Phil Stefani's: Pretty Mediocre (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 47)

We wanted to support the first (and we hope annual) Chicago Restaurant Week, where participating restaurants donate a portion of their dining proceeds to charity, so we picked Phil Stefani's because it was one of the only participating red meat-oriented restaurants. What we got was very standard Italian steakhouse fare at prices which would suggest much better food than what Phil Stefani's offers.

Since it was during the week, we started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Cellar Zinfandel, which had a good fruity flavor she enjoyed. Steve ordered the Clochere Pinot Noir. He thought it was just average. The meal started well enough, with a very tasty lobster cocktail (though not quite as amazing as Smith & Wollensky's). Next, we both had tomato, onion, and blue cheese salads. The tomatos were served sliced, not chopped, and had little taste. Steve also thought they were hard. Both of us found the onions too tangy and, given the weak tomatos, they overpowered the dish. At this point we also noticed the service was a bit rushed, since our entrees came out on top of the salads.

For an entree, Lisa had the filet mignon. It was a cooked medium rare, as requested, and Lisa thought the center tasted good, and the rest was just okay. Steve's Kansas City strip was disappointing. The bone, which gives this cut its flavor, was almost non-existent (must have been an athletic injury for the cow), and accordingly the cut was fairly flavorless. Or unfairly flavorless, given the price we paid.

Dessert did not really save things. Steve's key lime tart with honey ice cream was only half good because the honey ice cream was excellent, but the tart itself was bland. Lisa had marscapone and almond, which she did not like at all. That might be partly due to her having mixed up marscapone with marzipan, which she does like, when she ordered. But it also was advertised as being served with dark chocolate sauce and in fact came only with what may have been a couple smeared dabs of chocolate, which seemed to be there only for decoration.

The bathrooms were average. Both were clean but a bit chilly, and certainly nothing out of the ordinary.

Our total bill, with wine by the glass, was $200. We are happy that part of this went to charity, but this was way overpriced in our opinion for the mediocre food.

Our ratings for Phil Stefani's, 437 N. Rush, Chicago, Illinois:

5.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Stay Tuned for our one-year anniversary, when we will visit one of our favorite restaurants, Everest, located at the top of the Chicago Board of Trade.