Braxton Seafood Grill: Seafood in the Suburbs (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 27)

We were already out in the suburbs of Chicago on a weeknight evening and felt like seafood, so we decided to go to Braxton Seafood Grill, which we'd tried in the past (before our blogging days). There aren't that many really good seafood places, in our opinion, anywhere in Chicagoland, except for Shaw's, which we plan to review. Braxton is typical -- decent but not a destination spot. It does have a large fish tank with very big, imposing fish who mostly sit still because there is not enough room. If you stand in front of the fish tank -- as Lisa often does out of some weird fascination -- they will line up and conspire against you. However, they can't get out, so don't worry about it.

Because it was a weeknight, we started with wines by the glass. Steve had Stonestreet Merlot, which was good, and Lisa ordered a Pinot Noir. Steve's favorite part of the whole meal was the biscuits that Braxton uses as a starter. He liked them so much he kept sending the waiter back for more, but after four, he started to feel sick (which probably was not the fault of the biscuits). Lisa liked the biscuits, too, but is still trying to eat somewhat low carb.

Our appetizer was tuna tartare. It had a little too much wasabi, so it was too spicy, though Lisa liked the taste of the tuna itself. We both had mixed green salads, which were okay. Steve had the grilled Atlantic salmon. He was not enthralled. It was very plain and nearly tasteless. Lisa liked her crab cakes for the most part. The crab meat tasted good, and the breading added a little spice, but did not have the Southwestern flavor she dislikes, and which many restaurants use. For dessert, Steve ordered creme brulee, which had a good custardy flavor. Lisa got the triple chocolate cake. The cake was dark chocolate and moist, and the icing was particularly good.

The Women's bathroom had stalls that were like separate small rooms with nice wooden louvered doors. The sink counter was marble and overall clean. Steve thought the Men's Room solid but ugly, as it was all pea green and looked sort of like the color of the "bad" witch in Wicked.

The total bill at Braxton, with wines by the glass, was about $130 (a fairly decent value).

Our rating for Braxton Seafood Grill, 3 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, Illinois:

6.5 of 10 Fish Hooks and 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes (unless you really like Wicked, then 2.5)