Room Service Review: Le Méridien Chicago Oakbrook Center

The Le Méridien in Oakbrook Center has a great location for those that want to shop since the mall shares the same parking lot. With all the restaurants right there, including Maggiano’s and Antico Posto (there’s even a Cheesecake Factory right next door) there’s a lot of competition that Le Méridien’s room service is up against. I decided to place a room service order to see if it would be a good option for those wanting to stay in for the night.

Perusing over the choices, I found that most mains were in the high $20 range. Nothing really caught my eye, so I settled on a children’s fish plate since the preparation is usually the same as the adult one, but the portion size is more reasonable. I chose carrots as the vegetable, and mashed potatoes came on the side. I also wanted to try the assortment of French Macarons.

I looked over all the pages of the room service menu but didn’t see what extension to dial to get room service. I didn’t see anything on the phone either so I called the front desk to inquire, and she said that was correct as they take the orders there.

During the phone call, I asked some basic questions about items on the menu, and had to be put on hold several times while the chef was consulted. I know the hotel is new, but I would think three weeks would be long enough to be familiarized with the menu. Finally the order was placed, and I was given the time frame of 30 to 40 minutes for delivery.

In 34 minutes there was a knock at the door. The check was signed ($15 for the fish, $9 for the macarons, plus delivery, tax & tip.

Rather than a wheeled cart, the meal was delivered via tray. This was nice because it was all ready to go, but I think the wheeled cart is good because it keeps things hot.

The portion size of the fish looked just right. Not too large and not too tiny. I tried the fish first and while the flavor was tasty, it was barely lukewarm. That’s where I think the cart would have helped.  The top of the fish looked like a nice crunchy coating, but it was actually the skin so that had to be sloughed off first, and there were pieces that didn’t seem quite cooked. I didn’t end up eating the whole thing.

The carrots were warm at least and looked cute with their green tops still on.

The mashed potatoes were creamy and buttery, albeit not hot either. I was hungry though, and ate every bite.

The macarons looked good all lined up, and were sitting in a tray filled with tiny crunchy chocolate balls. I was a bit wary after the fish, and paused because I was really hopeful that they were good.

Thankfully they were delicious! Fresh, moist and soft, I took a bite out of each one to try them all. There was a deep, rich chocolate and a lemony one but my favorite was mint, which even tasted like there were fresh mint leaves in there.

Utensils – ✔
Time from call to delivery – 34 minutes ✔
Temperature of food – X (Fish, carrots, and potatoes were lukewarm)
Correctness of order – ✔
Parting thoughts – Not worth it. In the future I’d skip room service and go to one of the many restaurants nearby. The macarons were a nice treat though.

Overall score – 3/5

Le Méridien Chicago Oakbrook Center