Bin 36
339 North Dearborn at Marina City
Chicago, IL 60610
Our rating: 8/10 atmosphere, 6/10 food
Admittedly, going to Bin 36 from D.C. would be quite the “restaurant road trip,” but if you are in the Windy City for a quick vacation or even a dull 
business trip grabbing a glass (or a flight) of wine and some cheese at Bin 36 would be a perfect way to end a day.
Don’t be fooled. Bin 36 has a restaurant area, but this “wine bar” is really more about its wine and cheese flights than its main courses. When our party of eight sat down Saturday evening and looked around at the dining room tables filled with wine glasses it became clear that the wine is the way to go at Bin 36.
Everyone seemed pleased with their flights – all of which came with purchase information for the attached wine shop. Specific favorites? I’ll leave that up to anyone who wishes to comment as I chose not to imbibe that evening. The cheese platter received rave reviews, too. Our entrees, however, were less than stellar. Half our party seemed pleased, the other half ordered steak which for four of us was severely undercooked. Even after sending mine back (which, I might add, I do very infrequently) it still wasn’t cooked to my medium-well standards. The sides (a potato cake and sauteed spinach) were uninspired, but edible.
Innovative desserts and champagne flights after the main course hit a nice chord with the ladies, and almost made up for our bleeding steaks.
Verdict? A lovely way to spend an evening, but save the $18-30 for the entrees and splurge on the wine and cheese or head to the bar and order from the different and less pricey bar menu.
