The Table at Crate
American restaurant · Oak Brook ·
Creative New American fare, coffee, baked goods & cocktails
Creative New American fare, coffee, baked goods & cocktails
"Crate and Barrel’s suburban restaurant reopened with family meals for two available for curbside pickup via Tock, with a la carte items and bottles of wine as add-ons." - Ashok Selvam
"Located within the company's Oak Brook store, Crate & Barrel’s first restaurant is a successful display of chef Bill Kim's cooking, with a vegetable-forward menu that "leans light." The salmon tartine—an open-faced sandwich of parsnip, carrot, and egg—is "delightful," the mushroom fricassee is a "captivating mélange of wild mushrooms and Brussels sprouts atop white corn grits," and the marinated skirt steak is a "meaty masterpiece." A few clunkers include "heavy" and stale waffle fries and a shrimp poke with an "over-applied" miso sesame dressing." - Jeffy Mai
"In a suburban Chicago shopping center, Crate and Barrel opened its first full-service restaurant called Table for Crate, which took over a vacant Land of Nod space." - Ashok Selvam
"Opened today at Oakbrook Center, this bilevel, full-service restaurant at 35 Oakbrook Center is helmed by James Beard–nominee Bill Kim (Urbanbelly) and offers shareable, seasonal, largely vegetable-focused dishes in a space designed to showcase Crate and Barrel’s kitchen tools and tableware. Created in collaboration with Cornerstone Restaurant Group, the Table at Crate seats 75 across indoor and outdoor areas and features the brand’s spare, modern aesthetic—dusty rose, green, and grey chairs around smooth wooden tables, large sun-filled windows, clustered creative lighting, and white-and-grey dishes artfully arranged on a wall. The menu highlights ingredients from local farms including Three Sisters Garden, Mick Klug Farm, and Green Acres Farm, with garden and greens like mushroom fricasse (white corn grits, truffle oil, herb butter) and watermelon salad (poached shrimp, forbidden black rice, agave dijon dressing); three tartines (avocado, BLT, and “mighty vine” tomato); bowls such as cavatelli (double smoked bacon, tomato sauce, basil); protein-forward mains including garlic and rosemary–marinated skirt steak (tomato salsa, waffle fries); and Kim’s favored deep dish cauliflower lasagna (tomato garlic sauce, mozzarella). The beverage program includes wine by the glass and bottle, beers and ciders with local options, eight cocktails (for example the “Hey, Hi, Hello” and “Midnight Surmise”), spirit-free cocktails like the “Crime of Passion,” plus grab-and-go items and a coffee bar. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; note that the store will close early on 5/31 and remain temporarily closed through 6/3." - Naomi Waxman
"A 75-seat restaurant located inside a Crate and Barrel at Oakbrook Center that doubles as a living showroom for the retailer’s plates, silverware and décor; the space (taking over the former Land of Nod at 35 Oakbrook Center) is designed as an interactive experience where meals demonstrate merchandise in action. Chef Bill Kim, a Chicago-raised, Seoul-born cook trained under Charlie Trotter and known for Pan‑Asian casual food, leads a sharable-menu approach that includes signature items such as a deep-dish cauliflower lasagna (made with steamed, thinly sliced cauliflower layered like pasta, cheese and tomato sauce) and a kale salad with toasted ground almonds and fish sauce replacing traditional egg and anchovy in the dressing. The operation also offers afternoon tea towers (salmon rolls, roulade and cucumber sandwiches with smoked white bean hummus), grab‑and‑go items, a coffee bar and eight cocktails crafted by Julieta Campos; an outdoor patio and playful drinks like the Tito’s‑based “Hey, Hi, Hello” expand the casual vibe. Backed by Cornerstone Restaurant Group’s resources, the project aims to challenge expectations for suburban dining; the chef planned to be on-site during the opening period, with a target to open in July." - Ashok Selvam