Yvette Wintergarden is in the downtown building that`s hard to miss at night-it`s the one with the big, illuminated turret on top, so bright that it attracts all kinds of birds, bugs and ordinary gawkers.
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Inside, diners can look out onto the large glass lobby, complete with waterfall and trees, as they eat or dance. The dance floor and bandstand are in front of the main dining room. Sliding doors can partition or open up various sections.
On recent visits, the service was most attentive, the music by the Frank D`Rone Trio (which has been a regular) most agreeable, but quality of food schizophrenic. A Thursday evening meal was definitely lacking, from a mushy grilled shrimp appetizer to a dry flourless chocolate cake. Entrees of broiled mackerel and rack of lamb were curiously tasteless, not good when your total bill is going to run close to $90 (including wine and tax). Even the coffee tasted suspiciously like instant.
The story was totally different on a later Friday evening. Sea scallops, served as an appetizer, were sublimely tender and moist. Tuna carpaccio was delicate and delicious. Entrees of Coho salmon and roasted duck breast and quail were well worth their pricetags of $14.50 and $14.95, respectively. The only disappointment was a heavy lemon tart; the creme brulee was of the lick- the-plate variety.
Of concern was the crowd both nights. Only two other tables were occupied on Thursday; though there was a nice crowd early Friday, it had thinned out considerably by the time the entertainment started, around 8:30.
Food B, Entertainment A-.
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Yvette Wintergarden, 311 S. Wacker Drive, 312-408-1244. Hours:
restaurant, 5-9:30 p.m. Mon-Thurs., 5-10:30 Fri.-Sat.; entertainment, to 11 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., to midnight Fri., to 1 a.m. Sat.. Cards: A, DC, M, V. Reservations: accepted. Parking: lot adjacent (south) to the building, $5 after 5 p.m. Wheelchair accessible. No cover charge.