Hot Chocolate in Chicago: Not Close to the Hype (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 53)

Steve had heard a lot about Hot Chocolate in Chicago, and Lisa, who considers hot chocolate (from Starbucks) a dietary staple, was eager to check it out. Unfortunately, little about Hot Chocolate impressed us.

The first thing we noticed about this place was how little space there is between tables. Basically, you are dining with everyone else in the restaurant as one big party. Also, though we usually don't focus on decor, we found the brown painted brick walls and similarly dark flooring depressing, despite the chocolate theme.

We started with wine by the glass. Steve had a New Zealand Pinot Noir, which he found too dry. Lisa had a Malbec which was okay, but at bit too tart. For an appetizer, we decided to split the antipasto plate. It was advertised as a charcuterie-type cheese and meat dish. The plate was giant, and we liked both the cheeses and the meats.

Lisa loved her mixed green salad, which had goat cheese and raspberry dressing. She commented that she would come to the restaurant for the salad alone. Little did we know that it was the only real highlight of the meal. By contrast, Steve didn't care for his wedge salad. It had a bitter flavor. Also, they even managed to top it with bad blue cheese dressing, which is hard to do.

We wanted to save room for the desserts, which is what Hot Chocolate is really known for, so we ordered somewhat light entrees. Lisa had the tuna melt. She took one bite and it tasted so unpleasant that she was concerned she might get sick and she stopped eating. Steve's burger, which is considered a specialty here, was definitely not special. It was dried out, too well done, with much too sharp cheddar for his tastes. We thought perhaps the dessert would save the meal, but though Lisa's hot chocolate was quite good, the combination of the miserable entree and oppressive surroundings caused Lisa to comment that she would never even come here for a hot chocolate. Steve had some sort of unmemorable banana concoction which he didn't finish.

The bathrooms, in keeping with the rest of the evening, were dark, dreary and uncomfortable. The waste baskets were overflowing and the floor of the men's room had an unknown (and we don't want to know) wet substance all over it.

Our total bill, for this extravaganza, with wine by the glass, was $100, which seems outrageous to us.

Our ratings for Hot Chocolate, 1747 N. Damen, Chicago, IL:

4 of 10 Steak Knives and 1 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Gene & Georgetti's in Chicago: Just Beef Baby (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 52)

On the spur of the moment, we decided to try one of Chicago's classic steakhouses, Gene & Georgetti's. In the past, even during the week, it would have been impossible to get a table without a long wait. But we were pleasantly surprised to be seated right away. (In fact, the valet looked at Steve rather strangely when he mentioned Lisa was checking to see how long the wait was before we decided whether we'd say.)

Since it was mid-week, we started with only wine by the glass. Steve had a Cyanna Zinfandel, which had a mild and fruity taste that he liked. Lisa went with the safe choice, a Rutherford Hill Merlot. As always, it was a good medium-bodied red wine, nice for a chilly evening. (Yes, it is still chilly in April here in Chicago. To our dismay.) Our first course was a shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were large and meaty. The sauce, however, was not very tangy and tasted to us more like straight tomato sauce than cocktail sauce. Salads were uninspiring. Lisa had a caprese salad. The mozarella was good and tasted very fresh, but it doesn't seem to be quite tomato season yet. Steve should have taken the same view of the tomato season because he mistakenly ordered a tomato and onion salad. While the tomatos looked okay, they were basically tasteless. The onions, on the other hand, had far too much flavor, and the blue cheese dressing was miserable.

The steaks are really the only star at this place. Steve particularly liked the very heavy charcoal, and even Lisa thought the charcoal flavor was pretty good, though she did cut off a few of the edges. This is really steak prepared the way steakhouses used to uniformly cook their steaks. Simple cooking and heavy charcoal. Steve's New York bone-in strip was a bit tough, but cooked a perfect medium rare, and its retro look added to the pleasurable experiences of eating it. Lisa's filet mignon was a bit on the rare side, as it was somewhat cool in a few spots, but it was not cold and it still tasted pretty good. The cottage fries which accompanied the steaks were crispy, which appealed to Steve more than Lisa, though she also liked the taste, especially slathered with butter.

Steve ate too much steak to have dessert, believe it or not. The dessert menu was standard Italian steakhouse fare, nothing unexpected. Lisa had spumoni, which came in a flat slab on a plate and which she enjoyed.

The bathrooms were both very clean, but shared the same flaw. The hot water was initially cold and improved only to tepid after running for some time. Otherwise, the bathrooms were fine, though nothing fancy.

The bill, with wine by the glass, was $180, which is about right for the quality. The service was unobtrusive if a bit blase, however, the reputation here is for gruff wait staff and the waiters did not seem unfriendly to us. Other than the steak, there is nothing very special at this place, so only come here if you are a steak lover (although we still don't think this is nearly as good a steakhouse as Wildfire, our personal favorite).

Our ratings for Gene & Georgetti's, 500 N. Franklin, Chicago, IL:

7 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes.