What's Your Sign?

I'm a Gemini. That basically means that I have two personalities. It's true. I like sports and I like Kate Spade jewelery, pastel pencil skirts, knitting and OPI nail polish. However, there was nothing ambiguous or two sided about my love for Gemini Bistro in Lincoln Park. Every time I go there, it just gets better and better.

The decor is fresh and simple, yet elegant. Hardly visible that this space was previously an old pharmacy with long aisles of drug store products (as opposed to the black, white and gray walls and overly sized white fabric lamps suspending over the booths in the center of the venue). The menu compliments the overall look and feel of the interior. It doesn't have items that are unable to be pronounced, or things that you wonder if your stomach will feel strange 2 hours later. Their are small plates, medium and large. Pick your size appetite, pick your size dish. Or, mix and match. I realized how conducive this restaurant is to any time of day, any day of week. I have been there on a Tuesday for a big meal, and like this week, I made my way over (after a quick stop at J Crew to purchase a shirt that I had them cut the tag off in the dressing room so I could wear it to eat--yes, I do that) to Gemini on a Friday afternoon for happy hour with a good co-worker of mine. She thankfully shares my taste in foods and wine. We went straight to the red wine bottles menu and ate at the bar. The Mendoza Malbec is my favorite. The bottle label has an off white label with an ocean scene drawn on it. We ordered two salads ("small plates") and split scallops (a "big plate"). Everything was fantastic, per usual.

Our Order:
The Autumn Salad was a collection of dried cherries, nuts, fresh greens, and a light dressing with a vinaigrette base. The beet salad is something I always order, since it's the fresh produce they use and perfectly executed white truffle vinaigrette that I find to be the main reason that I order this dish each time I visit. Our meal finished with the scallops (which were HUGE and juicy--I refuse to make a "that's what she said" joke about that phrase) and we split them, which was perfect for a lighter meal prior to heading out for the night. I won't write about where we went after this--it was a sketchy bar that we visited basically as a dare. The bartender, Emilio, was awesome. I restrained myself from yelling "hey Emilio" like in the "Night at the Roxbury" movie. We loved sitting at the bar. We didn't have any wait when we walked in around 6:30pm.

Trust me! Try it out. They take open table reservations, too.

Look at the Menu. Click here.