ICI – French Country Kitchen
“If you want farm-to-table freshness with friendly, attentive, knowledgable staff, then this is the place for you.”
“I had a lot of really picky eaters at my reception, and everyone, including the picky ones ate everything and raved about it.”
“My skate was flaky and bursting with butter, and the sweet corn doused with lime was sour and crunchy and perfect.”
ICI – French Country Kitchen
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Update: To their credit, Ici refunded the extra charge and, as a courtesy, also refunded my meal. I really do appreciate that. But since I wasn't thrilled with the food to begin with, I think the best I can give them is two stars. That shouldn't keep you from trying them–other people seem to have had good experiences–but I just wouldn't go there again myself.
I came here for a wedding. The atmosphere was small but cute and the food was pretty good. The servers and everyone I interacted with were nice and professional.
I went to a wedding here and it could not have been more intimate and picture perfect. This place is what pinterest dreams are made of! And the FOOD… made with love for sure. The ceremony and cocktail hour was held outdoors. The staff did a great job making sure everyone was happy. We were escorted to the private dining room upstairs for the reception. It can get very tight and tough to move around once everyone is seated, but once the food and alcohol started flowing, everyone was family! Dinner was served family style and everything was de-li-cious! It's like going to your best friend's house and having their French grandmother whip up a feast of all her favorite things. Everything was fabulous!
ICI is understated, but super rustic chic. I would definitely come back here for a romantic date night!
It was beautiful today and I was insistent on finding a backyard to brunch in. Ici fit the bill; the back yard is utterly charming with leafy shade and twinkly lights. The menu is a little small but definitely had some tempting options. I ordered the brioche french toast and side of their thick cut bacon. The bacon blew my mind: it was so savory (and fatty) and delicious. You need to appreciate the thick gluttonous quality to this type of bacon, but I do, and really liked it. The french toast was also quite tasty and I liked the whipped cream. I could have done without the fruit compote but whatever, it was easy enough to displace. My boyfriend ordered the pork confit which looked tasty, although it was a small bowl and he finished it before I even though of asking for a bite. Ici is tres mignone and though there are a lot of cute places like it on Dekalb, it's not a bad option.
I really wanted to give this place 4 stars, considering they were nice enough to donate $100 gift certificate to a local organization, for which I won
Don't get me wrong, the food was stellar all around and we had the restaurant to ourselves until around 8:30 on a Saturday night (it filled pretty quickly after that) Without gift certificate, we splurged on wine, apps, dinner, and dessert The Kunick cheese and the homemade ricotta were grand. Our dinner (Hanger Steak and Swordfish), although I felt less than ideal temperature, were unlike any other. The goat cheese cheesecake was the perfect top off and the wines matched perfectly.
My biggest gripe was the service. I was highly dissatisfied with the fact we got one measly piece of bread to go with out Kunick (cheese). The table next to us actually dropped her bread all over the floor, and the wait staff rushed out to bring her another bowl. On top of that, our waitress forgot to serve us our duck fat fries. I do not believe they were attentive us very much in pouring water and asking how our meal was. And lastly, we had food to go, they gave us the folded up cardboard box (which is not leakproof BTW) with out a bag (we figured since they don't offer the bag, the container must be leakproof…I would fund out later that, that assumption was dead wrong). And of course, when the mrs stored the box in her bag, the juices leaked all over the place, leaving her belongings reeking of sword fish parts.
In the end our bill came to 127, 150 with tax. Thankfully we had our gift certificate (perhaps the reason why our experience was unpleasant) to cover most of the charge, but, had I spent that kind of money in reality, I would like to think the experience was well worth it. I do not believe this experience was worth $150.
Went to brunch here last weekend, and it was great. My friend and I both had the hanger steak with eggs. Cooked well and amazing set up.
I have often found that places with a short menu often have the best food and that is true for here. I came in September for my birthday and started with the three cheeses, which were amazing. Then I had the hanger steak which was also super tasty.
The location is cute and inside is beautiful.
There are so many restaurants in the city it is hard to make it back to good spots, but I will definitely make the effort here.
Walking in, I could see how people choose this place for weddings. The decor is serene and romantic . Very warm and cozy ambiance. Felt like we were dining in someone fancy living room.
Out of the 3 appetizers we picked, I really liked the kunick cheese and shishito peppers. Very slim selection of wine but I was satisfied with the Red I chose. As entrees I had the swordfish while my husband had the hanger steak. The food overall tested very fresh and organic but overall was not majorly impressed.
The hubs and I were dining on a gift certificate he won. They acknowledged it but I also felt it might have impacted our poor service. We were given one piece of bread with our Kunick cheese while we witnessed more was given at other tables. There was lots of lag time where no one peaked on us to check on our order or whether we were enjoying our meal. Lastly, I was given a cardboard box for my swordfish leftover without a bag. The sauce from the dish leaked inside my bag on my way home.
Little incidents but they all add up. And for a place like this that seems to value gastronomy I feel service should be held in the same standard. I was glad that night we were dining on a certificate because the high price was not worth the food.