Restaurants near Illinois Science and Technology Park

Was recently dining at L. Wood's for my Mother's and for my Brother's birthday celebrations. Mom likes to eat early, so the reservation was for 430PM. We got there and the place was PACKED! We were greeted by the hostess----who was very pleasant and professional----and immediately shown to our table. Our server was Flavio (sorry if I am spelling it wrong) and he and his team gave us incredible service. I had a few questions about entrees, and he was very helpful and informative. Food was awesome. We also took advantage of the Early Bird drink special, which was a great value. All four of their specialty premium Old Fashioned's were only $9 until 5PM. Mom and my wife had the house red wine, also on the early Bird menu. My wife and I both had the Walleye Fish and Chips and loved them. My Mom had a cheeseburger and took a LOT of it home for another meal! My brother had the Brisket burger and his girlfriend had a cheeseburger. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. For appetizers we shared the calamari. It was awesome! Two of the guests had the French Onion soup which they loved. My wife and I split a Spinach and Avocado salad and we loved it. I was kind of bummed out that I was so full, because we wanted to have the special Salted Caramel Bread pudding, but nobody had any room! L.Wood's and it's predecessor "Bones" (both Lettuce Entertain You restaurants) have been in that same location for close to 50 years. I can see why! I have been there many times, and will go back many more! Thank you Lettuce, and thank you L. Wood's staff! Last year my Mom and Brother were celebrating monumental birthdays, but covid in the family canceled that. This year we got a "re-do" for Mom and Scott and it was AWESOME!!!

Everything was amazing however it was a birthday celebration and although we ordered a dessert a candle or acknowledgment would of been nice. Not recommended for a birthday but will definitely return for dinner. 1st visit at this location, overhead parking was a plus since it was snowing.

This was a girls night out to celebrate a birthday and the holidays. My favorite thing about Ema - aside from how delicious and creative the food is - is that the portion sizes are big enough to share, but not so huge that you feel guilty ordering multiple dishes. There were six of us and we ordered a variety of cocktails (which were beautifully presented) followed by several dishes from all sections of the menu. We started with the classic hummus and the toasted almond & garlic spread. The hummus was predictably delicious, but the real standout was the toasted almond garlic spread. It was crunchy and nutty and had lots of flavor. We next had the chopped salad and the big eye tuna with Honeycrisp apple and pomegranate seeds. The chopped salad had a pleasantly surprising bit of spice to it, which we all enjoyed but….the tuna preparation was stellar and is a relatively new add to the menu. Ema’s previous tuna dish – from October – included watermelon, but this dish was truly spectacular! The bright pop of color and tartness in the pomegranate, paired with the tuna and diced apple, along with the mint… Made it look like Christmas on a plate. SK SO good!! We then had falafel, brussels sprouts and brown butter dates. The falafel is crunchy and flavorful, and served with a beet-laced tzatziki. The brussels sprouts were prepared with shallots and pumpkin seeds and a subtle hint of sticky sweetness. The dates were fine, but nobody was raving about them like we did the other dishes. We finished our meal with the harissa crusted halibut, and the cauliflower kebab. Both were excellent, although my personal favorite was the halibut. It is served on a bed of mushrooms, in a Dashi broth with a spicy crust on top. The fish was tender and flaky and full of flavor. Service (Morgan) was attentive but not annoying; ambience is chic and classy but comfortable. You would never know you are in a parking lot in Glenview as opposed to a terrace in the Mediterranean.

The chicken and beef dishes we had were excellent. The banana dessert was too oily. Otherwise the meal was wonderful. The noise level is too high making a business meeting impossible . The music is pulsating and after awhile becomes distracting.

We had a fantastic time. Dinner was perfect and delicious.