Fleming's: A Little Disappointing (Chicago-Area Restaurant Review 15)

We hadn't been to a steakhouse in the Chicago area in a while, so we decided to try the outdoor patio at Fleming's in Lincolnshire, despite the bug battalion that attacked last time we ate outside. While there are many aspects of this restaurant that are enjoyable, overall, it is only an average experience.

The meal started with a complimentary relish tray with celery, toast, and two spreads, which was good. We wanted to try something slightly different for an appetizer, so we ordered the seafood tower. It sounded great, since it included lobster, shrimp, crab legs and claws, and calamari ceviche. (Though neither of us really wanted the calamari.) This was definitely a dish that sounded better in theory. In our opinion, the lobster lacked any flavor, the shrimp tasted fishy, the cocktail sauce was overpowering (and tasted a little like barbecue), and the crab legs were mediocre, although the crab claws were good. Not only that, the seafood apparently attracted our buggy friends.

The next course was better. Steve enjoyed his wedge salad, with no prune-like atrocities (see our review of Frankie's). Lisa had mozarella, which was very fresh, with tiny cherry tomatoes that were slightly sweet and tasted wonderful. Unfortunately, Fleming's main courses left something to be desired (mainly taste). Lisa's bone-in ribeye was unusually fatty, which Lisa particularly doesn't like, and wasn't very tasty. Steve ordered the bone-in New York strip. Steve usually doesn't order this cut of steak, with good reason, but he wanted to try something different. He regretted it. The steak had absolutely no flavor, in Steve's taste buds' opinion.

Dessert at Fleming's was better than the main course, but not great. Lisa had a chocolate lava cake. It was average-tasting. The warm chocolate center was only luke warm and the chocolate was not very strong. Steve had berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream, which he liked, but which was nothing out of the ordinary.

The wine, on the other hand, was very good. Fleming's has an extensive wine list, both by the glass and the bottle. We ordered St. Francis Zinfandel, which was a perfect accompaniment to both the fish and the red meat, as it was somewhat light and fruity, but not too sweet. It's too bad the meat and seafood didn't measure up to the wine.

The bugs did seem to enjoy the meal, and Steve once again vowed not to eat outside. He changed his mind immediately when the waitress (who was really good if a little theatrical) told us a new Fleming's is opening downtown and will have rooftop dining. While we might not go to Fleming's, we are considering trying a rooftop dinner in the city in the hope that the bugs will be busy in the suburbs where there is more foliage and less smog.

The total price (with a really good tip for the Thespian) was about $250 with a bottle of wine. With wine by the glass, it would have been about $180.

By far the best part of Fleming's was the bathrooms. Both Lisa and Steve found them to be extremely clean and nicely decorated, with cloth towels on the counter (so no need to fight the towel dispenser) and a garbage can near the door so a towel can be used to open it on exiting. The women's room had stalls that were more like small rooms, and also were very clean.

Our rating for Fleming's, 960 Milwaukee Ave, Lincolnshire, Illinois:

6 of 10 Steak Knives, 3 of 3 Bathroom Brushes, 4 of 5 Bug Zappers (remind us we are not eating outside again -- except for rooftops and whenever Steve forgets his vow)

Frankie's Place: Great Start, Then Downhill (Michigan Restaurant Review 16)

We concluded our visit to Harbor Country in Michigan by eating dinner at Frankie's Place, recommended as the best upscale (important for us) restaurant in the area. Steve especially wanted to get a recommendation because in previous visits to this area he'd found the "best" restaurants to be awful.

Frankie's Place started out like it would be the perfect experience. We sat on a very nice outside terrace at a spacious table, since the maitre d' wanted us to be in the shade. Our first course consisted of a lobster martini and prosciutto wrapped mozzarella. The lobster was one of the best dishes either of us has ever eaten -- the lobster tasted totally fresh and flavorful, and the creamy potato accompaniment was perfect. The prosciutto was also good, although it suffered in comparison to the delicioius lobster. We shared a bottle of wine from Malbec, which had just the right amount of fruity bouquet without being too sweet. Had we stopped right then, this restaurant would have gotten a perfect review. But, alas, we kept eating.

First, we should note that, with each passing minute, the weather got more humid and more bugs chose to join us. The food also trended downhill. Steve ordered the mini-iceberg salad a la carte (even though a mixed greens salad came with dinner). He should've stuck with the mixed greens, because the iceberg lettuce was wilted, and it included "some sort of terrible prune-like thing" (a direct quote from Steve). Even the blue cheese dressing, which Steve usually loves, was pedestrian. Lisa's mixed greens salad was better, but not particuarly inspired.

Then things really tanked. We both ordered the filet mignon because it was bone-in, which usually assures the best tasting meat and is a favorite of ours. However, these filets, charitably, had some problems. First, they were not cooked right. Steve's was way overcooked, and Lisa's was a bit undercooked. (We both ordered medium rare, which is the only way to eat steak.) The steak was slathered in some kind of sauce which was definitely not good. And the meat had very little flavor and a lot of fat, which unfortunately added only calories and not taste. Not only that, but by this time the bugs must have thought we'd called an insect convention, and they flew in from all parts of the country to finish our meals. We opted against dessert.

The bathrooms at Frankie's were actually quite nice and bug-free. Both bathrooms were very clean, and had automatic towel dispensers that really worked and marble counters. The only flaw was that the towels and waste baskets were not near the door, so you had to touch the door handle to exit (really neither of us has OCD).

We've heard Frankie's is a new restaurant, so maybe the entrees will catch up to the appetizers and the bathrooms. (Lisa would return on our next trip outside Chicago just for the lobster martini, but would sit inside.)

The total bill was about $180 with a bottle of wine and would have been closer to $130 with wine by the glass.

Our rating for Frankie's Place, 16038 Red Arrow Highway, Union Pier, Michigan:

5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes; 5.5 of 5 Bug Zappers (definitely eat inside)

Rosie's: A Diner's Delight (Michigan Restaurant Review 1)

Recently, we wanted to spend a day outside Chicago, so we decided to drive to New Buffalo, Michigan to visit the antique stores and walk along the lake. Of course, we also stopped to eat several times (we are thin, really). Our first gastronomic adventure was for lunch at Rosie's, which is basically a diner. We didn't expect anything much, but we were very pleasantly surprised. Lisa was excited by the notion of french toast made with texas toast. Steve caught her enthusiasm, and ordered the same. Lisa also ordered bacon on the side. Both Lisa and Steve loved the french toast (served until 2). Part of what made it so good was its fluffy texture and vanilla taste. And the Texas toast really worked, just like Lisa thought. The bacon had just the right crispness and was not overly salty.

Unfortunately, while the food was very good, Rosie's was a bit rough around the edges. They were out of orange juice, which both Lisa and Steve would have preferred. And the service, while earnest, was quite harried, given how understaffed the restaurant was.

All in all, though, for a diner, this was a great find. The food really hit the spot (and for less than $15 for two people).

Both Steve and Lisa thought the restrooms were fairly clean, though not fancy.

Our rating for Rosie's, 128 Whitakker Road, New Buffalo, Michigan

7 of 10 Coffee Spoons (can't compare with steak knives, so new category) and 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Graham's Ice Cream: The Best Food In Geneva (Chicago-Area Ice Cream Parlor Review 3)

Recently, we decided to take a drive to Geneva, Illinois, an extremely quaint and lovely city on the Fox River. Unfortunately, every real restaurant in Geneva is, in our view, mediocre at best. So, after having had yet another disappointing dinner, we decided rather than compounding the error by having dessert, we would review an ice cream parlor. So we went to Graham's, which is right in the heart of the historic shopping area.

Graham's is located in a wonderful old building. When entering, you first see rows and rows of interesting chocolates. But the ice cream is clearly the main attraction here. Lisa had one scoop of chocolate brownie ice cream and another scoop of raspberry chip. Lisa thought the ice cream was very good, but was expecting the raspberry to also include chocolate chips instead of the raspberry chips that she got. Steve had a vanilla malt which was really thick and tasty, just like he likes it. Both Steve and Lisa thought the food here was far better than anyplace in Geneva (admittedly not saying much).

While we are not particularly into decor, the building and inside were very picturesque and the outside seating area was a wonderful place to sit and enjoy ice cream. All in all, the experience was quite nice (at least until Steve's car wouldn't start, but that's another story).

Graham's did not have a public rest room, so we can't rate that. But our food rating for Graham's Ice Cream, 302 South Third Street, Geneva, Illinois is 7.5 of 10 ice cream scoops. If you are in Geneva, our advice is skip the regular restaurants and go straight to Graham's.

McCormick & Schmick's: One of the Best Seafood Restaurants in Chicago (Chicago-Area Restaurant Review 14)

While Chicago is definitely not known for its seafood, it does have a few great seafood restaurants, and McCormick & Schmick's is near the top. The decor is elegant, but a little more relaxed and less formal than Nick's Fish Market and a little more comfortable than Shaw's (our favorite Chicago seafood restaurant, which we hope to review soon).

We started with the shrimp cocktail. The shrimp was very good, and the sauce is spicy, but there was not quite enough of it, and the shrimp was not quite as good as Shaw's. Steve ordered the iceberg wedge with blue cheese. The lettuce was okay, but didn't seem very fresh, but the blue cheese was excellent. Lisa had the mixed greens salad with blue cheese and walnuts, which was very good, and her lettuce was fresh. Steve's main course was wild sockeye salmon from Alaska. This may have been the best salmon Steve has ever eaten. It tasted extremely fresh and full of flavor. Also, for the first time Lisa has ever seen, Steve ate all his vegetables (carrots and asparagus), which he actually really liked. LIsa was eating light, so she had the New England Clam Chowder, which was good, but not exceptional.

Eating light did not prevent Lisa from ordering McCormick & Schmick's flourless chocolate cake for dessert. It is a large wedge of cake with a few sliced strawberries and strawberry sauce. The chocolate is dense and very good, though Coco Pazzo's flourless chocolate cake remains Lisa's favorite. Steve ordered apple pie with cinnamon ice cream. This was really good quality, but as Steve had hoped, the cinnamon ice cream tasted odd enough that he was not tempted to eat the whole thing.

Lisa had a glass of Ravenswood Syrah, a wine with that had just the right amount of fruit flavor without being too sweet. In another first, Steve, trying to be pretentious, drank a glass of Claret, which was a bit dense, but was a nice change and was appropriate on a 55 degree night.

The total bill at McCormick & Scmick's was about $145.

Steve and Lisa again agreed on the bathroom review ratings, though for different reasons. The Women's Room was clean, had nice marble floors, and stalls that had real walls, making them like small rooms. Normally, this would put a restroom in 2.5-3 territory, but the doors on the stalls would not lock, and it was very hard to close them, as they scraped the floor when they moved. The Men's Room was good in every respect, even having a door you could push open (avoiding the need to grasp the door handle), but a 3 was turned into a 2 because, for some reason, the place smelled like a State Fair bathroom.

Our ratings for McCormick & Schmick's, 41 E. Chestnut, Chicago, Illinois,

8 of 10 Fish Hooks (it is a seafood restaurant, after all); 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Coco Pazzo: Sustained Excellence (Chicago-Area Restaurant Review 13)

Coco Pazzo has been on Hubbard Street near downtown Chicago for well over twenty years, and with good reason. While this is ostensibly an Italian restaurant, Coco Pazzo's menu offers many great choices. We started with the Scottato di Manzo, which is seared beef tenderloin, sliced very thin, with fresh parmesan, which we both enjoyed. Steve had the fresh buffalo mozzarella with oven dried tomatos. He really liked the mozzarella, which he insisted Lisa taste, and she agreed it was the best she'd ever had. But the tomatoes left something to be desired. They looked like stewed tomatos, and the taste matched the appearance. If you prefer fresh tomatoes, just eat the mozzarella. Lisa had the assorted seasonal greens salad. She liked that very much.

For an entree, we split the porterhouse for two, medium rare. It was carved tableside. While it was extremely flavorful, particularly the pieces near the bone, some pieces near the edges were not even medium. The quality overall, though, was excellent. For dessert, Lisa had the flourless chocolate cake, which was very dense dark chocolate, so of course she loved it. It has made Coco Pazzo her favorite place for dessert. Steve had the panna cotta. It was a custard with cherry sauce. Not surprisingly, he ate every drop.

Since we're not familiar with Italian wines, we asked the waiter to recommend a red that was not too heavy or dry. He suggested Red Angel on the Moonlight. It was slightly fruity and very smooth, and you can tell we liked it because we actually remembered the name, not to mention drank the whole bottle (we were walking home).

On a weekend, this is a perfect Chicago restaurant for either a pre-theater dinner or to spend an entire evening. We have found the service at Coco Pazzo a bit slow during the week, so it's not the place for a one-hour lunch or brief dinner. The decor is very relaxing, with hardwood floors throughout, well-spaced tables, a high ceiling, and warm lighting.

The total bill at Coco Pazzo was about was about $250, and would have been about $180 with wine by the glass.

This time Lisa and Steve agreed on the bathroom ratings. The Women's Room was clean, and had a marble sink counter, but wasn't particularly fancy. The Men's Room was similar.

Our ratings for Coco Pazzo, 300 W. Hubbard, Chicago, Illinois:

9 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Via Bella: Good Italian Food, Friendly People (Chicago-Area Restaurant Review 12)

We were in the neighborhood, and it was a beautiful evening, so we decided to stop at an Italian restaurant we've frequented a couple times before that has outdoor seating. The restaurant is in a pleasant part of downtown LaGrange, a suburb about 35 minutes west of downtown Chicago, which adds to the ambience. As expected late on a Wednesday evening, we had our choice of outdoor tables. This is especially nice because, unlike some restaurants with outdoor seating, here the tables are large and spaced far enough apart to be comfortable.

We weren't all that hungry, so Lisa ordered a tomato and mozzarella salad, and Steve ordered "only" the six-finger cavatelli with marinara sauce instead of the vodka sauce it usually comes with. The tomatoes and mozzarella were both fresh, and the onions that came with tasted tangy. Steve really liked the pasta, which had an excellent cheese-based stuffing. We each had a glass of Red Zinfandel, which was a fine accompaniment to our food.

While we didn't order much this time, in the past Steve has had other types of pasta, which he liked just as well. Lisa has had the stuffed mushrooms, which are wonderful. This is not a fancy restaurant and doesn't really have high end entrees, but if you're looking for good Italian food and pleasant surroundings, this is a good choice. We have now eaten here 3 or 4 times, even though Italian food is not usually our first choice. (First choice is steak, if you haven't guessed.)

The total bill at Via Bella for two people, with wine and without dessert, was about $35.

Both Steve and Lisa thought that the bathrooms, while not stellar, were in keeping with the rest of the place. They were clean and pleasant.

We both love to eat outdoors, if we can, but we both hate bugs. So, for the summer, we're adding a new category to our ratings if we eat outside. If there are no bugs, as was the case at Via Bella, the rating is 0 bug zappers. If the bugs are on kamikaze missions, bent on destroying us and our table (or if a tarantula crawls up onto the table, as happened to Steve in the Dominican Republic), the rating will be 5 bug zappers.

Our ratings for Via Bella, 75 S. LaGrange Rd., LaGrange, Illinois:

7 of 10 Steak Knives (although really not a steak place); 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes; 0 of 5 Bug Zappers (a really pleasant outdoor dining experience)

The Brown Cow: Finally Enough Chocolate Ice Cream (Chicago-Area Ice Cream Parlor Review 2)

At nine p.m. on Memorial Day, the Brown Cow was still open and still crowded, with good reason. The ice cream here, while not gourmet, is very good and reasonably priced, with interesting combinations. Steve decided to be adventurous and had a specialty sundae with cinnamon ice cream, apple crunch pieces and caramel sauce. He thought it was interesting, but the pie flavor was a little too unusual for him. Nonetheless, the quality was good. (Next time he'll probably try the plain caramel sundae.) Lisa chose (surprise) three scoops of chocolate ice cream with hot fudge syrup, nuts, and whipped cream. For once, this was enough chocolate for her, and it was the best sundae she's had in some time. This sundae usually comes with peanut butter, but she skipped that.

Steve was very upset that he had eaten earlier in the day because otherwise he'd have chosen the twenty-one scoop sundae (Steve's really not as large as he sounds, and he wouldn't really eat all 21 scoops, though maybe 10), that featured all flavors the Brown Cow offers. It would be fun to get a group together and share one of those.

The ice cream parlor's decor was relatively plain, but homey, and there was a lot of space to sit, which is particularly good for an ice cream parlor. There was also a section in the back with toys and a playhouse for kids. All in all it was a very pleasant location for eating ice cream. Total cost for two sundaes was about $12.

We continued the trend of Steve liking the bathroom better. The Men's Room was clean, had ample towels, smelled okay, and had a garbage can near the door so a towel could be used to open the door. The Women's Room also looked clean, but smelled a bit like a diaper pail, which could be due to the changing table. Otherwise, it was all right.

Our ratings for the Brown Cow, 7314 W. Madison St., Forest Park, IL:

8.5 of 10 Ice Cream Scoops; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes