Rosebud Steakhouse in Chicago (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 57)

On another nice Sunday evening, we walked to Rosebud Steakhouse in the River North area of Chicago. What we got was a fairly solid steakhouse experience without many frills.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa ordered a Sanford Vinery Pinot Noir. She thought it was pleasantly light and fruity. Steve's Petite Syrah, however, was too dry for his taste. For an appetizer, we split the ahi tuna, and instantly regretted it. This was perhaps the least flavorful tuna that we've encountered. The pepper totally overpowered whatever marginal taste the tuna had. Neither one of us wanted to finish it.

Next, Lisa had the Santa Barbara salad -- which is Rosebud's version of the tomato and fresh mozzarella. The yellow tomatoes were a bit lackluster, but the red tomatoes and mozzarella were good. Steve's wedge, which is the most ubiquitous steakhouse salad these days, was average.

One of the reasons we wanted to try this restaurant was that it had bone-in filet, which not all steakhouses carry, but which is our favorite cut. So we both ordered this dish and were satisfied but not wowed. Steve's was cooked a perfect medium rare. Lisa's was a bit cool in the center, but still okay. The part toward the bone tasted very good, but the rest was unexceptional.

For dessert, Lisa had a brownie sundae, which she liked because the cake was fairly dark chocolate though, as always, she would have liked more hot fudge. Steve's apple pie a la mode had a fatal flaw for Steve's taste -- too many apples, and not enough crust. But otherwise it was okay.

The service was completely indifferent and the tables were too close together for us, so the overall experience suffered a bit.

The bathrooms were clean and well decorated. However, the Men's Room faucet did not put out any warm water, which is particularly troublesome with respect to the servers and cooks.

Dinner for two, with wine by the glass, was $225, which is about average for a top Chicago steakhouse (perhaps a little much for a second-tier steakhouse, which is where we rate this).

Our ratings for Rosebud Steakhouse, 192 E. Walton, Chicago, Illinois:

7 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes