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    Post #1 - May 1st, 2015, 7:33 pm
    Post #1 - May 1st, 2015, 7:33 pm Post #1 - May 1st, 2015, 7:33 pm
    My group was this restaurant's first of their grand opening. I'm not sure how long they had to practice, but the food tasted great and overall, it was an enjoyable meal.

    We started off with their black pepper gouda dumplings. This is a fried(?) dumpling with a gooey cheesey bacony filling. The mustard sauce that goes along with this provides a nice contrast. I kept eating the sauce even after we had finished the dumplings.
    a.jpg dumplings

    The oolong amsterdam fries came next. Fries on their own were crispy, light, and nicely salted. The peanut sauce and the herb mayonnaise were only okay. I wished I had saved the mustard sauce from the dumplings for the fries.

    For the main, I had ordered the grilled pork chop and smoked rookworst. The chop was nicely cooked, maybe between medium and medium well. It was juicy and seasoned well. Pan sauce had a great flavor to it. There's a lot of components on this dish, fried kale, braised cabbage, gouda mashed potatoes, so it took a few minutes until I got to the rookwurst. I'm pretty sure I've never had rookworst before, but now, I know that I want a whole plate of it. There's a smokiness to it that bursts through and elevates this sausage to the point where I must find more. The picture below is out of focus and barely shows the rookworst of which there were maybe 4 or 5 slices :(
    c.jpg Pork chop

    I only tried a little bit of the other 2 entrees, the short rib and the mussels.
    b.jpg mussels

    David de Quay came out and introduced himself while bringing out the desserts. We had three desserts, all of which were very good. My favorite was some kind of coconut macaroon w/chocolate on top and a pineapple compote. It's sort of hard to describe the texture of the macaroon, but it was very enjoyable. Under the almond cake on the left, there's some kind of ice cream hiding below. And in the middle, there's a cinnamony filling within the waffle.
    d.jpg dessert

    Service was welcoming and friendly. Eager to please, but was never intrusive. I dunno, everyone was just very likable.

    Seems like they're off to a great start, and I look forward to going back and trying more of the menu.

    2470 N Lincoln
    Chicago
    They're on OpenTable.

    For people who enjoy it, they serve 3 Floyds Gumballhead on tap.
  • Post #2 - May 2nd, 2015, 7:55 am
    Post #2 - May 2nd, 2015, 7:55 am Post #2 - May 2nd, 2015, 7:55 am
    I had dinner there last night....overall it was good, and I am eager to go back. I think with a little adjusting, it could be a very nice restaurant.

    The frites were very good, but they were just served plopped horizontal on a plate. If they served them in a glass (or metal container, to hold the heat), that would be better...they're always served vertically in Holland.

    Many dishes were a bit too sweet for me, such as the rendang croquette. Tasty but sweet. The frisee salad is good but the speculaas (its sort of like a spice cookie) coating on the bacon made it too sweet. The rookworst (smoked sausage) is house made and terrific! I'd like a plate of that!

    There were some amusing misspellings on the menu. The "oolong frites" is funny--as if there are tea leaves in it. There's no such thing in Holland as "oolong frites".....its a misspelling of oorlog frites, which means "war fries" and something found all over Amsterdam. Also "spekkoek" (bacon cake) is misspelled on the menu as "spekoek." But that's fine, its the taste that matters (mostly, but for people who know, don't take a hit on credibility by misspelling words).

    I think this place has potential. The beer list is very nice, and I had a lovely Trappe beer that was extremely tasty. Served properly in a nice tulip style glass, the way a Belgian would serve it.

    I'll definitely be back, and I'm sure they will refine their menu as time goes on. I would have liked to see more spring type dishes on the menu (many were heavy, winter dishes, but much of dutch food is like that) and more staples on the menu, but they do have great potential.

    Count me as a fan (their GM, Terry, is terrific, as was our waiter and the entire staff). It's sort of a dutch type "Cheers" place...they do like to get to know the customer, and they're very interested in feedback.

    Much success to them; just a few adjustments and they'll be right on target.
  • Post #3 - May 2nd, 2015, 8:17 pm
    Post #3 - May 2nd, 2015, 8:17 pm Post #3 - May 2nd, 2015, 8:17 pm
    Han wrote:And in the middle, there's a cinnamony filling within the waffle.


    It's called a Stroopwafel and they can be glorious, glorious things. Glad there's a place in town now that will make them fresh.
    2019 Chicago Food Business License Issuances Map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AGfUU ... sp=sharing
  • Post #4 - May 16th, 2015, 7:23 pm
    Post #4 - May 16th, 2015, 7:23 pm Post #4 - May 16th, 2015, 7:23 pm
    I was a little disappointed with this place. I wanted it to be a little more Indionesian than it was. It was clearly European food with hints of Indonesian spices imo. I wanted a Fat Rice style experience but what I felt like I got was another European bistro. The food was great, but just didn't provide the adventure I was looking for. It was far too safe and predictable.
  • Post #5 - June 5th, 2015, 9:46 pm
    Post #5 - June 5th, 2015, 9:46 pm Post #5 - June 5th, 2015, 9:46 pm
    OK, this place has arrived, and its on fire. My partner and I went tonight and boy was everything on point.

    First, there's quite an energy in the room. It was packed; every table was filled, and people were obviously enjoying themselves. Despite the full house, I didn't notice any hiccups from the kitchen in terms of timing or execution.

    And there's an infectious enthusiasm that seems to pervade the staff. Talk about hard workers! Terry, the GM, must have had eyes in the back of his head....he seemed aware of everything going on in the place, and was everywhere, being sure people were served properly and everything was working. Our server seemed happy to work there, and when we left, the original waiter we had when we first came a few weeks ago remembered us, and ushered us out, opening the door for us. "Dank U wel!" I said to him. Not missing a beat (but not really knowing dutch) he replied, "1,000 dank!"

    The food is reformed. As you can read above, our first visit engendered some disappointments and mediocre reactions. This time, those reactions were set aside because the food was that much better.

    The frites were SO TASTY this time. No longer limp and lying lifeless on a saucer; now, they're standing up in a rectangular ceramic vessel. They're crisp and so flavorful! My partner and I shared an order, and I'm embarrassed to say, I enjoyed them so much, I ordered a second order as my appetizer. It did not disappoint. I'd go back for the frites alone.

    For my main course, I had the mussels which were very good (still a bit of work to do on those; the mussels at Hopleaf are better), but I also ordered a rookworst (dutch smoked sausage) on the side. Spectacular! I wish they would have a main course featuring the rookworst! Serve a ring (or half a ring) of it with whole grain mustard, dutch cheese and rooggebrood (sort of a dutch pumpernickel bread) and you are there! The smokiness is great in this sausage; it deserves its own main act, not a "warm up" appearance.

    My partner had the chicken in buttermilk and thought it was excellent.

    We had a fine 1997 German spatlese with the food....after a sparkling Alsace wine compliments of Terry and then a belgian beer.

    De Quay is now a serious place. Not haute cuisine (no authentic dutch cuisine could be called haute), but "real" dutch style comfort food in a place packed with people enjoying every second and every morsel.

    I'm now delighted and proud of this place. Count me as a to-be regular.
  • Post #6 - December 7th, 2015, 2:12 pm
    Post #6 - December 7th, 2015, 2:12 pm Post #6 - December 7th, 2015, 2:12 pm
    Mr. X and I joined friends at de Quay Friday evening. We sat at the bar and had a great meal. Our friends are regulars but I don't know if that resulted in anything special. The staff were uniformly excellent.

    I loved the TomCat cocktail (Ransom Old Tom Gin, 10-year Tawny Port, Luxardo maraschino, bitters.) Mr. X enjoyed the house martini (St. George Terroir Gin, Noilly Prat original dry, celery bitters, cornichons). We all shared the fall salad, mussels, cauliflower goat gouda "fondue", frites, chicken sate and the buttermilk marinated chicken. Not a clunker in the bunch. Questions about different wines by the glass were met with Noel or Shannon, the fantastic bar staff, pouring tastes of a couple of options with a good explanation of why they recommended them. I enjoyed the Erse carricante blend from Sicily and the sparkling Pinot Noir from Domain Camille Braun. They've moved away from many bottled beers, but Mr. X was able to get a fine Flemish sour from their remaining stash.

    I agree with DutchMuse that this is a gem. I'd be curious if other LTHers have been recently.
    -Mary
  • Post #7 - December 7th, 2015, 2:39 pm
    Post #7 - December 7th, 2015, 2:39 pm Post #7 - December 7th, 2015, 2:39 pm
    The GP wrote:I'd be curious if other LTHers have been recently.


    I had a great meal here back in July. Six months later, I don't remember what my family and I ate. But I do remember that we sampled a lot of the menu and we were impressed with everything. Especially the cocktails.
  • Post #8 - December 7th, 2015, 4:06 pm
    Post #8 - December 7th, 2015, 4:06 pm Post #8 - December 7th, 2015, 4:06 pm
    I could pretty much duplicate Darren's post. A friend and I went sometime in August, we sampled several things, we enjoyed everything, and I don't remember what any of it was. But not because the food was "unmemorable." Service was friendly and we had a good time. One of those places where everybody seems to be having a good time.
    Pithy quote here.
  • Post #9 - December 7th, 2015, 9:32 pm
    Post #9 - December 7th, 2015, 9:32 pm Post #9 - December 7th, 2015, 9:32 pm
    Disappointing that I also failed to post when I ate here but I'll echo the raves - loved everything about the place. My two favorite items were probably the stroopwafel (pictured above) and the frites (among the best in town, particularly when dipped in the peanut sauce), but the nasi goreng and the buttermilk chicken were also terrific. Service, atmosphere, wine . . . this place really hit every high note.
  • Post #10 - December 9th, 2015, 4:26 pm
    Post #10 - December 9th, 2015, 4:26 pm Post #10 - December 9th, 2015, 4:26 pm
    Hey,
    Terry, GM of de Quay here. I just wanted to say thanks for all of the kind words and encouraging feedback you've all posted on this thread. We are a small neighborhood restaurant owned by Chef David de Quay and the LTH forum is the perfect platform to hopefully increase our exposure in one of the World's greatest Restaurant cities. On behalf of the staff here, thanks to everyone on the thread-Terry
  • Post #11 - December 13th, 2015, 9:12 pm
    Post #11 - December 13th, 2015, 9:12 pm Post #11 - December 13th, 2015, 9:12 pm
    I live just around the corner and am definitely going to give it a try. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.
  • Post #12 - December 23rd, 2015, 11:44 am
    Post #12 - December 23rd, 2015, 11:44 am Post #12 - December 23rd, 2015, 11:44 am
    hi all: no pictures- but others have shown some tasty ones above. just wanted to add my praise for deQuay. i was taken there last night for a birthday dinner, and everything was delicious and the staff was friendly and attentive. terry, the GM, as mentioned above, makes the experience a very neighborly one. he is a huge asset to this place- loaded with personality and good humor. he doesnt exhibit the bland charm of some hosts; rather, a real concern for his guests.
    one is never too old to enjoy receiving a copy of the menu with 'happy birthday joan' printed across the top; and a complementary dessert, the deliciously moist almond cake with pandan leaf ice cream. and my brother sang happy birthday to me in dutch (very quietly, thank you).
    the chef is cooking with great precision and skill; the chicken sate, which i normally wouldnt order because i've had it so many times, was well worth eating: juicy and tangy. the dumplings were devoured instantly. my only food quibble was with the cauliflower fondue. i think it's a great concept, but it was a little bland for us. it could use a kick- maybe mustard, or beer.... my tamarind braised duck was perfection. deeply pink and moist all the way through. and i tasted the buttermilk marinated chicken and the nasi goreng and both are worth going back for. my only other quibble was the extremely dark 4 top we were seated at, by the window. particularly with food this good, i wanted to see it. you dont know how much visual appeal helps a meal until you cant see your food. but that's easily remedied as the rest of the comfortable room looked perfectly well lit. terry mentioned they're doing a weekend brunch, topping the nasi goreng with an egg. sounds like a great idea.....
    Last edited by justjoan on December 28th, 2015, 1:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #13 - December 28th, 2015, 10:58 am
    Post #13 - December 28th, 2015, 10:58 am Post #13 - December 28th, 2015, 10:58 am
    We went for brunch recently. Mr. X had the rookworst omelet (smoked pork sausage, goat gouda, breakfast potatoes). I couldn't pass up the De Quay Dutch breakfast featuring house made gravlax. It's served with a soft boiled egg, salmon belly bacon cream cheese, pickled red onions, cucumbers and a variety of bread slices. Delicious. My only quibble is I would have preferred the bread toasted. Coffee from Sparrow was great too. We'll go back.
    -Mary
  • Post #14 - December 28th, 2015, 2:44 pm
    Post #14 - December 28th, 2015, 2:44 pm Post #14 - December 28th, 2015, 2:44 pm
    We went to De Quay recently for dinner. We were more interested in the Indonesian side of the menu than the Dutch (sorry we are Asiaphiles when it comes to food). Everything was good but nothing was fantastic and the menu seems to have little turnover. It's hard to see us coming back.

    We enjoyed a salad and a the mussels were definitely among the best preparations we have had in the city but served with stale bread. The frites were just OK for this level of establishment in our opinion. The nasi goreng was a novel and delicious take in my experience, but none of the accompanying pickles and sauces were very exciting. Finally had a side of their cabbage, which was good but also unremarkable.
  • Post #15 - December 30th, 2015, 7:38 pm
    Post #15 - December 30th, 2015, 7:38 pm Post #15 - December 30th, 2015, 7:38 pm
    I will echo our compliments, including kudos to Terry and the staff for a warm welcome on our first visit last night. We shared the mussels (and enjoyed but agree that the mediocre bread should be replaced asap), the tamarind duck and buttermilk chicken along with a couple of terrific cocktails (I loved the Woodsman). We will definitely be back.
    "There’s only one thing I hate more than lying: skim milk, which is water that’s lying about being milk."
    - Ron Swanson
  • Post #16 - July 19th, 2017, 10:52 am
    Post #16 - July 19th, 2017, 10:52 am Post #16 - July 19th, 2017, 10:52 am
    We ventured back to de Quay this past Sunday for dinner. They are still doing some great things. The menu reflects the season, such as the lightly smoked salmon in a tomato/kaffir/white wine broth with pearl noodles, mushrooms, cucumber, green onion, thai basil, sambal oelek and crispy lotus root or the summer "perzikan" salad made of romaine hearts, fresh peaches, sunflower sprouts, jicama, coconut gouda, curried sunflower seeds with a mint/lemon vinaigrette. I wished we had ordered the salad, but we split the balinese mussels & shrimp (snow peas, roasted Holland hot peppers, coconut curry sauce) instead. Lovely. I had the summer lamb duo (petit rack of lamb and housemade curried lamb sausage, goat gouda mashed potatoes, beurre rouge, seasonal vegetables). This was not a light dish, but the lamb preparations were delicious. Service was fantastic.

    They are doing a monthly Rijsttafel dinner on Mondays. More info on their website.

    I don't want to wait as long to return to de Quay.

    http://www.dequay-chicago.com/
    -Mary
  • Post #17 - May 9th, 2018, 10:46 am
    Post #17 - May 9th, 2018, 10:46 am Post #17 - May 9th, 2018, 10:46 am
    We've been twice and just didn't love it. Dishes were fine, but not memorable - except for being really inedibly salty (when we said one dish was too salty it was whisked away and remade, but it shouldn't have been so salty to begin with). Staff were pleasant, didn't really notice much atmosphere as both times were early pre-theater.
    Leek

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  • Post #18 - June 22nd, 2018, 10:44 am
    Post #18 - June 22nd, 2018, 10:44 am Post #18 - June 22nd, 2018, 10:44 am
    From their Facebook page:
    de Quay wrote:It is with a sad and broken heart that I write this post today. We have made the decision to close de Quay Restaurant effective July 29th, 2018.


    They are doing a final Rijstafel service on Monday, July 16.

    I enjoyed de Quay every time I went. This is a tough environment for small, independent restaurant owner.
    -Mary
  • Post #19 - June 22nd, 2018, 7:40 pm
    Post #19 - June 22nd, 2018, 7:40 pm Post #19 - June 22nd, 2018, 7:40 pm
    I used to live in that neighborhood. The problem isn't the restaurant--I enjoyed it everytime I went--its just that area has undergone a "de-densification" over the past 10-20 years. Not enough people live around there anymore to support local shops and restaurants. Buildings are torn down and McMansions are put in their place (and in some cases nobody even lives there, they are just used as a store of wealth).

    The good news is they are building a high rise at Lincoln & Sheffield to try to combat this problem. Also the redevelopment of the children's hospital will help if they don't blow it and turn it into a retirement center like they did New City on Halsted & clybourn.

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