Best Contemporary American Restaurants in Wilmette

Always an exceptional experience, elegant, thoughtful and wonderfully paced menu. The perfect place for a special occasion, always. Service and ambiance delightful, warm, exquisite but not pretentious, exactly what it should be. 10/10

Very unassuming looking place with Wonderful food, excellent service, strict attention to allergy concerns, and a quiet environment to just enjoy the food. No ear splitting music or deafening beat. Wonderful preparations. We had pork belly and crab cake as appetizers, roasted duck breast and crispy roasted sea bass with lobster tortellini as entrées, followed by an amazing lemon cream and wild Berry Napoleon. A refreshing sorbet was also served as s palate cleanser between courses. Everything showed a delicate touch of refinement and knowledge or what works.

We had a 6:30pm reservation, and we arrived early. We were seated promptly upon arrival. The restaurant was very busy when we arrived, but our server came to our table very soon after we were seated… I had commented on the last time we dined at the restaurant, and the service today was by far more superior and attentive (note, the owner of Bluestone offered us a gift coupon for the lack of service attentiveness last time, which we appreciated). The server came to the table numerous times to ask for our drink and food choices, and the delivery was quick once we ordered. The smoked chicken wings were delicious. I had the brown rice bowl with the salmon which was delicious, and everyone else’s meals were prepared nicely and were very tasty. All in all, a nice experience this evening.

We had an excellent late lunch before going to the theater next door. Our waiter was very professional: courteous, knowledgeable, and attentive. Our bacon-wrapped shrimp appetizer was exceptional and our entrees (chicken marsala and the fish special) were delicious. My wife is strictly gluten free and was accommodated perfectly.

I've been to 501 before and have never been disappointed. The food was terrific. The waitstaff is great. We were seated at a table that was off to the side so it was quiet and my friends and I could catch up with ease. Highly recommend 501!