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