Intro

Had the Rose fest menu. Croquette appetizer was amazing! Fresh pea salad was different, but good– had a mint flavor. Did not love the main course which was a pork chop-​it was very fatty. Couldn’t eat most of the meat because of the excessive fat. Dessert was a sorbet in some type of rose– it was great! Wine pairings were tasty, and we helped ourselves to ordering a second glass. Our waiter Jamie was very nice and made for a pleasant experience. Interested in coming back when the menu changes next.

It has been a while since I dined here, and I know a lot has changed since then, but I still have to say something about our dinner. This was without a doubt one of the top three dining experiences of my life thus far. Dare I say it – it was better than Alinea.
My wife and I opted for a four course prix fixe option and we requested that the sommelier select an appropriate wine for each course.
Everything was as perfect as one could expect. The sea food was as fresh as if you were dining in a sea port city. The dishes were beautifully plated. Favors, textures and aromas satiated the senses.
And special kudos to the sommelier! This was absolutely the best wine pairing I can remember ever having with a meal — we trusted the sommelier with every selection from the bubbly before the meal to the fortified dessert wine — and every glass was top notch and paired perfectly with the food.
I would definitely return for an encore meal — if I ever get to all the other Five Star restaurants I want to eat at.

I came back here after the new chef had settled in for a few months and the food was really not as good the second time. We were one of the only filled tables in the restaurant but still had slow service. We all finished our waters and were looking around for someone to refill them, but our glasses stayed empty for a while. Overall the food was not very memorable and just ok.
— Caraway Gougeres with whipped cheddar– The gougeres were pretty dry and the whipped cheddar was pretty watered down.
— Tuna tataki with rice cracker crust and sriracha sauce– the tuna itself was fresh and tasty but the rice cracker crust was a little overpowering
— White shrimp ceviche with avocado and habanero-​citrus marinade– this was probably my favorite dish. Fresh avocado with light shrimp with a citrusy punch
— Mediterranean Seabass– came with a pain de mie crust which made the skin nice and crispy. The seabass was flaky. It came on top of a bed of greens, which overpowered the nice lightness of the fish.
— Hangar Steak– least favorite dish. The steak was overcooked and didn’t have a lot of flavor even though it came with chimichurri and blistered padrons.
— Banana budino– also pretty solid. Lots of chocolate and nut crunchies on the top which gave the pudding a fun texture.
I was excited to come back here after my first experience and review, but on our second go around, we were left underwhelmed.

We had a terrific dining expierence at Intro.
It was our first visit and really digged the décor.
The service was excellent.
We had the caraway gougeres and the checkpea frites. Both outstanding.
Next was the beet salad. Also enjoyed that.
For dinner we ordered the bass and the scallops. Both done to perfection.
The only slight twist was my wife told them that it was my birthday and when we ordered desert-​only because a candle was expected-​it was brought out as usual. At the end of the meal the waiter brought out a birthday card with all the staff’s signatures. Nice touch but wierd.
We will be back when the next chef comes in to try out their new dishes

I really enjoyed my experience here. We ordered to share:
1) CARAWAY GOUGERES — wouldn’t order again
2) PEEKYTOE CRAB CROSTINI — fresh, delicious, simple and awesome
3) BLACK TRUFFLE CROQUETTES — delectable and rich — would have ordered 2 orders
4) LEEK VELOUTE — beautiful presentation, super tasty, good texture
5) BURRATA SALAD — beautiful presentation, would have been better to eat this by yourself
6) WHOLE ROASTED ROMANESCO — average
7) BROWN BUTTER MAITAKE — unreal, very different flavors and textures
For entrees, we each got different things. Scallops, short ribs, prime rib and sea bass. We all loved them! We got the cheesecake brulee for desert which was amazing. Served with a tart pineapple jam that made the dish.
I wouldn’t rush back here because there are other «fancy» restaurants i would want to try before coming back, but it was great! We had good service. There were definitely times where we were looking for the waitress, but it wasn’t overly slow.

The atmosphere is not the type that I normally go for as it’s very formal and fancy but if that’s your thing then I’d recommend checking out Intro.
The options are pricey and the portions are on the smaller side but that goes hand-​in-​hand with being a fancier option. However, the food itself was very good so it’s definitely worth it!
Caraway Gougeres — These were ok, nothing amazing
Black Truffle Croquettes — These were very good
Tuna Tataki — AWESOME!
Burrata Salad — Was pretty good
Mediterranean Seabass — AMAZING!
If you come here I’d highly recommend both the Tuna Tataki and the Mediterranean Seabass.
They are «interesting» dishes and I mean in the way that they were cooked in different ways that I’ve never experienced before, not «interesting» in the way of «having a good personality» they are REALLY GOOD!

I was here for restaurant week and have to say I am really glad I can cross it off my list
We started with the black truffle croquettes with jalapeño. These little bites of heaven were delicious. It was the perfect way to start the meal.
Unfortunately, everything after the truffle croquettes was just ok. I had the salad and salmon for my small plate and entrée. Neither were memorable.
For dessert I had the hazelnut cake topped with salted toffee buttercream and praline. This was the best part of dinner. Moist cake with creamy buttercream and crunch of praline was the perfect end to a meal that was not as amazing as claimed.
Overall, the service was great and the ambiance is nice but I won’t break the bank for this place a second time.

My bf and I had a great dinner here during restaurant week. We both started off with cocktails which we enjoyed. I chose the vietnamese chicken soup and the bf chose the salad to change it up a little. The soup was so delicate and clean. I had the salmon which was cooked perfectly and the potatoes were so smooth. My bf actually ordered the short rib, but was mistakenly given the beef and broccoli. He decided to just keep it and he enjoyed that, as well. The bruleed cheesecake was delicious. I liked it more than the hazelnut cake.
On a side note, we were seated in a more loungey looking section. Our seats were very comfortable to sit in, however, they were a bit awkward for eating dinner in since they were low and deep like a couch and a bit far from the table.
Anyhow, I plan to come back and try their regular menu. hopefully at a regular dining room table.

I took my husband to Intro for his 30^th birthday, and it was fantastic. The service, the food and the atmosphere were great! Our waitress was very attentive, sweet, and helpful.
The menu and the décor of the restaurant are always changing, so you might not find the same dishes the next time you decide to go.
We started off with the black truffle croquettes, which were so flavorful and delicious. One of my favorite dishes in the menu. Then we shared the baby gem salad and the Vietnamese chicken soup. Both very light and good. For our main course I ordered the crispy chicken, and my husband ordered the prime beef short rib. The chicken is definitely a must try! The skin was crispy on the outside, and the meat was cooked perfectly on the inside. It came on top of lentils and potatoes. All the flavors went really well together. My husband said he really enjoyed the short rib. For dessert we got the hazelnut cake and the crème brûlée, which were both comped by our waitress. She definitely made our night special, just by being so attentive. She even brought my husband a card signed by all the staff (a very nice touch).
Overall, great food, atmosphere, and service. Definitely will be coming back to Intro!

3.5*. Some fantastic dishes but also big disappointments so this one is hard to review.
Bad: asparagus risotto (bland oatmeal consistency), caraway gougeres (just say no to cheese foam)
Okay: brown butter maitake
Good: chilled oysters, roasted salmon, cheesecake brûlée, crab on toast
Great: black truffle croquettes (strong pungent flavor in a good way), foie gras brûlée (creamiest foie gras ever), prime beef short rib (falls apart beautifully)
Best: Mediterranean Sea bass (crispy deliciousness), hazelnut cake

We had a great introduction to Intro last week. Our group of 6 opted for the restaurant week menu since it had items from the regular menu which were tempting.
my starter was the Vietnamese chicken soup. I liked that it was a light clear soup with shredded cabbage and mushrooms instead of noodles. My salmon was cooked to perfection. I liked the accompanying pureed potatoes. I got to try my friend’s short rib and the steak which were both good options too. The steak was more of an elevated beef and broccoli… it was tasty but I was okay to pass on this. the short rib was tender with great Mexican inspired flavors.
I don’t like bananas but the budino was a great choice. The cheesecake brulee was fine but the side of jam was overpowering.
Service was very discreet and on point. They also have very comfortable chairs. I would probably come back for some apps and a drink after work some day. The bee’s knees was a yummy drink.

I went here for restaurant week and it was probably the best one I have been to. I had the Vietnamese chicken soup, flat iron steak and the cheesecake brûlée. I wasn’t fond of the chicken soup because it had so much cilantro in it but my friend who was with me thought it was great. The flat iron steak was cooked to perfection and was very tender. My friend got the prime beef short rib and that was the best thing by far. The cheese cake was awesome as well. Highly recommend going! The dishes change every 3 months so make sure you go soon to try these dishes.

Took Mom and a neighbor couple during Restaurant Week ’16. Intro’s on its fourth chef, currently Stephen Gillanders since Oct ’15.
Inside the Belden Stratford hotel-​turned-​luxury-​apartments, Intro used to be L20 and used to used to be Ambria (see Ambria in the silly rom-​com movie ‘Kissing a Fool’ from the ‘90s with David Schwimmer). Never went to either I’m sad to say. Across the lobby is good ol’ Mon Ami Gabi, a stalwart French bistro. I was told by guests that Intro keeps much of the same minimalist, modernist design ethos of L20. The dining room was very elegant with hushed grays, blacks, and warm wood colors. Seats were quite comfortable and music was played at a low volume.
Service was professional; there when you need it and not when you don’t. Got a Seven Hills (Walla Walla, WA) cabernet for $ 75. It was pretty good after some air time.
3 of our group of 4 got the 3-​course Restaurant Week menu. Another skipped dessert in favor of the Tuna Tataki app which we all shared. It was ultra soft and fresh tuna with Thai basil, kaffir lime, and shallot crackling, whatever that is.
I had the impossibly tender salmon with Cantonese vinaigrette. We believed it to be prepared sous vide style, ie, cooked in its own juices in a sealed pouch. The vinaigrette had a lemony sour flavor that was strong but didn’t overpower the salmon. My Vietnamese chicken soup starter was okay, maybe ³⁄₅ stars. It was a light and brothy soup but I thought it was missing some vital component. A guest’s flat iron steak «beef and broccoli» was tastier and more tender than the 18oz NY strip I had at Capital Grille a week or so prior! Mom enjoyed her short rib dish and I tried a bite. It was ultra savory and tender. ⁵⁄₅!
Banana Budino dessert had crunchy granola and a smooth custard like banana pudding. A guest’s cheesecake brulée was fabulous and Mom’s hazelnut cake with salted toffee buttercream and praline was divine.
I understand you can’t always get seated right at your reservation time but we had to wait about 10 minutes and it was suggested we wait in the cocktail area. This area is just left of the host stand but is not obviously a cocktail area as it looks just like the rest of the dining room. No one was sitting there and we plonked down. No one came to take a drink order, which was just as well because we were seated fairly soon after that anyway.

Brought my mom here during restaurant week and we had a good dinner. Neither of us wanted a dessert, so we decided to order a la carte off the menu. We started with the tuna tataki, and my mom, who does not like raw fish found herself going in for a second piece. It was perfectly seasoned and perfectly lightly seared. We then had the Vietnamese soup and while we both liked the flavor, it had more of a lemon/​lime flavor and was lacking the beef stock flavor that is key to a good soup. I also wish it had noodles. My mom doesn’t like cilantro, and the soup had cilantro, so make sure to ask them to hold that if you’re like her and don’t eat cilantro.
For our entrees my mother had the beef & broccoli and I had the salmon. The salmon was perfectly cooked, which is key and her beef was also perfectly medium rare. However, the beef needed a little salt. but the broccoli was delicious and sat in a yummy broccoli purée. My salmon was skinless, which is a huge disappointment for me, and the pureed mashed potatoes while perfectly flavored could have been improved with a little more texture, instead of a purée. The potatoes were delicious though, and I wish there were more.
To go along with our dinner, I started with a sidecar cocktail, which was yummy, but pretty small, and good, but not amazing. We both had a glass of sparkling wine with our meal and we were impressed at the wide, but well-​priced selection of wines. At a restaurant like this, with a foodie following, you would expect to see bottles costing hundreds of dollars, but instead they have a vast list of wines, all under $ 150. The sparkling french that we had was perfect, and well worth the $ 11 a glass.
Service was good, but not overbearing. From an ambiance perspective, it’s intimate and minimally decorated, but quite elegant. Because it is a fairly small restaurant, it seats a group of about 6 comfortably, but probably would not be a good option for groups larger than that. This is a perfect date restaurant, or intimate, private business conversation restaurant. Overall, a good experience, but nothing stood out to make me rush back.

Was here last night as part of restaurant week. I enjoyed their budino during First Bites (Chicago’s intro — no pun intended — to its restaurants by providing us with a bite of what they have to offer). There is a complimentary coat check inside this attractively situated older hotel/​residence. We were sat within five minutes of our reservation. Our server was very knowledgable and informative. We did have to ask twice for lemons. The lemons, however, were perfect little wedges and virtually seedless.
They have handcrafted non-​alcoholic choices that we decided to start with. I had the plum ginger beer. Light notes of plum with ginger that bites you on the back end. Tasty, but flat. He had the guava lemon spritz. Effervescent and refreshing, not overly sweet.
Noticing our surroundings, its very comfortable, and we were sat in a two person nook. Unlike all of the other tables, ours was a quartz (I think) thick table inside an upholstered wall. Away from the middle of the room, our own little area. Nice.
Hungry as we were, I ordered the caraway gougeres with gruyère, whipped cheddar. These were puffs similar to tiny popovers, hollow-​ish on the inside, but with a tasty caraway flavor. Not something you’d want to eat plain though. The cheese, though tasty enough is like more of a foam and when you dip into it, it dissipates! Certainly not enough cheese for the puffs.
I chose the salad. Crispy fresh lettuces, except one chunk of a lettuce heart that at this type of restaurant should not have been overlooked. The white balsamic was tangy and the toasted breadcrumbs were a nice textural change from the standard croûton. My salmon was cooked to perfection, the potato was creamy, but more of a purée, and a little tart from the surrounding liquid. His beef dish was recommended medium rare, and it was perfect as well. Asian marinade and sesame crusted. Broccoli was nice and one piece was tempura’d. Yum. The budino was as I remembered and drove me to pick Intro in the first place with a roasted banana bottom, a banana pudding that is rich like a cremeux, topped with walnuts, cocoa nibs, and crushed banana chips. The hazelnut cake was tasty, but a little dry. The salted caramel buttercream saved the dessert, and the quenelle of bourbon whip.

Went here for a celebratory birthday meal. My husband arranged a surprise for me off of my list of restaurants to try in the city because nothing makes me happier than a great meal experience. Overall, this is a classy place where if you have the cash to spare is going to deliver a good experience — however at the price point, I think it just meets expectations.
The food all tasted good, but nothing particularly memorable. In fact, there were times where I thought to myself «this is the kind of fancy restaurant that gets made fun of … And kind of deserves it». We opted against wine pairings since I’m not able to drink that much, but the cocktails were tasty.

Intro is a restaurant that is playing with the concept of not only a rotating menu but also rotating chefs. Once I heard that this type of restaurant was opening up near me, I was eager to give this place a try. Currently, with Chef Stephen Gillanders, Intro now offers an a la carte menu. I thought this would be the perfect place for my friend’s birthday dinner.
The restaurant is located in the Belden Stratford apartment building. They offer valet parking for $ 14 (or $ 16 if you pay in the restaurant, the extra $ 2 goes as tips to the valet drivers). The restaurant offers a rustic ambiance while still keeping it upscale.
For food, we shared an appetizer, two vegetable dishes, and desert while we both got an entire.
Appetizer:
— Hamachi Sashimi: It was topped with black sesame ponzu and avocado. The flavors worked great together. The hamachi was fresh, the ponzu gave the dish acidity, and the avocado gave it some fat.
Side Dishes:
— Brussels Sprouts: smoked gastrique and basil. The cook on the sprouts were perfect and full of flavor. The only gripe I had were they were slightly on the salty side.
— Wild Mushrooms: white wine, butter, and shallots. The mushrooms had a nice earthy flavor, but were overwhelmingly salty.
Entrée:
— Black Truffle Salmon: served with a variety of cauliflower. My friend ordered this dish. She stated the cook on the salmon was perfect, the flavor was impeccable, but again was really salty.
— Mediterranean Sea Bass: served with pan de mie and lemon-​garlic jus. I love a good sea bass, but this was not on par. The sea bass was a nice fatty piece of fish. The cook on the fish was perfect: tender, moist, and had a nice crunchy texture from the frying of the skin. You must be wondering what was so wrong with such praises… you guessed right. It was super salty!
Desert:
— Banana Budino: caramelized bananas topped with bourbon pudding, granola, pistachio, sea salt, and cacao nibs. This was a great relief from our salty dinner. The dessert was perfectly balanced and I enjoyed all the different layers.
I was truly disappointed with this meal and equally embarrassed taking my friend here for her birthday. I really wanted to love this place and wished I had the same experience as everyone else. The cook and the flavors were on point, but everything had a heavy hand of salt. I know this restaurant has rotating chefs, so this low rating is only based on my experience with Stephen Gillanders. If I ever do decide to come back, I’m hoping it’ll be a much better experience.

A la carte at last! Thank you Chef Stephen Gillanders for bringing beautiful, delicious food to this concept and mixing it up.
Every dish calls to you and actually sounds like food you WANT to eat. No weird foraged weeds or shrubs, no random ingredients that you have to pretend you’ve heard of, no abstract, overly «creative» combinations just for the sake of being creative. Just honest, familiar, yet masterfully composed, impeccable cooking with the diner in mind. For example, we wanted ALLLL of the «Sharing» plates, and couldn’t decide which 2 to get, so we ordered all 4.
1) Crab fritters– crispy, light and piping hot bites of crab-​cake type croquettes served with a wonderful pickled ginger remoulade. Home run.
2) Clams & Mussels– beyond fantastic. Spicy, comforting, and a hearty tomato based broth full of robust flavors, accompanied by thick, charred rustic bread– one of my favorites of the night.
3) Hamachi Sashimu– artfully composed and just as delicious as it was beautiful. Light, refreshing and perfectly balanced. Husband thought it was one of the best hamachi preparations he’s EVER had. A must.
4) Tuna Tataki– a fun dish with lovely, bold Thai flavors and great textures.
For our main courses, same dilemma… we couldn’t settle on just 2 entrees, but at the rate we were headed, we were on a destructive path so we finally decided on the Berskhire pork chop and the flatiron steak. We added crispy potatoes with a truffle dip and baby artichoke risotto to round out our entrees. The pork chop was an impressive hunk of meat served over a fantastic wild rice and collard greens setup. The steak was reminiscent of a Chinese beef and broccoli dish, but far more elegant and elevated– the broccoli was done 3 ways and the beef was great. A very playful and enjoyable dish. I loved how crispy the potatoes were and the intoxicating truffle dip was SO good. The artichoke risotto was not only gorgeous but the flavors were on point. We had 3 desserts and I’m still kicking myself for forgetting about the ice cream and sorbet options. The banana cake was a moist, rich and pillowy– loved the flavors and the not too sweet frosting. We also had the cheesecake with pineapple which was tart and creamy. Next up, food coma.
It was a very special and enjoyable meal, and I look forward to trying the other dishes we didn’t have room for. So happy to have Stephen in this kitchen! After Intro, you can cook in mine :)

I came here this week after a long wait. My original reservations were for mid April with CJ and Brooke but sadly couldn’t make it.
From the beginning, the place isn’t very well advertised from the street and I had to ask a doorman where it was. But, that is the only thing I could find wrong. We were treated with great customer service and couldn’t be more happy with the whole experience.
Not sure how a rotating chef concept would work out but over the next few rotations, I’ll be back to see how it all comes together.
The décor is not what I expected with a «western taxidermy» kind of feel. I like it! The large stuffed bear and not-​excessive head mounts gave it a rustic yet upscale feel.
The menu itself was exciting and different and I was able to try some ingredients that I was really excited to try.
The first course Oyster was fresh and tasty but it left me craving for more! The next course of Foie Gras tart was just amazingly beautiful and I knew that things were going to be good. The Pike Boudin was probably my favorite and it just came together perfectly. The next dish was the Roasted Poularde, Lobster, and Morcilla and was absolutely amazing. This was my first experience eating a blood sausage and the the name Morcilla was a much better name but very cool how it looked like a dessert but meat! The Roasted Hay Custard was interesting as the fresh crème and maple syrup on top was top notch, the custard itself had an interesting smoky hay taste. It was creative and definitely had a strong flavor. Finally, the dessert of Tea Baba was incredible. The flavors that came from that blew me away!
We had a great experience here and look forward to seeing the future creations and concept of this restaurant.

This was a lot of fun and is recommended… but a word about the program is in order. Intro (which is another in the series of Lettuce Entertain You restaurants) has the concept of rotating chefs in and out every one to three months or so… each chef putting together his own brand of a tasting menu for the customers. So it is sort of like the dining experience Charlie Trotter created, but with a fixed tasting menu for 30 to 90 days and then a new chef rotated in and a new tasting menu put up. Interesting.
When we visited Erik Anderson was in residence. His vision was a six course tasting menu… an oyster course, a foie gras course, a pike boudin/lamb’s tongue course, a poularde/​lobster course, a hay custard course, and a bourbon/​tea baba finish. There also was a supplemental course of caviar available (we passed). It is nearly impossible to explain the intricacies of the menu in a short review… so we’ll just touch on the foie gras course.
The foie gras was presented as a tart with a nice pastry. The foie gras was cooked, ground, and jelled for the tart… resulting in rich and deep flavors. This was a powerful entry in the tasting menu. At our table the ladies thought it overpowering and the guys loved it. Go figure. It was accompanied by salted strawberries, hazelnut milk, and slivers of radishes. I have had foie gras in a dozen presentations, and this one was nicely done. The serving was but a sliver of the tart.
If you get the suggested wine pairings, you’ll be pleased… the pairings were very nice and appropriate (see picture). The only negatives were small and picky… they automatically add 20% service to your bill and the prix fixe menu has a variable price… it depends on what is being served. Those nits aside, this was a fun experience.
Because this is a $$$$ restaurant there is often no problem getting a reservation… we did it over the phone rather than on-line…and suggest you do also. That way you can check prices and menus before you show up. Fun night.