Let me just start this post by saying, WOW! My husband and I came to Smyth for a special anniversary dinner in February, 2025, and it vastly exceeded all, very high, expectations. This three-star Michelin eatery honestly deserves four stars, not only for their impeccable food, but also the over-the-top service.

Everything you would expect from a three-star experience is here, along with amazing extra touches throughout the evening, with so many extra special gifts, you feel like a celebrity while eating here. From an anniversary-year wine, to a complimentary glass of 1960’s Hine Cognac (just because they heard I like cognac!), every moment of our evening was beyond special and memorable.

Smyth is located in the very hoppin’ west loop neighborhood of Chicago, and if you don’t want to pay thousands just for a meal, you can check out “The Loyalist” downstairs. I really want to go and check out their much-hyped burger one of these days! The space is an open loft-type space, with lots of natural wood tones, vintage oriental rugs, and an open kitchen. We were greeted cordially, and already they were wishing us a Happy Anniversary, the moment we walked in. A card signed by the staff was given to us as we were seated.

The atmosphere here is calm, and service is perfect. Not only are the staff knowledgable and just the right amount of chatty, but the pacing was spot on. We never felt rushed, nor like we were waiting for ages for the next course. It was flawless. A lovely, quiet stream of classic rock (lots of Rolling Stones and Beatles), 80s hits from the Pet Shop Boys and Durand Duran, and occasionally a 90s gem played on the soundtrack. They really know who their clientele are!

All of the courses of food were excellent, and nothing was boring. Literally every single dish was memorable in its own way, and easily a flavor combo I’ve never had before – which is a tough feat these days after having experienced some of the world’s best restaurants. We were treated to incredible beverage pairings that were well thought out and extraordinarily well presented by the staff. In fact, the first course was a cocktail! There were 14 courses in all, plus little dessert bites at the end. Rather than write about every single course, which were all truly unique (I am running out of superlatives!), I will point out some of my absolute favorites here.

The snacks started off particularly strong, with a whimsically presented quail egg, along side a lamb brain donut. These were super rich, packed a strong, umami punch, and was a great way to get into some of the more interesting courses of the evening.

The Maine Lobster Custard was fantastic, if not totally unique. It was like a savory lobster creme brulee, and we lapped up every bit of the custard from the corners of the square bowl. Pro tip: use the stem end of the wooden spoon to get into all the corners!

The very next course, “Caviar & Almond,” gave the lobster custard a real run for its money as far as my favorites of the night. An art-inspired bowl of almond cream was presented to us, along with an absolutely massive dollop of caviar along with a few drops of different nut pastes. We were instructed to try the caviar with each of the nut pastes and have a sip of the 2021 Mersault premier cru wine along with it. This wine pairing was easily one of the best of the evening, providing an endless, nutty, feedback loop of flavor with the caviar course. This was a splendid course, and probably the most memorable one of the evening.

The rainbow trout course was absolutely stunning. The trout itself was prepared perfectly, and was draped in a lovely, not too citrusy sauce. At this point, I was totally dying over all of the serving pieces. Each one was obviously handmade and totally unique. This bowl that the trout was served in looked like it came right up out of a river, evoking a real sense of place as to where this fish came from.

Next up was one of two gorgeous main events: Vermont Quail and Boudin Noir. Fried quail legs were presented with a ridiculous spicy aioli, alongside a sticky, fluffy loaf of brioche-like pull-apart bread. Alongside these snacks was a lovely concoction of stuffed quail and various crunchies, paired with our anniversary year, 2016 Barolo wine.

The final savory course was the Elysian Fields Lamb Rack & Juniper, which was a stunning plate of a few ounces of melt in your mouth lamb, just an incredible way to top off the evening. Paired with this was not only their usual pairing of a Walla Walla Syrah, but also a lovely 2010 Languedoc Grenache (a bonus wine, since Brian let them know that Grenache is one of my favorite grapes!)

Following the savory courses, one of my favorite desserts, that was more of actually a palate cleanser, was the “Mandarin and Toasted Rice” which looked like a busted egg. The mandarin custard was to die for, and the little toasted rice chips gave the whole thing a really cool texture. I loved this fun course!

There were fun one-bite desserts at the end, which were vastly different in flavor, ranging from super briny and salty, to rich and chocolaty. I loved the Mussel Madeleine hearts!

Our experience here was honestly second-to-none, and I can confidently say that this was one of the best meals of my life. From the memorable dishes, to the over-and-above service, our anniversary dinner at Smyth is one we won’t soon forget.