Chef's Station

They are a bit on the pricey side, but the quality of the food, service, and ambiance made it worth every penny. We had the New Years Eve tasting menu along with the wine pairings they offered and the meal was incredible.

It was a full hour maybe more for the five of us between appetizers and the main course. I selected a roast pork special. The waiter never said it was $48. It arrived about 90 minutes (honest) after we arrived (at 6pm) without one of the vegetables (potatoes)… Nobody came to say why there was such a delay... Nothing was offered to fill the time. Other tables were also bare with people openly perturbed , no glass of wine, no refill of my Diet Coke ..just a minuscule sorbet. Pretentious menu, overpriced, and just terrible service. we finally asked for some bread! That said, the food was good. Still, at these prices totally unacceptable. (How hard would this have been- "sorry, we're very short staffed in the kitchen tonight , unexpectedly....the chef sent you this bottle of wine with his apologies.. your dinner will be out soon"

We were seated at our 6:30, reservation time. After 15 minutes we asked the hostess for water and whether we had a server. Our seats were along the aisle on the left of the door near the bar.We were hungry and after a while asked for bread. Our appetizer took another 20 minutes as we watched other tables arrive and be served by another server. (One party that came in 1/2 hour after we did left 1/2 hour before we did). The hostess noticed we just sitting there and took our drink order. More wait for 2 glasses of wine.The server and hostess discussed which one would get this pour. Our entres of salmon and (tough little) lamb chops took so long that I ordered more bread and (delicious) soup. It had been over an hour with no dinner. The only other time we dined here the simple entrees took so long to come out we were comped (not having complained) the dessert souflees by the apologetic server!! Our seats by the bar were noisy with crashing around in the under-bar refrigerator to the point my calm husband asked if construction was happening behind his back. There is NO busing help so servers clear and reset tables AND SERVE; AND make drinks even if they don't really know how! There is no bar tender! Last time my husband ordered a Rye Manhattan and the server made something rather strange with Jim Beam. Not even a bourbon he would want to drink. We're done here. Sorry. We wanted to find a quiet dining room with excellent food. AND, I noticed in the on-line menu that The Chef offered Henry Farm beets and spinach. Henry is a friend I've worked with for 20 years. When I mentioned this he assured me that Elio had not been to the market all season nor had he placed any restaurant orders. Dear Team, Your defensive response to my thoughtful review goes neatly to the HEART of the problem. Ignoring the many Alcove factors that contributed to my writing a review at all, you attempt to discredit my observations by referring to a general “misrepresentation”. 1) My husband’s Rye Manhattan was called a “Jim Beam Manhattan” on the bill. More to the point, it was not good from the first sip. Bartender? 2) The responsibility for your web site is yours so, of course, you know where you refer to Henry’s Farm Beets and Spinach. Do you think, as you imply, that it’s not there? 3) Our server undoubtedly is one of your best. Does this address the Bottom Line? We were NOT well cared for by a combination of waiter, kitchen, and bar. If you remember the situation as you seem to, you know this is true. I wrote my review to give voice to the most expensive, failed dining experience in our memory. After reading the article about the renovated Alcove we were really looking forward to finding a quiet, excellent restaurant to replace the many favorites in this category that have closed. We wanted to love it. That’s why we brought our appetites and tried it again for our anniversary. Our first experience should have been enough.

Look, this place isn't a bargain. But you're getting an Executive Chef who is also the owner who also works the pass every night, making sure every dish is thoughtfully designed and well executed. Atmosphere is fine dining but not stuffy, and wait staff are highly competent and fun. Favorite place north of the City, hands down.

Best dinner in Evanston on a Sunday night. I had tuna tartare, cheese tart, and briased short ribs. 2004 Dom Perignon to celebrate our 40th NU reunion with classmates. 2017 Darioush Cabernet Sauvignon! And Grand Marnier souffle for dessert!