Restaurants near Spring Bluff Forest Preserve

Sarma was exceptionally attentive and made my birthday perfect! She was great with my family and made us feel at home in a restaurant of luxury. We got the calamari and Polpette Della Nonna that was spectacular!! My favorite vegetable which is full of vitamins was the beet salad! Sarma recommended wonderful tasting food and she even said the Lobster/Shrimp Ravioli was delicious which then once I tasted it my mouth watered and was epic to taste with the sauce! My family loved the ambiance and not being rushed to eat. It felt like we were at home enjoying an Eastern European Meal with the family! Her name even means “Wrapped” in Croatian. Which is incredible since I just made those and Dolmas for a recipe for my book. She made my birthday special!!!! Thank you Sarma, we will come back after we bonded over Sparkles too hehe wonderful recipes and felt inspired to paint tonight! ❤️❤️❤️🥳🥳🥳🥳

The service was great, and the food for the most part, was good. Two of us ordered the steak medallions, and even though they weren't overcooked for some reason they were dry. Matter of fact first thing I did after my first bite was to check the cook. I thought it was overcooked. My husband's burger and our friends Ahi tuna were perfect. This is unusual because normally all our food is great.

This was a girls night out to celebrate a birthday and the holidays. My favorite thing about Ema - aside from how delicious and creative the food is - is that the portion sizes are big enough to share, but not so huge that you feel guilty ordering multiple dishes. There were six of us and we ordered a variety of cocktails (which were beautifully presented) followed by several dishes from all sections of the menu. We started with the classic hummus and the toasted almond & garlic spread. The hummus was predictably delicious, but the real standout was the toasted almond garlic spread. It was crunchy and nutty and had lots of flavor. We next had the chopped salad and the big eye tuna with Honeycrisp apple and pomegranate seeds. The chopped salad had a pleasantly surprising bit of spice to it, which we all enjoyed but….the tuna preparation was stellar and is a relatively new add to the menu. Ema’s previous tuna dish – from October – included watermelon, but this dish was truly spectacular! The bright pop of color and tartness in the pomegranate, paired with the tuna and diced apple, along with the mint… Made it look like Christmas on a plate. SK SO good!! We then had falafel, brussels sprouts and brown butter dates. The falafel is crunchy and flavorful, and served with a beet-laced tzatziki. The brussels sprouts were prepared with shallots and pumpkin seeds and a subtle hint of sticky sweetness. The dates were fine, but nobody was raving about them like we did the other dishes. We finished our meal with the harissa crusted halibut, and the cauliflower kebab. Both were excellent, although my personal favorite was the halibut. It is served on a bed of mushrooms, in a Dashi broth with a spicy crust on top. The fish was tender and flaky and full of flavor. Service (Morgan) was attentive but not annoying; ambience is chic and classy but comfortable. You would never know you are in a parking lot in Glenview as opposed to a terrace in the Mediterranean.

We had a wonderful evening from the moment we walked in the door to the moment we left. The decor was beautiful, the food was absolutely delicious, and our waiter was excellent. THANK YOU