Mon Ami Gabi - Not Authentic But Good (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 90)

Shortly before Halloween, we wanted to take Lisa's niece and her husband to a special Halloween street that we had discovered in the western suburbs so, before doing that, we stopped at the Mon Ami Gabi in Oakbrook. This was a solid place, albeit not really very authentic French (particularly compared to Kiki's Bistro, which we just also rated). Despite not being authentic, in our opinion, Mon Ami Gabi has a nice, relaxing atmosphere, even on a crowded Saturday night.

We started with a bottle of french red, Gevry Chambertin, which we found interesting but a bit too tangy. For appetizers, we ordered the onion soup, the smoked salmon and the baked cheese with herbs and tomato. The onion soup was a bit too sweet, the cheese was very good, but we thought the salmon was a bit fishy tasting.

We then moved on to a cheese course. It was accompanied by bread and olives. Three of us thought this course was only average, but Michelle did like it alot. Steve liked the bleu, but not the others. For entrees, we had the prime rib, steak au poivre, ribeye and steak frites. The frites were excellent, but the meat was uninspiring, except again Michelle liked her steak au poivre more than any of us liked the rest of the meat (perhaps she has the most positive outlook of anyone in the group).

For dessert, we had creme brulee, lemon tart, profiteroles and flourless chocolate cake. Even Michelle did not like the cake, which didn't have enough dark chocolate for her. Lisa was not wowed by the profiteroles. But Sean and Steve liked their creme brulee and lemon tart.

The bathrooms were problematic, as the floor contained more stuff than the garbage can.

All in all, this really wasn't that great, but perhaps the good company helped, as we have rated it fairly high (as we look back now, we don't really know why, but we have to trust our notes at the time, and much of the food was tasty).

Dinner for 4 with a bottle of wine was $350, which was probably about right for what we got.

Our ratings for Mon Ami Gabi, 260 Oakbrook Center, Oakbrook, Illinois

6.5 of 10 Faux Berets; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes