When my mom was in town she asked me what restaurants I have been dying to try because she said (and I quote) “You should take advantage of me while I am here…” Now, I am not one to take advantage of my mother; but she insisted, so I promptly suggested several restaurants on my ‘wish list’. We opted for Sepia because it is within walking distance of my apartment and well, it was 5:30 and we were already late for cocktail hour.

We chose to sit in the lounge area which is a cozy space. The whole theme of the restaurant reminded me of somewhere the mafia would have met up at back in the day – very old-school Chicago. We started off with a Manhattan for mom and their specialty drink the ‘South X Southwest’ for me. Mom was ranting and raving about her Manhattan and I was equally as happy with my choice. My drink was garnished with a sprig of rosemary and had a sweet and refreshing combination of flavors. It was one of those drinks that is more of a sensory experience than just a beverage. They also had an impressive wine list that I sampled from and was very happy with our waiter’s recommendation for me.

For an appetizer we tried the scallops which were incredible – like melt-in-your-mouth, savoring-every-bite incredible. Then we both ordered the arctic char which I had such high expectations for after the scallops but sort of fell short – there just wasn’t anything exciting about it and it was rather bland. Corey had the skirt steak which he said was great but he wasn’t sure if it was worth the price.

In all, I would say I was impressed with the place and would definitely consider going back and trying something else on the menu. If the food doesn’t get me to go back, the drinks certainly will. I also have to add that the hostess was incredibly gracious. Now normally this should come as no surprise as that is kind of their job, but more times than not over the last year or so I have noticed a pattern with rude hostesses. I don’t know if it is some kind of technique for making the restaurant seem better and more exclusive than it is but I for one find it incredibly off-putting. So kudos to Sepia for that!