Vie: Best in the West (Suburbs) (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 19)

We'd been to Vie twice, both times before we started the blog. The first time, we absolutely loved it. The second time, not so much. This time was in the middle, but this is still a first-class dining experience. In fact, we think this is the best restaurant in the western suburbs. This is a celebrity chef-owned restaurant which specializes in "local" foods (meaning from specific growers and regions, not necessarily Illinois). For that reason, Vie's menu changes quite often (and Vie has not had the appetizer we loved the first time -- the tuna tartare -- since then).

Because the tuna tartare was not on the menu, Lisa ordered the yellow fin tuna cake appetizer, which included clams, pickled fennel and saffron. She didn't like it as much as the tuna tartare, partly because she prefers cold tuna appetizers and didn't realize the tuna cake would be warm. But it did have an interesting flavor, and she finished most of it. Steve tasted it and liked it a lot, not being as attached to tuna tartare as Lisa was. He also liked his pan seared Kodiak salmon appetizer, although, like Lisa, he prefers a different type of salmon appetizer (smoked). But this was still excellent quality salmon, and Lisa enjoyed it as well.

For the salad course, Lisa ordered the local lettuce salad. It included various types of lettuce, which were fresh, and a house dressing. While a good salad, it's not what we would call a signature dish, and the vinaigrette dressing was a bit strong. Steve was adventurous and had hierloom tomatoes with watermelon and domestic feta cheese. (He hadn't noticed the watermelon on the menu, or his choice might have been different; Lisa noticed the watermelon but thought he was trying to expand his eating horizons.) In any event, the watermelon did detract a bit from the taste, but the tomatoes were extremely fresh and the cheese was good. Lisa liked the dish as a whole, even with the watermelon.

Steve loved his main course, a lamb combination. No, not lamb figure skating, as the title made Lisa imagine, but part leg of lamb and part lamb slices. The flavor was wonderful, the meat was tender, and it was cooked perfectly medium rare. Lisa had the Kobe beef. It, too, was cooked perfectly and had a good flavor, with just the right amount of charcoal to set off the meat but not overpower it. (Probably it would be too little charcoal for Steve.) The beef was a little tough for Kobe, but tasted so good, Lisa didn't mind.

For dessert, we shared a cheese tray. Usually we try to order cheeses for an appetizer, even if listed as a dessert, because we believe dessert should be sweet and/or chocolate. This exception proved the rule for us, because even though the cheese was very good, it left us a bit flat. However, we did get some complimentary petit fours to end the meal, which somewhat satisfied our craving. Lisa especially liked the dark chocolate candy and the gummy lemon candy, which was very tart.

The wine was particularly good. We ordered a Beckman Syrah Clone I. As with most good reds, we could hardly taste the alcohol, and it was a perfect accompaniment to both the meat and the cheese courses. We also had an excellent sommelier. Even though we did not ask him for a wine recommendation, he spent time discussing other wine questions we had, including the proper pronunciation of "Shiraz," which he said is pronounced "Shiraaaz" (with the second syllable sounding like the word "as" instead of "Oz," like the wizard). We're not so sure about that, but we will check it out and report later.

The total bill at Vie with a bottle of wine was $250 and well worth it. With wine by the glass, it would have been about $175.

The bathrooms both were nicely decorated and clean, but they had a type of stone tile that just didn't look very clean, though it may have been.

Our ratings for Vie, 4471 Lawn Ave., Western Springs, Illinois:

8 or 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes