Brasserie Ruhlman in Chicago: On ne Mange pas le Decor (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 45)

In other words, you can't eat the decor, which is too bad, because that was the one good part of this dining experience. Brasserie Ruhlman is a new "trendy" steak/bistro restaurant near West Town (in the old Montgomery Ward building for those who are as old as Steve). The decor is beautiful, with dark red and rose tones, and soft lighting. Though the room is giant and has many tables arranged very close together (New York spacing), the dining experience still feels intimate and pleasant, at least until the food arrives.

We did really like the wine (so the decor is not the only good thing), which was a bottle of Grange Pomerol blend with Cabernet and Merlot. It initially had a tangy taste that seemed a bit tart to Lisa, but like most Pomerol it got better with every sip. We also really liked one of our appetizers, the steak tartare. It looked like what it is, raw ground beef, but tasted exquisite, especially with the pomme frites which accompanied it. The cheese course, however, was disappointing. It consisted of three unidentified cow's milk cheeses. None had any real flavor. The only part Steve liked was the honey that came with the cheese, which he'd have been better off eating plain. Lisa thought the dried fruit was the best part, which says a lot.

Our salads were no better and were possibly worse. We both had the Belgian endive salad. It had limp leaves, non-descript vinaigrette dressing, and was generally a waste of calories (which is somewhat hard to do with a salad). Sad to say, the meal went downhill from there. We ordered Chateaubriand for two, which should be very good since it consists of slices of filet with potatoes and, usually, vegetables. This version had no vegetables and the filet part, while cooked a perfect medium rare, was essentially flavorless. There was not much of it, but we still didn't come close to finishing it. The potatoes were good, very thinly sliced and drenched in oil, so Lisa ate quite a few of those.

Dessert was a bit better. Lisa had profiteroles. They did not have enough chocolate sauce and the ice cream was melted when they were served, but, overall, it was better than the main course. Steve's pot de creme was custardy and actually had sufficient caramel, so he liked it overall. We also were served a dessert amuse bouche of heart shaped strawberry macaroons, which were a bit too sweet for Lisa.

The bathrooms were both very nice. Both were clean, opulent, and had plenty of almost cloth quality towels. However, both had one fatal flaw. The automatic water from the faucets was ice cold. We could almost feel the icicles forming on our fingers. This a problem when trying to clean one's hands.

The total bill, with a bottle of wine, was a ridiculously over-priced $330 (and would have been about $260 with wine by the glass). If you are a poseur, this might be the place for you, but have dinner first.

Our ratings for Brasserie Ruhlman, 500 West Superior, Chicago, Illinois:

4 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 (Cold) Bathroom Brushes