Wildfire in Oak Brook: Its Popularity is Exceeded Only by its Quality (Chicago-Area Restaurant Review 11)

Most restaurants that have a high tourist volume are mediocre at best when it comes to the food. Wildfire is definitely an exception. In fact, we believe, because of its popularity, it is often overlooked on lists of Chicago's best steak restaurants but, for our money, it's at or near the very top of the list.

On our most recent visit to the Oak Brook location, we were seated promptly, though we arrived a few minutes before our reservation time (even though, at 6:30 on a Sunday, the place was overflowing, as it always is). While decor is not our main interest, we really enjoyed the Rascal Room, where we were seated. We had a corner booth by the window, and the wooden booths and paneling and the table arrangement made the whole room feel welcoming and cozy, despite being in a large restaurant.

We started with the baked goat cheese and tomato sauce appetizer. While this appetizer has been done to death, the one here is always outstanding, almost worth a special trip. (The shrimp cocktail is excellent as well, but we weren't hungry enough to get both this visit.) Next, we split the tomato and red onion salad. A small is more than enough for two (or an army). We're usually not salad people, and Lisa usually doesn't eat onions, but the combination of fresh tomatos, blue cheese, and chopped onions is wonderful.

Because it's so good, and because many restaurants don't carry it, we nearly always each order the bone-in filet at Wildfire. In our view, this is the very best cut of steak to get, and is as good or better here as it is at any of the steak houses more often touted as Chicago's best. As usual, these were cooked a perfect medium rare, with outstanding flavor and good charcoal, which Steve always likes, but usually can't get elsewhere, and which Lisa usually doesn't like, except at Wildfire.

Desserts are also great at Wildfire. Steve almost always has the apple pie with vanilla ice cream and caramal sauce. He absolutely loves it. Lisa had the triple layer chocolate fudge cake, which came with dark chocolate sauce and was very good. (She still pines for the molten chocolate cake, however, that Wildfire used to serve and is lobbying for its return.)

We accompanied dinner with a bottle of excellent mid-price Shiraz (Groom), which went perfectly with the steak and the chocolate. Service was earnest and friendly, if a bit slow, but that's to be expected when there is a full house every minute of every evening. (And, often, Wildfire's service is great despite that fact.)

The total bill at Wildfire was about $210, and would have been about $160 with wine by the glass.

Continuing a trend, Steve actually liked the Men's Room better than Lisa liked the Women's Room. Steve particularly liked the hands free faucet with warm water, the abundance of towels and overall cleanliness of the room. Plus, the towels were near the door, with a wastebasket, so a towel could be used to open the door on exiting, which a sign invited patrons to do. The Women's bathroom also was clean and had a hands free faucet, but the towels were not near the door, and it could have been a bit more polished.

Our rating for Wildfire in Oak Brook Center, Oak Brook, Illinois:

10 of 10 Steak Knives (our highest rating yet) and 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes (2.25 for Women's and 3 for Men's -- Steve's first 3 rating!)

Note: This rating is for the Oak Brook Wildfire. We have been to all the others in the area, including in downtown Chicago, and while they are quite good, the Oak Brook location, in our view, is the best.

The Plush Horse Ice Cream Parlour: Old Fashioned Ice Cream (Chicago-Area Ice Cream Parlor Review 1)

For a change, we decided to have just ice cream for dinner, and went to The Plush Horse Ice Cream Parlour (actually spelled that way) in Palos Park. It really does have a giant (about six foot tall) stuffed white horse in the center of the seating area. The ice cream is homemade and the scoops are generous. We each ordered a banana split. Banana splits come with three scoops of ice cream and three toppings.

Steve got cookies and cream, vanilla malt, and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream (he originally wanted banana as a flavor, but they were out), with cherry, caramel, and butterscotch syrup. Putting aside Steve's fatal miscalculation in mixing cherry with butterscotch and caramel (the cherry overpowered the other two), the ice cream was very buttery and creamy and extremely filling. It really tastes like old fashioned ice cream.

Lisa ordered mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie dough, and almond amaretto ice cream, all with chocolate sauce. She liked the almond amaretto best. It really tasted like almonds and amaretto. She would have liked more chocolate sauce, but she has that issue at every ice cream parlor she's tried. The ice cream was very rich, though the cookie dough was a little too sweet for her.

It was a bit chilly outside, so we decided to eat inside, which turned out to be even colder, as the air conditioning was on though it was in the fifties. The place itself is in a very pleasant, tree-filled area, and would be particularly nice for walking around or sitting outside and eating ice cream on a warm summer day.

This is the first time Steve rated a bathroom higher than Lisa did. The second she opened the Women's Room door, the reek of urine accosted her, and she did her best to hold her breath and not touch anything more than she had to. Adding to the ambiance, the paper towels overflowed the waste can, leaving none in the towel dispenser. Apparently, the men and/or boys of the southwest Chicago suburbs are neater, because the Men's bathroom was okay for a heavily trafficked ice cream parlor, and had an automatic hand dryer.

It was $15 total for two banana splits (no drinks). Given the size of the scoops, everything here is a bargain.

Our rating for The Plush Horse Ice Cream Parlour, 12301 S. 86th Ave., Palos Park, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Ice Cream Scoops (Steak Knives not applicable) and 1 (to be charitable) of 3 Bathroom Brushes.

Note: The ice cream rating doesn't seem that high, but this is one of the better ice cream parlors we've tried. We've yet to find a truly great ice cream place, even though (or because) we love ice cream.

The Gage: Not Quite Up to the Hype (Chicago-Area Restaurant Review 10)

We went to The Gage Restaurant and Tavern in downtown Chicago for lunch with a group for administrative professionals' day. This is a new restaurant that has gotten a lot of favorable buzz, including in places like Chicago Magazine and Time Out. The place had also been highly recommended by one of our colleagues. The concept here is upscale pub food. But we were disappointed in the overall experience.

Our table ordered two appetizers, a pickle and olive plate and chips (really fries) with curry sauce. The sauce didn't have a strong curry flavor, but we still didn't particularly care for it. Steve really liked the fries, though, and had more with his meal. Lisa thought the pickles were good, Steve thought they were merely acceptable. We didn't try the olives.

Especially disappointing were the Gage Prime burgers. With a name like that, one would think they would be really good. And, in fact, our colleague told us he had just had one for dinner the prior week and thought it was great. We don't know what he tasted, but we found the burgers pedestrian, without much flavor, and the carmelized onions on top were soft, mushy and too sweet. For dessert, our table shared dark chocolate torte and cinnamon straws. The dark chocolate torte was excellent, but came with a creamy Guiness sauce that really tasted like, well, Guiness. Since Lisa doesn't like beer, and it was hard to get a bite of the torte without getting at least some sauce on it, the dessert was spoiled for her. Our advice is, if you don't like beer, or don't think you'd like it with chocolate, order the sauce on the side or skip it. The cinnamon straws were served with apple ice cream and tasted wonderful (but cinnamon straws don't make a meal).

Lisa ordered ginger orange tea, which came in a small glass pot, and which she liked, even though Steve contended it looked like a vat of blood. (It really didn't.)

The restaurant's decor was interesting, with dark green booths and black and white tile, though we're not quite sure what it was supposed to depict, since it didn't really look like a pub. The room is very loud when crowded. The service was friendly and efficient. Also, the owner or manager stopped by each table personally to ask how the meal was.

Both Steve and Lisa thought the bathrooms were pretty good, while not spectacular.

Lunch for two at The Gage would have been approximately $40 (without any alcohol).

Our rating for The Gage Restaurant and Tavern, 24 South Michigan, Chicago, Illinois:

5 out of 10 Steak Knives and 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Avenues: As Good as the Hotel (Chicago-Area Restaurant Review 9)

We were in the mood for a special dinner, so we went to Avenues at the Peninsula Hotel in downtown Chicago. The hotel is rated as one of the best not just in Chicago but in America, which it is, and the restaurant easily lives up to that standard, despite needing to be in Mensa (of course, Lisa is) to read the menu. There are four choices at Avenues -- a three course menu (one hot or cold appetizer, one meat or fish dish, and one dessert), a five course menu (hot and cold appetizer, meat and seafood courses, and dessert), a ten-course tasting menu, or a twenty-course extravaganza. Since we're both dessert people, and the ten course offered only various souffles for dessert, we opted for the five course.

Dinner started with two amuse bouche, both goat cheese based, and both excellent. The first was a tiny puff pastry with goat cheese and red pepper, and the second was a custardy goat cheese with heirloom tomato. Lisa's first course was beef tartare, which was wonderful, and Steve had the peeky-toed crab salad, which he loved even though he usually dislikes crab, and even though we don't know what "peeky-toed" means. Second course was scallops -- which were very fresh and tender, and were the best scallops Steve's ever tasted -- and risotto with white truffles. Lisa thought the risotto sauce a bit spicy, but still liked it, and Steve thought it was really good.

For the third course, which was seafood, Lisa ordered the Tuna Menage a Trois. This consisted of ahi tuna, which was very good, tuna tartare, which was amazing, and grilled tuna, which did not have a lot of flavor and was the only item we didn't particularly like. Steve had King Salmon, with a rice base. The salmon itself was great, but it was paired with some sort of pork, which seemed like an odd combination.

For the meat course, Lisa ordered the American Kobe beef strips, medium rare. While we don't really understand the whole Kobe craze, it certainly was cooked to perfection and very flavorful and well-marbled. Steve had the lamb chops, which were small but great.

For dessert, Lisa had the chocolate candy bar. This was a chocolate mousse bar with a somewhat strong expresso flavor, a scoop of peanut butter ice cream that really tasted like peanut butter, and a marshmallow and caramel sandwich that Steve loved (because only he would eat something that fattening and full of sugar, but Lisa did taste it and liked it, too). Steve ordered a corn pudding, which came with popcorn ice cream. Popcorn ice cream sounds rather strange, but actually tasted both buttery and sweet, and both Steve and Lisa liked it. The meal finished with complimentary tiny desserts, including one chocolate and raisin, one raspberry chocolate, and one very sweet white chocolate sandwich cookie.

We had a bottle of Henry's Drive Reserve Shiraz. Henry's Drive is our favorite Shiraz, and the reserve was a bit more tart. While we liked it with the food, we prefer the slightly sweeter (and less expensive) Henry's Drive if drinking the wine alone.

The total bill at Avenues was $540 with tip, and would have been about $380 without the wine.

Not surprisingly, Lisa rated the Women's Room higher than Steve rated the Men's. Lisa gave the Women's bathroom a 3 (her first one). Each stall was a separate room, and was very clean, with colorful tile. The faucet was hands free, and almost warm enough, and there were plenty of heavy, cloth-like towels. The entire bathroom was very clean and smelled good. The Men's Room could have been a 3 for similar reasons, except for the fact that the automatic flushing system in the urinals was not working, thereby lending somewhat of an unpleasant odor to an otherwise well put together restroom.

While obviously pricey, we really liked this restaurant, and think it was well worth it. Our overall rating for Avenues, 108 E Superior, Chicago, Illinois:

9.5 of 10 Steak Knives and 2.75 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Nick's Fishmarket - One of the Other Fish in the Sea (Chicago-Area Restaurant Review 9)

We went to this restaurant on the spur of the moment because we felt like seafood (not a usual occurrence, though steak remains a favorite) and we wanted to get out of the city. We'd both tried Nick's Fishmarket in downtown Chicago years ago and found it a bit stuffy. The Rosemont location is more relaxed, at least on Sunday night, and the waiters have a good sense of humor. The meal started well, with a smoked salmon and potato pancake appetizer. (Steve ate the potato pancake, continuing his quest to gain as much weight as possible.) Lisa had the Nick's Classic Salad, which was amazing. It is leaf lettuce with creamy spinach dressing (and she doesn't even like spinach) and tiny bay shrimp that were very fresh. Steve was jealous of Lisa's salad because he chose some sort of goat cheese thing in the salad column on the menu. The goat cheese and tomato were good, but the rest of the salad consisted of three very large and scary looking artichoke hearts (keep in mind, Steve doesn't like artichokes, but he thought they might be smaller) and some unidentified leafy objects.

For main course, Lisa had the steamed King crab legs. The big plus was they were on the half shell, so no hard work, and they were pretty good. Steve ate lobster tail, which was also good, but not stellar. Dessert was disappointing. Lisa's molten chocolate cake had what tasted like syrup, rather than cake batter, in the middle. It also didn't taste that chocolaty. Steve ordered a white chocolate blueberry dome with lemon cream. It tasted overly sweet, and he could barely taste the blueberry or the lemon.

The wine was very good. We ordered a bottle of Syrah even though we were having fish. (We create our own convention.)

The total bill at Nick's Fishmarket, with a bottle of wine, was about $300 (without would have been $225.)

Overall, while Lisa absolutely loved her salad, the dinner was just slightly above average, particularly when the high cost, which is the one thing that is the same in the Rosemont restaurant as in downtown Chicago, is factored in.

For once, Steve was marginally more satisfied with the men's room than Lisa was with the women's room. The men's bathroom was overall very clean, with hands-free soap and faucets that really worked and plenty of towels, although the wastebasket was overflowing with towels. The women's bathroom had a nice sitting area with a sofa, and also had hands-free soap and faucets. However, not only was the wastebasket overflowing with towels, a good amount of toilet paper was strewn between the stalls.

Our overall rating for Nick's Fishmarket, 10275 W. Higgins Rd., Rosemont, Illinois:

7 of 10 Steak Knives (or, in this case, Fish Hooks) and 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Meson Sabika - Best Tapas Around (Chicago-Area Restaurant Review 8)

We absolutely love Meson Sabika. Lisa has always liked tapas. Steve is a recent convert, largely due to Lisa. There are not many tapas restaurants of note in the Chicago area, and usually this restaurant is not thought of in the top group, but, believe us, it is the best. First, the setting, an old mansion, is a wonderul, relaxing backdrop for tapas. On our recent visit, we did have to wait quite a while, but that was okay because it gave us a chance to sit at the very atmospheric bar. The bar is dark wood, and the pictures hanging behind it look like they are from the nineteenth century. The bottles on display are colorful. Both of our Spanish red wines were very good. (But, sorry, we don't recall the names of the wine.)

Unlike other tapas restaurants, everything on the menu sounds good, and we've liked everything we've tried. This time was no exception. We started with the garlic potato salad, which, while good at most tapas places, is unbelievable at Meson Sabika. Very strong garlic. We could eat several bowls of it. We ordered a plate of Spanish cheeses and fruit. The soft cheeses were the best, but all were good. We also tried one meat, one fish, and one chicken dish. All were excellent. Desserts aren't really the specialty of tapas restaurants, but Meson Sabika has excellent choices. Two of Lisa's favorites are the poached pear and the profiteroles. The poached pear is drizzled with cinammon cream, and comes with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce that bring out the pear flavor. The bittersweet chocolate sauce (you knew there would be chocolate somewhere) on the profiteroles is the best Lisa ever had, which is saying a lot.

For a change, the men's room was acceptable to Steve, since it was clean and pleasant smelling with no dearth of towels. Lisa found the women's bathroom very clean, with lit scented candles.

All in all, this restaurant is a great experience. Come with a group if you can so you can try the maximum number of these great dishes.

With wines by the glass, dinner was approximately $100 and worth every penny.

Our rating for Meson Sabika, 1025 Aurora Avenue, Naperville, Illinois:

9 out of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 out of 3 Bathroom Brushes.

Chicago Firehouse - Failed Promise (Chicago-Area Restaurant Review 7)

Chicago Firehouse should be better than it is. It boasts a great ambiance, an excellent location and a wonderful concept (an old Chicago fire station houses the restaurant), but the food, while OK, doesn't quite deliver. Lisa started with lobster bisque, which she liked but which wasn't quite top notch (a little too spicy). Steve's wedge salad was also very good, but somewhat plain. Lisa's filet mignon was cooked perfectly medium rare, and the slice at the very center tasted great, but the rest lacked flavor. Continuing a theme for this restaurant, Steve's pot roast was good, but not inspired, and not as tender as he'd hoped. The wines by the glass were okay, with Lisa having an interesting, if tart, Shiraz and Steve drinking a good Merlot. We didn't have time for dessert (which doesn't happen often), but in the past desserts here have also lacked true excellence.

With wines by the glass, the total was about $125.00, which we definitely felt was overpriced for the quality of the restaurant.

Chicago Firehouse has two women's bathrooms. Lisa stopped in the one near the door, right next to the coat check. It is a single, and she didn't feel quite comfortable being right by the entrance. The bathroom was fairly clean, with old-fashioned fixtures. As usual, Steve was even harder to please, but he thinks with good reason. The restaurant's men's room was clean, but in an apparent attempt at authenticity, the two sinks were literally from 1905, as the sign indicated. They looked it. Had they been restored at all, that would have been one thing, but both sink basins and the faucets were rusted out and looked just awful.

Our ratings for Chicago Firehouse, 1401 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois:

6.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes