epicFades wrote:Details on meal to follow within next few days. Short answer = it was very good.

But really, the most important question: What did you wear?

I'm not gonna disclose that kind of important information. But trust, I did not look like a scrub.

Went on Saturday....quick highlights:
-- pizza cotton candy in movie bites was interesting
-- play on tea and crumpets with lobster and lobster consomme was incredible
-- tagliatelle with rabbit liver was decadent and rich
-- pickled sardines with white asparagus
-- antelope with cardamom and marshmallow
-- carbonated peaches with white chocolate and malt
-- honey sorbet and camomille ice

Has anyone been here as of late?

Just tried calling (I know, a little on the early side but you never know) and the phone has been temporarily disconnected...am I late to the party on something?

I was in about a month ago. A little less by a few days, I think. It was great. The menu was not entirely far off of what was mentioned above. My friend called and got a same-day reservation. We had a cancellation/jazz-up by a restaurant's part at another joint in town, so he felt like calling on a "what the hell" basis. It worked. I think we had around 11 or 12 courses for $110. It was one of the best meals I had last year.

heinz wrote:Has anyone been here as of late?

Just tried calling (I know, a little on the early side but you never know) and the phone has been temporarily disconnected...am I late to the party on something?

Their phone often has issues; the best time to call is mid to late afternoon on a day they are open; if you call before 1:00pm, after service starts or on a day they are closed there is virtually no chance of getting through (and you need to speak to a live person to book a reservation). My last meal there a couple of months ago was phenomenal, but there can be consistency issues and it is a very wild experience (much of the kitchen staff becomes quite intoxicated as your meal progresses). Also have a plan B as they often cancel on you last minute (has happened two of the three times I have dined there and to many of my friends). When Schwa is on though, they are one of the best meals you will ever have and it will be am extremely memorable experience.

Gonzo70 wrote: if you call before 1:00pm, after service starts or on a day they are closed there is virtually no chance of getting through (and you need to speak to a live person to book a reservation).

Actually, following the advice of some yelpers, I recently called around 11:30 AM and got through on only the second day of trying. Was able to book a table about four weeks out from when I called. Looking forward to our first visit later this month.

Have gotten through on the phone twice in the last few weeks at about 1:00 (first time they hadn't opened reservations far enough ahead). My question is, how often would you say they actually cancel dinners at the last minute? I've heard about this, but can't tell how frequently it really happens. We are going for my husband's 40th birthday and I'm trying to decide if we need a backup reservation. Thanks!

LauraS wrote:Have gotten through on the phone twice in the last few weeks at about 1:00 (first time they hadn't opened reservations far enough ahead). My question is, how often would you say they actually cancel dinners at the last minute? I've heard about this, but can't tell how frequently it really happens. We are going for my husband's 40th birthday and I'm trying to decide if we need a backup reservation. Thanks!

That is hard to know, while it is certainly less than 50% of the time, it is not all that unusual of an occurrence. In my own experience I have dined at Schwa three times and two of those three they cancelled on me day of (once within 1.5 hours of my dinner, once a few hours before). I will say that they were very good about fitting me in at a day convenient for me and then really treated me well during the make-up dinners (first time they discounted the meal, the second time in addition to discounting the meal they brought out a couple extra courses I did not see other tables receive as well as brought out some beer and wine from the kitchen to pair with a few courses). Because Schwa is so unique and can be such a mind blowing experience, I still am a big fan despite the two cancellations and the one subpar meal out of my three (my other two meals there are among the best meals I have experienced).

However I am not a big fan of banking on Schwa for a special occasion or for out-of-towners on a short visit since the risk of cancellation or having a dud experience is real. Definitely have a plan B in case they cancel, but please do not make a second reservation since there is less than a 50% you will use it and you will not know for sure if you need it until an hour or two beforehand - that is very unfair to the restaurant. Not sure what night you are dining; if it is a Saturday your choices will be limited, but other nights of the week there are often a lot of great places with last minute availability. Senza might be a viable plan B; their chef was a former sous chef at Schwa and the cuisine has some resemblance, though is more refined (as is the ambiance). Similar price point (though not BYOB) and similar number of courses with a somewhat more upscale ambiance, yet still fairly relaxed and not at all stuffy. They do often book up on Saturdays, but might be able to fit you in if you call and explain the circumstance; other nights they frequently have night of availability.

Just curious if the cancellations are recent experiences (within the past year or so) or older-- haven't heard any of the stories about this lately and wasn't sure if that's because it's so common still that it's not worth writing about or that there were fewer occurrences.

boudreaulicious wrote:Just curious if the cancellations are recent experiences (within the past year or so) or older-- haven't heard any of the stories about this lately and wasn't sure if that's because it's so common still that it's not worth writing about or that there were fewer occurrences.

I think it was still being reported last summer, so my sense is that it's still going on.

Why isn't it being written about? I think because the folks that are willing to be treated that way just accept it and don't write about it, while the folks who think a restaurant should have more respect for its patrons than Schwa shows (myself included) gave up on the place a long time ago. I can get the same or better food at Goosefoot or EL Ideas without all the drama or ear-splitting music.

boudreaulicious wrote:Just curious if the cancellations are recent experiences (within the past year or so) or older-- haven't heard any of the stories about this lately and wasn't sure if that's because it's so common still that it's not worth writing about or that there were fewer occurrences.

I was cancelled on a few months ago most recently; the other time was a couple years back.

Definitely have a plan B in case they cancel, but please do not make a second reservation since there is less than a 50% you will use it and you will not know for sure if you need it until an hour or two beforehand - that is very unfair to the restaurant.

Thanks for the feedback.

That was a concern of mine. I don't want to make a reservation and then not use it, but I would hate to end up somewhere lame or waiting for an hour on his birthday. I guess I'll just have a back-up place in mind just in case. Luckily it will be a Tuesday, so hopefully it will be easy to get in somewhere else.

It's definitely worth the possible inconvenience - our meal there was amazing, definitely best meal of my life.

If it happened, I'd bet that a call to a similar type of venue with the reason for the last minute call, would probably get you a professional courtesy table without too much trouble

John Danza wrote:Why isn't it being written about? I think because the folks that are willing to be treated that way just accept it and don't write about it, while the folks who think a restaurant should have more respect for its patrons than Schwa shows (myself included) gave up on the place a long time ago. I can get the same or better food at Goosefoot or EL Ideas without all the drama or ear-splitting music.

Yes, that must be it.

Gonzo70 wrote:However I am not a big fan of banking on Schwa for a special occasion or for out-of-towners on a short visit...

This strikes me as the most sensible advice.

LauraS wrote:

Definitely have a plan B in case they cancel, but please do not make a second reservation since there is less than a 50% you will use it and you will not know for sure if you need it until an hour or two beforehand - that is very unfair to the restaurant.

Thanks for the feedback.

That was a concern of mine. I don't want to make a reservation and then not use it, but I would hate to end up somewhere lame or waiting for an hour on his birthday. I guess I'll just have a back-up place in mind just in case. Luckily it will be a Tuesday, so hopefully it will be easy to get in somewhere else.

Tuesdays are typically slow for restaurants, so you should have no problem getting in at a good venue on short notice. Just have a place in mind so you are not searching while in a panic. Senza very likely would have openings on a Tuesday - but lots of other top notch venues such as Tru, Sixteen, Boka, Publican, Bristol, Moto etc. to choose from if Senza does not seem appealing.

On a whim I called them yesterday and ended up making a reservation for 2 weeks from now. Does anyone have wine advice on the current menu? We are only a party of 2 so that puts us at 1 bottle per person max drinking capacity...

brokenspatula wrote:On a whim I called them yesterday and ended up making a reservation for 2 weeks from now. Does anyone have wine advice on the current menu? We are only a party of 2 so that puts us at 1 bottle per person max drinking capacity...

They usually recommend starting with bubbles or a drier white, and then moving on to a Pinot or other medium-bodied red.

I have heard several reports recently (both from friends and seen online) that the food at Schwa hasn't been up to usual standards - specific complaints include multiple dishes that are oversalted to the point of being inedible, the staff not caring as much, and just general disappointment.

I'm hoping that's not the case - curious if anyone here has gone in the last few months and could comment? I was last there around the end of December and had a great time.

I was there back in March and had a great time as usual.

Chef Carlson wasn't around as he had taken his family down to Florida for Spring Break.

My friend and I even stayed after they closed to hang out with the kitchen staff for some drinks.

I would like to know if Vinnie is still around. I thought I remember him saying that he was leaving to open up a new spot in Logan Square. I'm curious if anyone knows...

Sergio wrote:I would like to know if Vinnie is still around. I thought I remember him saying that he was leaving to open up a new spot in Logan Square. I'm curious if anyone knows...

I'm fairly certain that Vinny is alive and well and cooking at Graham Elliot Bistro.

I dined at Schwa the last week of July. My mine gripe with it is the sweetness level in the dishes. Many of the dishes are far too sweet for me, and I noticed it this trip moreso than when I went a year ago. It almost tastes like a sugar substitute, too - not exactly sure what, but it can be very off-putting.

That being said, there are always 3-4 plates that are just fantastic. A buddy of mine is the FOH #1 there so I get taken care of quite nicely when I go, which is nice.

This place could not stand if the food were not awesome.

One on visit there, MK (on 3 separate occasions) smashed a glass on the edge of the table and threatened guests with it after they questioned his selection of music. This was also excellent. There was also a wrestling match. It is unlike any other and I hope it never changes.

I went in early July. Carlson was not there that night. I agree that the dishes are generally too sweet. I also found one dish to be so salty as to be nearly inedible. I walked out with a general feeling of disappointment, especially in light of a most remarkable experience there a year ago. We still really enjoyed the experience, but the food fell woefully short of expectations.

I've been a few times this year. Based on my experiences and a few friends, if you want the best food possible, go earlier. If you want a wild experience with the food up in the air, get an 8pm seating.

Shag I'd agree that Schwa does go for sweet + savory on a lot of dishes. Many times they've worked even though I'm not a huge sweet food person. It's kind of expected that the chefs get more and more rocked as the night goes on. Hell, we had a server that couldn't even speak or remember what he was serving us towards the end of the night.

brokenspatula wrote:It's kind of expected that the chefs get more and more rocked as the night goes on. Hell, we had a server that couldn't even speak or remember what he was serving us towards the end of the night.

I know I shouldn't be judgmental about this, but...oh hell, I'm going to be judgmental. It sounds like an unhealthy work culture, which should be viewed with concern rather than nonchalance.

But maybe it just sounds that way...

We had a nice time there last week. I thought the food was quite good, although not reaching the peaks of previous visits. Per my note above, about half of our table actually found the food extremely salty.

Carlson wasn't around and has appointed a Chef de Cuisine in his absence. Not sure if that was SOP before or not.

When we had dinner at Schwa last year, the food was amazing and while the beverages flowed quite freely, the kitchen was never out of control ... I'm not convinced the kitchen is always getting totally blitzed but those are the more exciting tales ...

and I am sorta uncomfortable with the focus always on "how outrageous" rather than the food - which when I went was beyond the best I'd every had. I still dream of the antelope with cardamon marshmallow as well as the raviolo and several other courses.

Edited to add, I felt mostly like I had been invited to a friends house who happened to be an astonishing chef and we all just had a really good time ... perhaps this says something about my friends but it felt less like a show of wild and more like a no need to put one on?