West Loop's Oriole Earns Rare 4-Star Review from Trib's Vettel

The high hopes shared among Noah Sandoval (Senza) and his friends who opened Oriole in March have paid off. Tribune critic Phil Vettel awarded the restaurant 4 stars, the sixth such restaurant to receive such acclaim from Vettel immediately after opening. And it's Oriole's second 4-star review from Chicago critics, as Jeff Ruby at Chicago gushed about the restaurant back in May.

The tasting menu provided Vettel with a constant barrage of hits. The layered textures and flavors impressed him. The wagyu with charred gem lettuce prompted Vettel to write that "steak and salad were never more refined." Diners will be treated to plenty of Genie Kwon's desserts, and luckily those treats "bear judicious levels of sweetness."

Even the bread service, sourdough with butter and puffed grains, excited Vettel: "I was grateful to receive only one piece of bread; left to my own devices, I might have inhaled five." The wine list isn't expansive, but Vettel writes the pairings work well as "once a dinner stretches beyond six courses, I tend not to second-guess the professionals when it comes to wine matches."

The five other restaurants that have received 4-star reviews off the bat from Vettel are Alinea, Grace, Ria, Trio and Next's Paris 1906 menu.