I've enjoyed dinner at The Florentine a couple of times in the past few weeks. The first was when I couldn't find a rez at a decent Loop restaurant; the second was because the first visit exceeded my expectations and I wanted to try other menu items. VIBE: The Florentine is tucked away on the second floor of a J.W. Marriott hotel - not an easy place to find. The dining room is dim and clubby. The host found a well-lit table for us, and it was fairly quiet; in fact, it seemed a bit dead. SERVICE: The place was not at all busy on the two Saturday nights we visited. Our server was helpful, cordial and attentive. The food was nicely paced. FOOD: My favorite dish was crispy salmon served over succotash; the fish was perfectly cooked per the chef, and everything was delicious. Grilled halibut was also delicious, though a bit austere. My companion stated that the scallops and the grilled octopus were both tasty, though saltier that they'd prefer. Kale salad was fresh and delicious. There's a decent selection of wines by the quartino (a generous glass); the four that I had were delicious. The Florentine is a bit off my beaten path when I'm downtown, but based on the menu and the food quality, I'd recommend it. It is a bit pricey, but not out of line given the good food.

The food was delicious. And the waiter and manager were really kind. I definitely recommend.

Stayed at the JW and ate both breakfast and dinner here. Breakfast - had the Avacado toast. It was delicious, and served fast & fresh. Dinner - I had the daily Burrata special with tomatoes, roasted peppers, and a pistachio pesto. Amazing! For my main, I had Orecchiette with spicy Italian sausage, broccolini, and pecorino. Even more amazing! Service was prompt, friendly and attentive - server checked in multiple times. Overall, very happy with my experience here. With so many great food options in Chicago, I was tempted to get out and explore, but I got lazy and was not disappointed!

We stopped by for lunch for a weekend. The restaurant was pretty empty so we got our food fairly quickly. The ambiance and customer service are both great here. The food was excellent and flavorful. Our order: Belgian waffles - must try! Margherita pizza - cheesy! Fettuccine Alfredo - super creamy! Tiramisu - yum! This is a great date night spot. Highly recommend checking them out! You won't leave disappointed.

What a great place to come get food! The moment you walk in the ambiance is so nice, we had a reservation and were quickly seated for it. The mimosas for brunch are so worth it and all the food was delicious, so good that I didn't even think to take pictures since the beginning. But definitely try the avocado toast and bruschetta with bread! Chef's kiss! The pizza also hits the spot and is very thin and the crust is crispy. Everything came out so quickly too! Definitely will be back

The restaurant is located on the second floor of the JW Marriott hotel. There's plenty of street parking available. The lobby is very beautiful. You can take the stairs, escalator or elevator to the second floor. The restaurant is also beautiful with cozy, warm ambiance. My friend and I came here for $25 restaurant week brunch, which gives the options: *Soup of the day or caesar salad *Amatraciana or fettucine carbonara or avo toast *Fior de latte panna cotta, cherry tiramisu, etc We ordered coffee to start. I have to note that the coffee is pricey! A small cup of black coffee was $6 and a latte was $8. Was it worth it? No. For the starter, I had the soup of the day - tomato soup with a slice of grilled cheese. This was perfect for the cold day. The tomato soup was delightful and flavorful. Probably one of the better tomato soups that I've had! The grilled cheese was perfectly grilled and didn't taste too heavy. For entree, I chose the avocado toast. It was quite a pleasant surprise as it was served on a plate with two sunny side eggs, potatoes, and prosciutto. I appreciated that they had a good amount of avocado on the toast. This was very good and I'd recommend this option if you're not open to eating pasta for brunch. My friend ordered the carbonara and she noted that it was delicious and not too heavy. They had a few other dessert options than just the fior de latte panna cotta stated on their online menu, but I can't recall all of them. The panna cotta was caramel apple crumble! Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy this as the dessert was overall too sweet for both of us. My friend and I were stuffed at the end of the meal! The service and food were both really good. I'd definitely recommend trying their restaurant week menu!

CELEBRITY CHEF BRINGS THE FIRE I love a good cooking show, after hosting and judging live culinary events myself for the past ten years. It's always fun to see chefs I know throw down on grocery games or cut throat kitchen. I was excited to see that The Florentine had hired Chef Jason Hedin, as their executive chef. I would have never gone to a hotel restaurant but I needed to have the opportunity to taste his flavors. Gordon Ramsay once remarked how beautiful his dishes were plated. Chef Ramsay was right. Chef Hedin's dishes are gorgeous, like a piece of culinary art. As a culinary judge, we eat with our eyes. The first score is always presentation. These are winning dishes visually. Now it's time to taste these dishes. My eyes can only tell so much. I love how creative the menu is. Chicago has many Italian places that serve up safe Italian dishes. I loved that Chef pushes the culinary envelope. My palette was made for these incredible flavors that truly make my tastebuds dance. One of my favorite dishes was his black pepper charred filet mignon carpaccio with horseradish, shaved parmesan, black garlic aioli, and a house made herbed lavash. Yes chef makes homemade crackers. I'm addicted to them. The real magic was the flavor of the beef. Definitely the best I've had in a while. Another favorite was the buratta with a spiced tomato jam, roasted on-the-vine cherry tomatoes, garlic sourdough, and basil. Our family was fighting over the dish. That's a good sign in a Sicilian family. I will say one thing I did not want to share my rosemary grissini with whipped iberico lardo parfait, and 18 month-aged san danielle prosciutto. This is one bite that is all mine. I will never look at a bread stick the same way ever again. It's hot! I'm never a fan of veggies first but was blown away by the heirloom carrot salad with herbed yogurt and lemon vinaigrette. These are the best carrots that I've ever had in my life. I was even impressed with the lamb meatballs made with moroccan spices, sauce bravas, medjool date, and pickled white fig. My Sicilian Nonna would love the creativity of the flavors. My Dad wouldn't eat lamb but not because they aren't t amazing. It's a tragic story about his pet lamb on the farm in Sicily but that's another story over some limoncello or grappa. The restaurant makes creative pizzas along with fresh pasta in-house. I always tell people eat at restaurants that are making fresh pasta. Anyone can boil dry pasta from a box. You can truly taste the difference. Chef has a lobster goat cheese cavatelli on the menu with a red 'nduja diablo sauce. It's very rich and deep. Its a great dish to share. They also create unique pizzas like the lobster and caviar with citrus crème fraîche, fromage blanc, and watercress. If you're looking for a show stopper then order the 32oz slow roasted bone-in short rib oxtail bordelaise for the whole table. Everyone will be jockeying for position to grab the tender meat, as it falls off the bone. Order some sides with this dish too. I really loved the calabrian spiced fingerling potatoes with a citrus vinaigrette along with the romano brussels sprouts with a lemon zest, buttered breadcrumbs, and caesar dressing. Keep the green dishes coming with the grilled asparagus and broccolini. At this point, you'll need a nap. Luckily you're in a hotel. A bed is probably necessary, after enjoy all this incredible food. I have one request. Find your second wind and order dessert. There's an Italian pistachio cherry gelato sundae that is prepared table side. I love this show stopping dessert. It is literally built right in front of your eyes. Honestly this is the perfect ending. It was really fun to get to taste dishes from Chef Hedin. He's a fierce competitor on the blue team on Hell's Kitchen and now bringing his talents to The Loop in Chicago.

The only reason one star was knocked off from the full stars was for the drink selection for happy hour. Otherwise it was really lovely. There appears to be a company Christmas party there and it was quite busy in both the restaurant and the lobby! We got the truffle beef sliders, truffle fries ,chicken wings ( huge!) Peroni beer and a saviogese wine. All very good! Our server Alexis was more than gracious and kind. Which is what I expect from a 5 star hotel!

I came here for lunch with some co-workers. This restaurant is located inside the JW Marriott hotel, and offers quite a lot of seating. The portions are very large, and could easily be two meals. I ordered the chicken panini without onions. It was so good. I was expecting a basic, flat sandwich. Instead, I was served a thick, juicy, and crunchy panini. It was awesome. Honorable mention to these killer fries. Everyone I was with ordered them, and I can see why. Honestly some of the best french fries around. This is a great place for a business lunch, but also has a romantic vibe that would be wonderful for a date as well. I would return.