At some point over the last couple years, we woke up one day and realized the Melman’s and Lettuce Entertain You owned a majority of the restaurants in a five block River North radius. We started to list them all off for you, but there are about fifteen and we got bored. That doesn’t even account for Three Dots and a Dash, Sub 51, and the money-printing machine that is Studio Paris Nightclub. We’ll get to all of these restaurants eventually, but today’s review focuses on the initial hot spot opened by the offspring of founder Richard Melman, Hub 51.

Like all Lettuce restaurants, Hub 51 is well-run with great service and a lively atmosphere. But why do people eat dinner here? We prefer not to, but know it tends to be crowded, especially on the weekends. We aren’t saying the food is bad, you just won’t ever walk away saying it was great. The menu was designed to be a mix of fun things that people like to eat, but it’s all over the place. We guess it may be good for a group of picky eaters, but deciding between sushi, tacos, and dinner platters like Chilean sea bass or slow-cooked pork puts us in a mental pretzel. And by the time you tack on one or two drinks a person it’s a quick $65 for food that will leave you adequately satisfied but not impressed.

We aren’t here to totally hate on Hub 51 though. We just think it should be utilized for its strengths. Full-fledged dinner, not so much, but the sandwiches will do the trick for extended lunches and the brunch is pretty good.

But Hub is most useful when you’re looking to hit the town in River North without a plan. Post up at a high-top in the bar and order some cocktails and nachos in the company of good-looking people. It’ll be the same price for the same slightly underwhelming food, just think of it more as a trendy night on the town instead of a place to expect a great meal.