tuna with mango pieces, gave it a nice flavor. The rolls were horrible, very bland, I wouldn’t even say they were decent. There was one that was alright, nothing to rave about. Once we finished catching we realized our soups weren’t even brought to us.
The décor is nice, dim atmosphere, very Art Deco. If your staying at the hotel and want to grab a quick drink, I’m sure it’s a good place to do it. As far as food is concerned, I don’t recommend it.

I was at this place long time ago, perhaps 4 – 5 years ago, and I did not remember anything about it (what is also good, as if It was a bad experience, so I’d definitely remember that), until I recently came here with my friends for happy hour (M-​F 5 – 7 pm) Not to mention, two of my friends, used to go here a lot. I would not say they have the worst sushi, as it was reviewed before. Yes, not the best sushi, but it is okay to eat, especially on happy hour. The happy hour menu is small (what is minus for this place);however, it is still okay to go for a nice dinner. I really liked their spicy tuna roll, it was very good. Also I liked their cheesy bread. It was yummy. The atmosphere was nice, service was good. I would not say, I would go to RT Lounge besides happy hour, but I would definitely come for happy hour again! Go to this place for HAPPY HOUR, otherwise it would be pricely.

When I come to chicago on biz, I generally like to stay at the north shore Westin. Nice hotel but the selection of restaurants isn’t all that great. I’ve actually eaten at RT Lounge a few times and while I consider myself a sushi snob, this is a solid sushi restaurant. Its got a decent atmosphere and the service is top notch. The sushi I usually get here is mainly rolls because the nigiri isn’t all that good. Keep in mind, its a land locked location (the lake doesn’t count folks). Overall, good food and ambiance. Don’t expect high end sushi.

Expensive sushi that should actually taste better.

Worst. sushi. ever. Okay, maybe not ever, but it was pretty terrible. Especially the rice. I got the spider roll and my boyfriend (now fiancé! heehee) got the california roll and they both came out looking like someone had mashed the rice up before rolling it around the sushi. Plus the spider roll only had 4 pieces! What the!!! I was so hungry!
I kind of excused it because our waitress did tell us it was last call, so I thought maybe they were just scraping the bottom of the pot… but 1) Don’t make excuses for serving bad food. If it’s visibly bad, just don’t serve it. And 2) there are several other reviews that say the sushi was bad and the rice was horrible.
Also, I ordered tea because my throat was in desperate need of a warm liquid and I can honestly say that this was the WORST tea EVER!!! After I tried to force myself to drink half of it (even after putting sugar in, which I never do) I realized it tasted like the water had been sitting in the metal tea pot for way way way too long. As if I was going to get some sort of metal poisoning from drinking it.
I’m giving two stars, one for the romantic ambience, and another because we got engaged later that night (yayyyyyyyyyyyy) so I’m feeling generous for anything involved with the evening.
It’s too bad, because if the sushi had been good I would have been here non-​stop since I live just down the street. I’ll probably come back to lounge, but that was the last chance for the sushi.

I have been staying at the Westin and I eat here for convenience only. Restaurant has a nice atmosphere but the sushi I had for takeaway was average at best. I thought the prices were o.k. but I did not drink thus my meal was manageable. Again, for the convenience factor is better than eating room service but I’m going to do some searching to find a better sushi restaurant around Wheeling /​Deerfield.

1.5 stars: Sushi FAIL. so disappointed =(
My husband and I went to RT Lounge on our 7 year anniversary specifically to eat the hamachi roll, which I’ve been hyping up for him the past few months. Unfortunately the rice was undercooked, resulting in an inconsistent mushy-​hard texture. After one bite, we knew we couldn’t enjoy any of the rolls and had to send it all back*. The service was okay, but the server never apologized for the bad food. perhaps she was too busy since there was only 1 server for the whole lounge.
On the bright side, due to this sushi fail, we discovered their Truffle Mac & Cheese. While waiting for the sushi, we saw that the two tables next to us had ordered it, so we figured it’d be good. And it was VERY good, I especially enjoyed the browned caramelization of the cheese and shaved truffles sprinkled on top. This Mac & Cheese plus the Choice NY Strip steak saved the night (which was ordered off of Tramonto’s menu downstairs)!
The Chocolate-​Salted Carmel Mousse Cake was pretty good.
*This was the second time in my life that I had to send food back — the first time was spoiled fish that tasted like windex. uugh bad memories. Anyway, I was a server at a Japanese restaurant before so I can empathize about snobby or ignorant customers, but seriously. bad sushi rice is unacceptable.

The Good: The ambiance, food came out on time and tables were cleared on time. The truffled mac and cheese was a high light and next time I will try the kobe beef sliders
The Bad: When I order a $ 30 Steak I expect it to be cooked properly to order (ordered medium rare, came out medium well) I mean that’s the least I can wish for in a restaurant that has «Steak» in the title (it wasn’t grossly over done but if Outback did a better job of making a medium rare steak it’s not good) forget that it’s owned by Chicago’s Rick Tramonto… the presentation of the food was very lack luster.
The Ugly: Why would anyone serve bad sushi rice? It’s the single biggest mistake next to serving spoiled fish. The rice was undercooked and mushy from the excess water. To top it off we didn’t get an apology for the dish, it made me feel a bit like they thought I was in the wrong. I am actually a trained sushi chef and it doesn’t take my level of knowledge to know what properly cooked rice should taste like.
The first time I dined there it was through a corporate get together, we had the top floor booked with all the food, wine, and service.
I really like Chef Rick, especially after watching him progress through Top Chef Masters and reading stories about his success despite no classical training in cooking. Going to RT Sushi Lounge I wanted to like the sushi, I was looking forward to eating it along with a nice steak and some sides off their 4 for $ 40 menu. After asking the server to take the sushi back I felt like it would be too much to have them recook a steak to order. It wasn’t worth it to be such a stickler over food since we did go their for the sushi.
The rest of the food was great, atmosphere is great. I just can’t get over the fact that if a sushi chef can’t even properly make rice (I’m not asking for perfect rice, just something better than what I’d find at a sushi buffet) and they proceed to serve it knowing it’s bad it’s just a slap to the name of the restaurant.

Limited fish selection… but hey we are in the mid-​west and there isn’t an ocean around for miles. I get it. What they did have, they did well. Wild Salmon, Hamachi, scallops — check! check! and check!
Want to order something yummy that isn’t on the menu? Ask the chef to make you a spicy scallop handroll with tobiko. You can’t go wrong with this dish. Prices were a bit high, but sushi cuts and helpings made up for it. They also have a better-​than-​the-​average-​bear wine list.
With sushi I suggest the Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand (Marlborough… I think). The wine was called Suki (wait… that is a character from True Blood…) or Saki or something like that. Don’t worry you will know it when you see it.

Great for late night sushi. Nice and cozy yet very modern décor with a good full bar.
I don’t know if I would go back for a full meal, I can outeat my wallet with sashimi and therefore do not favor sushi bars catered towards non-​asians for dining purposes. However, I would consider this place for drinks and some small plates to go with drinks.
Good for dates or a classy suburban night out with the girls.

We went to RT Lounge a few times over the winter and had absolutely addicting experiences! The upstairs has a lounge type dining area that is decorated very Modern-​Asian. The service is wonderful!
I found a spectacular champagne there that they serve by the glass, definitely ask the bartenders about their special cocktails and let them know the tastes you prefer!
Put all your diet thoughts aside and order their Shrimp Tempura. It is so delectable!
This is by far a wonderful date restaurant! There are lots of nightlife in the immediate area as well, so it’s a lovely place to start the evening!