Fleming's in Chicago - Good Thing We Got the Signature Glasses(Actually Glass Since One Was Broken) (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 79)

Lisa received an ad for free signature wine glasses for the grand opening celebration of the Fleming's outpost in downtown Chicago. We decided to give Fleming's another try, even though we hadn't really liked the branch in Libertyville. Unfortunately, the trend continued, although this one was marginally better.

We did get the glasses, right at the start, but we later noticed one was broken. That was sort of in keeping with the tenor of the night.

We started with a bottle of Bella Vetta Zinfandel. Actually this was one of the highlights of the meal, since it was quite good. Another highlight was the seafood tower, which consisted of shrimp, lobster, crab legs, crabmeat and ceviche. Unlike when we had this dish at the suburban Fleming's, where we sat outside and this dish attracted megabugs, here there were no bugs, so we could enjoy it. The seafood tower was very good, particularly the shrimp and lobster. They also served a good relish tray, with tasty celery and radishes and good dipping choices.

However, things pretty much went downhill (quickly) from there. Steve's wedge salad was bad. Even the bleu cheese dressing, which he usually loves, was putrid. Lisa's clam chowder was not much better. It was ok, but quite bland. Our entrees totally disappointed. Steve had the bone-in New York steak. It came medium well instead of medium rare, and had the shoe leather quality one would associate with overcooked meat. Lisa's lobster and filet combination was also poor. The lobster was fishy(unlike on the appetizer platter) so she hardly touched it. And, like Steve's, the beef was overcooked and tasted blah.

We also were not thrilled with our desserts. Steve's lemon cheesecake tasted store bought. And Lisa's chocolate lava cake was not nearly dark enough for her tastes, and had little flavor.

The bathrooms weren't very good either. While clean, they were freezing cold, and it wasn't even that cold outside.

All in all, this is a steak place which, in our opinion, can be skipped. The decor is sterile and uninteresting, the food is overpriced and mediocre, and the service was somewhat harried and unfriendly. The total bill, with a bottle of wine was a very high $300, and still would have been well over $200 with wine by the glass. Save your money.

Our ratings for Fleming's, 25 E. Ohio St., Chicago

5 of 10 Steak Knives (being charitable); 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Montarra Grill - Worth the Drive (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 78),

We had heard good things about Montarra Grill, so we decided to try it. It was quite the adventure to find it, but we are glad we did. First of all, this place is about as far out in the burbs (Algonquin) as you can get. Even Steve, who really knows the area, has never been in this part of town. Also, even once you get there, the restaurant has a tiny, unlit sign, and is in an unassuming strip mall, so it's easy to miss. However, once the directional issues are taken care of, the result is quite pleasant.

The room itself is very modern, with 2 dining rooms and a bar. The bar had a wall with flowing water and the dining room we were in was minimalist, but sleek.

We started with a glass of Four Vines Zinfandel for Lisa and a glass of Murphy Cabernet for Steve, who wanted something warming. Lisa really liked the Zinfandel. Steve was less thrilled with the Cab (but he's not really a Cabernet person anyway). For appetizers we had the Montarra chips, which were chips with Brie, which we loved. We also had the ahi tuna, which was a little bland, but better with the sauce. Steve had the romaine wedge salad, which he was surprised to find he really liked, since he is not necessarily a romaine fan. Lisa's simple salad was, befitting of its name, quite boring. Nothing was at all memorable in the ingredients, even though the dish could have been interesting given all the ingredients it actually had, such as olives, plum tomatoes and basil.

We really liked our entrees. Montarra is one of the relatively few places to serve prime filet mignon, and we could really tell the difference. The meat was so tender it almost broke up before being touched by the knife. The filets were also cooked a perfect medium rare. Lisa liked the flavor but Steve could have used a bit more charcoal. For dessert, Lisa had the chocolate fondue, which sounded great, but which was disappointing. Steve's sorbets were a give up dessert since he found nothing he really liked on the dessert menu. They were not bad, though.

For a restaurant hidden as well as this one is, it was really quite good. And the decor, coupled with the nicely spaced tables and friendly service added to the experience. We really do think Montarra is worth the drive, but bring your GPS and a phone.

The bathrooms were nice, but not fancy enough to earn a perfect score (and required touching a handle to get out).

The total bill, with wine by the glass, was $185, which is high for the burbs, but less than one would pay in the city for food of this quality.

Our ratings for Montarra Grill, 1491 S. Randall Road, Algonquin

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

MK - We Got Much More Than We Paid For (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 77)

One of the fine orgainizations we support charitably is AAIM, which stands for Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists. They provide a great service to victims of drunken drivers and their families. At a recent fundraiser for AAIM, we won a tasting menu dinner at MK, which is a downtown Chicago institution.

We were a bit skeptical, however, as to whether we'd like the menu, since, as you might have noticed, we're not that adventurous. However, we were very pleasantly surprised. MK has an interesting decor, with brick walls, open spaces and high ceilings. It is sort of the quintessential downtown business meal place, and even on a Monday, when we dined there, the place was packed with power suits. It can also get a bit noisy when crowded because of the high ceilings.

We started with a glass of champagne each and an oyster amuse bouche. We liked the champagne, but the oyster, except for the caviar on top, was not so good. Next we had the scallops, which were served cold and raw. This was a bit unnerving, but we both really liked them. They were accompanied by greens and what seemed to be a hard parmesan.

Our first substantive course was the Cod, with mussels. Steve really liked this dish, but Lisa thought it somewhat fishy. The wine they paired with this was a Pallmeyer (probably not the federal judge) Chardonnay, which we both felt was too dry.

Next, we had a butternut squash ravioli. This was an excellent seasonal dish. Steve remarked this would have been totally appropriate for a Thanksgiving table. We both thoroughly enjoyed it, although it was a bit sweet. We also liked the sauvignon blanc they paired with the dish. It was light and had a nice flavor, which set off the sweetness of the ravioli.

This was followed by a lamb course. Steve, who loves lamb, really liked this. It was two nice sized chops, cooked a perfect medium rare. Even Lisa, who is not a lamb fan, thought this was pretty good. It was accompanied by a cone full of frites, which were also very good, although these came with a white truffle sauce that can only be described, perhaps even charitably, as vile (it is truly amazing that some consider this a delicacy). This course came with a Malbec, which we liked, although again it was a bit dry (by the way, for our recent commenter, no Merlot).

At that point the entrees mercifully ended (for purposes of Steve's expanding girth), and our next course was a cheese plate. Those of you who have read our blog before probably know how much we love cheese. This course, though, was a bit strange. It consisted of only one cheese, which was an Italian mixture of sheep, goat and cow's milk cheese. Lisa liked it, but Steve actually thought it a bit strong. He did, however, love the drizzles of honey which came with it (along with good raisin bread). This course was paired with another Chardonnay, although we liked this one (Four Vines) much better than the Pallmeyer.

We ended with dessert, which was a lemon tart with creme fraiche sorbet and fresh fruit. We both really liked this dish, and Lisa even ate all her tart, which is unusual for her, since it wasn't chocolate or ice cream. This was paired with a muscat dessert wine, which had a very interesting, and not too sweet, orange flavor.

Finally, we got a dessert amuse bouche of pecan sandies, brittle and strawberry jelly candy. These were also all quite good.

The bathrooms were clean but not particularly fancy. Moreover, they felt like Sarah Palin would be at home in their freezing temperatures.

The service here was extraordinarily professional and pleasant. This just added to the nice dining experience. And, because of our charity purchase, we ended up paying only $100, with tip, for the whole thing, although it would have been about $350 without the charitable purchase.

Our ratings for MK, 868 N. Franklin, Chicago:

8.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Catch 35 - Average Fish (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 76)

At one of our many charitable functions, with silent auctions that include restaurant gift certificates, we were the successful bidder for Catch 35. This has never been our favorite fish place, but it was for a good cause, so we decided to give it another try. Catch 35 is definitely consistent, because, as always, it was ok, but not spectacular by any means, although the location and atmosphere improve the dining experience (at least for Lisa).

We started with wine by the glass. Steve's Sauvignon Blanc was putrid - perhaps the worst wine by the glass he's ever had. Lisa did better with her Chardonnay, which she actually liked, although finding it a bit dry.

We started with a shrimp cocktail appetizer. The shrimp themselves were quite good, but the sauce was not tangy enough. Both salads were ok, but not great. The tomato mozzarella had good tomatoes but the cheese was a bit tasteless. The baby lettuce, goat cheese and walnuts again was ok, but not memorable.

Steve had the salmon, which he liked, but which was not quite as good as at the top fish houses. Lisa had the shrimp stuffed with crab, which is her standard fish house fare. She also liked this dish, but did not find it top notch.

For dessert, Steve had the apple pie a la mode. He liked the ice cream but thought the pie had too much apple and not enough crust. Lisa liked the pie, though, since she strangely feels an apple pie should have apples (Steve thinks it should only have crust). Lisa had a dark chocolate creation which barely tasted like chocolate, which is a major demerit in her book.

The washrooms were nice but nothing special and required knob touching to exit, thus causing a markdown.

Catch 35 is one of those places that is very successful, but, to us, is very average and sort of operates on auto pilot. Readers would do much better, in our view, at Shaw's or McCormick and Schmick (among others).

Our ratings for Catch 35 35 West Wacker, Chicago

6.5 of 10 Fish Hooks; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

One Sixty Blue - Celebrating Our 100th Blog Entry In Style - (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 75)

We knew that our next review would be our 100th, so we wanted to go somewhere special. And what better place to go than our favorite fine dining restaurant in the Chicago area - no, not Tru, not Trotter's and not even Everest, all of which we love - but our choice for most underappreciated gem -- One Sixty Blue. Hidden away in a rather desolate patch of the Randolph Street area, One Sixty Blue may be low profile, but the food is outstanding.

We were a bit disconcerted at the beginning of the meal when we were told a new chef had taken over, since we have always loved the old chef's cuisine, particularly the emphasis on cheese. Well, we needn't have worried, because the transition was seamless, as we might have expected given the new chef's background at Charlie Trotter's.

As always, the atmosphere was very welcoming, starting with the helpful maitre d', and manager. We started with a bottle of Aida Zinfandel. Initially, this tasted a bit tart, but both of us really ended up liking it alot. Lisa particularly liked the chocolate undertones and Steve liked the operatic name. Our appetizers were a smoked salmon and a tuna tartare, both of which were wonderful. The tuna was just short of the best we have ever had, and the salmon was not only great, but actually had enough creme fraiche, which is unusual.

For entrees, we had the delmonico rib-eye and the short ribs. Again we both loved these dishes. The steak was a perfect medium rare, well marbled and very tasty. The short ribs fell off the bone like they are supposed to, and also tasted great. The accompaniments (potatoes for the steak and grits for the short ribs) were good but nothing special.

One thing that has changed is that there is no longer an automatic choice for the cheese, which usually came as a first course. Now, they have gone back to a cheese plate, which we ordered for dessert since the desserts, while adventuresome, didn't quite look up our alleys, The cheese was tremendous. There was a cheddar, a bleu a Brie and a "Stinky". We loved them all, particularly the cheddar and the Brie (although the bleu and Brie were both a bit strong). We also had a dessert amuse bouche of excellent pumpkin madelines and chocolate pieces.

One Sixty Blue is, for whatever reason, maybe location, not one of the restaurants that people think of when they think Chicago fine dining. We believe, however, that this is the best restaurant in its category and that everyone should try it for special occasions or just for a night out (since the prices, while high, are not at the level of the other places mentioned above).

The washrooms are very nice and clean. However, they are not fancy, and they require knob touching to get out, so they don't get our highest rating.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of fairly expensive wine was $360, and would have been about $230 with wine by the glass. We should also note, for one of our readers (Jason, this means you), that there are many other dining choices here that would produce even a lower bill, so if $230 for two sounds a bit high, you probably could dine here, well, for $150 or less for two.

Our Ratings for One Sixty Blue - 160 North Loomis, Chicago

10 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes