Erwin in Chicago - Don't Go (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 73)

Steve had heard many good things about Erwin. One of the things that most interested him was that it was supposed to have one of the top gourmet hamburgers in the City. So, since we were in the area looking at furniture for Lisa's new office, we decided to try it. We shouldn't have bothered.

Things were bad at Erwin from the start. We walked into a mostly empty restaurant, yet had to wait several minutes to be seated because the host was nowhere to be found. Once we were seated, the room itself was pleasant enough, with colorful table coverings and an inviting open space. However, the food did not do this nice space justice.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Pinot Noir, which she found much too vinegary. Steve did like his Syrah. For an appetizer, we shared an anitpasto salad. It was interesting, in that it had many different types of meats and cheeses, but while we liked the cheeses, we thought the meats were very ordinary.

Lisa' salmon entree was disappointing. She thought it tasted fishy, which is very bad for salmon, and was, in her opinion, not good quality fish. Steve doubts the sanity of the reviewers who have sung the praises of Erwin's hamburger. It was completely overcooked, came on a sad loking bun, and was accompanied by almost inedible condiments. The only saving grace were the fries, which were quite good. However, Steve cannot live by fries alone.

Desserts, following the trend, were not good. Steve was excited to see a rice pudding choice, since that is usually only served at Greek restaurants. However, his glee quickly turned sour as was the pudding. Lisa had mango sorbet which she found far too sweet.

The bathrooms were one of the best parts of the place. They were large and clean, although they were too plain to merit a perfect score.

Dinner for two with wine by the glass was only $80, but actually was worth a lot less.

Our ratings for Erwin 2925 N. Halsted Street, Chicago

4 of 10 Steak Knives 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes