Focus on Food

Aja Steak in Chicago: Great New Steak Concept (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 98)

2009-05-15T21:33:00.005-05:00

The newest entrant to Chicago's steakhouse scene is Aja Steak in the edgy Hotel Dana, which is in the River North area of Chicago. This definitely is not your father's steakhouse, it is very modern, with unpainted concrete and exposed ductwork and no leather booths. Even though there are many other things (like sushi) on the menu here besides steak, we thought the steak was among the best we've had.

We started with, for a change of pace, mixed drinks rather than wine. Lisa had an almond pear blossom, which had amaretto and pear absolut and a slice of pear. It really tasted like almonds and pears and was not overly strong, so Lisa liked it a lot and ordered a second. Steve had the sake sangria, which really tasted just like regular sangria and was quite good. The first food was a kimchee amuse bouche, which basically was spicy cabbage and sesame cucumbers. We both loved the cucumbers and found the cabbage a bit too spicy. On the other hand, it is the only time either of us can recall eating cabbage in our adult lives (or, for Steve, at any time).

For appetizers, we split the beef carpaccio and the chicken skewers (which had a fancy name but were still skewers). Both were excellent. The carpaccio was a little different from what we're used to, as it tasted almost smoked, but it had good flavor and was served with some crunchy stuff that set it off well. The chicken on the skewers was very tender, juicy and tasty.

Our salads were not so good. Steve's wedge was the oddest he's had, as it was topped with some sort of meat that could have been pork or beef and, in any event, was not too good, the lettuce was fairly wilted and drowned in indeterminate vile dressing. Obviously, it wasn't one of his favorites. Lisa's pear and gorgonzola was a bit better; but, for her taste, did not have enough gorgonzola and had too much vinegar flavor in the dressing.

For a change, the best part of this steakhouse was actually the steak. We split the porterhouse for two. It was cooked a perfect medium rare and had enough charcoal for Steve and not too much for Lisa. We really liked the taste of both the New York side and the filet side, as both were full of flavor. This dish alone made us want to come back (preferably to sit outside if we can avoid the bugs and if the weather actually ever gets warm).

We weren't that hungry, having eaten so much steak, so we decided to share the cheese plate rather than getting traditional desserts. There were three cheeses, accompanied by various fruits and nuts and lots of toast. The first cheese, which seemed to be a light colored cheddar, tasted store bought and not particularly interesting. The second, which may have been a goat cheese, as it was creamy, had a nice flavor, and we both enjoyed it. The bleu cheese was okay, and not too strong for Lisa, but it was not among the best that Steve has had (and he is a great fan of bleu cheese). When we go back, we probably will try desserts instead, and skip the salads.

The bathrooms were both very clean and nice, with attractive fixtures and floors, and the fancy new high powered hand dryers. However, the faucets were difficult to turn on and required almost a full turn to shut off (think of those germs -- and no towels to use for the shut off).

Dinner for two with 3 mixed drinks but one shared dessert was $260, which sounds expensive, but was, in our view, worth it for the steak alone. The restaurant would have rated higher if any of its other dishes were equally inspired.

One tip if you want a quiet dinner, go early, because the restaurant becomes very noisy as it fills up, which happened about 7:45 on a Friday night.

Our ratings for Aja Steak, 660 N. State, Chicago, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Crofton on Wells: Good Food in Spartan Surroundings (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 97)

2009-05-10T19:57:00.007-05:00

A long time ago, we decided to try Crofton on Wells, which has always gotten high marks from various restaurant reviewers. We really liked the food, although the surroundings kind of detracted from the total experience. This was particularly so because, despite the restaurant being almost empty when we arrived, we were seated close to the window on a cold night and the hostess would not move us to the back.

We started with a bottle of Radio Couteau Zinfandel. We found this a bit tart, but not unpleasant. The amuse bouche was a cheese puff, which we liked a lot. Our appetizer was a cheese plate. We found the goat and cheddar cheeses unexceptional. We both loved the Brie, which was very smooth, and Steve loved the bleu cheese, though Lisa thought it a bit strong. We both ordered the baby green and warm goat cheese salad, which we liked, especially the goat cheese. The dressing tasted tangy, but not overly so.

Lisa ordered beef tenderloin for an entree. It was perfectly cooked and had a lot of flavor. Steve's veal was a bit tough, but did taste good. We ordered a side dish of carrots (trying to be healthy for a change) and they were extremely good and crisp, prompting us to vow that we would order more vegetables in the future (which we have not really done) (but we should). We also liked the Yukon mashed potatoes.

For dessert, Steve had the tangerine pana cotta, which was really good except for the tangerine. Steve always likes custard-like dishes, but often does not like the fruit that comes with, because it is fruit, so don't blame the tangerines. Lisa had the rocky road, which sounded perfect, as it was advertised as including devil's food cake, chocolate mousse, and bittersweet chocolate ice cream, but the expresso flavor of the dish was overpowering (and Lisa does not like coffee, other than when a slight amount is present to bring out the dark chocolate flavor, the only proper function for coffee).

While the surroundings of Crofton on Wells are somewhat spartan, it did have a soothing dark decor with nice plants, so if it were not so cold we might have been bigger fans. However, for a restaurant that serves this type of complex food, one would expect more attention to decor. The bathrooms were very small, but clean, and the Women's was cold; thus they were somewhat in keeping with the rest of the restaurant's atmosphere.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of semi-expensive wine, was $350. With wine by the glass, it would have been about $270. While this is somewhat high, we did think the food was very good.

Our ratings for Crofton on Wells, 535 N. Wells, Chicago, Illinois:

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

Rox City Grill in St. Charles: A Disappointing Experience (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 96)

2009-05-10T19:29:00.004-05:00

We felt like taking a walk along the Fox River (though the weather turned out to be a bit cool despite it being May), so Steve checked opentable.com and found Rox City Grill in St. Charles. We have not had much luck with restaurants in the Fox River area, even though we love cities like Geneva and (sort of) St. Charles. And Rox City Grill was no exception.

Steve was excited to try this restaurant because it advertised that its executive chef was a veteran of Charlie Trotter's. The restaurant is in a very nice old hotel with quaint elevators and a nice lobby. Rox City Grill is somewhat incongrous in this location because its ambience struck us an attempt to be modern to the extreme. The tables are a bit too close together and the room is rather loud, particularly when the electric guitars start playing.

Decor aside, the food here was not up to the hype. We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Daniel Hill Pinot Noir which was a bit tart for her taste. Steve ordered Four Sisters Shiraz (which Lisa considered because she liked the name). Steve found this very dense and almost bitter.

The appetizers were the best (by far) part of the meal. We had the lobster martini, which included wasabi mashed potatoes. The lobster was very fresh and tasty and the wasabi added just enough flavor without overpowering the dish. Edemame added some crunchiness. We also had the ahi tuna. The tuna was seared medium rare and had an excellent flavor. We also loved the warm bread. It tasted flaky and fluffy, and Steve ate a lot of it. We'd like to comment on the salads we ordered, but we are still waiting for them. The server simply forgot, and we didn't realize that (as the service was generally very slow) until our entrees arrived.

We thought the entrees were very bad. Lisa's short ribs were tough, tasteless, and totally overcooked to the point of being rather leathery. The wasabi mashed potatoes that came with it were good, and are about all she ate. Steve's lamb was too rare (almost raw) and wholly without flavor. (But he did finish it.)

Desserts also were uninspired. Steve had the lemon curd with some type of crunchy accompaniment that looked like shredded wheat. The curd and raspberry sauce were not terrible but it is certainly not something Steve would have again. Lisa ordered the pot de creme, billed as dense chocolate custard with mandarin orange slices. As a whole, the dessert was far too sweet for her, and too watery, and the oranges tasted canned rather than fresh. In what may be a first for her with a chocolate dessert, she ate about 1/8 of it, despite being hungry from having had no salad and not eating more than a couple bites of the leathery short ribs.

The bathrooms, which were in the hotel (which we liked) were very nice. Both were very clean, although the Men's was a bit too small and plain to merit a perfect rating. The Women's had marble sink counters and stalls that were more like rooms because they had wood doors, which Lisa likes.

The total bill for two, with wine by the glass and without salad, was $145. This seemed a bit high to us considering it is for one less course than we usually have and considering the (lack of) quality. Rox City Grill seems to be getting somewhat of a positive vibe, so you may hear about it and be tempted to go. Take it from us, and save yourself the long drive.

Our ratings for Rox City Grill, 100 W. Main, St. Charles, Illinois:

4 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Erie Cafe: If You Like Charcoal (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 95)

2009-04-19T14:28:00.006-05:00

Erie Cafe is one of Steve's favorite steak restaurants, largly because the steaks are so charcoaled it looks like they just came out of a five-alarm fire, yet they are still perfect inside. It seems as if men like this type of heavy charcoal a bit more than women, which is why Erie Cafe's clientele is about 90% male. The atmosphere reflects this, as Erie has leather clubby furniture and lots of dark wood.

We started with a glass each of Rosenblum Zinfandel, which is our default Zinfandel, as it is fruity and smooth enough for both of us. Our appetizer was a shrimp cocktail. This dish was acceptable, but not special, as the shrimp were somewhat small and had a slight fishy taste. The cocktail sauce saved the dish, as it tasted fresh and a little spicy, which is what we like. Salads were plain -- chopped up lettuce, a slice of tomato, and dressing. Again, the dressing made the salad better, as it was a nice tangy Italian.

As usual at this restaurant, Steve really liked his bone-in ribeye because of the charcoaling and it was cooked a perfect medium-rare and had a lot of flavor. The T-bone here is actually Steve's favorite, but he thought he would try the ribeye because it looked good on someone else's plate. It was not quite as good as the T-bone, but he still found it excellent. Lisa had the prime rib. It was perfectly cooked, but she didn't think it had a lot of flavor. Continuing on the theme of this restaurant, which is basic, the entrees are accompanied by cottage fries, which we both liked a lot.

Steve passed on dessert because the ribeye was very big. But since Lisa did not eat that much of her prime rib, she still had room for spumoni. It was a bit too frozen solid, but still tasted great.

The bathrooms were in keeping with the rest of the experience. No frills, but very clean.

Steve thinks the Erie Cafe is an underappreciated gem on the Chicago steakhouse scene and highly recommends it to anyone who likes heavily charcoaled meat. Lisa is not as excited about it, as she likes a little less charcoal, but she always enjoys going there.

Our total bill with wine by the glass was $150, which is not bad for a city steakhouse.

Our ratings for Erie Cafe, 536 W. Erie, Chicago:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Capital Grille - Solid Steak in Nice Surroundings (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 94).

2009-04-05T17:17:00.002-05:00

On a recent Sunday evening, Steve picked Lisa up from O'Hare after she had been away on a weekend family visit. It was somewhat late, so we decided to go to a nearby restaurant. We had already tried the McCormick & Schmick location at the new Inter-Continental hotel in Rosemont, and it had been pretty good, so we decided this time to try its sister steak restaurant, the most recent Capital Grille location. Capital Grille is known for its dry aged steaks, which is a type of aging that makes the meet juicier. Lisa had really liked her previous experience with dry aged beef, so we were looking forward to giving this restaurant a try.

The location is brand new, so it is all very spotless and fresh. Additionally, everyone was quite friendly, from the hostess to the knowledgeable server and even the manager.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a glass of the Malbec, which she found a bit tart. Steve had the Bourdeaux, which sounded good, but which tasted very dense. For an appetizer, we shared the smoked salmon. We really liked this dish, as well as the rather unusual creme fraiche-type sauce which accompanied
it. The salmon was particularly fresh tasting.

Next, Steve had the wedge salad and Lisa had the lobster bisque. Lisa really loved the bisque, although the lobster was a bit fishy. Steve's wedge was just ok, particularly since the tomatoes were not very fresh.

Our rating for Capital Grille would have been higher, but the steak was not quite up to top levels. Since only the porterhouse and ribeye (not the filet) were dry-aged, both of us had the porterhouse. It was cooked a perfect medium rare, and Lisa thought it had just the right amount of charcoal flavoring (Steve thought not quite enough but he likes heavy charcoal), but both of us thought the filet side was excelleent while the sirloin side was not so good. it was quite tough and only tasted good right by the bone. We can't understand why they just don't offer a dry aged bone-in filet, which would no doubt be great.

It was late, and the desserts actually looked somewhat pedestrian, so believe it or not we passed.

The bathrooms were extremely clean and pleasant. The only problem was that the sink water was on the cool side.

All in all, we liked the dining experience, but given the mixed result on the actual steak, which is of course why people would go to a place like this, we can't put this in our top tier of steak restaurants.

Dinner for two, with wine by the glass and no dessert was $210, which is a bit high given the problem with the sirloin side of the porterhouse.

Our ratings for Capital Grille 5340 N. River Road, Rosemont

7 of 10 Steak Knives 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

La Petite Folie - Worn But Usable (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 93)

2009-04-05T16:20:00.001-05:00

Steve convinced Lisa to see a play version of a movie she was lukewarm about, called Wait Until Dark. The play, which was pretty bad, was at a theatre in Hyde Park, and La Petite Folie, which Steve had read about on numerous occasions was less than a mile away, so we decided to go there before the show. Overall, this was a nice dining experience, although some of the non-culinary elements left something to be desired.

When we came, we were the first ones in the restaurant, and the service was very attentive. We did notice, however, that while the restaurant seemed very authentically French, the carpet was worn and had a slight mildewy smell.

We started with a bottle of Le Bon Pasteur Pomerol. We always like wine from the Pomerol region, but this was probably the best bottle we've had. It was very light and drinkable, and had an excellent bouquet. Our first food course was the appetizers. Lisa had the lobster, which consisted of warm lobster claws taken out of the shell. She really liked this dish, although we both thought the lobster tasted a bit fishy. Steve loved his onion tart, which had a great cheese filling.

Salads were not much to look at, but were quite interesting. Lisa's field greens came with pieces of grapefruit and corn kernels, as well as the traditional greens. She liked the variety although overall the salad was only average. Steve had the corsican salad which was very purple, since most of it was cut up beets and radishes, which were not bad, and Steve really enjoyed the cheese in the salad.

Our entrees were mixed. Lisa really liked the salmon, which was a thick and tasty cut, that she ranked among the best she's ever had. Steve had a taste and also liked it alot. Steve's rack of lamb was less thrilling; it tasted a bit gamey. However, the accompanying potatoes were excellent.

The service really started to decline after the entree, largely because the restaurant filled up and there seemed to be only 3 servers for about 25 tables. As a result, we waited almost an hour between the entree and the dessert (good thing we actually enjoy each other's company). When the dessert did come, the experience was again mixed. Lisa liked her chocolate bombe, which was an outer shell of dark chocolate, with chocolate ice cream inside and chocolate cake on the bottom. She thought the chocolate was good because it was sufficiently dark, and she liked the ice cream as well. Steve's pear crepes left something to be desired although, in fairness, Steve hates pears. So why would he order this -- for the cinammon ice cream, which was really quite good.

The bathrooms were nice. Each was a well appointed (although not fancy) single, that was very clean. However, the men's room was rather cold, and it took a long time for the sink water to warm up (although, unlike with some restaurant bathrooms, there was eventually hot water here).

Since there is basically nothing in the way of good restaurants in Hyde Park, this is definitely the place to go if you are going to the theatre or a concert there, or visiting junior at U of C. However, while La Petite Folie is good, the entire experience was less than stellar, and didn't live up to some of the glowing reviews Steve had seen.

Dinner for 2 with an expensive bottle of wine was $300, so would have been more like $200 with wine by the glass. That is about right for the quality of the food.

Our ratings for La Peitie Folie, 1504 E. 55th Street, Chicago:

7 of 10 Berets 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Restaurant Michael: Great Food But Stepford Setting (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 92)

2009-03-08T19:09:00.004-05:00

We hadn't tried a new restaurant for a while, so after consulting opentable.com we picked Restaurant Michael in Winnetka because the menu items included a cheese course and interesting appetizers. The food exceeded our expectations (which our readers know is hard to do). Nonetheless, we probably wouldn't go here again because we didn't enjoy the experience overall. The evening started well enough when a man who looked like he might have been the chef/owner came out to greet us as we pulled into the parking lot. The first thing we noticed about the restaurant, however, was that even though the website referred to the dress as casual, the least dressy patrons were still, for the most part, wearing sport coats or suits (for the women, add pearls) straight out of the Brooks Brothers catalogue.

Next, we both noticed how cold the restaurant was, even though it was a semi-warm day for March in Chicago. Unfortunately, we were seated at the table closest to the door and most in line with the cold air sweeping in. Nonetheless, when we asked for a different table, as there were many empty ones, we were told a change wasn't possible. (All the tables did fill later, but the more vehement complainers offered the table next to ours were moved.) The other issue with the tables was that the one we were at was one of four that felt as if they were afterthought auxiliary tables, such as those you'd stick kids at for a big family gathering, stuck in front of more cozy booths, and pushed very close together. Those who have read our blog from the beginning know that we usually don't take decor and atmosphere much into account, but here it really colored our experience, which is particularly unfortunate since the food was quite good. The experience was not helped for us by the fact that all the patrons looked they had roman numerals after their names and the wait staff was a bit unfriendly overall (though not just to those of us who do not have numerals after our names).

Our amuse bouche were cheese puffs, which were light with a creamy cheese filling and which we really loved. For a change of pace, we ordered a bottle of Croatian Zlatan Zinfandel. This could have been problematic since, unbeknownst to us, this is a dry red, and we generally don't like dry wine. But it turned out that this one had a nice bouquet and was not overly tart. For appetizers, Steve ordered the smoked salmon. It was good but not great, largly because it came with something a bit sweeter than the creme fraiche we normally like with smoked salmon. Steve really liked the toast accompaniment, however. Lisa ordered the pate plate, which included pate, sausage and mousse as well as olives and tiny dill pickles. She loved the sausage, olives and pickles (especially the pickles which were crunchy and had a strong dill flavor). The rest she didn't like as much, but she's not that big a pate fan and ordered it mainly to try something different.

The salads were average. Steve had the salade nicoise, which he found interesting albeit a bit too tangy for his taste. He particularly didn't like the egg at the top. Lisa had the baby field greens salad with Roquefort cheese, walnuts and pears. It was a bit heavy on the pears and the cheese was a bit strong for her, but it was an interesting mix of flavors.

The entrees were where the dinner really began to shine. Lisa had the beef tenderloin and short rib combination. The short rib was excellent, with great flavor, cooked medium rare, and extremely tender. This was the first time she really understood why Steve so often orders short rib if it's available. Steve also thought it was some of the best short rib he's ever had. The beef tenderloin was excellent as well, cooked perfectly and full of flavor. Steve ordered the guinea hen and duck combination. The hen was heavenly -- with a perfect flavor and perfect spices -- and the duck was good but not great, a bit rare for his taste and also a bit too moist. We also loved the whipped potatoes that the servers spooned onto our plates after serving the entrees. The potatoes were very smooth and buttery.

Dessert was also a highlight. Lisa had the chocolate trio. The flourless chocolate cake was dark, rich and dense. The pudding was dark chocolate with whipped cream, and the souffle was dark as well without the eggy taste Lisa usually dislikes in souffles. Steve had the cheese course. He liked all the cheeses, but only the goat cheese, which Lisa also loved, was particularly noteworthy. The dessert amuse bouche, served in a little takeout bag, was two very dark chocolate cookies, which Lisa thought were fantastic (Steve donated his).

The bathrooms were both singles and were very nice. Both smelled like an antique store at Christmastime (a cinammon spicy smell). The Women's was nicely decorated, including with drawings of fancy red shoes and red purses. The Men's Room was also nice and both were very clean. But both were far too cold, which prevented them from obtaining a perfect rating.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of wine, was a very reasonable $230 for four courses, no less, and would have been only $180 with wine by the glass. The food here is so good and the price so reasonable given the quality that we might normally have rated Restaurant Michael much higher. But the atmosphere, the attitude and homogenous Stepford-like clientele really make it hard for us to fully recommend the place or to want to go back.

Our ratings for Restaurant Michael, 64 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Kennedy's at Stone Creek: Lovely Spot in the Middle of Nowhere (Chicago-Area (sort of) Restaurant Review No. 91)

2009-02-14T16:28:00.005-06:00

We needed to drive to Mount Vernon, Illinois, of all places, so we decided to break up the drive with dinner at the halfway point, which happened to be Urbana. Urbana is known for being the home of the University of Illinois but not much else. That's why we were surprised to find what appeared to be a fine dining restaurant in Urbana through Opentable.com.

Kennedy's is part of a complex which includes housing and a golf course on the far south end of Urbana. It would have been better to have gone here in the summer because the restaurant has a very nice view overlooking the golf course. Even in winter, however, the view was nice and Kennedy's even had an operational fireplace which we sat near. Unfortunately, probably partially because it was Superbowl Sunday, but maybe also because there is not a large fine dining market in this area, the restaurant, which has a fairly large space, was largely empty.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Rosenblum Zinfandel. She liked it because it was very fruity, even though it was a bit drier than she likes. Steve's Pavillion Pinot Noir was very dark and fruity. He liked it a lot. The first food brought to us was a soft roll for each of us. Steve thought the roll was absolutely awesome and had seconds, thirds, and a fourth. They all tasted very fresh. We shared as appetizers a shrimp cocktail and smoked salmon. The shrimp tasted slightly fishy, but were accompanied by an excellent tangy sauch we both liked. The salmon was a bit salty, but came with a sour cream horseradish sauce that made the fish taste better. Continuing on the bread theme, Steve also had special praise for the accompanying toast points, which were thick and tasty.

The salads were interesting. Steve had greens with goat cheese, strawberries, and grapes. That combination did not go together very well, but it tasted okay and is something you definitely don't see every day. Also, the goat cheese was excellent. Lisa had a walnut and pear salad with a light dressing and an unknown white substance. As with Steve's salad, this one did not quite go together, but Lisa found it quite interesting, liked the taffy apple-like flavor, and gave points for originality.

The main courses disappointed. Steve's short ribs were visually jarring because they looked more like a steak than short ribs. They also had a steak-like texture, which was not soft as good short ribs should be. The taste was not particularly good, and the potatos tasted mass-produced. Lisa did like her lobster ravioli except it had no lobster pieces that she could see and included far too many artichokes. The flavor was good, though, and lobster ravioli is a dish she likes and can't often find.

Dessert was okay but not exceptional. Steve had cherry pie with ice cream. The ice cream was good but the pie tasted store bought. Lisa's chocolate mousse torte was not dark enough for her, though it was very dense, which she would have liked if the chocolate were darker.

The bathrooms were pretty good. The Women's Room was very clean with nice tile and a pretty wood checkerboard side table. The Men's Room was clean, but waste was overflowing from the garbage can and the cleaning supplies were in a big heap on the floor.

If this restaurant were in Chicago, and charging Chicago prices, we probably would've been harder on it. However, for the location and price, and particularly given the overall pleasant surroundings and good service, we came away with an overall favorable impression and recommend Kennedy's if you live in the U of I area or have kids there and are visiting. (It did seem to us as if we were the only non-professors among the diners.)

Dinner for two, with wine by the glass, was a reasonable $115 (given that we had four courses).

Our ratings for Kennedy's at Stone Creek, Urbana, Illinois:

7 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 or 3 Bathroom Brushes

Mon Ami Gabi - Not Authentic But Good (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 90)

2009-01-25T16:59:00.003-06:00

Shortly before Halloween, we wanted to take Lisa's niece and her husband to a special Halloween street that we had discovered in the western suburbs so, before doing that, we stopped at the Mon Ami Gabi in Oakbrook. This was a solid place, albeit not really very authentic French (particularly compared to Kiki's Bistro, which we just also rated). Despite not being authentic, in our opinion, Mon Ami Gabi has a nice, relaxing atmosphere, even on a crowded Saturday night.

We started with a bottle of french red, Gevry Chambertin, which we found interesting but a bit too tangy. For appetizers, we ordered the onion soup, the smoked salmon and the baked cheese with herbs and tomato. The onion soup was a bit too sweet, the cheese was very good, but we thought the salmon was a bit fishy tasting.

We then moved on to a cheese course. It was accompanied by bread and olives. Three of us thought this course was only average, but Michelle did like it alot. Steve liked the bleu, but not the others. For entrees, we had the prime rib, steak au poivre, ribeye and steak frites. The frites were excellent, but the meat was uninspiring, except again Michelle liked her steak au poivre more than any of us liked the rest of the meat (perhaps she has the most positive outlook of anyone in the group).

For dessert, we had creme brulee, lemon tart, profiteroles and flourless chocolate cake. Even Michelle did not like the cake, which didn't have enough dark chocolate for her. Lisa was not wowed by the profiteroles. But Sean and Steve liked their creme brulee and lemon tart.

The bathrooms were problematic, as the floor contained more stuff than the garbage can.

All in all, this really wasn't that great, but perhaps the good company helped, as we have rated it fairly high (as we look back now, we don't really know why, but we have to trust our notes at the time, and much of the food was tasty).

Dinner for 4 with a bottle of wine was $350, which was probably about right for what we got.

Our ratings for Mon Ami Gabi, 260 Oakbrook Center, Oakbrook, Illinois

6.5 of 10 Faux Berets; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Cafe Absinthe - Very Disappointing (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 89)

2009-01-25T16:44:00.003-06:00

After a meeting Lisa attended for one of her non-profits, we decided to go to a nearby restaurant that we had heard good things about, Cafe Absinthe. We shouldn't have bothered. Our immediate problem with Cafe Absinthe was its smell. The place smelled very musty, and noticeably so, thus casting a pall over the meal.

We started with a bottle of Turley Zinfandel, which we liked because, typical of Zins, it was light and fruity. We very very psyched for the cheese course, but were again disappointed. There was more bread than cheese, and the only really good cheese was the goat. All the others were blah, although Lisa liked the olives.

Steve then had the hearts of romaine salad, which he liked, particularly the caesar dressing. Lisa's mixed green with feta and artichoke was too sweet and spicy for her. Steve's filet mignon was not charcoaled enough for him (although too charcoaled for Lisa when she tasted it). All in all the dish could have been better. Lisa had horseradish crusted salmon. She liked the salmon alot, as well as the accompanying mashed potatos.

For dessert, Lisa had the lava cake, which was okay on the chocolate end, but the ice cream was too sweet. Steve's bread pudding with cinammon ice cream was bad in all aspects (but he ate all the ice cream anyway because he had actually left most of the other dishes partially uneaten).

In addition to the musty smell, the service here was very uneven, and the staff in general seemed somewhat uninterested.

The bathroom was a small but pretty unisex that was clean BUT had no hot water whatsoever (which is very scary since the waitstaff probably had to use it), and a questionable lock.

Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was $160 and would have been $140 with wine by the glass. This is reasonable if the food was good but here since it was only average seems somewhat pricy.

Our ratings for Cafe Absinthe, 1954 North Ave., Chicago

5 of 10 Steak Knives; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Kiki's Bistro - A Taste of Paris (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 88)

2009-01-25T16:23:00.004-06:00

Prior to attending Chicago Shakespeare's version of Macbeth (very bloody as usual and she still hasn't gotten that troublesome spot out) we went to nearby Kiki's Bistro, which we had heard good things about. Kiki's was impressive right from the start, since the hostess sat us in a nice corner far from the window on yet another frigid Chicago night.

We started with wine by the glass. We wanted to try a French wine, so we both got French versions of Pinot Noir. Lisa had the Burgundy Pinot which she found a bit too tart, albeit light. Steve's Santenay was very dry, almost like drinking air; lesson learned - stick to American Pinots. Anyway, for our first food course we decided to warm up with soup. Steve's onion soup was great - very cheesy with the sort of strong oniony flavor he likes. Lisa's grilled tomato soup was also excellent. The tomato was very tangy and it was set off nicely by sour cream.

The salads were unremarkable. We both had the goat cheese salad. The goat cheese itself tasted very fresh and smooth, but the greens were both lacking in flavor and drowned in a too powerful vinaigrette dressing. The asparagus was also too soggy. For entrees, Lisa had the pepper steak, which was New York with a peppercorn sauce. The steak was cooked a perfect medium rare and had a good flavor, but there was a bit too much sauce for Lisa's tastes. Steve had the duck, which consisted of the breast and the leg. The leg was excellent, crispy, tasty and juicy. The breast, however, was too chewy and was undercooked even though he ordered medium instead of medium rare for just that purpose.

Desserts were fantastic. Steve's lemon tart was tangy and tasted just as he would have hoped. Lisa's profiteroles were plentiful, pretty and the best she's ever tasted (dark enough on the chocolate with great homemade ice cream with unsweetened cocoa sprinkled over it). She also liked her taste of Steve's lemon tart.

The bathrooms were very chic and very french. We loved the design but both thought the floors were a bit grimey (obviously they are truly going for reality here).

Kiki's was an overall great experience, right from the free valet parking to the nice room with french paintings behind the windowpanes, to the professional service to the great desserts (we each had 3 or 4 alternative choices) to the very reasonable price. While nothing (except maybe the dessert) was spectacular here, everything was very good, and this is well worth a visit.

The total bill, with wine by the glass, was, as noted, a very reasonable $155.

Our ratings for Kiki's Bistro 900 N. Franklin Street, Chicago

7.5 of 10 Berets; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Mitchell's Fish Market - The Epitome of Mediocre (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 87)

2009-01-18T17:19:00.003-06:00

On a very cold and wintry Sunday, we had cabin fever so we decided to go out to the suburbs, partially to go to a Container Store so Lisa could have her closets organized (which she did and is happy with), and partly so we could go to a nearby Half-Price Bookstore to unload some of the many books both of us tend to collect. Since we have vowed to eat more fish this year, we picked a fish house in the same area, called Mitchell's Fish Market. Unfortunately, this was not one of our better choices.

The restaurant itself is unremarkable, with a large bar area and then tables and booths in the room with the kitchen. The best part of the decor was that it was warm even by the window on a frigid night.

We started with wine by the glass. Steve's Ravenswood Zinfandel was good, as this brand always is. Lisa's Kim Crawford Pinot Noir was a bit too tart for her liking. For an appetizer we split the shrimp cocktail. We did not care for this dish, as we found the shrimp tasted fishy, always a killer. The service was uneven, as the next course came out right on top of the appetizer. Steve had the wedge salad, which he found acceptable, but not great because the dressing was weak. Lisa had the lobster bisque, which she found too salty.

For entrees, Lisa had the salmon, which she again found tasted fishy, although she has had worse. Steve actually liked his salmon, and also liked the asparagus (amazingly) that it came with.

For dessert, Lisa had the chocolate java lava mocha cake, with vanilla ice cream, and Steve had the creme brulee. Both the desserts were pretty good, but nothing special.

The bathrooms were clean and warm, although not particularly fancy.

There was nothing really wrong with Mitchell's Fish Market, but that's not exactly a ringing endorsement either. It was basically mediocre and not worth a special trip. Dinner for two with wine by the glass was $120, which is less than our usual tab, but actually is pricey for the quality here.

Our ratings for Mitchell's Fish Market, 2601 Navy Blvd., Glenview

5 of 10 Fish Hooks; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Va Pensiero - Another Great Evanston Restaurant (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 86)

2009-01-18T16:47:00.004-06:00

Whenever we want to almost assure ourselves of a good suburban dining experience, we pick a restaurant in Evanston, which is probably the gourmet capital of the Chicago suburbs (Steve, as an NU grad, is biased but Lisa also agrees). Toward the beginning of the fall (yes, we are really, really behind on our entries) we decided to drive to Evanston on a nice night, and chose Va Pensiero. The location is great. Like Quince, it is in a small hotel, but unlike Quince, this hotel is upscale rather than SRO-like. We walked downstairs into a lovely Italian country-like room, which would have been perfect but it was a little too cold.

We started with a bottle of Italian Pinot Noir, suggested by the waiter since we are unfamiliar with Italian wines. His suggestion was excellent as we found the Pinot fruity and light with a good flavor. Because it was rather cold in the restaurant, instead of having our usual types of appetizers, we both ordered soup. Lisa tried the potato/tomato leek, which she didn't particularly care for. Steve, on the other hand, really enjoyed the minestrone, which was among the best soups he's ever had.

Steve was adventurous with his salad choice of the beets with goat cheese (although he basically only wanted the goat cheese). He was not disappointed, because the goat cheese was great, but he also actually liked some of the beets (who knew). Lisa had the mixed field greens with duck confit and fresh tomato. Lisa liked this dish, and had special praise for the tomatoes.

For entrees, Lisa had the short ribs. She thought they were okay, but she wasn't wowed. Steve thought they were good, but since they didn't fall off the bone they couldn't be classified as any better than that. Steve did really like his spaghetti with rock shrimp. The pasta was truly an excellent taste experience.

For dessert, Steve had the panna cotta, which he thoroughly enjoyed. His enjoyment of this dish was enhanced by the fact that very few places have good panna cotta, which is one of his favorite desserts. Lisa actually ended up having two desserts because she didn't really care for her first one, the chocolate cake. The second time was a charm, though, because she really liked her spumoni, particularly the chocolate chip part. The host/owner was so enthused that Lisa had two desserts that he gave us two free after dinner liqueurs, which were very sweet and tasty.

The bathrooms here were quaint, but very small and cold. Nonetheless they were clean and well appointed.

We highly recommend Va Pensiero, which we found to be a very enjouable dining experience in pleasant surroundings. Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was only $245, and would have been under $200 with wine by the glass (a great value for all the food and courses we had).

Our ratings for Va Pensiero, 1566 Oak Avenue, Evanston

8 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

The Cape Cod Room - Retro But Good (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 85)

2009-01-18T16:25:00.006-06:00

During the holiday season, we wanted to eat somewhere with a holiday flair. After doing some Christmas shopping on Michigan Avenue we chose to try the famous old time Chicago fish house, the Cape Cod Room in the Drake Hotel. Befitting a restaurant that has been around forever, the Cape Cod Room was a little worn, but had an interesting faux nautical decor (with an accent on faux). Nonetheless, it did feel quite homey and warm on a very cold night and the atmosphere made it seem as if we had left the city for awhile.

We started with wine by the glass. Steve had Murphy Goode Zinfandel, which he found a bit too dry, especially compared to other Zins that he has liked. Lisa, on the other hand, liked her Five Rivers Pinot Noir, which she found fruity with a good flavor. For appetizers, we shared the shrimp cocktail and the Scottish salmon. We loved the shrimp, which was very fresh and tasty, and we also loved the sauce, which was tangy but not too spicy. The salmon, though, was a bit fishy tasting, although the accompanying rye bread was excellent.

For entrees, Lisa had the Lobster Thermidor, just because it's the type of old fashioned dish we could only find at the Cape Cod Room (literally). Steve opted for the more traditional salmon. Lisa thought the lobster was unremarkable, but she enjoyed the novelty of the dish as a whole. Steve liked his salmon, but not so much the bamboo it came with. However, surprisingly, both Lisa and Steve really liked the baby carrot vegetable dish (remarkable, actually, given their general antipathy to veggies).

For dessert, Lisa had the profiteroles. She found them a bit dry, but that was offset by the chocolate sauce, which was plentiful and very good. Steve loved his raspberry mango sherbet, and could have eaten several of them.

The bathrooms were in the hotel, and were fairly clean but not at all luxurious, as one would expect from a fancy hotel's bathrooms.

All in all, we really enjoyed our retro experience here. Dinner for two, with wine by the glass, was a liveable $220. The whole here was better than the sum of its parts, and the experience was actually quite pleasant. We hope the Cape Cod Room keeps going for another 100 years.

Our ratings for the Cape Cod Room, 140 E. Walton St., Chicago

7 of 10 Fish Hooks; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Chop House in Chicago: What's the Fuss? (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 84)

2009-01-11T16:26:00.004-06:00

The Chop House is one of those restaurants that gets uniform accolades from reviewers. It is always suggested as a top steakhouse in the city. We respectfully disagree. We didn't find it bad, but it definitely rates in our book behind many other steak restaurants (including ones like Wildfire, which do not get nearly as high reviewer marks).

The decor of the Chop House is interesting, in that it has three levels and is done up in a sort of faux Victorian style. We ate at the top level, which had a good view of the street below. We started with wine by the glass, but unfortunately did not write down what kind, so we can't comment (though we thought about making something up). We liked our shrimp cocktail appetizer. The shrimp were large, as we like them, and tasted fresh, and the sauce was tangy, as we like it. Lisa liked the house salad, which came with the entree, particularly the creamy garlic dressing, which was flavorful. Steve, however, did not like his tomato and onion salad because the tomatoes were hard.

Lisa ordered a bone-in filet for her entree and found it flavorful and cooked a perfect medium rare. She also liked her baked potato, which came with plenty of butter and sour cream. Steve ordered charred prime rib. It came closer to well-done than medium rare (and he'd ordered medium rare), yet there was not enough charcoal for him. This was the worst charred prime rib (which is not often available, but which Steve usually really likes) that Steve has ever had (but the potato cake that came with was okay). Steve was so distraught about the prime rib that he actually couldn't muster any interest in dessert. Lisa had no such qualms, and ordered the Chocolate Triple Play, which was flourless chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and chocolate ganache. None had much flavor, and they were not dark enough for her.

Even though the shrimp appetizer and a lot of the food Lisa had was good, Steve didn't enjoy either his salad or entree, so we couldn't give the Chop House a particularly high rating, though Lisa recommends the filet mignon.

The bathrooms also were bad. There were two singles, both were cold, not all that clean, and yet had a sickly disinfectant smell.

Dinner for two with wine by the glass was $200, which is less than some steakhouses we have been to, but those had far better overall quality, in our view.

Our ratings for the Chop House, 60 West Ontario St., Chicago:

6.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Lockwood in Chicago: Better than the Reviews (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 83)

2009-01-11T16:08:00.003-06:00

We were looking for a nice restaurant for dinner before seeing Amadeus at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and we decided to try Lockwood, which is located in the Palmer House Hilton. Unlike some restaurants that we go to that have a lot of positive buzz and turn out to be duds (in our view), for some reason, Lockwood has gotten a lot of negative press, but we liked it a lot.

We started with a glass of St. Francis Zinfandel for Steve, and a glass of Domaine Carreras Pinot Noir for Lisa. Lisa really liked the Pinot, which was light and fruity with a good flavor, but Steve was not a fan of the Zinfandel. Our amuse bouche was a rock shrimp with cucumber. Despite the presence of a vegetable, we both thought it very good. Lisa particularly liked the olive oil over it. For an appetizer, we shared the cheese course. Overall, the cheese was good, but not outstanding. We both liked the goat cheese, Steve liked the bleu -- which was a bit strong for Lisa -- and Lisa liked the smooth cheddar for its mild flavor. The rest were non-descript.

For entrees, Lisa ordered the ribeye. It was cooked a perfect medium rare, and she really liked its flavor, although finding it a bit fatty, as she usually prefers a leaner cut. Steve's duck was pretty good. It had a great flavor, but it was a bit chewy.

Steve ordered the pear with vanilla flavor, which came with almond crisp and brown butter ice cream. He liked everything but the pear, which is what he expected when he ordered, but he wanted to try the ice cream. He was glad he did, because it tasted like butterscotch and was very good. Lisa had the chocolate terrine, which was not particularly memorable.

We liked Lockwood's decor. It was modern but the tables were well-spaced and it still had a warm feeling. Service was friendly, albeit uneven, as though we had plenty of time, we ended up rushing somewhat to get to the theater.

The total bill for two was $210 with wine by the glass, which seemed about right for what we got. The bathrooms were those in the hotel lobby, and we didn't stop, as we had to the get the theater.

Our ratings for Lockwood, 17 E. Monroe Street, Chicago:

7 of 10 Steak Knives; and, in a first, no bathroom rating (sorry! -- but the play was good)

Spiaggia in Chicago: Lives Up To its Reputation (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 82)

2009-01-04T14:59:00.005-06:00

Every year we celebrate both of our December birthdays at one of the premier restaurants in the Chicago area. This year, Steve heard that our new President had taken his wife to Spiaggia for their 16th anniversary. He figured if it's good enough for Barack and Michelle, it's worth a try, particularly since it has always gotten rave reviews. We were very happy with this choice, and it was befitting of the fine evnts it was helping us celebrate.

Unfortunately, one mistake we made was reserving months in advance on Open Table. Open Table is great for making restaurant reservations, but we suspect reservations made through this website often produce bad results in terms of table location. Spiaggia has 3 rows of tables, the first closest to the windows, which provide its signature view of Michigan Avenue. Despite the fact that we booked 3 months in advance, we were seated in the third row. Perhaps we'd have done better either calling directly or putting our special occasion in the requests part of the Open Table menu. In all events, we were still able to get some of the view, and it was a cold night, so it might have been too cold by the windows anyway, and we did love the rest of the experience.

We started with a bottle of Renatto Ratti Barolo 2004. This was a choice from the waiter, since we know little about Italian reds. This started the trend of very informed and professional service, since we really liked this wine, which was light, fruity and medium bodied, with a nice taste that went well with all of our courses.

Our first courses were appetizers of steak tartare and sturgeon. Steve thought the steak tartare was the best he'd ever had, and Lisa also liked it alot. The sturgeon was also very good, although not remarkable and perhaps with a different non-salmony taste than we had hoped for. Next we had a pasta course. Steve's sheep milk pasta was delicious, cooked perfectly and with a very interesting pasta, set off nicely by the sheep's milk sauce. Lisa's veal stuffed ravioli with crunchy prosciutto was divine. She is not even really a veal person, but thought this tasted awesome, with a good combination of veal and prosciutto tastes helping the dish.

Up until the main courses, this dinner was almost perfect. However, the main courses were a bit weak compared to what came before them. Steve's lamb entree consisted of a chop and two braised portions. The chop was excellent but the braised portions were surprisingly tough, rather than the fall-off-the-bone consistency he expected from a restaurant of this caliber. Lisa's filet was cooked a perfect medium rare, and had a great flavor, but the bone marrow crust was a bit too herby (not Steve's long time golf partner, but spicy).

Next was the cheese course. Interestingly, the waiter never even mentioned this, even though the "cheese cave" is one of the things most mentioned about Spiaggia. Nevertheless, we specifically asked for the course, and chose 5 cheeses with the help of the cheese server. Some were smooth, some hard, and they ranged from bleu to parmesan. We liked the variety, since we usually don't have Italian cheeses. However, this course was just good, not great, with the cheeses best described, for the most part, as interesting but somewhat iffy.

Finally, for dessert, Lisa had the chocolate terrine, which was excellent, and was one of the few desserts of this type where the chocolate was dark enough for her tastes. Steve had the lemon panna cotta, which he raved to Lisa was one of the best desserts he'd ever had.

All in all, this was a great dining experience. great service in a marvelous location and excellent food. We would definitely highly recommend Spiaggia, but only for a once a year splurge, because it is very expensive. We spent $700 for two, and it still would have been upwards of $400, even had we only selected wine by the glass (although Lisa rightly points out that this seems cheap compared to the 900euros we paid for dinner at one place in Paris).

Washrooms were clean and well appointed but not over-the-top fancy and lacked substantial hot water, thus reducing their score.

Our ratings for Spiaggia, 980 North Michigan Ave, Chicago

9 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Zak’s Place in Hinsdale: A Big Disappointment (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 81)

2008-12-20T18:19:00.001-06:00

We had heard lots of favorable buzz about Zak’s Place, and we really like Hinsdale, which has great scenery and nice shopping, so we couldn’t wait to try it. Wait we should have, because Zak’s did not live up to the hype.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa chose a Ramsey Pinot Noir and Steve had a Syrah. Both of these were quite good. One of the things we were really looking forward to was their cheese course, but the cheese was really bad, a fatal misstep in our world view. The bleu, camembert and cheddar selections were all quite bad. The bleu tasted musty and the cheddar and camembert tasted store bought, with the brie being the only semi-decent choice. That set the tone for the rest of the meal.

Lisa’s second course was a lobster and shrimp dish. She liked the shrimp, but the lobster wasn’t great, thus sort of ruining the dish. Steve’s romaine salad was decent but nothing special. For entrees, Lisa had the prime rib, which was cooked a perfect medium rare but didn’t have a lot of flavor. Steve’s Kansas City strip was also not great, but it did come with excellent lyonnaise potatoes.

Desserts were ok but not inspired. Steve’s bread pudding with caramel ice cream had great ice cream but the bread pudding was basically tasteless. Lisa’s chocolate dessert was also not bad, but the chocolate was not dark enough for her.

We did like the restrooms, because they were really clean (we contrasted that with the worst bathroom we’ve ever seen which was in a Hinsdale restaurant in our pre blog days), but they were a bit too small to get a perfect rating.

Dinner for 2 with wine by the glass was $200, which is quite expensive for this quality food.

Our ratings for Zak’s Place, 110 South Washington, Hinsdale

5.5 (being charitable) of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Suzette's Creperie in Wheaton: Finally a Good Choice in This Suburb (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No.80)

2008-12-20T17:24:00.007-06:00

On a Friday night in early October (yes we are a bit behind on these entries), we decided to take the train out to one of our favorite suburbs, Wheaton, to try one of the few restaurants there that we haven't tried yet, Suzette's Creperie. We really like Wheaton, because it is a beautiful area for walking and looking at nice houses and universities, but we have yet to find a restaurant there that we like. Suzette's is definitely the best of the restaurants in Wheaton we have tried, although it still has some problems.

We started with a bottle of French wine with which we were unfamiliar, a Leclerc Burgundy. We thought this might be a little dense, but actually it was light, although somewhat tart, but had a nice aftertaste, almost like green apples. Our first course was a cheese fondue, which we really liked. We thought, next to our favorite, at Geja's, that this was the best cheese fondue we've had.

For the next course, Lisa decided, based on the season, to try pumpkin bisque, something she's never had before. She found it very interesting, with a nice cinammon flavor. Steve had the french onion soup, which was decent but not top French bistro quality (a bit too light on the cheese topping).

Salads were good, although not particularly inspired. Both of us chose the goat cheese salad. The goat cheese was good but the greens were not so good, albeit pretty.

Unfortunately, Lisa's entree disappointed. She ordered the salmon, and it tasted fishy and not particularly fresh. Steve's ribeye was very good and cooked perfectly to his taste, but the pommes frites were the fat kind that he doesn't care for.

Strangely, for a place called a Creperie, the dessert crepes were pretty weak. Steve's caramel apple crepe, again ordered for the season, was not good at all, and hardly had any caramel. Lisa's hot fudge banana crepe was a bit better, but there was not enough fudge and it was somewhat lukewarm.

Suzette's has a very warm atmosphere, with pleasant, though uneven service (we had 2.5 hours to make our train and barely made it even though we told them at the beginning exactly what train we wanted to catch). On balance, we thought the whole here was better than the sum of its parts -- particularly because it was so much better than the usual Wheaton fare, and the staff is very nice.

The washrooms were nice but not fancy. They were, however, not cold, which is a plus, and hot water actually came out of the sink. They also had a nice French country decor.

Dinner for 2, with a bottle of wine was $205, and would have been about $180 with wine by the glass, which is not bad for a decent 5 course meal (choices here are 4 or 5 courses).

Our ratings for Suzette's Creperie, 211 Front Street, Wheaton

7 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

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

2008-11-23T16:11:00.003-06:00

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),

2008-11-23T15:48:00.004-06:00

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)

2008-11-17T20:52:00.005-06:00

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)

2008-11-08T18:09:00.003-06:00

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)

2008-11-08T17:41:00.005-06:00

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

Goumard - Decent Fish, Great Bathrooms (Paris Restaurant Review No. 7)

2008-10-14T19:38:00.002-05:00

We returned from Paris at the end of July. Here it is over two months later and we are finally about to write up the last of our trip's dining experiences. We have a good excuse though, because we have both been very busy, particularly Lisa who has started a new business venture. Unfortunately, we did not save the best for last, because Goumard was good, but not nearly as good as Guy Savoy or Arpege. Nonetheless, for poisson, it was pretty good.

Normally, we skip the apperatif part of the meal, but since we were with our friend Aileen, we decided to go for the total experience. We all had a glass of pink champagne, which was a nice change. We also had a bottle of sauvignon blanc, recommended by the waiter. It was a perfect choice, and set off the food very well. Our amuse bouche was a salmon quiche with seaweed. We were surprised how much we liked it, even with the seaweed.

We all loved our appetizers. We shared the salmon, the tuna with goat cheese and the crab and asparagus. The salmon and tuna were absolutely wonderful, and the crab was very good. Steve even liked the asparagus, which is unusual for him.

For the main course, Steve and Lisa both had the sea bass. Steve liked it a bit more than lisa did, but we both thought it was good. Aileen, being more adventurous, had a fish called Derouade. She thought it was very good. Steve thought, however, that it looked weird.

The cheese course was a bit weak. The cheddar was great. The goat cheese was pretty good. But we didn't like the roquefort - even Steve who usually loves any sort of bleu cheese. And the camembert was much too strong for us.

The dessert amuse bouche was quite good. For regular dessert Lisa had the bitter chocolate sorbet, which she liked alot. Aileen and Steve had rice pudding. Aileen thought it was good but Steve, who loves rice pudding, was a bit disapointed, because it was somewhat watery and lacking in flavor.

The bathrooms were very clean, french and pretty, with yellow and blue mosaic tile. However, the fixtures were somewhat old and the men's was not quite as immaculate, thus depriving them of a perfect score.

All in all, while this was in the middle of our Paris dining experiences (but would have been tops in London), it was a very pleasant dinner, with good food and company. Dinner for three with a bottle of wine was 530 Euros, so for two, with wine by the glass, it would have been about 300 Euros, which is a bit pricey but we were in Paris after all.

Our ratings for Goumard, 9 rue Duphout, Paris

7 of 10 Fish Hooks; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Brown's Tea - Quintessential British Tea Experience (London Restaurant Review No. 4)

2008-10-14T18:37:00.004-05:00

We went to several teas in London, but the most British of those experiences was at Brown's Tea in the Brown's Hotel. This was like having tea in a 19th century Victorian drawing room, replete with cozy nooks and oversized chairs and couches. Interestingly, however, the tea and food quality here were not as high as our tea in Paris (although as we have said many times everything is better in Paris).

Lisa had the Earl Grey tea which she liked, although she found it, like all London tea, a bit strong and requiring alot of sugar. Steve had the lemon verbena which he did not throw up from, so for him that means he liked it (since he is definitely not a tea person). We really loved the silver teasets, however, which were again totally British and quite lovely.

The sandwiches here were a bit weak, which cut down on the overall rating. There were more sandwiches with veggies in them than we'd have liked and not enough with either beef or salmon as at other teas we enjoyed. The scones, though, were exquisite, and the clotted cream divine. But, the rest of the desserts were not particularly memorable.

The bathrooms were the best in London. They were fancy, spotless and perfectly adorned.

All in all, even though this tea may have been weaker than the tea we had at our hotel, we chose to rate this one because it was more British and because the scones were the best we had.

Tea for two was 65 pounds or approximately $130 - pricey but worth it for a one time experience.

Our ratings for Brown's Tea, Albemarle Street, London:

7.5 of 10 Teaspoons; 3 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Le Meurice Tea - Everything's Better In Paris (Paris Restaurant Review No. 6)

2008-10-11T15:19:00.004-05:00

We became great fans of afternoon tea on our recent trip to Europe. After having 3 teas in London that we really liked, we felt we needed to try one in Paris, so we picked the one in our hotel, Le Meurice. Given how much more we liked Paris than London, it should come as no surprise that even though London is the tea capital of the world, we liked the tea at Le Meurice better than any we tried in London.

Steve likes the non-tea part of teas the best, but he found his lemon tea to be tolerable, which is a good compliment for him. Lisa had french breakfast tea, which she had never even heard of, but she really liked its flavor, which had a hint of chocolate.

Enough of the irrelevancies, though. The keys to tea for us are the finger sandwiches and the scones. Here the sandwiches were uniformly great. We particularly liked the salmon and were happy that there were no egg sandwiches as there were for us to ignore in London. We were wondering how good the scones would be here, since one would think scones are quintessentially British. However, as with everything else, we loved these scones. They were very large and had an excellent flavor. And our favorite, the clotted cream (which we loved even after we later found out it isn't pasteurized), was again better here than anywhere in London.

The pastries had good variety and were generally ok, but after the tremendous scones, which we had second helpings of, we really didn't have much room for pastry anyway.

If you go to Paris and like afternoon tea at all, or even think you might, Le Meurice is a must try.

The bathrooms were very nice, as would be expected with luxury hotel bathrooms. They were just short of perfect.

Tea for two (and two for tea) was 60 euros and worth every penny.

Our ratings for Le Meurice Tea 228 rue de Rivoli, Paris:

9 of 10 Teaspoons 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Angelina in Paris - Best Hot Chocolate Tout Le Monde (Paris Restaurant Review No. 5)

2008-10-07T19:30:00.004-05:00

Our view of our guide in Paris was somewhat mixed. Lisa really liked him and his philosophical musings, while Steve found him somewhat lazy. Nonetheless, we both agree that he came up with a real gem when he recommended Angelina as having the best hot chocolate in Paris. Since Angelina was within a block of our hotel, we tried it on one of our last mornings in Paris, and it started our most wonderful day there.

We both had the petite dejeuner, which consisted of orange juice, country bread, croissants, pain au chocolate and brioche. Steve, being a bread person, was totally in heaven. The breads were great. Lisa liked them as well. Neither of us particularly cared for the orange juice, but that was hardly the draw here. We saved the best for last, however, when we both got the large hot chocolate. Even Steve, who is not as much of a hot chocolate connoisseur as Lisa, couldn't get over how good this was. It was thick and dark, just as Lisa likes it. She thought it was by far the best she has ever had, and she also loved the whipped cream, which was almost like ice cream.

We wish we had discovered this place earlier, because we'd have had breakfast there every day. As it is, this will be one of the first places we visit when we return to Paris, which we definitely will at some point.

The only weak thing here were the bathrooms, which were fairly grimy (although with a certain charm to them).

Petite Dejeuner pour deux avec oj et chocolate chaud was 50 euros, which may seem high but was well worth it for this superb dining experience.

Our ratings for Angelina 226 rue de Rivoli, Paris

9 of 10 Chocolate Spoons; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Restaurant Jules Verne - Middle of Tower, Middling Food (Paris Restaurant Review No. 4)

2008-10-05T15:48:00.003-05:00

We couldn't wait to try Restaurant Jules Verne, which is in the Eiffel Tower and was reputed to have an extraordinary view. The view was in fact great, but our suggestion is skip this overpriced and mean spirited dining experience and just get your view from the top of the tower.

We started with a bottle of quite expensive wine, a Domaine D'Eglise Pomerol. However, Steve apparently committed a faux pas akin to killing the sommelier's dog, when he folded back the page of the wine list containing our choice. The reaction was so stereotypical of Parisien hautiness (which we didn't experience anywhere else the whole time we were in Paris, where in fact everyone was really nice) that Lisa couldn't stop chuckling. Steve normally might have been a bit sheepish, but the overreaction obliterated that instinct. Anyway, the wine itself was excellent even though the sommelier wouldn't even look at us as he poured.

The lobster appetizer we started with was good, but not nearly as good as others we had in Paris. For entrees, Steve had the ubiquitous lamb, which this time didn't come with brains like at Pre Catelan, but which also wasn't as good as the lamb at that establishment. Lisa had her usual Paris choice of langoustine, which she thought was subpar.

The cheese course was pretty good. We both liked the goat and bleu cheeses, we didn't like one of the other cheeses and we split on the camembert. For dessert, Lisa had the poached pear, which she thought ok but not great. Steve had some sort of orange creation which he liked.

The bathrooms were clean enough but there was only one stall and paper was strewn about. It certainly could have been better at a place like this.

Dinner for two with a bottle of relatively expensive wine was 600 Euros, and would have been about 500 Euros with wine by the glass. Truly, there are any number of better places to spend that kind of money in Paris. Moreover, even though our hotel concierge thought that by going to this restaurant we could get an express trip to the top of the tower, that was not the case (or the nasty restauranteurs were not copping to it).

Our ratings for Restaurant Jules Verne, Eiffel Tower, Paris:

5.5 of 10 Berets (with a downward bullet for overall snootiness); 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Aria in Chicago: Good Food, Mixed Thoughts on Decor (Chicago Area Restaurnt Review No. 74)

2008-10-05T15:23:00.009-05:00

On a recent Sunday night we decided to check out one of the local downtown restaurants that Steve had heard good things about, Aria in the Fairmont Hotel. We were quite impressed with the food, although Steve thought the decor was a bit ragged (Lisa disagreed, and in fact liked the decor).

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Melville Pinot Noir, which she liked but not overly so. Steve had a Grgich Hills Zinfandel. Steve likes everything from the Grgich Hills vinyard, and this was no exception.

We both enjoyed the basket of warm Nan bread that started the dining festivities. Steve could have eaten 3 or 4 of these baskets, but stopped at most of the first. We shared the smoked salmon and the rock shrimp appetizers. We both really liked them.

At Steve's suggestion, Lisa had the ribeye chop (which Steve also had). For those unfamiliar with this cut, which is seen infrequently even at steakhouses, it is basically a charred prime rib. This means you get the good cut of beef of prime rib but with the better taste of a ribeye steak. Steve just loves this cut, and liked this one alot, although he has had better. Lisa liked Steve's choice and found it cooked perfectly and a nice change from the usual steak options. We also thought the accompanying potatoes were good.

For dessert, Lisa ordered a chocolate cake, which she found suitably dark and quite good. Steve had some sort of weird strawberry dish with whipped cream that he thought didn't work at all. The orange jelly dessert amuse bouche was interesting, but not great.

Everything was relatively good at Aria but, unlike with Naha, where we rated the restaurant higher than the sum of its food parts, here, it is sort of the opposite. The food is all good, but it does lack a certain inspiration.

The bathrooms were clean, but nothing to write, or type, home about. They were average hotel bathroomns.

Dinner for 2 with wine by the glass was $150, which is about right for the food experience.

Our ratings for Aria, 200 N. Columbus, Chicago, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Wolsely in London: Nice Atmosphere, Average Food (London Restaurant Review No. 3)

2008-09-21T20:30:00.002-05:00

Our first restaurant experience of our recent trip to London and Paris was a late night after theatre dinner at Wolsely, which is a London post- theatre institution. Befitting its status, even at 10:45 Wolsely was very crowded, and we had to wait 10 minutes notwithstanding our reservation. The décor was very interesting – almost like something out of a Pottery Barn catalog. The restaurant is very big, but the tables are spaced well enough apart to allow conversation.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Rioja which she found kind of plain, but good. Steve’s Gigondas was very full bodied, perhaps a bit much so for his liking. We had a salmon appetizer, which came with toast and creme fraiche. We thought the salmon was quite good, but it could have used better accompaniments and more crème fraiche.

Steve ordered the steak frites for his entrée. The steak lacked flavor but the frites were great. Lisa had the same view of her ribeye. The taste was mediocre (although the dish was cooked a perfect medium rare), but she also liked the frites.

The cheese course was extremely good. The cheeses consisted of a bleu, a cheddar and a stinky cheese, all of which were great. Also we very much liked the biscuits which went along with the cheese.

The bathrooms were, particularly for England, quite good, albeit small. Dinner for two at Wolsely, with wine by the glass, was 130 pounds ($260 dollars), which is a bit overpriced, in our view, for the quality.

Overall, we found London to be mostly a culinary wasteland. This was one of the better places at which we dined, yet, it was nothing to write home, or even e-mail, about.

Our ratings for Wolsely, 160 Picadilly, London

6.5 of 10 Steak Knives 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

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

2008-09-13T16:11:00.004-05:00

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

Guinea Grill: "Best" Beef (Not) in London (London Restaurant Review No 2)

2008-09-13T15:16:00.004-05:00

The Guinea Grill was sold to us as an unknown gem, having the best beef in London. Naive as we were, we believed it. We were sorely disappointed. The atmosphere was promising, as the Guinea Grill looks exactly what one would picture an olde English meat/pub restaurant to look like. The place is very dark and wood paneled, and has an intimate feel (although the tables were spaced far enough apart to allow room and conversation).

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Rioja, which she found suitably light and fruity. Steve had a Chianti, which had a nice, sweet flavor. We really confused the waiter by ordering an appetizer and salads because, in Britain, usually customers have only one of these. In any event, we started with the salmon, which was extremely good, although could have used more creme fraiche. The salads were tasty, with good blue cheese dresing, but had alot of extraneous green stuff, and god knows you don't want extra green stuff in salads. Lisa, though, particularly liked the olives.

Lisa had the filet as her entree. It was cooked appropriately, but essentially tasteless. Perhaps that is the standard for English beef. Certainly, Steve's ribeye was not much better. It was not perfectly cooked, too well done, and tasted poor. The chips which accompanied the meat, though, were excellent. Chips in England means fries, and these were just right.

For dessert, Lisa had the pear sorbet. She really liked this dish. Steve had bread pudding with clotted cream. Both Lisa and Steve became major clotted cream fans on this trip, because of how good it is at tea with the scones. However, Steve thought it didn't work with bread pudding, but Lisa actually liked her taste of the dish.

The restrooms were awful - more like you'd expect from a standalone pub than a pub/restaurant like this. Both were grimy and you could hardly get the soap out of the dispenser.

If this is the best beef London has to offer, we, particularly Steve, are glad we don't intend to go back any time soon.

Dinner for two with wine by the glass was about 135 pounds ($270 dollars), which is terribly overpriced for the beef quality (but some of the other dishes did help a bit).

Our ratings for the Guinea Grill 30 Bruton Lane, Mayfair London

5.5 of 10 Steak Knives 1 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Le Pre Catelan: Pleasant, If a Bit Overrated, French Country Dining (Paris Restaurant Review No. 3)

2008-09-13T14:04:00.006-05:00

In our continuing quest to eat at Michelin 3-star restaurants, we chose Le Pre Catelan, which seemed like a typical old standard French experience. The location of this restaurant is wonderful. It is in the Bois de Boulogne, a beautiful, woodsy park on the outskirts of Paris. We arrived early, so were were able to take a nice walk, and saw many sleek Paris pigeons and other wildlife.

We got to the restaurant at 7:30, somewhat late by our standards, yet we were the first party there. Obviously the French are late evening diners, which would be a big problem for us on a regular basis. The captain was nice enough to us but he became so appalled when the customers sitting next to us dared to talk on their cellphone that he stormed off, never to be seen again. Ah, the French.

We started with a bottle of Chateau Petit Village wine, a Pomerol. Steve liked this a lot, but Lisa thought it a bit too tart. Our initial amuse bouche was a fish in a custardy, foamy presentation, which looked somewhat odd, but tasted very good. For appetizers, Steve had the tomatoes, which consisted of three types of that fruit, along with mozzarella. Some of the tomatoes were a bit tasteless, but overall the dish was ok. Lisa really liked her homard (lobster), which came in 3 parts (bisque, body and mousse), all of which were excellent.

Main courses were not so great. Steve had the lamb, which came with the typical lamb filet, but also came with such delicacies as the kidney and the brain. The brain even looked like a brain, but was very small, making one wonder how lamb get around. The filet was ok, but Steve disdained the kidney and brain (although Lisa's sister-in-law later told us brains are good). Lisa did not care for her langoustine (prawns). It tasted a bit fishy and one was somewhat overcooked.

The cheese course was the best part of the meal. All the cheeses were superb, however their identity will remain a mystery since no one explained that to us. The dessert was good. Lisa really liked the chocalate fondant, which had the right darkness for her tastes. Steve ordered the souffle, which came as a big green Christmas ornament-type ball, of pure sugar, with a custardy souffle inside. Steve thought this was a bit too sweet, but didn't dislike it.

The restrooms were very clean and had a good decor but they were a bit too small to garner a perfect rating.

The bucolic setting and nice decor of Le Pre Catelan make it a pleasant place to dine. However, for a price as steep as you pay for Michelin 3-star restaurants, Guy Savoy and Arpege were much better.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of wine, was about 700 Euros, and would have been about 600 with wine by the glass, which, as noted, we found a bit pricey for the quality.

Our ratings for Le Pre Catelan, Route Suresnes, Bois de Boulogne Paris:

7.5 of 10 Berets 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Arpege in Paris: Who Knew Vegetables Could Be Good (Paris Restaurant Review No. 2)

2008-09-10T20:00:00.003-05:00

Our goal in Paris was to go to as many three Michelin star restaurants as possible. Unfortunately, some of the ones we really wanted to go to, including Napoleon's favorite, were closed for summer vacation (those lazy, crazy French). So we had limited choices. One of the those was Arpege, which we approached with some trepidation since its calling card is its chef's love for vegetables (love and vegetables are not usually spoken in the same breath by either Steve or Lisa). However, it turned out that Michelin was right.

We started with L'Eglise Pomerol. One wonders why a wine would be named after a church, but in any event we both liked it a lot. Our amuse bouche was a wonderful egg custard which even Lisa, who usually doesn't like the texture of custard or taste of eggs, liked.

We didn't know what to order, so we ordered the tasting menu. This started with a tomato consumme with some sort of creme fraiche, which Steve liked, but he did not like the rest. Lisa liked this dish. Next we had the lobster appetizer. Lisa thought it a bit sweet but overall liked it. Steve absolutely loved it, particularly the fresh taste of the lobster. Next came an onion tartin which Steve again loved. Lisa is not really an onion person, so she was not all that impressed. Then we had a vegetable course, with many colors of veggies. We both thought that for veggies this tasted excellent (although we still will not become veggie eaters any time soon). The fish course was an outstanding turbot. Normally our fish likes are limited to salmon, shrimp and tuna, but this turbot was so tasty, particularly with the excellent sauce, that we could have eaten two or three. The poultry course was not quite as exciting. Steve liked it enough but Lisa thought the sauce was again a bit too sweet.

The cheeses were absolutely tremendous. Too bad we don't remeber what they were, but we can assure you they were unbelievable. Dessert was an apple tart with caramel. Lisa really liked this, but Steve, as usual, thought there was not enough caramel. Lisa did, however, really like the accompanying Spearmint ice cream. Steve was disappointed in that too.

The bathrooms were immaculate and quaint. They were, however, a bit small, which prevented a perfect rating.

Arpege is definitely not cheap. However, it is such a pleasant experience that if you are searching for something a bit out of the ordinary (if you want more mainstream go to Guy Savoy, our choice for best restaurant ever - see Review No, 1), this is a must try, and if you like veggies, all the better. Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was a mere 800 euros ($1,200 bucks, but who's counting) and would have been "only" about 650 euros with wine by the glass.

Our ratings for Arpege, 84 Rue Varenne, Paris:

9 of 10 Vegetable Skewers 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Naha in Chicago: Cutting Edge Dining Experience (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 72)

2008-09-10T19:31:00.005-05:00

Recently, we joined two friends for dinner at Naha, which is in the River North area of Chicago. This is a restaurant that Steve wanted to try, but we'd never gotten around to it. So we were happy when our friend Adela suggested Naha.

The room itself is very modern, but in a good way. The design is sleek, with high ceilings and tables that are large enough to not be crowded but small enough for relaxed conversation. We started with a bottle of Cote de Rhone, a French Pinot Noir, which we all liked, despite having varying tastes in wine. For an appetizer, Lisa had tuna tartare, which came with a dollop of creme fraiche on the tuna, but more in a diagonal pattern with capers, and a strip of smoked salmon. The whole dish looked pretty and tasted good. Steve had the Greek salad, which had a lot of things in it (more than he expected). It was just adequate. Adela loved her beet salad with bleu cheese crumbles, which she thought went together extremely well. Joe really liked his corn soup. (Steve and Lisa have no opinion on beet salad, as they would never eat it. Or corn soup. But we trust Adela. We don't know Joe so well, but she seems to like him.)

The experience with the entrees was somewhat mixed, though overall positive. Steve's lamb shank was a bit disappointing because it was scanty and didn't exactly fall off the bone, as good lamb shanks should. Lisa, on the other hand, really liked her bone-in ribeye. Usuallly she finds ribeye too fatty, but this was grain fed and had a good flavor and was not fatty at all. Steve absolutely loved this dish as well and ate several bites of it because Lisa took pity on him, seeing he was not enjoying his lamb shank. (She also is trying to lose the 5 pounds she gained in Paris.) Steve definitely wants to come back to Naha to order this.

Joe's quail was also scanty and bony, but since none of us had quail before, we don't know if that's unusual (although Steve surmises that if you are going to order a tiny bird for dinner, that's what should be expected). (Lisa did not know quail was tiny.) Adela had a rather bad experience initially with her halibut, which came almost raw rather than medium rare. The waiter, however, immediately recognized the problem and gladly took it back for additional cooking. He also brought the table a free round of dessert wine and an extra plate of dessert amuse bouche to make up for the problem, which seemed to us as going above and beyond the call of duty. Also, Adela did like the halibut upon its return.

The dessert menu did not really contain a lot of things that interested any of us, so we decided instead to have the cheese course. We all found this to be one of the highlights of the meal. There were 8 cheeses, each of which was better than the other, and the "worst" was excellent. This cheese plate compared favorably with the best we had in Paris, even though the cheeses were local Midwest. The dessert amuse bouche consisted of four very dark chocolate ganache pieces and four dark jelly candies. The dark chocolate put Lisa and Adela in heaven, so we were thrilled when the waiter brought a second round. Steve loved the jelly candies, but found the dark chocolate powder on the ganache pieces vile. (There really is no accounting for taste, but Steve is clearly wrong.) Joe inscrutably expressed no opinion.

This meal was a good example of the sum being more than the whole of its parts. There were flaws with some of the appetizers and entrees, yet overall Lisa and Steve both found Naha much to their liking and would go back any time.

The bathrooms were a little disappointing. There were two Womens' Rooms, one was a single and fairly small and the other had two stalls and was clean, but neither was particularly fancy or well decorated. (There were Mens' Rooms, too, but Steve did not bother, so we're accepting Lisa's judgment completely.)

Dinner for four, with two bottles of wine, was about $500, and would have been about $400 with wine by the glass, which we think is a good price for the quality of this dining experience.

Our ratings for Naha, 500 N. Clark St., Chicago, Illinois:

8 of 10 Steak Knives (or Quail Bones); 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Gordon Ramsay at the Claridge's in London: Our Favorite in Britain (London Restaurant Review No. 1)

2008-09-01T14:49:00.005-05:00

Overall, we found London to be somewhat of a cuilinary wasteland (which made us feel right at home since we live in the South Loop). However, by far the best for dinner (as opposed to tea, which we always enjoyed) was Gordon Ramsay at the Claridges. This should not be confused, as our travel agent did, with the free standing Gordon Ramsay restaurant, which is where we thought we were going. As it turns out, we had reservations the Gordon Ramsay in our hotel, but no matter, it was wonderful.

We loved the decor, which was very British but the seats were uneven, which was strange. Also the place was impossible to find, even though it was in our hotel. The entrance from outside leads into Claridge's lobby, and the entrance from inside is through the tea area and a lounge area into an unmarked room. But it is worth the hunt.

We started with a bottle of Jasper Hill Shiraz, which we both liked. It was a bit tart, but had a nice, spicey and fruity flavor. The first amuse bouche was parmesan mousse and pear. The tastes set each other off well. The appetizers were tremendous. We split the lobster ravioli and beef carpaccio, both of which were perfect.

Steve was waiting the whole trip for English roast beef, so he was excited to see it on the menu here. Lisa had it as well. It was cooked a perfect medium rare and was accompanied by excellent potatoes and tomatoes. The only quibble we had was the the beef was somewhat bland (Steve had expected something out of this world from what is supposed to be a roast beef haven -- LIsa was pleasantly surprised because it was so much better than any other beef they'd had in London).

The dessert amuse bouche was marscapone cheesecake, which we both liked. In London, unlike in Paris, there is no separate cheese course before dessert. Lisa had the cheese as her dessert and Steve had French Toast (in essence, fried brioche with vanilla icing). Steve thought the dessert was a great idea, but he did not particularly care for the peaches that accompanied the toast. Steve had no one to blame, however, but himself, since the dish was called Peach French Toast. Lisa liked the cheese. She tried bleu, goat, camembert and semi-hard cheddar. All of them were a bit strong for her but she still enjoyed them.

The bathrooms were the nicest we found in London. The Women's Room had marble counters and floors and was extremely clean. The Men's also was spacious and very clean.

Gordon Ramsay is our pick for the top restaurant in London, which is sort of like our pick for the most liberal Republican (we are latte sipping Obama liberals, after all (who don't actually drink lattes)). It was a fine restaurant but probably a notch below the best in Chicago and certainly well below the top places we went to in Paris.

The total bill was 295 pounds (about $600) and would have been about $400 with wine by the glass, which, believe it or not, is a decent value these days in London.

Our ratings for Gordon Ramsay at the Claridge's, Brook Street and Davies, London:

8.5 of 10 Beef Knives; 3 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Restaurant Guy Savoy Au Paris: Best in the World (Paris Restaurant Review No. 1)

2008-09-01T14:22:00.003-05:00

We have been back from Paris for over a month but life has been a little hectic and we wanted to make sure we had the time to do justice to the restaurants we visited. Restaurant Guy Savoy is the last restaurant we dined at in Paris, and it was the best food we've ever eaten.

The decor of the restaurant was the closest to what we would consider authentic French of all the restaurants we tried. It was sort of like a modern French country house with light rose upholstery and gaily colored walls. Lisa loved Guy Savoy especially because the maitre d' mistook her and Steve for French people, at least for a few minutes, until we explained we could only speak a little French. Unlike the stereotype, everyone here, from the maitre d' to the sommelier to the waiters, was friendly and consumately professional. And no one minded describing the dishes in English, though we did understand generally what was on the menu.

We started with a bottle of Pomerol suggested by the sommelier. Unfortunately, we don't remember the vintage, but we really liked it. Similarly, the amuse bouches were excellent, and there were several, but the passage of time leaves us at a loss as to exactly what they were (except for the dessert ones, which Lisa remembers). We do remember the excellent appetizers. We shared the Colors of Caviar, which included various types of caviar from orange to black, with plenty of good accompaniments. Lisa also had the artichoke and black truffle soup, which was creamy and tasted wonderful. We both thought the caviar was as good as we have ever had.

For main courses, Lisa had le homard bleu (lobster) and Steve ordered lamb -- which became his staple in Paris since none of the good restaurants seemed to offer beef that appealed to him. While both of us enjoyed these dishes, they were not quite as great as everything else, but they were still top quality.

One of the many reasons we both loved Paris is that all the restaurants offer a cheese course in addition to, rather than in place of, dessert and the waiters always seemed quite pleased when we ordered it. Here, the cheese came on a giant trolley with at least twenty different selections. We were encouraged to take as many as we wanted and we took many, including fantastic goat cheese with what looked like black bark for a rind. It was very smooth and creamy. Steve really liked the bleu cheese, which was Roquefort. Lisa found it a bit strong, but still liked it. All the cheeses had distinct flavors and the course was tremendously satisfying.

The dessert made us wish we could give a rating above a ten. Lisa had Noir, which consisted of three types of dark chocolate desserts. The first was a chocolate biscuit made with marzipan and marinated in lime juice. The second was chocolate ganache flavored with black pepper and cardamom. The third was a dark chocolate sorbet. All tasted very dark and nuanced. Lisa does not think she's ever had such a wonderful dessert. Steve had an unforgettable dessert trolley, which had three shelves of confections, including delicious ice creams, decadent pastries, cookies, pink marshmallows, and chocolate. Steve could have kept eating from that trolley for about five hours, but fortunately he marginally controlled himself and had about 6 or 7 choices. After that, we were treated to a dessert amuse bouche, which included wafer and sandwich cookies. Though stuffed, we ate them anyway, kidding ourselves that the walk back from the restaurant to the hotel would burn off the calories. (Ha!)

The only thing about Guy Savoy that was a bit incongruous was the bathrooms. Steve described them as airplane bathrooms because they were so small. While clean, the lack of space, coupled with the sparse decor led to a less-than-perfect experience.

Guy Savoy is definitely not cheap. Our total bill was 750 Euros (about $1200) and would have still been about $900 with wine by the glass. Nonetheless, we felt it was worth every penny and was, in fact, the best restaurant we have ever eaten at. If you are going to Paris and can afford one major splurge, this is a must. You will thank us for the recommendation.

Our ratings for Restaurant Guy Savoy, 18 Rue Troyon, Paris:

10 of 10 Berets (seems more appropriate than steak knives for Paris) and 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Marche in Chicago: A Sad Decline (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 71)

2008-07-13T20:36:00.004-05:00

Marche is somewhat of an institution in Chicago's West Loop, as it was one of the first restaurants on Randolph Street. Both Lisa and Steve independently loved the place when they first tried it, however, neither of us has been there for many years as it was not so good on our last visit. We decided to give it one more try, as a precursor to our upcoming trip to Paris and because it has a nice outdoor eating area and it was a beautiful night.

Steve started with a glass of Volmoissine Pinot Noir, which he liked a lot. Lisa had a French martini consisting of chambourd, pineapple juice, vodka and champagne. It was a little sweet for her, but she enjoyed it, though the waiter admitted that it probably was not particularly French.

The food disappointed us immensely. We started with steak tartare because Marche was out of the salmon appetizer. The presentation was awful. We realize steak tartare is raw meat, but usually restaurants manage to make it look good. Not so here. This looked like (for those of you who like old campy horror movies) the lump of raw meat Michael Landon ate when he was turning into a werewolf in I Was A Teenage Werewolf (note: LIsa is not old enough to remember that movie, even from late night TV when Steve saw it). Steve did think it tasted okay, but Lisa didn't like some of the seasoning. The salads were by far the best part of the meal. We ordered the two special salads, the heirloom tomatoes and the dried beef and goat cheese. The tomatoes tasted fresh and slightly sweet with flavorful greens. The dried beef came wrapped around the goat cheese with a peppercorn coating that set the flavors off well, although Steve thought the peppercorns were a bit strong. We both still really liked the dish, however.

For main courses, Steve had the lamb shank and Lisa ordered the double four ounce filets. The filets were absolutely tasteless and were smothered in bland sauce. The whipped potatoes, however, were good -- very smooth and creamy. The lamb shank was decent, but lacked the tenderness which is what's needed to make this dish top notch. Steve also liked the whipped potatoes.

Dessert was particularly disappointing. Lisa ordered what sounded wonderful -- an ice cream sandwich made with brownies and cheesecake ice cream, with berries on the side. Unfortunately, what little ice cream there was had melted by the time the dessert was served and the brownies tasted like the gummy vending machine variety. Steve ordered the cheese plate because none of the traditional desserts looked particularly good to him. He liked the bleu cheese, but found the two others -- a Gouda and a mystery cheese -- not so good. Both lacked flavor, though Lisa thought the Gouda had a bit of a nutty taste that she liked.

Marche is worth one visit, however, for the decor inside. It has velvet curtains and curving red seats and looks very Parisian. The bathrooms are no exception. The Women's Room has a beautiful gilt framed mirror right inside the door, separate small rooms instead of stalls, and curving bench seats. The Men's Room is spotless and similarly well furnished. This is one of the few restaurants to earn a 3 (the top) rating for its bathrooms. Unfortunately, one can't eat the decor and Marche's food has totally gone down hill, in our opinion, since it opened.

Dinner for two, with drinks by the glass, was $190 (which we feel was very overpriced for what we got).

Our ratings for Marche, 833 W. Randolph St., Chicago, Illinois:

5 of 10 Steak Knives; 3 of 3 Bathroom Brushes; 2 of 5 Bug Zappers (meaning at least two bug zappers would be needed to control the pests -- which was also disappointing because it was a windy night and so we thought there shouldn't be any bugs).

Stay tuned for reviews of actual Parisian restaurants, as well as London restaurants, when we return from our upcoming travels.

RL in Chicago: Hold the Sauce (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 70)

2008-07-13T13:42:00.005-05:00

On a recent beautiful Sunday evening, we wanted to eat outside and were in the Water Tower area, so we decided to try RL, about which we had heard many good things. Unfortunately, the outdoor eating area was full, except for a table near much foliage, which we've learned usually means many bugs. However, inside was not bad, as the decor was very much like Ralph Lauren's stores -- lots of dark wood, bookcases, and clubby seats. It also was not too cold, which is a plus for inside in the summer.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had the Carmel Pinot Noir, which she liked because of its smooth grapey favor. Steve tried something he'd never tried before, a Cotes Du Rhone (in honor of our upcoming trip to Paris). It was typical of French reds, in that it was a little too dense for his taste.

Our appetizer was a cheese plate. Even though we were not told what the cheeses were, we really liked this dish. It was very nicely presented. We think it consisted of goat, chedder, bleu and Swiss cheeses, all of which we liked. The plate included various berries, including Mulberries, which was a nice treat. Salad choices looked skimpy, so Lisa chose to go with the lobster bisque. She was glad she did, as it this was one of the best she had ever tasted. It was very fresh and not at all fishy. By default, Steve chose the Caesar salad, which was as skimpy as the salad choices. It came without dressing (probably an oversight) and there wasn't much to it.

Ah, what could have been. The bone-in filets were cooked perfectly and, for one or two bites, tasted really great. However, those one or two bites came only at the end when we finally were able to rid the beef of the gobs and gobs of sauce which were splashed all over it. It wasn't even very good sauce, as it reminded us of A-1. Our advice to RL is to hold the sauce and let the beef speak for itself.

We also enjoyed our desserts. Lisa had the chocolate ganache cake, which she liked because it was sufficiently dark and came with vanilla ice cream that set it off well. Steve had a banana split. It certainly was original, although the ice cream was not all that good and tasted more like gelatto (more icy than creamy). LIsa, however, thought the chocolate in the banana split was excellent, as it was quite dark.

The bathrooms were well-decorated in keeping with the rest of the restaurant. Getting to them is rather a fun adventure, as it requires going through a doorway at the back of the restaurant and taking a dark wood elevator to the lower level. Lisa would have liked towels and a waste basket near the door, as it was in a separate waiting area and there was no way to open it to leave without touching the handle. The Men's Room had the same issue and was low on towels.

Dinner for two with wine by the glass was a rather hefty $225, but it would have easily been worth it had they held the sauce on the filets, as nearly everything else was excellent. The room also was quiet and quite pleasant, with plenty of space between tables. The inside part of this restaurant would be a lovely place for a winter dinner, perhaps after holiday shopping.

Our ratings for RL, 115 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Keefers in Chicago: Solid But Not Spectacular (Chicago Area Restaurant No. 69)

2008-07-06T13:07:00.006-05:00

It was a fairly warm evening, so we decided to walk to Keefers, which is just north of the Loop area and is known for its steaks (although it is one of the trendy celebrity chef steak restaurants, not a traditional Chicago steak house). Since it was a week night, we had wine by the glass. Lisa had a Reisling which she liked because it was suitably sweet. Steve's Malbec had a nice rich flavor.

As is his wont, Steve took note of the bread basket, which pleased him because it had many different types of breads. We started with a salmon appetizer. Both of us thought the salmon was quite good, and Steve also really liked the potato cake that accompanied it. Lisa found the potato cake a little oily, but that is why she generally doesn't eat them. Lisa's Baby Romaine salad included fresh mozarella, tomato and olives, a good combination. Steve ordered the Hearts of Lettuce salad. It was good, except for the house dressing, which overpowered the salad a bit.

Up to this point, we really liked Keefers, however, as sometimes happens with celebrity chef steak houses, we thought the steak was the weakest part of the meal. Steve's Kansas City Strip was a perfect medium rare, but didn't have much flavor. Lisa had the filet mignon. It also was perfectly cooked, but tasted a bit bland except by the bone. Steve was excited when he saw the pomme frites and fried onions, which he usually loves. But they definitely didn't taste as good as they looked, particularly the frites.

We enjoyed the desserts. Lisa liked her vanilla and chocolate gelato, which included a scoop of very dark chocolate gelato. Steve had the apple tart with ice cream, which was good, but could have used more caramel (one would think caramel was as pricy as gasoline, the way restaurants skimp on it -- they clearly are not listening to us).

Service was professional, but struck us as a little cold. Also, the room, while spacious, was very loud once it filled up (impressively so on a Monday night).

The bathrooms were okay, but the pipes under the sinks in the women's room were spraying drops of water (which Lisa assumes is not usually the case there).

Dinner for two with wine by the glass was $170, which would have been fine had the steaks been very good but was a bit much for the spotty beef.

Our ratings for Keefers, 20 W Kinzie Street, Chicago, Illinois:

7 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Niche in Geneva, Illinois: A Pleasant Suburban Experience (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 68)

2008-06-23T21:22:00.005-05:00

On a recent Saturday we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and long days by driving out to Geneva, which is a quaint suburb well west of the city. We love this area, because of its proximity to the Fox River and all the interesting little shops. However, we have never really found a restaurant in Geneva that we love. Niche has garnered some very good reviews, so we wanted to give it a try. It sort of fits in with our prior dining experiences in Geneva, because it failed to live up to the hype.

The room is pleasant enough, with nicely spaced tables, open spaces and a relaxed feel. And the service was quite friendly. The food, however, was overall only average.

We started with a bottle of Sylvan Ridge Reserve Pinot Noir. We found it light and easy to drink, and both of us quite enjoyed it. For an appetizer we had the artisan cheese plate, consisting of 3 cheeses, two cheddar and one camembert, accompanied by cherries and nuts. We really liked only the beehive cheddar which had a smooth, smoky flavor. The other two cheeses were sort of non-descript. One of the two was a combination of cheddar and goat cheese which just didn't work (the flavors cancelled each other out). Steve really liked the brioche bread, however.

Steve had the field green salad. The entire salad was good, but particularly the watermelon, which gave it a summery feel. Lisa had chilled spring rolls, whcih she didn't care for because they were not crunchy as she would have liked in a dish of this kind.

After the salads, we had perhaps our favorite part of the meal, the palatte-cleansing sherry sorbet with basil oil. From the sound of it, we were dubious, but we both thought the dish was luscious, and even liked the mix of basil oil and sorbet.

Too bad, they couldn't make the sorbet an entree, becausee our entrees were uninspired. Steve's short ribs did not fall off the bone, like short ribs should, and lacked substantial flavor. Lisa's center cut organic ribeye was cooked properly, but was very fatty (even for a ribeye) and also lacked flavor.

For dessert Lisa had the chocolate cake with honey mousse. This was an interesting combination. The chocolate was a little too sweet for Lisa, who also found the honey flavor overpowering. Steve, a big honey fan, could have eaten 10 portions of the honey mousse, though. Steve had the strawberry rhubarb tartlet, which had too much rhubarb and not enough strawberry.

We both found the bathrooms very clean and well laid out. They were a bit small, however.

Dinner for 2, with a bottle of wine was $250, and would have been about $200 with wine by the glass. All in all, for Geneva, this place was okay, but it wasn't great by any means.

Our ratings for Niche, 14 S. 3rd St., Geneva, Illinois

6 of 10 Steak Knives 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Topaz Cafe in Burr Ridge: Worth the Effort to Find (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 67)

2008-06-15T10:22:00.005-05:00

Chicago Magazine recently listed Topaz Cafe as a hot new restaurant, so despite the fact that we sometimes strongly disagree with Chicago Magazine's assessments, we decided to give Topaz a try. If you are going to this restaurant, be prepared for a difficult time finding it. While it is convenient to the Stevenson expressway (I-55 for those not as enamored of the roads as Steve), the address does not even come up on the mapping sites and the restaurant is at the very end of a well-hidden strip mall (although the strip mall is actually quite nice).

We loved the decor, which was geometric, with an open feel and light hardwood floors. We started with a bottle of Hundred Year Old Vines Shiraz. For a reserve wine, we were expecting a bit more flavor than what we got, although the wine did grow on us as it breathed more. For an appetizer, we ordered the smoked sable. It tasted a lot like smoked salmon, but juicier and a little saltier. We also liked the accompaniments, which included creme fraiche (which we love). Steve's wedge salad was extremely good, with tasty bleu cheese crumbles and excellent cherry tomatoes. Lisa's field greens salad was little busy (lots of things), but she liked the greens and the tomatoes a lot.

We both had the bone-in filet, which was on special that night. We thought this was the weakest part of the meal. Both were cooked medium rare, as we like it, but the meat wasn't very flavorful except right at the bone. Steve loved his strawberry rhubarb crisp with vanilla ice cream dessert. The strawberries were sweet, as he likes them. Lisa tried the Crazy Crepes. These were crepes filled with chocolate pudding and accompanied by almond ice cream and chocolate sauce. Though the pudding was not dark chocolate, she really loved this dessert. It was fun, and the flavors combined well.

The bathrooms were very nice, both were quite clean and well kept. The only problem was the ugly tile, which made the floor look dirty though it was quite clean. The restaurant also has a very nice outside deck which the waiter showed us although it was not quite ready for use. It looks like a very nice area in which to eat outside or have a party, and we may come back and brave the insect world to try it.

Dinner for two with a bottle of (expensive) wine was $275 and would have been about $160 with wine by the glass. We thought this was well worth the price and the drive. We agree with Chicago Magazine that this is definitely an excellent new addition to the Chicago dining scene.

Our ratings for Topaz Cafe, 780 Village Center Drive, Burr Ridge, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

McCormick and Schmick in Skokie: Fish on the Patio (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 66)

2008-06-15T10:06:00.004-05:00

We have had mixed success with the McCormick and Schmick restaurant chain. We really like both downtown branches, but we were decidedly less than enthused by the Downers Grove outlet. But we do generally like the seafood at McCormick and Schmick and we felt like seafood on a recent evening, so we decided to try this location. It was a rare beautiful night in June for this miserable Chicago spring, so Steve once again broke his vow about never eating outside in the suburbs (more trees = more bugs) and we sat on the patio.

We each had a glass of Fourteen Hands Merlot. Lisa liked this wine more than Steve, who found it too dry. For an appetizer, we ordered the baked brie, which both of us really liked. Steve's wedge salad had just the right amount of bleu cheese dressing and was excellent. Lisa also liked her romaine salad, as the lettuce was fairly crisp for romaine and very fresh. We also very much liked the sourdough bread that accompanied the salads.

Unfortunately, the main couses were a bit disappointing. Steve had the best salmon he has ever tasted at the downtown McCormick and Schmick about a year ago during what the restaurant advertised as the salmon festival. Steve noticed that the same salmon was advertised here (Wild Sockeye) but it just wasn't anywhere near as good as the downtown location's salmon and was also a little tough. Lisa's scallop and shrimp fettucine alfredo was pretty good, except for the shrimp. The alfredo sauce tasted smooth and the scallops were fresh and flavorful, but the shrimp tasted slightly fishy. For dessert, Lisa had the flourless chocolate cake, which was very dense (as it should be) and dark chocolate. Steve had the trio (creme brulee, cobbler and bread pudding). The portions were large, so it was like three full desserts. Steve only had a taste of each, and he thought the cobbler and bread pudding were good, but the creme brulee was ordinary.

The bathrooms were the one respect where the restaurant was better than downtown, as they were clean, however, they are still nothing special and the Women's Room was a little short on paper supplies (not good).

Initially, we thought the minimal foliage and somewhat windy conditions had totally elminating our buggy friends, however, as the meal progressed, the savory treats did attract some of that species, but it was worth it to sit outside on a beautiful evening.

Dinner for two with wine by the glass was a decent value of $145.

Our ratings for McCormick and Schmick, Old Orchard Center, Skokie, Illinois:

7 of 10 Fish Hooks; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes; 1.5 of 5 Bug Zappers (5 meaning 5 Bug Zappers would be needed to control the bug population)

Chef's Station in Evanston: A Good Stop for Fine Dining (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 65)

2008-06-15T09:33:00.003-05:00

Chef's Station has gotten a lot of positive reviews, so, since we were in the northern burbs, we decided to give it a try. The experience started rather inauspiciously, since the restaurant is literally in the basement of a rather grimy Metra station in Evanston. Moreover, even though the restaurant was half-empty, and since it was somewhat late on a Sunday night, it was pretty clear we'd be the last customers, we were made to wait ten minutes because the host said there were not enough servers on duty to handle the crowd. Nonetheless. once those minor problems were out of the way, we had a very good dinner.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Tempranillo Rioja, which she liked, as it had a dark slightly fruity taste. Steve tried a Bordeaux because you usually don't see Bordeaux by the glass. It was very dry, but had an interesting flavor. We were very impressed by the wine list in general, and we liked the way the bottles were displayed in the foyer.

Our first course was a goat cheese souffle appetizer. Steve thought it was great, Lisa was slightly less enthused, as she found it a bit too rich, but also liked it. The only salad choice that looked palatable was the lavendar mixed greens. Not surprisingly, the lavendar dressing overpowered the salad, so we would advise skipping salads here (unless you like the taste of lavendar) and going right from the appetizers to the entrees. Before the entree, we were severed an amuse bouche of honeydew melon sorbet, which was a good touch. (Lisa thought it was amazing, and she doesn't even like honeydew melon.)

Our entrees were quite good. Lisa ordered the filet with saffron risotto. The filet was perfectly cooked and tasted good, though the saffron from the risotto was a bit heavy and colored the filet's flavor as well. Steve had the meatloaf, which he initially questioned (asking whether it was food, as it looked rather like a big glob). But it definitely grew on him to the point where he highly recommends the dish. The accompanying onions and potatoes were also very good.

For dessert, Lisa had the dark chocolate cake, which she liked a lot because the chocolate was very dark. Steve had the raspberry souffle, which was good, but fairly devoid of raspberries, which sort of defeated the dish.

The bathrooms were kind of weak. In fact, they were the only part of the restaurant that really seemed to us to be reminiscent of a train station. They were industrial, rather ugly, and barely clean. Also, a wide strip of wood was hanging on the bottom of the Women's Room door, creating a possible tripping hazard. Otherwise, however, the decor of this restaurant is quite nice. The tables all have flowers, there are more flowers in vases in recessed areas of the walls, and it is overall a nice, cozy atmosphere.

Dinner for two, with wine by the glass, was a good value of $135. We highly recommend this place.

Our ratings for Chef's Station, 915 Davis St., Evanston, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Le Titi de Paris in Arlington Heights: A Little Disappointing (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 64)

2008-05-31T17:42:00.005-05:00

In preparation for our upcoming trip to, among other places, Paris (Steve has never gone before), we decided to try a French restaurant in the suburbs that had gotten very good reviews, called Le Titi de Paris. While the room was certainly beautiful, we can't quite say that the experience matched the high price.

We started with a bottle of Chateau d'Evangeline Pomerol. The quality of this wine fit with Steve's theory about the correlation between expensive and good wines. We liked it very much, particularly its tart, smooth flavor. Before ordering, we were served a salmon amuse bouche, which we both liked (the salmon tasted particularly fresh).

One of the things we've both acquired a taste for, at least every once in a while, is caviar. In fact, we have always loved it when we have ordered it. Here, however, the caviar left something to be desired. Incongruously, in a continental restaurant, the caviar was American, and American caviar simply is not as good as European caviar. Also, this dish was supposed to come with whole wheat blinis and came with raisin bread instead (the blinis were not brought out until we were almost finished, but they were quite good). There was also not much creme fraiche. We then decided to go out of order and substitute a cheese course for salads. Again, we almost always love cheese at top level restaurants, but these cheeses, while good, were nothing special. They also had very few accompaniments compared to other cheese plates we've enjoyed.

For entrees, Lisa had the salmon. She thought it was too well done and a little tough. Steve's lamb shank was also a bit tough, which is particularly surprising because a good lamb shank falls off the bone. For dessert, Steve ordered sticky toffee pudding. Steve usually likes pudding, but here the accompaniments (caramel sauce and some sort of meringue) were far better than the pudding. LIsa had the ambrosia chocolate cake, with almond ice cream. She liked the dish overall but found the chocolate cake a bit too sweet. We also were served an amuse bouche dessert plate filled with petit fours, which we thought were quite good, and we wished we hadn't eaten so much of the other courses so we could have eaten all of these instead.

A review of this place would not be complete without a discussion of the service. Both of us would characterize the service as quite interesting. Most of the captains and servers spoke with a distinct French accent and were friendly, but it was difficult to tell who was doing what, since almost every server had some contact with us during the evening. Also, the main server seemed somewhat harried given that he had to take care of almost the whole room.

The bathrooms were both very clean and well decorated, but they were very small and not really fancy. Also, the Women's Room was a bit chilly.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of (expensive) wine, was $515 and would have been about $315 with wine by the glass. This is a very expensive evening and we believe other places in this range that we've reviewed, such as Avenues and Everest, offer a better value and experience.

Our ratings for Le Titi de Paris, 1015 W. Dundee Road, Arlington Heights, Illinois:

6.5 of 10 Steak Knives, 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

1492 Tapas Bar in Chicago: Worth a Try (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 63)

2008-05-26T21:04:00.004-05:00

It was an uncharacteristically nice night for May (this year) in Chicago, so we wanted to dine outside. After walking almost two miles, we discovered our first choice, Room 21, was closed, so we wandered in search of a cab, finally found one, and took it to 1492 Tapas Bar on Superior and Wabash. We had walked past this restaurant before and looked at the menu, finding it interesting. (All the prices of the items end in ".92", plus the food looked good.) The seating is pretty much right on the sidewalk, with no dividing railings or planters. We sat under a tree but we didn't have too much of a problem with our little buggy friends, at least in the beginning, which is reason enough to try 1492 again.

We started with a bottle of Ramon Bilbao Rioja, which tasted just as advertised, with hints of caramel and berries. We both really liked it, though it was a little dry. Our first courses were cold tapas. We had the patatas alioli (garlic mayonaise potatoes). While Steve thought these were not quite as good as the garlic potatoes at La Tasca, Lisa really loved them, and we both agreed we will order them again on our next visit. The cold salmon disappointed. It was not that cold, was slightly fishy, and did not come with enough creme fraiche. The Spanish cheeses were good, but not great, particulary the very strong bleu cheese.

Next, we ordered two hot tapas dishes. The goat cheese croquettes with honey were too sweet for LIsa, but Steve, who is like Winnie the Pooh with honey, loved them. Neither of us were particularly enthralled with the beef tenderloin over garlic toast, as the tenderloin was a bit tough, although Steve did like the charcoal flavor (and Lisa did not). We were going to order additional hot tapas but, by this time, the bug sentinels had told their friends dinner was served, so we decided to shorten the festivities. We did very much like dessert, however. Steve's flan was described as coming covered with caramel and, for a change, that was not an understatement. Lisa's chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream was excellent, with the chocolate almost like an Oreo cookie flavor. (A small bug that came along later also enjoyed it and entertained us with its antics.)

The bathrooms were both small and very clean albeit nothing spectacular. The women's smelled a little of bleach, not a bad smell to find in a bathroom.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of wine, was $120 and would have been more like $110 (the wine was inexpensive) with wine by the glass. This was a pleasant way to eat tapas and enjoy outdoor dining, and we plan to return and try a few different dishes. Service was friendly and not rushed.

Our ratings for 1492 Tapas Bar, 42 E. Superior, Chicago, Illinois:

6.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes, 2 of 5 Bug Zappers (with 0 meaning the fewest bugs and 5 the most)

J. Alexander's in Chicago: Suburban Dining in the City (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 62)

2008-05-24T17:38:00.005-05:00

Lisa needed a new TV. The closest place where we thought we could get good service was a Tweeter's store in Lincoln Park. (By the way, the one in 900 North Michigan is closed, which we learned when we got there.) We went at night and didn't finish until after seven, so we decided to go someplace in the area for dinner. J. Alexander was about half a mile away and Steve had always thought it looked interesting.

The place is schizophrenic. The bar area was cutting edge and sleek, while the dining area, which is upstairs, resembled a coffee shop. Unfortunately, the food was more in keeping with the latter (though not as disappointing as the restaurant we called a coffee shop in a bar -- see our very first review, which was of Millrose in Barrington).

We started with wines by the glass. We both ordered an A to Z Pinot Noir. It tasted somewhat sour with a vinegar undertaste. Since it was late, we skipped appeitzers and went right to the salad. Lisa's ceasar salad was all right. Steve's mixed green had a lot of things in it but was ultimately unsatisfying because none of the ingredients had substantial flavor. The only part of the meal that was really any good was Steve's prime rib. It was cooked a perfect medium rare and was tasty even though it was not on the bone, which is a difficult trick for prime rib. Lisa tasted it and also thought it was the best thing there. The blue cheese crusted filet and baked potato that Lisa had were visually odd and did not taste much better. The blue cheese, rather than covering the filet, was stacked on top of it and tasted too strong for her. The meat did not have a whole lot of flavor on its own, but it was okay. The potato similarly had tons of sour cream, cheese, chives and bacon piled on. Those toppings were the best part of Lisa's dinner, and were quickly gone. But the steak was not.

We knew dessert would not be particularly special when the waiter, in keeping with his inimitable style, mumbled that there was no dessert menu becuase there were only three choices. Lisa had the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. The cake was a bit too sweet for her. Steve had the key lime pie, which was ordinary in the extreme.

We were even considering skipping rating the bathrooms, but at the last minue, decided to do so. Steve was very glad because, in a first, this bathroom had a TV in it. The bathroom itself was clean and Steve would have rather spent time there than eating the food. The women's bathroom did not have a TV, but it was very nice, with separate small rooms for stalls, and some type of natural stone tile. It was slightly chilly, though, which is the only thing that kept Lisa from agreeing to a 3 rating.

Dinner for two with wine by the glass (and no appetizer) was $135, which we believe is ridiculously overpriced for this caliber of food. Our advice if you go there is to have a drink at the trendy bar, order only the prime rib for dinner (at the bar) and be sure to visit the lovely restrooms (the Men's Room if you want to watch TV).

Our ratings for J. Alexander's 1832 N, Clybourn, Chicago, Illinois:

4 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Mercat in Chicago: Not So Relaxing Tapas (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 61)

2008-05-18T20:44:00.006-05:00

We love tapas, and we are both fans of the Blackstone Hotel, newly refurbished and reopened after years of litigation (damn lawyers). So we were particularly excited when we heard a tapas restaurant had opened in the Blackstone. This actually was our second attempt to find Mercat, which is very well hidden. The first time we wandered the hotel just to look at it and we found a couple ballrooms, a lounge and a very nice lobby, but were at a loss as to where the restaurant might be. This time, we asked and learned that to reach Mercat we needed to go through the bar (which is one staircase down from the lobby) and then go up a camouflaged curving staircase. At the top of that staircase is a large trendily decorated room with high ceilings and large windows overlooking Michigan Avenue and Grant Park (a very lovely view). The colors also are interesting oranges and yellows. The table are a bit close together, but the decor is worth seeing.

We started with a bottle of Marques de Vargas Rioja. We both enjoyed the tart, fruity flavor, which also went well with all the tapas courses. The menu here is somewhat limited for a tapas place for diners who share our tastes (which are not too exotic). So we needed to search to find enough small plates that we thought we'd like, but we found them. First, we shared three cheeses and three cured meats from the cold meat and cheese section of the menu. There are 8 cheeses and 8 meats to choose from. We avoided the raw cheese, which made us a little nervous, and had one each of goat, sheep and cow's milk cheese. All of them were excellent, the portions were ample, and we thought this was one of the best cheese plates we have tried. We found the goat cheese particularly interesting because it was not soft like most goat cheese, yet still had the same smooth flavor. And it came with caramel and garlic spread that sounds like a bad combination, but which tasted great (who knew). Our favorite meat was the jamon iberico, which our waiter explained was from a pig that was fed a diet of 70% acorn. Unfortunately, the 100% acorn pig was not yet ready for consumption, so we couldn't try that. But 70% was really tasty and well worth the $23 for the plate, which also came in an ample portion with plenty of bread. The other two meats were less interesting but decent, but the acorn pig stole the show. We also got complimentary bread with a tomato paste, which Steve loved.

We then had the a beef shortrib flatbread which was out of this world. Steve could have made a meal of just that. The beef was tender and flavorful, and the dish was perfectly cooked. Lisa was excited to see the bacon wrapped dates, especially served with cheese fondue poured over them, but utlimately, as often happens with the dates, she found the flavor a bit overwhelming. Steve initially thought these might not be so bad, but. as usual, ended up finding them wretched. (We vow not to order dates again.) The next two plates were somewhat boring. The garlic shrimp were cooked in a nice garlic butter, but the shrimp tasted somewhat fishy. The potatoes were advertised as spicy aioli. This led us to believe we were getting the staple of all good tapas restaurants (in our opinion), the garlic potatoes, however, these potatoes were more like hush puppies with paprika mousse on top. They didn't taste bad, but they were a big let down from what we were expecting, and actually did not taste that spicy to us.

Dessert disappointed. First, Mercat was out of the chocolate dish Lisa wanted. So she tried the Crema Catalina, which turned out to be basically an orange flan. Since Lisa doesn't like custard, it wasn't the best choice for her, but Steve liked it, and LIsa liked the cake on the bottom. Steve ordered sheep's cheese mousse with an almond cookie and black grapes. The cheese tasted like ricotta and didn't really work with this dish because its taste overpowered the rest of the ingredients. But the cookie wasn't bad (Lisa ate it). The grape slices didn't have much flavor.

The bathrooms, in keeping with the rest of Mercat's atmosphere, were trendy. They were also clean, though Lisa found the Women's Room slightly odiferous, and the water in the sink only got luke warm. Steve had no complaints (for a change) about the Men's Room.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of wine, was $230, and would have been about $175 with wine by the glass. This seems a little high to us for a tapas restaurant, but Mercat is right downtown and is a poseur's paradise, which entails overhead. For our tastes, the atmosphere here was a little too intense for a tapas place, especially once the crowd picked up. Nonetheless, the service was good, if a bit amateurish, with a few too many servers per table. (We also found the music a bit jarring, but we probably are not the target patrons.)

Our ratings for Mercat, 638 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois:

7 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Bonefish in Skokie: We Lucked Into a Good One (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 60)

2008-05-11T21:10:00.003-05:00

We went to the Barnes and Noble in Old Orchard to see our favorite author, John Sandford (he of Lucas Davenport/Prey novel fame -- though Lisa likes the Kidd novels, too) read and sign his new novel, Phantom Prey. If we were rating authors, Sandford always gets 10 of 10 Steak Knives. After the signing was complete, we realized we were quite hungry, as it was almost 9:00 p.m. Since Lisa was not in the mood for red meat, we didn't really know of any other logical choices in the Skokie area. However, Steve remembered there was a fish restaurant slightly south of the Barnes and Noble, but when we got there, we realized that right across the street was a place called Bonefish that Steve had heard favorable things about. So we decided to go there and we're glad we did.

We started with wine by the glass -- a Pinot Noir for Lisa, which she thought was okay, and a St. Michelle Riesling for Steve, which he found too dry. For an appetizer, we shared the ahi tuna. Lisa didn't like the breading all that much, but thought the tuna was pretty good. Steve thought this dish was excellent.

Because it was late, we skipped salads, and Lisa only had the crab cake appetizer as an entree. It was a bit spicy for her, but she still enjoyed it. Steve had the salmon, which was presented in a plain fashion that accentuated the taste, which Steve really liked. For dessert, we shared the specialty, an amazing strawberry shortcake recommended by our waiter, who provided good and friendly service without being intrusive. Instead of cake, the dish was anchored by an excellent sourdough biscuit. The strawberries tasted fresh, and the vanilla cream tasted like ice cream. The whipped cream was also very good.

The decor was very peaceful and relaxing and the tables were well spaced.

We had different experiences with the bathrooms. The Men's Room was very clean and had nice foamy soap and warm water from the tap, so Steve was very impressed. In the Women's bathroom, however, the patrons seemed to have forgotten to flush, and only one stall was marginally useable in Lisa's view. There was paper on the floor, and she really would not like to return there.

The total bill for dinner for two, with wine by the glass and no salads, was $83, which we think is a tremendous bargain. (One of our friends has accused us of only rating prohibitively expensive restaurants, so we trust he will appreciate this review.)

Our ratings for Bonefish, 9310 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Fish Hooks; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes (Steve defers to Lisa's bathroom sensibilities on this one)

Foxfire in Geneva: Good for the Area (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 59)

2008-05-11T20:46:00.006-05:00

We wanted to wander through Geneva's lovely antique and decorating shops, so we decided to make a reservation at one of the few restaurants we have not yet tried in that area. Unfortunately, the weather was not very conducive to walking between stores, but we did enjoy a visit to a wine shop and an antique shop before stopping for dinner at Foxfire. It is a steakhouse that has gotten good reviews, so we were hopeful that it would break the streak of bad Geneva-area restaurants we have previously tried (mostly before we started this blog). While we would not call Foxfire a top tier steakhouse, it was far better than anything else we have tried in the Geneva area.

We started with a bottle of Peter Franus Zinfandel, which had a nice grapey flavor and a slightly dry aftertaste that kept it from being too sweet. We really enjoyed the wine. For an appetizer, we ordered the baked goat cheese with cherry tomatoes and garlic cloves, served on toast points. The goat cheese was warm, but came in a different presentation from what we've seen before. Nonetheless, we thought the dish was quite good and was well complemented by the tomatoes and garlic. (A whole garlic clove and 2 cherry tomato halves per toast point is the ideal mix.)

Salads disappointed a bit. Steve's mixed green was wimpy and overpowered by the dressing. Lisa's tomato and mozzarella had what seemed to be particularly sweet thousand island dressing drizzled on the tomatoes, which distracted from their flavor. Still, she liked the mozzarella fairly well.

We had a divergence of opinion on the entrees. Steve's bone-in ribeye was cooked a perfect medium rare and he particularly liked it because it was heavily charcoaled. Lisa had a bleu cheese crusted filet, also cooked a perfect medium rare. The bleu cheese was a bit heavy and salty for her, and the charcoal -- probably the same as on Steve's ribeye -- was far too strong for her. Steve says that if you like an old-fashioned steakhouse experience (which always meant heavily-charcoaled steak), this is a good throwback. But the old steakhouse experience is not really for Lisa.

For dessert, Lisa had the Chocolate Explosion. It was a chocolate cake with a thick layer of dark chocolate mousee (served with whipped cream), and she found it heavenly. Steve ordered the pretentious-sounding rasperry creme brulee cheesecake. Inexplicably, there appeared to be no cheesecake or creme brulee. Rather, it turned out to be more like angel food cake with a pudding center, so Steve was not particularly impressed.

The bathrooms were nicely decorated and the Men's Room was fairly clean, but the Women's Room had some towels and paper strewn about. However, the Women's Room had fresh flowers, which was a nice touch.

Service was friendly if a bit uneven. For a restaurant of this type, however, things seemed a little amateurish.

Our total bill with a bottle of wine was $205 and would have been about $170 with wine by the glass (a fairly good value).

Our ratings for Foxfire, 17 W. State Street, Geneva, Illinois:

6.5 of 10 Steak Knives: 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Grotto in Oak Brook: Don't Go There (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 58)

2008-05-11T13:12:00.006-05:00

We were out in the western suburbs, so we decided to stop at the recently-opened Grotto restaurant. We should have kept going.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had the old stand-by, Rutherford Hill Merlot, to make up for a difficult experience trying to choose tile for a bathroom remodel. As always, the Rutherford Hill had a good, fruity but not too sweet flavor and was very soothing. Steve had an unremarkable St. Francis Zinfandel.

At this point, we should comment on the overall feel of The Grotto. Everything here struck us as amateurish, particularly the waiter, who punctuated everything he said with "No problem," which became a big problem for us, Steve particularly. Also, the service was uneven and seemed very disorganized. Plus, some sort of flying bug landed on Steve's bread and wine, leading him to abandon them quickly.

Our appetizer couldn't have been worse. How does one ruin a shrimp cocktail? Ask the folks at Grotto. While the shrimp were big, which we usually like, they tasted fishy, and nearly rancid. Moreover, the sauce was fairly repulsive. It was strong but not tangy as we'd expect from shrimp sauce. We couldn't even finish a four-shrimp serving.

This really put a damper on the meal from the start, but things didn't particularly improve. Lisa's salad was fairly good, mixed greens with gorgonzola cheese and pear (so that was something) and Steve's wedge was also acceptable, but not great. The main course was another (sad) story. One of the reasons we tried Grotto was because it featured bone-in filet, which our devoted readers know is our favorite cut. We can't see how this version, however, could not have been anyone's favorite cut. It was basically tasteless, even close to the bone and both steaks were cooked closer to medium than the medium-rare we'd ordered.

For dessert, Lisa had spumoni, which was fine. Steve ordered cheesecake with seasonal berries. When he asked what the berries were, the waiter said, just whatever they throw on. And he was, in fact, right, because the cheesecake itself (which was quite bad) was accompanied by four or five types of berries, seemingly randomly strewn across the plate.

The bathrooms were perhaps the best part. Both were very solid, clean and well-decorated, with coppery-colored tile and wood, and plenty of warm water and towels.

Dinner for two, with wine by the glass, was $185 (please save your money and don't go here).

Our ratings for The Grotto, 3011 Butterfield Road, Oak Brook, Illinois:

4 of 10 Steak Knives (and that's giving it the benefit of the doubt); 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

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

2008-05-11T12:54:00.004-05:00

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

The Bank in Wheaton, Illinois: Don't Bank on It (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 56)

2008-05-11T12:48:00.002-05:00

It was a rare beautiful Chicago spring day, and we felt like taking a walk, so we drove to our favorite walking suburb, Wheaton, home of the most churches per capita in Illinois. Though not religious, we do enjoy the buildings and landscape.

After a nice walk, we decided to try one of the few restaurants in Wheaton we had not yet visited, the just-opened Bank Restaurant. As the name suggests, this used to be a bank, though most recently it was a lackluster Blockbuster Video. The decor is very nice, with lots of wood, and an old-time feel.

We started with a bottle of River's Edge Pinot Noir. It had a hint of vanilla and was very smooth. For an appetizer, we ordered a cheese plate, which we both really liked. It had many types of cheese, plus honey and nuts, and the portions were ample. Unfortunately, as we have often found lately, things went downhill from there. The salads were okay. Steve's wedge was good but not great. Lisa's mixed green was also okay, and she amused Steve by adding blue cheese crumbles from the remainder of the cheese plate, which tasted very good on the salad.

The entrees, however, were awful. Lisa's filet was almost medium well instead of medium rare (which is what she ordered) and had basically no flavor. Steve made the mistake of ordering barbequed duck. It came slathered in a hideous sauce and the duck seemed undercooked, which caused him not to finish it for fear of getting sick. Since we were both still hungry, we risked ordering dessert. Lisa's lava cake was pretty good, and was dark chocolate, though the center was not as liquid as she likes. Steve had tres laches, which consisted of three types of very moist cake. The texture was the kind Steve likes in cake, but the taste was forgettable.

Service here was friendly but very uneven, with some courses brought before the previous one was finished, and others coming only after a long delay. On the bright side, the restaurant does apear to employ much of Wheaton's youth.

We found the bathrooms vile. While, if clean, the decor would be fairly nice and in keeping with the style of the restaurant, we can't quite bring ourselves to describe either of them. Let's just say the previous users were not hygenic and the restaurant did not seem to make much effort to keep them clean or in good working order.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of wine, was $130 and would have been about $110. If the food had been a bit better, this wouldn't be a bad deal, especially given the nice surroundings (bathrooms excepted). But, given the relatively low quality of the food and the disturbing bathrooms, we wouldn't recommend this place.

Our ratings for The Bank Restaurant, 123 W. Front Street, Wheaton, Illinois:

5 of 10 Steak Knives; .5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Powerhouse in Chicago: A Great New Addition to the West Loop Food Scene (Chicago area Restaurant Review No. 55)

2008-05-11T12:40:00.005-05:00

We wanted to try something close to downtown after work. Steve had just seen a write-up of Powerhouse so we decided to check it out. We are very glad we did because this was a first rate dining experience. Once again we find ourselves commenting on decor, but in a good way. The tables were well spaced, and the restaurant was comfortable and inviting, with a feeling of quiet.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had an Austrian red wine called Zwiegelt, recommended by the waiter, which she found delightfully light and fruity. Steve had a New Zealand pinot noir which he really liked.

Our salads were excellent. Lisa had the field greens with Bosc pears and spicy pecans. The greens were fresh and tasty and the pears and pecans complemented one another nicely. Steve absolutely loved his romaine salad which was much like a wedge but with more interesting lettuce.

We both ordered steak. Lisa had the tenderloin which was cooked a perfect medium rare and tasted wonderful. Steve's ribeye was also perfectly cooked and the marbling contributed to its great flavor.

Powerhouse's dessert choices were a bit limited, at least for our tastes. Lisa had the German chocolate duo, after initially scoffing at Steve's thought that she would have this. Perhaps her reacftion is understandable since she doesn't like German chocolate cake, but this dessert was actually more of a flourless chocalte cake, and the choclate was the bitter dark kind Lisa thoroughly enjoys. Steve couldn't find anything he wanted so he defaulted to some odd sorbet flavors. But he forgave this course because the rest was so good. The bathrooms were solid but unspectacular, albeit clean.

Dinner for two at Powerhouse with wine by the glass and no appetizers was $200, but well worth it.

Our ratings for Powerhouse, 215 N. Clinton (not Hillary), Chicago:

8 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Koda Restaurant: Good Neighborhood Bistro (Chicago Restaurant Review 54)

2008-05-02T22:12:00.003-05:00

We were in the southern suburbs and, on the way back to the city decided to stop at a new bistro in Chicago's historic Beverly neighborhood. There are not many fine dining places in Beverly, which is a shame because the neighborhood is so classically Chicago. But Koda is a good start.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Pinot Noir and Steve had a Merlot, both of which were very good, although the selection of wines by the glass was very limited.

We went on a Monday night which is a good night to try Koda because, to our surprise, we were told that a 3 course dinner was half price. Given the quality of the food, which is good but not great, we would recommend Monday night dinner at Koda to get full value.

Initially, we have to say that we weren't really impressed with the coffee-shop-like decor. The place really didn't seem like a bistro. However, Steve's french pizza appetizer, with brie and walnuts, certainly could have come from a top parisian bistro, although Lisa thought it was too sweet. That was fine by Steve since he was able to eat almost all of it, and he loved it. We both liked the ahi tuna, which was both visually appealing and fine tasting,

Entrees totally disappointed us. Steve's lamb was dry, chewy and essentially tasteless. Lisa's shrimp gnocci was far too sweet for her taste, although she liked the shrimp itself (when she could taste it).

For dessert, Steve had an unexceptional creme brulee and Lisa had a chocolate dish which was again too sweet. The bathrooms were nice and clean, although not fancy. They were also cold.

Koda's service was earnest but not particularly informed. Some of the courses came out on top of each other, but the meal moved at a good pace.

The total bill at Koda with wine by the glass was $80. This is a good value but we would be less enthused if we had paid the fiull pricxe whcih would have been more like 120.

Our ratings for Koda, 10352 S. Western Ave., Chicago, Illinois:

6.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

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

2008-04-26T12:53:00.004-05:00

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)

2008-04-02T20:58:00.003-05:00

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.

Everest - Almost the Pinnacle (Chicago Area Restaurant Review Number 51)

2008-03-22T21:56:00.008-05:00

And they said it wouldn't last. Our blog has reached its one year anniversary. We wanted to celebrate with a special dinner so we picked a restaurant we have loved in the past, Everest. Everest, which is a fine dining restaurant, is on the top floor of the Chicago Board of Trade Building and has a tremendous view of the Chicago area. The room is very relaxing and elegant at the same time, and the tables are perfectly spaced for conversation. The service is extremely informed and helpful, which adds to the overall grand experience.

With help from Everest's sommelier, we started with a bottle of L'Evengile Pomerol 1996. As with most Pomerol this tasted a bit tart at the outset but as the wine had time to breathe it got better and better. We really liked this bottle. Our first course was a heavenly caviar. It was accompanied by tasty blinis and more than enough creme fraiche (as well as other stuff we ignored). The caviar alone made this dinner worthwhile. Our next course was a cheese plate with camembert, goat and blue cheeses from the midwest. This came with raisin toast which was a perfect match with the cheese. Again this course was superb.

The only flaw of any substance with this experience was Steve's entree. The short ribs were surprisingly tough and chewy, rather than being tender as he would have expected. Lisa's beef tenderloin, however, was cooked a perfect medium rare and tasted wonderful. Steve had a bite and also thought it was great. Had he ordered that instead of the short ribs this might have gotten a perfect score but a bad entree does preclude perfection.

Desserts were pretty although Steve's banana crepe with chocolate was a bit much on the chocolate for his liking and Lisa's chocolate sampler with five types of chocolate was very good but none of them was superb on its own. Dinner also included a starter and dessert amuse bouche. The appetizer amuse bouche consisted of a pudding-like substance with pistachio, which we both thought bordered on vile. But the asparagus soup with lobster and the capon were both excellent. For dessert Lisa had some chocolate pieces including one that looked like a conehead and a jelly-like dish and a lemon maccaroon. She particularly liked the jelly and the lemon. Steve had a milk chocolate piece and the maccaroon. He wasn't fond of the chocolate but would have liked 10 maccaroons instead of the dessert he had.

Both of us thought the bathrooms were perfect. They were spotless, the right temperature and well decorated. Of particular note were the sinks which had a clear glass basin.

Dinner for two at Everest, with a bottle of wine and caviar was a fitting $1,000 (only the best for a dynamic blog like ours), but it would have been more like $500 with wine by the glass and no caviar. Certainly this is not a place to go often (unless your name is Pritzker or Crown) but it is the perfect place for a special dinner and perhaps, unlike Trotter's or Tru, one could justify a few trips here per year.

Our ratings for Everest, 440 S. LaSalle Street Chicago Illinois

9 of 10 caviar spoons (new rating); 3 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

The Reel Club: A Blight On Oak Brook (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 50)

2008-03-22T16:38:00.004-05:00

Usually we love everything about Oak Brook Center. We like the outdoor shopping (at least for the six or seven days the weather is good), the Wildfire is our favorite restaurant of all, and we have liked other restaurants we've tried there. The Reel, which we were surprised to find is part of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant chain, is like the black sheep who drags the whole family down.

We actually couldn't believe how bad we felt this restaurant was. The evening started inauspiciously when, on a cold Tuesday night, with no one around the host stand, the maitre d' claimed there was not a single table available in the dining room for an hour. Lisa found this more credible, as she did see most of the dining area filled when she passed to visit the Women's Room. Steve was not convinced. We were seated immediately, though, in the bar area, which had nice high top tables. Plus, with the smoking ban, it can actually now be pleasant to sit in a bar.

We started with an Oregon Domaine Pinot Noir, which was far too tart for both of us. It tasted like green apples. It did grow a little on Lisa, but Steve never warmed up to it, and neither of us would order it again. Steve was confused about the food from the outset. The place is called "The Reel," but the first thing the waiter mentioned as a specialty was the steak. Perhaps that should have been our first clue, but we did not pick up on it. We started with tuna tartare, which we expected to be good since we still thought we were at a seafood restaurant. It was okay, but the sauce obscured the tuna taste. The service intruded at this point, because the salads were brought before we'd even come close to finishing the appetizer. Lisa's ceasar was okay, but bland. Steve's baby iceberg came with brown lettuce, but the blue cheese made it at least edible. To call the service uneven would be an understatement. After having the salad come right on top of the appetizer, we waited for what seemed like an eternity between finishing the salad and getting the main course. Also, no one cleared the appetizer or salad plates, which made our small table very crowded.

The entrees were almost laughable, except we were hungry and would have liked to have something to eat rather than laugh about. The salmon Steve ordered was the worst either of us had ever tasted. Lisa compared it to the cafeteria salmon where she works. Lisa's crab cakes were also miserable. Sometimes she does not like crab cakes because many restaurants prepare the breading with Southwestern spices. There were no worries about that here. Instead, the breading and the crab tasted like frozen fish sticks by Mrs. Paul. Our advice -- save some money and just visit the frozen seafood aisle in your local supermarket (not even Jewel quality -- more like Aldi's).

Desserts were uneven. Steve had butterscotch creme brulee, which had the potential to be fantastic but which instead tasted sort of like old Brach's butterscotch candy. Lisa really liked her dessert, which was homemade chocolate ice cream topped with a scoop of orange sherbet and served with chocolate sauce that was fairly dark. This did not save the meal, but at least saved the place from our worst rating ever.

The bathrooms had very interesting sinks. The water cascaded onto a flat white surface with gutter-type borders to catch the overflow. It worked fine, though Lisa felt nervous that the water would splash on her or the floor. Still, it was kind of neat, and Lisa otherwise would have rated the women's bathroom fairly high, but it was quite chilly. Steve thought the men's room was acceptable but nothing special other than the sink (and he did manage to slop some water over the gutter and onto himself).

Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was $220 and would have been about $145 with wine by the glass. Not terribly expensive had the food been even reasonably good, but definitely too much for the actual quality.

Our ratings for The Reel Club, 272 Oak Brook Center Dr., Oak Brook, IL:

4 of 10 Fish Hooks; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

The Palm in Downtown Chicago: Resting Uneasily on its Laurels (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 49)

2008-03-22T16:16:00.004-05:00

The Palm is a steak restaurant chain that started in the early 1900s in New York. When a branch opened in Chicago about twenty years ago, Steve couldn't wait to go there because he had loved the one in New York so much. And at that time, the Chicago Palm was fantastic. However, the years have not been good to this place and when we went there recently, a once fine restaurant had turned.

The first thing we noticed was how cold it was inside the dining room even though, for the winter we've been having in Chicago, it was not that bad outside, and we weren't seated near the door. While the decor itself is still interesting -- including caricatures of many celebreties -- there is a tired feel to the place which is reflected in uninterested service and questionable food. An example of this was the wine. We ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir and instead were given a half bottle (although at least they got the type right). The wine itself was a Ken Wright 2006 Pinot which was a little tart for Lisa, but which Steve really liked. However, there wasn't much of it.

Our first course was steak tartare, which we thought would be top notch. We were very disappointed. Lisa actually characterized it as gross, largely because of the overpowering mustard sauce. Steve was slightly less underwhelmed, but only slightly. Then we had salads. Lisa's mixed green was okay, though the lettuce was somewhat wilted. Steve had the same experience with his hearts of lettuce salad. The only good part was the blue cheese dressing. We pinned out hopes on the main course, and it' s a good thing we weren't gambling in Vegas that evening, because the steaks were no better than the previous courses. Steve convinced Lisa to try the bone-in New York, which is what he ordered as well. The waiter, in a feat of misdirection, claimed that medium rare at The Palm means a cold, red center (which is usually rare), so we ordered our steaks medium and, of course, they in effect came medium well. Lisa's had no pink at all, and Steve's had one small pink blotch. We're just grateful they weren't burnt. Ironically, Lisa, who is not a charcoal fan, thought this charcoal tasted good, but that was about all she liked. Steve's view was similar. The only part of the meal that lived up to expectations was the half and half, which is cottage fries and fried onions. Both of us actually ate a good amount of this because we could not finish our overcooked steaks.

Given the rest of the meal, we did not make the mistake of expecting our dessert to save things. Based on our lowered expectations, dessert was okay. Lisa had the molten chocolate lava cake, which she thought was good except that the chocolate was not dark enough. Steve had creme brulee, which was sort of tired, like the restaurant.

The bathrooms were hard to find. You had walk upstairs and out of the restaurant into the hotel. The bathrooms were both clean enough but cold, and there was not enough soap coming out of the automatic soap dispensers to allow for a good wash, which was disconcerting.

Our total bill for this lackluster experience was $320 with only a half a bottle of wine. It would have still been $250 with wine by the glass, which is outrageous in our minds for the quality we got.

Our ratings for The Palm, 323 East Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL

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

Exposure Supper Club: Even Better This Time (Chicago Restaurant Review Update)

2008-03-09T17:55:00.005-05:00

Since Exposure is one of the only good restaurants in our South Loop neighborhood, in our opinion, we decided to return for an update. When we first visited, it had just opened, so the menu is quite a bit different now. For the most part, we liked the changes. We also still loved the decor, which is heavy on red and has an Asian influence.

We started with wine by the glass. Steve had a Pinot Noir recommended by the waiter, which was pretty mediocre (Steve should have known since it violated his rule on wines, as it was the cheapest rather than the most expensive Pinot by the glass). Lisa, on the other hand, had the most expensive of the two Zinfandels by the glass, a Cline red Zinfandel, also on the waiter's recommendation. While we liked the waiter a lot, some of his choices didn't suit us and Lisa's wine was another of them. She found it a bit too tart.

Our first food dish was a heavenly ahi tuna with wasabi caviar. This is some of the best ahi tuna Lisa has ever had. In fact, she usually doesn't care for it much, but this had great flavor. Steve also loved it. The beef carpaccio was also excellent. There was lots of thinly sliced beef and the accompaniments of vegetables and onions were also good. The beef itself was top notch and fell just short of our favorite at Gioco (which used to be our favorite restaurant in the South Loop, but which we feel has fallen off some of late -- see future review).

We then had the cheddar cheese fondue. It came with ample dipping items, including bread, yellow tomatoes, apples, broccoli and mushrooms. The cheese was only okay, as it tasted bland, particularly for cheddar. We liked the au gratin potatoes, but they were not quite as good as the first time we visited Exposure because they were not fully cooked in some spots. After having all that food, we wanted only one more dish. The waiter, in keeping with his strange (to Steve) tastes, recommended dates wrapped in bacon (which Lisa usually likes, but Steve does not) and edamame (no chance). After Steve finished scoffing at those two choices, we think the waiter just gave up and recommended french fries. That was also a bad choice because the fries were fat (Steve likes shoestring fries best). Lisa liked the ketchup and the mustard sauce, which had a honey undertaste, but they were not anything remarkable, and Steve found the whole thing to be a waste of calories.

Dessert, however, marked a return to excellence. The chocolate fondue is very dark chocolate, and served at just the right temperature with abundant dipping items, including marshmallows, bananas, brownies (for truly decadent eating), and grapes. This fondue is as good, if not slightly better, than the chocolate fondue at Gejas, which is Lisa's favorite dessert of all time (though last time Geja's seemed a bit skimpy on the portions).

We again loved the decor of the bathrooms, and we must have been smarter this time, as both of us figured out how to rinse our hands in the fancy glass basins under the faucets. For those who didn't read our prior review (and you really should), the bathrooms have a coppery-colored stone tile, individual small rooms with Asian-screen-like doors and are overall very attractive.

The total bill with wine by the glass was a bargain at $100.00.

Our ratings for Exposure Supper Club, 1315 S. Wabash, Chicago, Illinois:

7.5 (up from 7) of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

La Tasca in Arlington Heights: Our New Favorite Tapas Restaurant (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 48)

2008-03-09T17:32:00.004-05:00

We felt like tapas and wanted to try somewhere new, so we chose La Tasca in Arlington Heights. It was a great choice. The first thing that struck us when we entered was the decor. La Tasca is in a faux historical building with large rooms and high ceilings, so it feels spacious and relaxed (although it could get loud if somewhat more crowded than it was when we were there). The atmosphere in the main dining area is friendly, if not overly authentic.

We started with a bottle of really good Spanish wine, Conde De Valdemar, which was fruity with a chocolate undertaste similar to Godiva dark chocolate liqueur. Even Steve, who usually struggles to finish one glass, really liked this. Every dish, except the desserts, was exceptional. Particularly noteworthy was the garlic potato salad, which is a staple at most tapas places, but which was tremendous here. Also, the smoked salmon rivaled that at any top-notch seafood restaurant. Our other cold tapas was a smoked Spanish meat and cheese plate. We loved the cheese, although the meat was only so-so. Next time we would definitely order only the cold cheese plate.

The hot dishes also were excellent. The baked goat cheese and tomato sauce was tasty, though Lisa still likes Wildfire's better because this was a bit salty for her. The tomato-flavored baguette with fresh tomatoes was delicious. Finally, the beef tenderloin, which is often weak at tapas restaurants, here was as good as everything else. The meat was top quality and the sauce was excellent.

Desserts were a bit disappointing. Steve's rice pudding was far too thick and gummy (which is too bad because rice pudding is usually only good at tapas places). Lisa ordered a chocolate mousse dish reputed to be dark chocolate, but which was more like bland milk chococolate, so she didn't care for it.

The bathrooms both were unisex and were fairly clean, but the particular type of floor made them appear less clean than they were and ruined the effect. Also, the door had a heavy metal handle that opened from the inside, which Steve did not like because he imagined millions of bacteria teeming on it.

The total bill was about $140, with a bottle of wine, and would have been about $100 with wine by the glass. The dishes were served at exactly the right pace, which is difficult to do at a tapas restaurant. We had just enough time to eat without feeling rushed, but weren't kept waiting long between courses. This is definitely worth the trip to Arlington Heights. Also, the area is a pleasant one to walk in on a nice night.

Our ratings for La Tasca, 25 W. Davis St., Arlington Heights, Illinois:

8 of 10 Steak Knives and 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

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

2008-03-02T14:35:00.003-06:00

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.

The Stained Glass Bistro in Evanston - Good Things Come In Small Packages (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 46)

2008-02-24T20:46:00.006-06:00

On yet another freezing cold night in this endless Chicago winter we decided to try The Stained Glass Bistro because when we went there previously it seemed like a cozy winter place. While it actually wasn't that cozy, we really liked the dining experience. Initially, while we rarely have anything bad to say about the maitre'd, this time we were unimpressed. She seated us at a table right by the door, and when we asked to move, she grudgingly moved us to a table only a few feet away even though the restaurant was not crowded and a much warmer table away from the door was empty (and remained empty all night). But we got over it.

We started with a bottle of Burton Merlot. This was a good pick for a cold night. It was warming, with a nice fruity aftertaste. We started dinner with a smoked salmon terrine appetizer. This came in the form of a mound and the salmon was fresh and tasted wonderful. We both really loved it.

For salads, Lisa had the apple and watercress. This consisted of a baked apple with the salad part where the core would have been. It was chilled and very tasty, with a good combination of sweet and tart flavors. Steve had the beet carpaccio. It would have been better were it beef carpaccio but for beets it was ok. There were also some nice colors in the mix so Steve found it aesthetially pleasing. He also liked the goat cheese which was why he ordered something with beets in the first place.

We had partaken of Lisa's wonderful chocalate fondue (she could be a four star chef if she cooked more) in the afternoon, so neither of us was particularly hungry (if you can believe it - no Steve really doesn't look like Hurley on Lost), which was reflected in our entree choices. Lisa had what is normally just a hot appetizer, the sauteed crab cakes. These were three small cakes, which Lisa thought had good flavor, if a little spicy. Steve had the salmon, which again looked very pretty and tasted great as well (Lisa had a bite and also thought so).

Dessert was different, and a definite highlight. We ordered the cheese course. This included four different types of cheeses, all of which were in large portions, and all of which tasted superb. Even though we were full, we couldn't help but finish almost all the cheese. Particularly worthy of note were a blue cheese that Steve really liked and a goat cheese that Lisa favored.

The rest rooms were nice, with warm water coming out of the automatic faucets, which often doesn't happen. The rooms were small but clean and well-decorated.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of wine (half-priced on Sundays) was $160 and would have been about $130 with wine by the glass.

Compared to many of the restaurants we go to, which are well over $200 for two, this was a great price, particularly given the top notch quality of all the food. We highly recommend this place, but either reserve a table away from the door or plan to wear your coat during dinner if you go in the winter.

Our ratings for The Stained Glass Bistro, 1735 Benson, Evanston, Illinois
8 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes.

Brasserie Ruhlman in Chicago: On ne Mange pas le Decor (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 45)

2008-02-17T15:53:00.003-06:00

In other words, you can't eat the decor, which is too bad, because that was the one good part of this dining experience. Brasserie Ruhlman is a new "trendy" steak/bistro restaurant near West Town (in the old Montgomery Ward building for those who are as old as Steve). The decor is beautiful, with dark red and rose tones, and soft lighting. Though the room is giant and has many tables arranged very close together (New York spacing), the dining experience still feels intimate and pleasant, at least until the food arrives.

We did really like the wine (so the decor is not the only good thing), which was a bottle of Grange Pomerol blend with Cabernet and Merlot. It initially had a tangy taste that seemed a bit tart to Lisa, but like most Pomerol it got better with every sip. We also really liked one of our appetizers, the steak tartare. It looked like what it is, raw ground beef, but tasted exquisite, especially with the pomme frites which accompanied it. The cheese course, however, was disappointing. It consisted of three unidentified cow's milk cheeses. None had any real flavor. The only part Steve liked was the honey that came with the cheese, which he'd have been better off eating plain. Lisa thought the dried fruit was the best part, which says a lot.

Our salads were no better and were possibly worse. We both had the Belgian endive salad. It had limp leaves, non-descript vinaigrette dressing, and was generally a waste of calories (which is somewhat hard to do with a salad). Sad to say, the meal went downhill from there. We ordered Chateaubriand for two, which should be very good since it consists of slices of filet with potatoes and, usually, vegetables. This version had no vegetables and the filet part, while cooked a perfect medium rare, was essentially flavorless. There was not much of it, but we still didn't come close to finishing it. The potatoes were good, very thinly sliced and drenched in oil, so Lisa ate quite a few of those.

Dessert was a bit better. Lisa had profiteroles. They did not have enough chocolate sauce and the ice cream was melted when they were served, but, overall, it was better than the main course. Steve's pot de creme was custardy and actually had sufficient caramel, so he liked it overall. We also were served a dessert amuse bouche of heart shaped strawberry macaroons, which were a bit too sweet for Lisa.

The bathrooms were both very nice. Both were clean, opulent, and had plenty of almost cloth quality towels. However, both had one fatal flaw. The automatic water from the faucets was ice cold. We could almost feel the icicles forming on our fingers. This a problem when trying to clean one's hands.

The total bill, with a bottle of wine, was a ridiculously over-priced $330 (and would have been about $260 with wine by the glass). If you are a poseur, this might be the place for you, but have dinner first.

Our ratings for Brasserie Ruhlman, 500 West Superior, Chicago, Illinois:

4 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 (Cold) Bathroom Brushes

Smith & Wollensky in Chicago: Solid Steakhouse Experience (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 44)

2008-02-17T15:25:00.005-06:00

It was another in the seemingly endless series of miserably cold Chicago winter days we've had of late, so we decided to go someplace close to home. We hadn't had a chance to rate Smith & Wollensky and we felt like steak, so that seemed an obvious choice. Though we don't usually focus on decor, just walking in the front door of Smith & Wollensky feels like a real Chicago experience, which is ironic because it originated in New York. But the polished dark wood bar, hardwood floors, and clubby furniture are quintessential Chicago.

Fortunately, we got a table away from the window, so it was at least tolerably warm, though Lisa still felt chilled. We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Ferrari Merlot, which was medium-bodied and very pleasant on a cold evening. Steve ordered a Syrah, which he found unexceptional. For appetizers, Steve had the lobster cocktail. Lisa also tried it. Both of us thought the lobster was excellent, meaty and flavorful. And there was lots of it -- almost a whole lobster. Lisa had the shrimp bisque, which she really enjoyed. It had good flavor and many pieces of shrimp. Our salads were pedestrian. Steve's wedge was okay, but the lettuce wasn't particularly crispy and the dressing was too tangy. Lisa's mixed green salad had red wine vinaigrette dressing that she didn't much care for.

We had a divergence of experience with the steak. Steve really liked his bone-in Kansas City strip steak. This is a sirloin cut, which Steve usually doesn't like, but Smith & Wollensky's version was charcoaled perfectly and had just the type of flavor Steve prefers in steak. Lisa's filet was cooked a perfect medium rare and tasted good at the very center, but was otherwise just okay.

For dessert, Lisa had the three-flavor chocolate cake. It was an exremely large piece, enough to feed a family of four, and was fairly good, though not quite dark chocolate enough for her. Steve had an uninspired apple crisp with a sad dollop of some sort of unidentified ice cream. Also, while caramel was supposed to be part of the equation, much to Steve's chagrin, this element was clearly missing.

We both wished we could have eaten in the bathrooms because they were the only part of the restaurant that was warm. Both bathrooms were very clean, though nothing particurly fancy.

Our total bill, with wine by the glass, was $180. We thought this was a very solid dining experience with good service and a nice atmosphere. The rating was affected by the average nature of some of the courses, but this is still a place we would highly recommend, and we plan to return in the summer and sit by the windows, which offer a very nice view of the Chicago River. (Or outside, if Steve convinces himself yet again that bugs don't exist by rivers.)

Our ratings for Smith & Wollensky, 318 N. State, Chicago, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Cafe Des Architectes in Chicago: Sophisticated Food Poorly Served (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 43)

2008-02-10T15:18:00.000-06:00

In the fall, we attended a fundraiser for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. One of the silent auction prizes was dinner for two at Cafe Des Architectes, located in the Sofitel hotel in the Magnificant Mile area. We are glad we won the prize because not only did we donate to a good cause, but we discovered a very good restaurant that we otherwise probably would not have visited.

We started with a bottle of Easton Zinfandel. This was not our favorite. It almost tasted fizzy and it lacked the fruit undertones we usually like in Zinfandel. It was Superbowl Sunday, so there was basically no one in the restaurant. The first food course, a wonderful amuse bouche of scallop tartare, came at 7. We followed that with another excellent course of a cheese appetizer. There were six cheeses (bleu, goat, brie, Canadian cheddar, machengo, and camembert). Every one of these cheeses tasted great and the only problem was that they were so good, we ate them all, so we were immediately full, as the portions were quite large.

"Fortunately," the wait staff seemed to anticipate that we might need some time to digest the cheese. The next course, a rather mundane mixed green salad, came about an hour and fifteen minutes later. The entrees were mixed. Lisa loved hers -- the lobster trilogy. The lobster tartare was the best tasting lobster she's had and rivaled the lobster martini from the place in Michigan we tried last spring. The poached lobster was also very flavorful. The lobster risotto was less good, as the risotto was a bit too salty. Steve had the duck, which, like our president, was a lame one. This is particularly surprising for a French restaurant, which should specialize in duck. Especially problematic was the fact that the duck was not crisp at all, but instead was very chewy and had a gamey flavor.

For dessert, Lisa ordered the chocolate trio, which she thoroughly enjoyed. All items -- including chocolate foam, frozen dark chocolate pave, and chocolate streusel -- were very dark chocolate, and she wished she could eat all of each one, but was still full from the cheese and lobster. Steve was less enthused with his sugar pumpkin custard. But it was interesting, albeit too sweet for his taste.

We both thought the bathrooms were nearly top-notch, although Steve decried the long walk, which Lisa partially obviated by taking the elevator on the way there. Both bathrooms had good decor and were very clean, though not quite fancy enough to get our top rating.

We did not have to pay, other than for the wine, but it would have been about $200 with a bottle of wine, and about $175 with wine by the glass. This is a rather low profile restaurant, but one well worth trying, especially if you're a cheese fan. However, if you have someplace to go after dinner, go to the restaurant early because, even with hardly anyone there, dinner took a full three hours (we do enjoy each other's company, but three hours is too long for any place other than, perhaps, Tru).

Our ratings for Cafe Des Architectes, 20 E. Chestnut, Chicago, IL:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Tramanto's Steak and Seafood in Wheeling: Great Food but a Little Chilly (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 42)

2008-01-27T18:27:00.000-06:00

It was cold outside and, unfortunately, not much warmer in Tramanto's because the heat had gone out in the Westin North Shore where Tramanto's is located. We decided to stay anyway, and we are very glad we did. This is one of the best steak places we've been to, reflecting the pedigree of the chef-owners (who are famous for owning Trio and Tru, among others).

We started with a great bottle of wine, and we wish we remembered the name. But we can tell you it was the most expensive Zinfandel on the wine list (though still under $100). It had hints of dark cherry and was very drinkable, as evidenced by the fact that we finished the whole bottle, which we usually don't do, and Steve actually drank more than one glass. The appetizers were marvelous. We shared smoked salmon and steak tartare. The smoked salmon tasted as good as the salmon at any top notch fish restaurant, and was served on toast rounds with a salmon paste. The steak tartare was accompanied by brioche toast, capers, and egg, most of which we skipped. The meat was so flavorful, we didn't want to dilute it (except Steve could have eaten about 20 pieces of the brioche toast). These appetizers alone made this worth the trip.

But the really good thing is that here, unlike in many of our other recent experiences, the rest of the meal was also excellent. Steve ordered a wedge salad (surprise!). The lettuce was extremely fresh and crisp and the blue cheese dressing was perfect. Lisa had a mixed green salad which was also very fresh.

For entrees, Lisa had the bone-in filet. It was cooked a perfect medium rare and had an excellent taste. The inside was particularly good, and while Lisa didn't especially like the outside part, overall this was one of the best steaks she's had. Steve would have ordered the same thing, but he feels a duty to our readers (we hope there is more than 1 at this point) to try a different cut once in a while, so he instead had the T-bone. The filet part was tremendous, with a supurb flavor. The New York side was not quite as good, but still cooked perfectly medium rare with a fine taste.

Dessert was perhaps not quite as good, though still very enjoyable. Steve ordered coconut cream pie, which was supposed to be one of the signature desserts. He found it a bit too sweet, but still above average. Lisa chose the hot chocolate s'mores. It consisted of marshmallows, graham cracker pieces, and cake smothered in plenty of warm dark chocolate. It, too, was a little sweet for her taste, but still very fun and good.

We both agreed that the restrooms were deserving of superstar status. The women's bathroom was extremely clean, with attractive marble floors and separate rooms instead of stalls, plus clothlike hand towels and nicely scented soap. Steve would have rated the men's bathroom as perfect except that the door required touching the handle to exit, though there was a wastebasket there so patrons could use a towel to open it.

Tramanto's probably would have gotten almost our best rating had the air been a little less chilly and the waiter (who was unctuous and annoying) been a bit more chilly. Nonetheless, we heartily recommend this restaurant, even though it may be a bit of a drive for some.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of wine, cost $250. With wine by the glass, it would have been about $180. The quality makes this a good value.

Our rating for Tramanto's Steak and Seafood, 601 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Wheeling, Illinois:

8.5 of 10 Steak Knives, 3 or 3 Bathroom Brushes

Adelle's: Great Appetizer, Downhill from There (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 41)

2008-01-20T20:45:00.000-06:00

We like dining in Wheaton because it's a lovely town, particularly in summer when we enjoy walking after dinner, and even in winter the drive there from downtown is fairly pleasant. We also wanted to dine somewhere with a fireplace on this bitter cold weekend, so Steve searched for a cozy place. He came up with Adelle's (so it is all his fault). It was immediately problematic that the main room with the fireplace was unavailable to us. Had it been available, we suspect it would have been very cold because the outside door opened right into the main room with the fireplace, with no wall or divider to shield diners from the windchill factor. The room we did sit in was small and cozy, with a faux fireplace with candles, but lacked warmth.

The meal started well enough, which has become a theme for us lately, with a Zinfandel (Red) called Old Ghost. Its flavor was very subtle, with a nice dark fruity aftertaste. It's unusual for us to finish the whole bottle, but we did. (Mostly Lisa, as Steve was driving.) The appetizers were extremely good. The cheese du jour course included a sharp cheddar, a goat cheese, and a sheep's milk cheese. The goat and sheep's milk were slightly dry but had a nice flavor, and the cheddar was just sharp enough. We suspect these cheeses might have seemed pedestrian to true cheese experts, but we really liked them all. We also really liked the mini-burgers (with goat cheese, mushrooms and onions), other than that they were bit too well done. They were still very juicy and flavorful, though, and we recommend them. But that's about all we recommend.

Lisa had the New England Clam Chowder, which tasted okay, but was watery. Steve's wedge salad tasted very ordinary and he didn't finish it, which is unusual. The buttermilk blue cheese dressing was particularly bland. But as mediocre as that course was, the main course was even more disappointing. Lisa ordered the meat loaf, which one would expect to be very good at a restaurant that bills itself as a nouvelle American comfort food place, and which the waitress touted. It looked rather scary and pale, and less appetizing to us than the average high school cafeteria meatloaf. It didn't taste rancid, but it didn't taste like much at all. The waitress said it had three meats, but it didn't have any particular flavor. Also, the alleged garlic mashed potatoes seemed to lack garlic. Steve ordered the pot roast special, again thinking it would be good comfort food. But it was quite uncomfortable on his stomach. The pot roast tasted extremely heavy and fatty. A good pot roast is extremely tender, and the meat here was very tough. He is not sure if his potatoes were supposed to be garlic, as they were basically tasteless.

Dessert improved. Steve had the coconut rice pudding with whipped cream on the side. The rice pudding was very good, and the whipped cream tasted homemade and extremely fresh, although the coconut flavoring was somewhat overpowering. Lisa had a chocolate truffle brownie. She, too, loved the whipped cream, and the brownie was also good. It was and made of fairly dark chocolate and was somewhat cakey but heavy, as she likes.

Both bathrooms were small, well-decorated, very clean, but cold. The women's bathroom did have a lovely black lacquer altar cabinet that Lisa really liked, but it was hard to appreciate while shivering. So we can only go with a mid-range rating.

Our total bill was about $225 with a bottle of wine, and would have been about $170 with wine by the glass. This strikes us as rather high for the quality of the entree, though we did enjoy the appetizers, wine and dessert (and even the atmosphere).

Our ratings for Adelle's, 1060 College Avenue, Wheaton, Illlinois:

5.5 of 10 Steak Knives. and 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes.

Weber Grill: Couldn't Have Been More Average (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 40)

2008-01-05T22:23:00.000-06:00

To cap off a day of Christmas shopping at the Yorktown Center, we ate at the Weber Grill in Lombard. This is an expanding chain of casual meat-based restaurants where the meat is prepared using the famous Weber grilling method. Unlike Wildfire, which is popular, touristy and great, this place is popular, touristy and mediocre.

We started with a bottle of Zinfandel (Red) which we thought was good but not spectacular. Our first course was a shrimp cocktail which consisted of shrimpy shrimp. The diminutive nature of the shrimp was matched by its diminutive taste. Next, Lisa had the mixed green salad which she thought was okay. Steve had a Romaine wedge salad which didn't quite work since Romaine isn't crispy, although Steve did like the blue cheese dressing. For a main course, Lisa ordered a filet with sweet potatoes. The filet had good flavor but was tough and the sweet potatoes were too mushy. Steve had the hamburger, which was supposed to be the specialty of the house, but it was too well cooked (he ordered it medium rare and it was more like medium well) to be any good. Steve's side order of onion rings was also just average.

For dessert, we had an apple pie and key lime cheesecake. The apple pie was uninspired, but the cheesecake was excellent, with just the right tanginess.

The bathrooms were a bit messy, and the hands-free faucets were difficult to work and spit out cold water.

The total bill was $130 with a bottle of wine and would have been about $90 with wine by the glass.

Our ratings for Weber Grill, 2331 Fountain Square Drive, Lombard, Illinois:

5 of 10 Steak Knives (being generous); 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes (also being generous but we were in a Christmas mood)

Tru: An Experience to Remember (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 39)

2008-01-05T21:24:00.000-06:00

Every year, at the end of December, we try to go to one of the destination restaurants in the area to celebrate both of our birthdays. This year we chose Tru, which is famed for being owned by celebrity chefs and is always booked months in advance. Tru's reputation is well deserved, as we had a great meal in a great setting.

To start, we ordered an Oregon Pinot Noir. We liked it because it was light and fruity with a grape aftertaste. The meal started with an amuse bouche with pears and fennel. We found it interesting, as an amuse bouche should be. The second amuse bouche, however, was not so good. It looked like a giant eye and was gelatinous (like an eye), so obviously eating it was a bit strange, although it probably didn't taste like an eye. The highlight of the meal came next -- the caviar staircase. This was a beautifully arranged painter's palatte of caviar with the most expensive at the top, going down to the "least" expensive on curving glass levels. The accompaniments included creme fraiche, capers, onions, egg white, egg yolk, and great brioche. We ate all the caviar and could have had even more, and there was plenty of creme fraiche, which we've noticed is a bit skimpy at some other places.

Next, we had a cheese course. Each of us had three cheeses, one sheep's milk, one goat's milk and one cow's milk. Five of the six were extremely good. The only one that was questionable was one of the cow's milk cheeses because it was a bit hard. The rest were delicious with just the right combination of mild and sharp.

For appetizers, we had the lobster soup and prime beef tartare. The soup was very good, though a bit fishy. The prime beef tartare, however, disappointed. We knew it had red pepper, but we didn't think the red pepper would totally overpower the beef. Unfortunately, it did. This is the result of a combination of peppers that were too strong and beef that was relatively tasteless.

Our entrees were Hollywood entrees -- lots of style, but little substance. Lisa's salmon was average at best, though it looked really good with its accompanying apples and coconut. Steve ordered the braised beef short rib. He expected it to be falling off the bone tender, but was surprised that it was somewhat tough and definitely lacked flavor.

For dessert, Lisa had flourless chocolate cake (called Dense Chocolate on the menu), which was, in fact, dense and dark chocolatty, though very small. Steve had vanilla pot de creme with lemon curds. He thought this would be right up his alley, since vanilla and lemon are two of his favorite flavors, but the directions must have been wrong, since there was very little taste. There were many dessert amuse bouches, including cups of dark hot chocolate, which were very creamy and good. The macaroons were a little too sweet but fun, and we loved the other little cookies.

We both were very impressed with the bathrooms. The women's bathroom was very clean and well-decorated, with dark gray marble or granite floors and sinks. The men's room was also very clean and had towels near the doors, which Steve likes.

The total bill, with a bottle of expensive wine, was $900 and would have been about $750 with wine by the glass. Despite the fact that we've panned a few of the courses, Tru is definitely a great dining experience that everyone should try for a special occasion. The decor is very relaxing, as the tables are well spaced and the room is large, and service is informed.

Our rating for Tru, 676 N. St. Clair, Chicago, Illinois:

8 of 10 Steak Knives; 3 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Bistro Campagne: If Only We'd Skipped the Entree (Chicago Restaurant Review No. 38)

2008-01-05T20:56:00.000-06:00

We seem to be in a rut. Everywhere we go lately starts out with wonderful appetiziers and good salads, but for some reason the entrees have basically been awful. Tonight was no exception. Bistro Campagna is very French and is a series of lovely rooms, plus what looks like a nice garden for summer dining. Our server was very knowledgeable and made everything sound delicious (even the rabbit dish, but we can't stomach eating Thumper).

The wine selection was not extensive, but there were several reasonably priced reds. We chose a French Syrah. It was a bit drier than we usually like, but it grew on us, and did have a bit of a fruit flavor.

We started dinner with a camembert appetizer. The camembert was served warm and tasted fresh and creamy. It was set off with thinly sliced pears, greens, and some other very small chewy thing that Lisa didn't like, but the rest was great. Steve also liked his onion soup which had the perfect amount of cheese topping and was not too oniony. Our salads were also excellent. Lisa had salade maison. The greens tasted fresh and crisp, and there was just the right amount of dressing. Steve ordered goat cheese salad. He devoured it in only a few bites, so he obviously thought it tasted great, particularly the dressing and the goat cheese.

Unfortunately, both of our entrees were lowlights. Lisa had salmon, which usually is at least passable almost anywhere. But not quite here. It looked brownish and hairy (sorry, no other way to describe it) and smelled fishy. The inside looked better (orangish) but hardly had any taste. Also, it was cool in spots, though ordered medium rare. It was not terrible, but not good, and barely approached average. Steve ordered chicken and onion frites because he wasn't in the mood for red meat, so he passed on what would have been the usual bistro choice, steak frites. Bad move. The chicken was okay but certainly nothing to squawk about. But the onion frites were crispy, tasty, and all in all the highlight of both entrees.

Dessert was better. Lisa loved her profiteroles, which had plenty of vanilla ice cream with a flaky pastry and almost enough chocolate sauce. At our server's suggestion, Steve had the bread pudding instead of the creme brulee. She was right because the bread pudding had a rich, smooth flavor with a bit of cinnamon and was accompanied liberally with the type of caramel sauce Steve really likes.

The bathrooms were small. Steve thought the men's bathroom otherwise would be a three, as it was very clean and was set up so a germaphobe did not have to touch the doorkknob to exit. Lisa was less enthused about the women's bathroom. It was fairly clean, but needed a paint job, as the area around the lightswitch was a bit grimy and the floor tile also looked a bit spotty.

The total bill, with a bottle of wine, was $200. It would have been about $160 with wine by the glass. If we'd made better choices on entrees, it might have been worth it. We do intend to return and try the steak and pomme frites (but still not Thumper) and also sample a couple other desserts (Lisa was eyeing the chocolate souffle). We also hope to get the same server, who would go in our Hall of Fame if we had one. Finally, already going back on his vow never to eat outside again, Steve wants to try the garden in summer. But he thinks there are less bugs in the city. We'll see.

Our rating for Bistro Campagne, 4518 North Lincoln, Chicago, Illinois:

6 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

North Pond: Not For Us (Chicago Restaurant Review 37)

2007-12-02T20:46:00.000-06:00

Continuing a recent and regrettable trend, we found North Pond not at all up to our standards. We really wanted to like this restaurant because it has a beautiful decor and is in a lovely spot in Lincoln Park with a great view of a pond and Chicago's skyline. We were also seated in a cozy room right next to a working fireplace. But you can't eat decor, even though we wish we could have here.

We each started with a glass of Toad Hollow Cacophony Zinfandel, which not only has an intriguing name, it was clearly the best part of the meal. It had a nice flavor and was full-bodied, so it warmed us as we sat in the bar near the outside door waiting for our table.

The food concept here is organic food from small local sustainable farms. While our friend Aileen (the environmentalist) would no doubt approve, we couldn't quite choke it down. We started with an interesting amuse bouche of Arctic Char and various other ingredients. That actually tasted okay and was an interesting taste change. We had to stretch to find appetizers that we could stomach. Steve ordered the oxtail ravioli. It tasted like mediocre beef stew. Lisa had a charcuterie plate with duck pate and some sort of mousse and fruit that was unidentifiable. The somewhat sweet bread with it took the edge off the rather bitter mousse, but it really wasn't her type of food, though she generally likes pate. We both had the lettuce and carrot salad because it looked the most like a green salad. It came with an extremely light vinaigrette that Lisa found too sweet. Steve thought the porcini Madeleines that came with were the best part. Lisa found them a little oily (sort of like our waiter at Nomi -- see last review). The lettuce was limp.

The entrees were worse. In fairness, we were told that the beef was grass fed, which would result in a tougher texture. However, this cow must have been the schoolyard bully. Lisa had to practically saw the meat. The toughness would not have been too bad, though, had the taste not been so gamey. Steve's lamb was slightly better, although the portion was so small, it was hard to judge (which forced him to eat half of Lisa's muscle cow). Lisa did like the pureed sweet potato that came with her meat. Steve found it disturbing, though that was mainly because it had a toasted outside and he thought it was bread until he bit into it.

For dessert, Steve couldn't find anything that appealed to him, so he chose the cheese course. Bad move. This came with one miniscule slice of cheese that Steve didn't like and that made Lisa gag. (She said it tasted like old shoes.) There was one saving grace, a small round cheesecake type dish. The plate included some other brown thing that Steve thought might be cheese but instead it tasted like a rancid vegetable. Lisa's sorbet and ice cream was a bit better but still odd. The cinnamon ice cream scoop was all right, but not especially tasty. The apple scoop had a soapy flavor, and the caramel tasted burnt, which seemed all wrong for ice cream. Steve thought all the flavors tasted like eating a candle or the inside of one of the quaint shops in Geneva, which might be a good thing for smell, but not for taste. We did get a four-piece amuse bouche with two dark chocolate pieces Lisa really liked and two sugary things that were very light and good.

Lisa finished with some tea that allegedly had a berry flavor and was some sort of curative herb. It didn't really taste like anything. Steve wanted to feel like a nineteenth century Englishmen, so he had port, which at least Lisa liked. (Steve often thinks port sounds good, but always remembers once he tastes it that he doesn't like it.)

The bathrooms were a solid two and a half. The decor is a bit rustic, in keeping with the look of the restaurant, which unfortunately makes it seem less polished and spotless than is ideal.

The total bill at North Pond for this wonderful meal was $225 with wine by the glass. Since this was the second worst dining experience we've had since starting our blog, we obvioiusly felt this was overpriced.

Our rating for North Pond, 2610 North Canon Drive, Chicago, Illinois:

4 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Nomi: Adventuresome Dining (Chicago Restaurant Review 36 )

2007-12-02T16:36:00.000-06:00

We bid handsomely at a recent fundraiser for alleviating hunger in Chicago for the opportunity to have dinner at this restaurant, which is located on the top floor of the Park Hyatt. We had been to Nomi for brunch and enjoyed it but had heard it was much better for dinner, which the maitre d' reiterated when taking us to our table. From our perspective, however, brunch was better. Steve particularly felt the entire experience was designed more for show than good food.

The highlight was a bottle of Two Hands Shiraz, which has become our favorite. Its flavor is light with a nice grape aftertaste. They started us out with an amuse bouche, which had many ingredients (which you wouldn't think would go together), but was tasty. We had to have only an appetizer to start because no salads were offered (although there is a sushi choice for eaters more adventurous than we are -- tuna tartare is our limit). Lisa had the nantucket bay scallop tart. She had really liked that type of scallop at Max's in Hartford but did not care for this because the scallops had little flavor. But we both liked the tart (crust). Steve's lobster carpaccio was bad but the gelatinous goo accompanying it was vile.

For entrees Lisa enjoyed her wild mushroom risotto. Steve also liked it, because the mushroojms were overpowered by the rice. Lisa particularly liked the sauce/spice which nicely set off the taste. Also the risotto was firm, not "mushy". Steve had Maine lobster which was ok, but not enough to feed even a slightly hungry five year old.

Dessert was really bad. Steve had carmel beignets. The beignets were no better than Dunkin Donuts donut holes (although the carmel custard was good). Lisa had the "chestnut gift", which was definitely misnamed because we wouldn't give it to anyone. It looked like a candy bar, the dark chocolate coating, which Lisa would expect to love was mediocre and the center was tasteless. We did like the dessert amuse bouche which they brought out to complete the meal.

Our review of Nomi would not be complete without mention of our waiter, who was miserably unfriendly. Lisa thought we didn't meet his high standards for patrons; Steve thought he just had bad gas.

The bathrooms at Nomi were the second highlight of the meal. Both got perfect scores because they were clean, beautiful and had an interesting decor. The total bill would have been about $250 with wine by the glass, which is ridiculously overpriced in our view for the lack of quality and quantity of the food.

Our ratings for Nomi, 800 N. Michigan, Chicago, Illinois:

4.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 3 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Morton's in Rosemont: All But The Main Course (Chicago Restaurant Review 35 )

2007-12-02T16:15:00.000-06:00

Morton's is probably the most famous Chicago steakhouse, having formed a fantastically successful nationwide chain, so you would think the steak would be great. Unfortunately, the steak was probably the weakest part of our dinner when we went to the Rosemont location recently.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa ordered a Stonehill Pinot Noir, and Steve had Two Hands Shiraz. Both were quite good. For an appetizer, we shared shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were big, which is the way we usually like them, but these did not have great taste. The sauce was good, however. The salads were the highlight of the meal. Lisa had a beefsteak tomoto, onion and blue cheese salad. The tomatoes tasted fresh and almost sweet, the onions were tangy, and the blue cheese (crumbles and dressing) set both off perfectly. The salad actually rivaled Wildfire's tomato and onion salad, which is our favorite. Steve loved his wedge salad, particularly the blue cheese dressing, which was the best he'd ever tasted.

The entrees were somewhat disappointing. We split the porterhouse for two, with Lisa eating most of the filet portion and Steve focusing on the bone and the sirloin. Steve thought it was well charcoaled, but the only part that had any flavor was the bone itself. Lisa also thought the filet lacked flavor although it was cooked perfectly medium rare and one or two bites at the center tasted all right. (Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a steakhouse.)

Dessert, at least for Lisa, was a vast improvement. She had the hot chocolate cake, which must be ordered 20 minutes in advance. It has a hot, dark chocolate center, and a perfect bitter dark flavor. Steve was sulking over the poor quality of the steak and passed on dessert, but had a few bites of Lisa's, which he thought was quite good.

The bathrooms, which were actually part of the office building in which Morton's is located, were what one would expect from an industrial office. They were clean but uninspired. Plus, the water in both the women's and men's bathroom sinks was cool at best.

Our total bill was $250 with wine by the glass. That strikes us as a bit high considering the tepid quality of the entree. (Steve at least has been to Morton's many times and feels that the quality of the steak has been declining over the years.)

Our rating for Morton's, 9525 Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont, Illinois:

7 of 10 (the salad and dessert were really really good) Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes.

Custom House: Best in the Neighborhood (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 34)

2007-11-18T19:57:00.000-06:00

To say a restaurant is the best in our neighborhood (Printers Row/South Loop) admittedly is not saying a whole lot. We live in the Siberia of Chicago food. However, Custom House is definitely an oasis in this culinary wasteland.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Big Fire Pinot Noir which was a bit tart for her. Steve had a Swiss Syrah which was unremarkable. Our initial look at the menu left us thinking we'd made a bad choice, as the dishes are a little unusual for us, since we are somewhat unadventurous. However, our concern turned out to be misplaced because all the dishes we had basically worked well.

For appetizers, we ordered ahi tuna and duck prosciutto with buffalo mozzarella. The ahi tuna was excellent, like tuna tartare is supposed to taste, without too much seasoning to detract from the flavor. The duck prosciutto had an interesting smoky flavor and was lean (for prosciutto), and the mozzarella tasted very smooth and fresh. Our salads were escarole with bacon, bleu cheese, and mushrooms. Lisa found the bacon taste a bit strong, but still thought the salad overall pretty good. Steve liked the salad except for the mushrooms.

For entrees, Lisa ordered the prime filet. It was cooked a perfect medium rare, with a flavorful glaze that was somewhat sweet, and no charcoal. The meat itself was tender and had a pretty good flavor. While not the best filet she'd ever had, she liked it overall, especially the glaze. The filet came with mushroom topping, which Lisa doesn't particularly care for, but it was easily avoided, and might be good if you like mushrooms. Steve had short ribs, which fell off the bone and had an extremely good taste. The only part he didn't like was the horseradish glaze, which was too strong for him, but he otherwise thought it was quite good.

The desserts were another example of Custom House's menu not looking promising. By process of elimination, Steve landed on the scotch and maple custard with poached pear, and Lisa chose the hazelnut chocolate ice cream with shortbread cookies. Steve dumped the pear on Lisa, but otherwise enjoyed the custard more than he thought he would. Lisa really liked the poached pear, which had a milk chocolate custard filling. Her hazelnut ice cream was excellent, and came with three scoops. She gave the shortbread cookies to Steve, who really liked them. So, as it turned out, we really enjoyed our combined desserts. We also noticed the dessert menu offers several artisinal cheeses, which we plan to try next time. Lisa spotted a very intriguing looking chocolate almond biscotti tea. It has caffeine, so she didn't want to order it in the evening, but plans to try it some day at lunchtime.

The service at Custom House did leave something to be desired, as our waiter managed to be both obsequious and unfriendly, which is a difficult trick. He definitely detracted from our enjoyment of the meal.

For a change, Steve thought the Men's Room at Custom House was better than Lisa judged the Women's Room. The Men's Room was spotless and had a working automatic towel dispenser. While the women's bathroom had nice marble-like floors and also had an automatic dispenser, there were crumpled towels on the floor and counter, which made it seem less than clean.

Our total bill for two, with wine by the glass, was $215, which was a very good value, especially compared to our recent dinners in Hartford (see prior reviews of Max's and J. Gilbert's).

Our ratings for Custom House, 500 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois:

8 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Geja's: Great Fondue, Needs More Food (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 33)

2007-11-18T15:58:00.000-06:00

The other night, we went to Geja's, our favorite fondue restaurant in the Chicago area (or anywhere). We hadn't been there in some time and went with a group. As usual, everything was great, but we did notice that the portions were a bit sparing. We're not sure if that changed since our last visit, or if we were just hungrier this time.

We started with a bottle of Reisling suggested by the bartender. This was a German Reisling which had a crisp and not too sweet flavor that went well with the first course of cheese fondue. Even before that course, however, Steve found tremendous cheddar cheese spread and crackers at the bar. He could have eaten the whole crock, but fortunately, was saved from himself because we were seated.

The cheese fondue, which was a gruyere, was great as always. We got more than enough cheese, but not enough dipping accompaniments (apples, grapes, and two kinds of dried bread), so even at a table of four, over half the cheese was left. (Note: if you come with a big party, like we did, you will not all be able to sit together, which might be okay if you don't like all your friends or relatives -- we do, of course.) For the main course, we all ordered something different and shared. We got the vegetable medley, the beef and lobster course, the seafood medley, and the Prince Geja's combination, which was a little of everything. One would think that with so much variety, it would have been more than enough food, but in fact, it was hardly enough for two people, except for the vegetables, which Steve and Lisa don't like much. There was a particular lack of meat, which, for Steve, was the best part. The dipping sauces came in 8 flavors. Lisa's favorites were the creamy dill and butter sauces. As always, she loved the tiny potatoes, which Steve also liked and which are an exception to our no-vegetable rule. Lisa also liked the mushrooms, shrimp, and beef. In all, everything tasted great, we just wanted more of it.

Continuing a theme, Geja's dessert course was again extremely good and a little sparse on dipping accompiments. The fondue is dark chocolate which is served with flaming liqueur on top so marshmallows can be toasted. Once the flames go out, the dark chocolate is the perfect temperature for dipping. Strawberries, pound cake, bananas, and fresh pineapple are also served, and all were excellent. But again, we had to leave over half the chocolate because we had nothing else to eat it with. (Steve did eat some off his fork, and he usually doesn't like chocolate, which shows both how good the chocolate fondue is and how hungry he still was.)

The bathrooms at Geja's are singles and are kept very clean. The decor is attractive with a French flare. Lisa's only complaint was that the water in the sink was cold, sort of in keeping with the rest of the restaurant, which was rather chilly. Steve likened it to dining in an igloo. We suspect this was in part because we were there fairly early on Saturday evening, and the cooking oil probably heats the restaurant up eventually.

Dinner for four at Geja's, without the wine, was only about $220. This is a great value. If you are a big eater, you may want to order an extra serving of one or more of the courses, which we've decided we may do next time. Geja's also is a great place for just appetizers and dessert, if you are eating light.

Our ratings for Geja's, 340 W. Armitage, Chicago, Illinois:

8 of 10 Fondue Forks; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes.

Max's: That Old-Time Solid Chophouse Feeling (Hartford Restaurant Review No. 2)

2007-11-18T15:39:00.000-06:00

On our second night in insurance land (Hartford, Connecticut), we tried what is probably the oldest non-chain steak restaurant in Hartford, Max's. We got sort of a predictable dining experience for this type of restaurant. We started with a bottle of Two Hands Shiraz. It was tangy but had a good, fruity aftertaste. For appetizers, we had a shrimp cocktail that was good, but not outstanding. (Steve particularly doesn't like the "leggy" shrimp which were served.) We also had tuna tartare, which neither of us particularly liked. (The tuna itself didn't have much flavor, and was overpowered by the wasabi.)

Our salads were also unspectacular. Neither had particularly crispy or fresh greens and the dressing on both left something to be desired. Max's, however, definitely redeemed itself with great entrees. Steve absolutley loved his Kansas City strip, which was a perfect medium rare and was substantially charcoaled, just the way he likes it. Lisa had the scallop special, which she also thought very good. The waiter said these were Nantucket bay scallops that were only in season for four weeks. The scallops were small, but had an almost sweet taste Lisa loved. (She usually finds scallops a bit too salty.)

For dessert, Lisa ordered a pear almond tart with ginger ice cream. She thought this dessert was far too sweet and the ginger ice cream did not work. Usually pear adds a certain zip to a dessert and has a different taste than apple, but this fruit had no particular flavor at all. Steve's banana crepe with banana ice cream was okay, but nothing to write home about, which we otherwise could have done since we were traveling.

The bathrooms at Max's were frustrating. The Women's Room looked fine and was fairly clean, but Lisa could not figure out how to get soap out of the dispenser. She tried everything she could think of, and finally just washed with hot water. Steve had the same problem, but finally managed to get enough soap to fill a miniature thimble. He did figure out that it was supposed to be an automatic dispenser, but obviously it didn't work too well.

Dinner for two at Max's, with a bottle of wine, was $325. It would have been about $225 with wine by the glass. Another example of Hartford's high prices. One plus at Max's was live music by a piano player who played a good mix of pieces at just the right volume.

Our ratings for Max's, 158 Asylum St., Hartford, Connecticut:

7 or 10 Steak Knives (almost all for the entrees); 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

J. Gilbert's: Great If You Don't Count The Entree (Hartford Restaurant Review No. 1)

2007-11-18T15:22:00.000-06:00

On a recent business trip to the insurance capital of the world, Hartford, Connecticut, we visited what was billed as one of the best non-chain steakhouses in the Hartford area, J. Gilbert's. The restaurant is very large, seating almost four hundred, and yet it was jam packed even on a Wednesday night. So we thought we had picked a top steak place. Basically, we did, except for the steak.

We started with a bottle of Ravenswood Zinfandel 2004. LIsa really liked it. It was light, tart but not too tart, and had a good grapy flavor ("grapy" being a technical wine term we made up). The appetizers were tremendous. The beef carpaccio was as good as any we've had, with small, thin slices of beef that were full of flavor. The shrimp cocktail was also very good, with large, tasty shrimp and a sauce which was just the right accompaniment. For salads, Steve had a wedge, which he really liked, particularly the bleu cheese dressing. Lisa's mixed green salad was also good. She especially liked the combination of pine nuts with the cheese crumbles and fresh greens.

Up to this point, we thought this might be out best find ever. But our hopes were sorely dashed by the entrees. Steve's porterhouse looked abysmal and certainly not like prime beef. It was flat and ugly, and while it didn't taste too bad, it certainly didn't seem to be a top cut. Lisa had the steak and lobster (surf and turf). She liked the filet, but it was a little chewy. The lobster had too much mesquite seasoning, but the meat itself, with the top seasoned layer cut away, was pretty good. Lisa did, however, really like the whipped potatoes, which is not a huge plus in her book because she tries not to eat starch.

J. Gilbert's got back on track with dessert. Steve's berry cobbler was excellent, and the creme fraiche was the best he'd ever tasted, as it was sweet and warm. Lisa's chocolate souffle was good, but more milk chocolate than dark chocolate. We also really liked the professional and friendly service.

The bathrooms were nothing spectacular. Lisa thought the Women's Room was clean and had a good hands-free faucet. Steve thought the Men's Room was a bit grimy.

The total bill at J. Gilbert's, with a bottle of wine, was about $245. With wine by the glass, it would have been about $200. This is probably somewhat pricey for what we got, but it appeared to us that Hartford in general is a fairly pricey market.

Our ratings for J. Gilbert's, 185 Glastonbury Road, Glastonbury, Connecticut:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

(Note: J. Gilbert's is in the Hartford suburbs in a mini-mall with Barnes & Noble, so if you take a cab from downtown Hartford, know your directions, because the cab drivers seem unfamiliar with the area.)

Oceanique: Order Wisely and Go With Your Favorite Person (Chicago Restaurant Review 32)

2007-11-11T21:20:00.000-06:00

In the destination restaurant category, Oceanique is another underappreciated gem. On a recent visit, we started with a bottle of New Zealand Zinfandel. It had kind of strange, tart, initial taste, but then left a concord grape aftertaste, almost like grape jelly, that was very good.

The waiter started us with an amuse bouche of halibut with red seaweed salad, which was surprisingly excellent, particularly since neither of us ever liked Halibut. For appetizers, we split caviar and smoked salmon. Both these dishes were tremendous, though we would have liked more creme fraiche with them. Steve especially thought the salmon was as good as any appetizer he has had. The salads were less remarkable. Steve's organic salad looked rather unappetizing and didn't taste all that much better. Lisa ordered an artichoke and goat cheese salad, which is a little unusual for her, but she wanted to try something different. The salad overall had a strong, bitter taste, but was very fresh. To cleanse the palate before the entree, we were served a Michigan apple sorbet. It had a slightly grainy texture, like real apples, and wonderful taste, although Steve was somewhat worried, given that we were already two hours into the meal at this point, that this was a precursor to dessert, and our dinner had been forgotten.

The name of this restaurant is Oceanique, which should have tipped us off, particularly since we've always ordered seafood here before. But this time, Steve ordered rack of lamb, even though its accompaniments were things like eggplant and brussel sprouts, which he loathes, and fennel, and he's not sure what that is, but he's heard Martha Steward mention it. Predictably, this was not a great dish, although less because of the hated ingredients than that the lamb itself was disappointing (little flavor and somewhat tough). Lisa fared better, as she ordered surf and turf, which was King crab and filet mignon. Excellent surf, flavorless turf.

For dessert, Steve had a mixed berry tart with caramel ice cream (it was supposed to come with pistacchio, but Steve hijacked the caramel, which went with another dessert). He liked the dessert and believes the caramel ice cream should be paired with it all the time. Lisa ordered a chocolate tart with fig ice cream. She wasn't too sure about the fig, but it set off the very dark chocolate tart perfectly, as it was neither too sweet nor too bitter.

Contiuning a theme in Evanston, the bathrooms left something to be desired (see one of our first reviews, of Quince in Evanston). Both were singles and were not very clean, with tile floors that looked somewhat grubby, whether they were or not, and the Men's Room smelled unpleasant. Lisa did like the decor in the Women's Room, other than the floor tile, as it had a floral, light blue theme and looked somewhat French. Steve was just pleased that there were no racy photos (see prior reviews of Shaw's Crabhouse and Al's Charhouse).

The total bill, with a bottle of wine and caviar, was about $350. It would have been more like $200 with wine by the glass and no caviar.

We were there from about 7:15 p.m. until 10:30, which was partly because we ordered a lot of food, but also because the service here is leisurely to a fault. So definitely go with someone you like. This is not a good first date restaurant, unless it's love at first sight. Overall, though, we love this place every time we go to it, and highly recommend it if splurging on an evening out. As we mentioned, the seafood is the best bet.

Our ratings for Oceanique, 505 Main Street, Evanston, Illinois:

9 of 10 (if Fish Hooks rather than Steak Knives) (we can't stress enough, especially given the prices here, that you should order wisely, i.e. fish); 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Shaw's Crab House: Best Fish in Chicago (Chicago Restaurant Review 31)

2007-11-11T20:31:00.000-06:00

We finally made it to Shaw's for purposes of the blog. We go to Shaw's more than to any other seafood restaurant in the area, and with good reason. Despite some atmospheric and attitudinal quirks, the food is first rate.

On this visit, Lisa ordered Stonestreet Merlot, which Steve had at another restaurant and Lisa tasted and really liked. This one, though, was very dry, which Lisa doesn't care for. Steve followed wine tradition more closely by ordering white. He had an Australian Reisling. Unfortunately, the Germans make a much better Reisling. Lisa was disappointed to find that Shaw's was not offering its chocolate martini that night. It is her favorite drink there, and is the best chocolate Martini she's had in the city or suburbs. The waiter promised it will be back, and so will we.

For appetizers, we shared the shrimp cocktail and an order of stone crab claws. Shaw's shrimp cocktail is by far the best in the city. The shrimp are delectable and large, with perfect tangy sauce. Lisa really liked the crab claws, which were extremely fresh. (Steve isn't much of a crab fan, but thought what he tasted of it was actually pretty good.) We weren't all that happy with our salads. The wedge was okay, but the blue cheese dressing was a bit weak. Lisa ordered the mixed green salad, which incongrously came with bleu cheese crumbles and Italian dressing. The combination just didn't work. This salad paled in comparison to the bleu cheese salad which used to be on the menu. As usual, Steve overate on the bread, which he really likes, particularlyn the soft rolls.

For entrees, Steve had the always excellent salmon. The preparation is very simple but elegant because it is sparing, so the accent is clearly on the salmon itself, which is a wonderful piece of fish. Lisa ordered her favorite, the crab cakes, which were amazing. In Lisa's opinion, these are the best crab cakes in Chicago (if not the world). The breading has minimal seasoning so the fresh taste of the crab is highlighted.

Desserts here are never all that spectacular, particularly compared to the great fish, which is part of why Lisa usually gets the chocolate martini. Since that was not available, she had the chocolate cake. The cake itself was unimpressive, and the whipped cream with it was somewhat gummy. Steve had apple pie and ice cream. He was pleasantly surprised because this was the first Shaw's dessert he considered good (although still not great).

The bathrooms were not good. The Women's Room was not clean. The Men's Room was the same, and, in keeping with a theme (see our review of Al's Charhouse) had semi-pornographic pictures of mermaids.

The total bill, with wine by the glass, was about $170, which sounds pricey, but which we think is well worth it. Our review actually contains a lot of semi-negative comments, but the whole here is much great than the sum of its parts because, despite all these quirks (including surly valets and indifferent maitre d's), you will not find a better seafood restaurant than Shaw's anywhere.

Our ratings for Shaw's Crab House, 21 E. Hubbard St., Chicago, Illinois:

9 of 10 Fish Hooks; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Al's Charhouse: Reliable But Unremarkable (Chicago Restaurant Review 30)

2007-11-11T20:12:00.000-06:00

On yet another recent visit to the suburbs, we went to a restaurant that we knew would have consistently good red meat. Al's Charhouse is one of those restaurants only western suburbanites would know about, but that is worth a visit if you're somewhat nearby. The decor is definitely not the strong point, unless you like cacti and cowboys (and if you do, that's okay, we won't tell anyone). But the food is actually pretty good.

We started with a glass of Mondavi Pinot Noir for Lisa, which she thought was light, fruity, and not too sweet. Steve had a Cabernet Shiraz blend which he didn't particularly care for, as it didn't have much flavor. We shared a mixed green salad. We didn't expect much since it was billed as a typical mixed green dinner salad, but we were pleasantly surprised. The ingredients were extremely fresh, with crispy lettuce and creamy garlic dressing, which we both liked. Steve also really liked the bread, which was a warm, dark bread. As usual, he had to eat it all, because Lisa will never help him, but this time he didn't feel sick from it.

Lisa really enjoyed her prime rib. It was a cooked a perfect medium rare, had a lot of flavor, and just the right texture. Steve tasted it and also thought it was very good, just a notch below the top prime rib places. Steve was not as thrilled with his porterhouse, largely because, except right by the bone, it was more like medium well than medium rare. However, the meat itself was good and the part by the bone, that was close to medium rare, was excellent. For a side, Lisa had whipped bacon and cheddar potatoes. She planned to only eat a few bites, but just kept eating, sort of like chowing down on a bag of Doritos. You know it's not good for you, and after a while the taste is kind of gross, but you just can't stop. Steve's side was a weird-looking dark rice, which tasted better than he would have expected given its coloring. It was late, so we passed on dessert (believe it or not). We've been to Al's Charhouse a few times, and so far, think the prime rib is the best choice.

Al's bathrooms were a low 2, they were clean, but nothing fancy, and the Men's Room was sort of tawdry, with a semi-pornographic picture of a full figured cowgirl.

Dinner for two with wine by the glass was $90, which we both thought was a good value. The portions are very large, which is also part of why we skipped dessert.

Our ratings for Al's Charhouse, 32 S. LaGrange Road, Illinois:

6.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Trattoria Gemelli in Brookfield: Promising Start, Downhill Slide (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 29)

2007-11-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

Every now and then we like to review a restaurant in the Chicago area that would not normally attract attention. This week, we decided to try Trattoria Gemelli in Brookfield, a suburb that used to feature mainly family restaurants with senior citizen specials, but lately has developed some more varied options. Our meal started well with two excellent appetizers. The first was a plate of prosciutto-wrapped fresh mozzarella rolls. The mozzarella was very fresh and smooth, and the proscioutto added just the right flavor. The second was an unusual beef carpaccio. Rather than being raw, the thinly sliced beef was cured, like salami. It tasted great.

Next, Lisa had a pear salad with walnuts, raisins and gorgonzola cheese, which she liked very much. Steve enjoyed his Ceasar salad, but not as much as the cool plates on which the salads were served. The plates were square dark green slabs which enthralled Steve.

Unfortunately, our entrees disappointed. Lisa ordered Rigatoni alla Buttera, which consisted of rigatoni, peas and Italian sausage in a creamy pink tomato sauce. It was very salty, and she ate only a few bites. Steve had lasagna bolognese. The top layer was filled with an unknown substance that could have been cheese, but had the consistency and taste of whipped, flavorless potatoes. When Steve finally made it to the bottom (because, unlike Lisa, he'll eat anything), the lasagna was slightly better, as it at least tasted like pasta, but still nothing to write home about.

Dessert was even worse. Steve's panna cotta (which he usually loves) could only be described as vile. Far from tasting like custard, it tasted sort of like feet. Lisa had flourless chocolate cake (which also is usually her favorite) with a warm chocolate mousse center. Continuing a theme, the cake was actually salty, which is quite a trick, and she ate only a third of it, something that probably has never before occurred. It came with hazelnut gelato and cookie crumbs, which was the best part.

We had wine by the glass. Lisa ordered a Leaping Lizard Pinot Noir. It was okay, but seemed a bit overpriced at $12 a glass, and did not come with a lizard. Steve had a more interesting red that we'd never heard of before called Ripasso Valpolicella. It had a light and fruity flavor, which Steve enjoyed.

The service was earnest and somewhat overbearing, at least until another party came in.

There was only one bathroom, and Steve left it to Lisa to check out. Lisa found it far too cold. It was reasonably clean, but not particularly well decorated, in her opinion.

The total bill at Trattoria Gemelli was $145, which struck us as extremely overpriced both for the Brookfield area and for the quality (or lack thereof) of the food. We have been to this restaurant before and found it marginally better, but it can't be rated as a quality destination.

Our rating for Trattoria Gemelli, 3755 Grand Blvd., Brookfield, Illinois:

5.5 of 10 Steak Knives (hold the salt shaker); 1 of 3 Bathroom Brushes (wear your jacket)

Wildfire in Chicago: More Great Steak (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 28)

2007-10-28T16:20:00.000-05:00

Our faithful readers know that Wildfire in Oakbrook is our all-time favorite red meat restaurant in the area. We definitely don't like some of the other suburban Wildfires as much, but the one in the city is among our favorites. On a recent visit, we started with shrimp cocktail and baked goat cheese appetizers for the table. These were every bit as good as in the Oakbrook location. The shrimp was big and fresh, with zesty cocktail sauce. The goat cheese and tomato sauce, which is always one of the draws of this restaurant, did not disappoint. The table enjoyed the tomato and onion salad (also with goat cheese). The large portion was enough to feed an army, so it easily fed four and was wonderful.

Steve and Lisa both had their usual bone-in filet, medium rare. Both were cooked perfectly and Lisa and Steve continue to think this is the best steak in Chicago. On the waiter's recommendation, one of our companions ordered the tenderloin tips. She thought they were good but a bit too rich. Our other friend had horseradish crusted filet. He thought it was very interesting, but would not order it again, because of the strong taste of the horseradish.

For dessert, Steve had his usual apple pie with ice cream. His only complaint was that there was not enough caramel, but it was otherwise very good. Lisa ordered the Snickers ice cream sandwich. It's actually three triangular ice cream sandwiches with caramel, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream. It was so good, she ate two of the sandwiches despite feeling stuffed before she started. Our friends split the key lime pie, which they said was excellent.

For wine, we shared a bottle of one of our favorites -- Groom Shiraz. This wine is reasonably priced and has a nice, fruity flavor without being sweet.

The bathrooms were both perfectly nice, but nothing special.

The total bill for Wildfire in Chicago, with a bottle of wine, was $275 for four, which is, in our view, a great bargain, for the amount and quality of the food.

Our rating for Wildfire, 161 W. Erie, Chicago, Illinois:

9 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

One Sixty Blue: Better Than Ever (Restaurant Review Update 1)

2007-10-28T10:43:00.000-05:00

One of what we consider our missions for our reviews is to point out Chicago area restaurants that are great but underappreciated. In the "steak and potatoes" category, we've previously mentioned how much we love Wildfire. In the destination restaurant category, we think One Sixty Blue is every bit as good as the more famous Chicago institutions like Trotter's, Everest, etc.

On this visit, our waiter -- whose voice and accent bore an eerie resemblance to the GEICO gekko (who Lisa really likes) -- started us off (without giving us a choice) with a warm goat cheese appetizer with fruit and toast. While we found this slightly annoying, since the cheese course is one of our favorite things about this restaurant, as with the rest of his recommendations, we really loved his choice. This was stellar goat cheese, very smooth and flavorful, and Steve actually described it as "heavenly." Again at our waiter's recommendation, we decided to pass further cheese until dessert (usually we have several as an appetizer here). Instead, we started with the salad course, a Belgian endive salad with thin pear slices, more goat cheese, and mixed greens. Steve was especially excited because the bowl was an edible wafer (not sweet). We both thought it was very good.

We then had the seafood course -- cold coho salmon with carrots and wild rice. This was another waiter's choice and we absolultely loved it. This could easily have been the entree, but with an appetizer portion, it left us wanting more. The only not so strong part of the meal was the actual entree. The waiter continually pointed out that the Lamb Wellington had been voted as one of the top 25 dishes in the Chicago restaurant scene by Chicago Magazine. Little did he know, Steve is a devout Chicago Magazine reader, who knew it was actually only one of the top 240 dishes. Nonetheless, Steve decided to humor him by ordering the dish, even though he likes lamb but not Wellington preparation. He is still of that view. The lamb itself was extremely good, but the Wellington preparation left something to be desired. Lisa ordered the beef tenderloin, medium rare, which was very good.

For dessert, we finally got our cold cheeses. We picked the camembert and let our waiter choose the other two, which turned out to be a Gouda with flavor crystals (which the gekko was almost as excited about as GEICO's reduced rates in Illinois) and a medium-hard sheep's milk cheese. We loved the camembert and Steve thought the Gouda was okay, but didn't care for the sheep's milk cheese. Lisa, on the other hand, found the Gouda a bit too sharp (though still good) and liked the sheep's milk, which was a little less sharp and a little less crunchy. Even though we've liked some other cheese there better, this was a good mix of flavors and textures, which we enjoyed.

The waiter also recommended our wine, a Bethel Heights Pinot Noir from Oregon. It had a nice flavor and a cherry aftertaste, and we really enjoyed it. The waiter also offered to call us a cab after dinner, which Lisa appreciated, even though we didn't need it, because it is often hard to get a cab back from the West Loop. Many restaurants there offer to call them and the cabs never show, but they consistently stop at One Sixty Blue.

Both bathrooms were extremely nice and clean, if just slightly short of perfect.

The total bill for a great dinner at One Sixty Blue (with amusing commentary by the gekko) was $250 and would have been more like $170 with wine by the glass. This is a great value for a dinner that was outstanding (and just writing about it makes Lisa want to go back there very soon).

Our rating for One Sixty Blue, 160 N. Loomis (Loomis and Randolph), Chicago, Illinois:

9.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Braxton Seafood Grill: Seafood in the Suburbs (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 27)

2007-10-28T10:26:00.000-05:00

We were already out in the suburbs of Chicago on a weeknight evening and felt like seafood, so we decided to go to Braxton Seafood Grill, which we'd tried in the past (before our blogging days). There aren't that many really good seafood places, in our opinion, anywhere in Chicagoland, except for Shaw's, which we plan to review. Braxton is typical -- decent but not a destination spot. It does have a large fish tank with very big, imposing fish who mostly sit still because there is not enough room. If you stand in front of the fish tank -- as Lisa often does out of some weird fascination -- they will line up and conspire against you. However, they can't get out, so don't worry about it.

Because it was a weeknight, we started with wines by the glass. Steve had Stonestreet Merlot, which was good, and Lisa ordered a Pinot Noir. Steve's favorite part of the whole meal was the biscuits that Braxton uses as a starter. He liked them so much he kept sending the waiter back for more, but after four, he started to feel sick (which probably was not the fault of the biscuits). Lisa liked the biscuits, too, but is still trying to eat somewhat low carb.

Our appetizer was tuna tartare. It had a little too much wasabi, so it was too spicy, though Lisa liked the taste of the tuna itself. We both had mixed green salads, which were okay. Steve had the grilled Atlantic salmon. He was not enthralled. It was very plain and nearly tasteless. Lisa liked her crab cakes for the most part. The crab meat tasted good, and the breading added a little spice, but did not have the Southwestern flavor she dislikes, and which many restaurants use. For dessert, Steve ordered creme brulee, which had a good custardy flavor. Lisa got the triple chocolate cake. The cake was dark chocolate and moist, and the icing was particularly good.

The Women's bathroom had stalls that were like separate small rooms with nice wooden louvered doors. The sink counter was marble and overall clean. Steve thought the Men's Room solid but ugly, as it was all pea green and looked sort of like the color of the "bad" witch in Wicked.

The total bill at Braxton, with wines by the glass, was about $130 (a fairly decent value).

Our rating for Braxton Seafood Grill, 3 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, Illinois:

6.5 of 10 Fish Hooks and 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes (unless you really like Wicked, then 2.5)

Rosebud Prime: Not Quite Ready for Prime Time (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 26)

2007-10-27T16:28:00.001-05:00

Steve couldn't wait to take Lisa to Rosebud Prime in downtown Chicago because he loved it when he went there on a business dinner, and he thought it would be even better with good company. However, on the first visit, the company was so bad Steve must have overrated the food because, on this visit, both Steve and Lisa found the restaurant disappointing.

We didn't have our usual multi-course food fest because we were both tired and had to get to work early the next morning. We started with a couple non-descript wines by the glass, then had the house salad. It came with lots of different types of greens, but it also had things like egg, radishes, and olives, which we don't really enjoy in salads. On Steve's suggestion, Lisa ordered the bone-in ribeye, though she usually finds ribeye a little fatty. Not only did Lisa find this one fatty, but Steve thought it was one of the worst steaks he'd tasted in a long time. While normally the fat adds to the flavor of a ribeye, this one had all the fat and none of the flavor. It was almost as if Steve went to a different restaurant the first time. We were so disgusted by the steak that we didn't even have dessert, which happens about as often as George Bush uses a grammatically correct sentence or as often as Bill Clinton tells the truth (depending on which party you like less). The bathrooms were pretty nice but hard to get to.

Steve would try best two out of three, but not soon.

The total bill at Rosebud Prime, with wine by the glass and no dessert or appetizer, was about $150, way overpriced in our opinion.

Our rating for Rosebud Prime, One South Dearborn, Chicago, Illinois:

5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

The Melting Pot: Scruffy Fondue (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 25)

2007-10-27T16:02:00.000-05:00

We felt like fondue, but we also felt like a drive out of the downtown Chicago area, so we couldn't go to Geja's (our favorite). The only other realistic choice is The Melting Pot. We went to the restaurant's location in Oakbrook Terrace, although there are also locations in Chicago and a few other suburbs. We didn't know that this Melting Pot was about to close, though the difficulty in even finding the entrance and the burned out lighting should have tipped us off.

We started with a bottle of Australian Zinfandel called Tera d'Oro. The most interesting part of this wine was the decanter, which looked like a giant inverted Martini glass with a spigot at the bottom. Our waiter assured us it is the newest type of decanter and provides the most air. Unfortunately, the wine itself was as tasteless as our waiter's jokes (the first was something about getting someone's wife drunk).

The fondue was quite good. We ordered what The Melting Pot calls "The Big Night Out." It comes with cheese fondue, salad, and an entree course with eight or nine different items, including beef, pork, vegetables, chicken, and lobster. The waiter prepared the cheese fondue in front of us and it heated on the table. Steve absolutely loved the cheese -- which was served with carrots, celery, Granny Smith apples, and two breads -- and found it the highlight of the evening. Lisa was a bit less enthusiastic because she thought it was too strong. The house salad, which was like a Greek salad, was nothing memorable, but passable. The main course was excellent in spots. We particularly liked the lobster, beef, and shrimp. There were about six or seven sauces, which were good for the most part, though none particularly stood out.

For dessert, we had the traditional dark chocolate fondue course. Lisa was disappointed because the chocolate was not very dark, and it was served luke warm. Steve, not being a chocolate connoisseur, thought it was okay (but he doesn't know any better).

The bathrooms definitely reflected the imminent closing. Lisa found the Women's Room repugnant. The sink counters looked like faux granite and were fairly clean, but the floor tiles looked grubby throughout. One of the toilets needed flushing, and the other looked dirty. There were no seat covers left in the dispenser. The Men's Room was not much better, but merited a bit higher score from Steve, who didn't have to sit.

The total bill at The Melting Pot, with flavorless wine, was $165 and would have been about $140 with wine by the glass (once again proving Steve's theory, which Lisa generally disputes, about the correlation between good wine and costly wine).

All in all, while the fondue itself was pretty good, even taking into account that this Melting Pot was about to close, if one wants fondue in Chicagoland, we suggest Geja's, which we will rate soon.

Our rating for The Melting Pot, 17W633 Roosevelt Road Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois:

6 of 10 fondue forks and 1 of 3 bathroom brushes (.5 for Women's, 1.5 for Men's).

Lovells of Lake Forest: Worth the Trip (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 24)

2007-09-16T16:27:00.000-05:00

On one recent Saturday night, we decided to take a drive for dinner, so we chose Lovells of Lake Forest, which is located in one of the ritzier Chicago suburbs. Steve also wanted to go because the restaurant is owned by the family of Jim Lovell, the Apollo astronaut (although Apollo memorabilia is not really a theme there, other than some framed photos on the staircase and a dessert named after the Apollo mission).

The restaurant is in an interesting looking old mansion, and our table was in front of floor to ceiling windows. Though the view is of the adjoining strip mall, it still gave a nice feeling of dining outside without the bugs. We started with a bottle of Domaine Pont de Guestre, which is from the Pomerol region. It had a bit of an aftertaste, but it definitely grew on both of us.

For an appetizer, we ordered the shrimp cocktail. These were truly shrimpy shrimp -- we've never seen any that small -- but they were good enough to leave us wanting more. Lisa ordered the tomato and mozzarella salad. The mozarella came in small scoops and was very fresh. The red tomato slices had a nice, almost fruity taste. The orange and green were less flavorful, but overall the salad was good. Steve really liked his wedge salad with blue cheese dressing on the side. The lettuce was crisp, and the dressing was tasty.

We both ordered red meat for the entree (surprise). Steve had the ribeye, and the steak was cooked a perfect medium rare, and tasted good, although not inspired. He had a side of pomme frites as well. These were pretty good, especially since they were not the skinny kind Steve usually likes. Lisa had the 12 ounce filet mignon, also cooked a perfect medium rare. It was a little dry and overpowered by the cognac sauce, but was still okay.

For dessert, Steve had a strawberry puff pastry, largely because the selection was not that great. The dessert was as average as the selection. Lisa had the Mocha Mocha cake. It had a dark fudge filling she really liked, though the cake itself was slightly gummy.

In keeping with the great decorat Lovells, the bathrooms were quite nice. The Women's Room had individual small rooms instead of stalls and had separate sink areas with their own bay-window style mirrors. The Men's Room, as usual, was not quite up to the Women's Room, but still was nice.

While this was not at the top level of fine dining restaurants we've been to, overall, and especially given the nice decor and location, Lovells is well worth trying.

The total bill at Lovells was about $220 with a bottle of wine, and would have been about $170 with wine by the glass.

Our overall rating for Lovells of Lake Forest, 915 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, Illinois:

7 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

ENO in Chicago: A Good Idea Wasted (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 24)

2007-09-16T15:35:00.000-05:00

Wine, cheese, and chocolate -- could it get any better? Yes, it could, if the restaurant was good. Unfortunately, Eno was not.

Neither of us was particularly hungry (believe it or not), so we decided to try Eno, a restaurant near downtown Chicago that only serves cheese, wine and chocolate, which sounded wonderful. The idea of the place is to order flights of cheese, wine and chocolate, which supposedly compliment each other. We started with three cheese flights (each cheese comes in a 1/2 ounce portion). We ordered the Roaming Goat cheese flight, a bleu cheese flight, and one of our creation. The goat cheese was pretty good, especially one that was a soft, whipped cheese, though not up to One Sixty Blue standards. The bleu cheese was all extremely strong and not particularly tasty. Our own flight consisted of four year gouda, Delice de Bourgogne and Bellwether Farms Pepato. We liked the Delice (a white whipped cheese). The gouda was hard and too strong. The Bellwether had a texture between the whipped and gouda and tasted fairly good. Overall, though, the cheese was disappointing.

But not nearly as disappointing as Eno's wine choices. We ordered two red flights -- a Spanish flight and a Bordeaux flight. Surprisingly, they appeared to be two of the only red flight choices. We expected more because red wine sets off both cheese and chocolate very well. In any event, our six small servings ranged from disgusting to only passable. The first Spanish red was described as "dirty," and that's exactly how it tasted, as in dirt from the ground. The only passable wines were one Syrah and one Merlot. But neither was anywhere near what could be called inspired or flavorful. This is particularly problematic, given that Eno advertises itself as a wine bar. It does have a large selection of non-flight wines by the bottle, but the server actually discouraged a choice from that list in favor of the flights.

The chocolate flights sounded much better than they tasted, though they were not bad. We would have preferred a choice of various types of chocolate dessert (such as brownies, cake, ice cream etc.), but only chocolate candies are offered. Lisa ordered the Dark Secrets flight and did like the one that had a touch of peppercorn, as odd as that combination sounds. Steve ordered the Chocolate Factory, because it had one vanilla-centered chocolate. However, whatever vanilla was there was either totally miniscule or overpowered by the chocolate. Either way, Steve was not a fan.

Also, one would expect a cheese, wine, and chocolate bar or restaurant to be fairly relaxed, tranquil and quiet, perhaps with comfortable seating, and an inviting decor, or at least a few candles. Instead, Eno struck us as extremely loud, with uncomfortable seats and crowded tables. We actually couldn't wait to leave.

The bathrooms, which are in the lobby of the InterContinental Hotel where Eno is located, were as nice as would be expected from a top level hotel bathroom. They were a bit out of the way, and the Men's Room was not quite spotless. Nonetheless, they were the highlight of the evening.

The total bill at Eno for three cheese flights, two wine flights, and two chocolate flights was $115. This seemed way too much to us, especially since we were still hungry, and ended up eating donuts at the Friday's down the street (which we won't rate, but which were better than anything we had at Eno).

Our ratings for Eno, 505 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illlinois:

4 of 10 Cheese Boards and 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Tavern at the Park: Touristy but Above Average (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 23)

2007-09-08T16:33:00.000-05:00

We wanted to go to a restaurant in the downtown Chicago area and to walk through Millenium Park, so we chose to dine at and review Tavern at the Park, which just opened about a month ago. This restaurant caters to tourists, and we basically got what we expected, decent food, nothing spectacular.

We started with a warm goat cheese appetizer with tomato fondue. This was probably the highlight of the meal. It was just the right mix of tomato sauce and goat cheese and was almost as good as our favorite goat cheese appetizer at Wildfire in Oakbrook. Steve also really loved the soft rolls, which were fresh and tasty, and he asked the waiter for a second basket. (Lisa did not eat any of them.)

For salads, Steve ordered a wedge. The lettuce was crisp and the dressing, served on the side, was a perfect accompaniment, but it was not inspired. Tavern at the Park's menu did not include any sort of mixed green salad, so Lisa requested one. The waiter seemed a bit confused about what a mixed green salad might be. He eventually brought a plate with fresh spinach leaves, arrugula, and sliced tomatoes and onions. It was a bit too heavy on the spinach and the tomatoes did not have much taste, but it was okay.

For our an entree, Lisa decided to try something different, and got whole wheat pasta with artichoke, red pepper, and cream sauce. The sauce was good, but the pasta was very grainy, which she probably should have expected with whole wheat. Steve ordered the short ribs, which came with mixed vegetables, plus a side of shoestring potatoes. It is very sad when Steve likes the vegetables more than the meat, but that is what happened here. The meat was tough and tasteless, but the veggies were great. The shoestring potatoes were average.

LIsa had triple chocolate cake for dessert. It had fairly dark chocolate frosting and chocolate ganache filling and was served with a fresh mint leaf that gave a nice flavor to the cake. The frosting was a bit too sweet, however, for a dark chocolate lover. Steve ordered the apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. The ice cream was good, but the apple crisp was grainier than Lisa's pasta, which gave it a rather weird flavor. He also would have liked more caramel, since the menu advertised that the dish would be drizzled with caramel and instead it was dotted, at best.

We ordered an excellent Etude Pinot Noir, which set off the meat and pasta perfectly. Initially, Lisa thought it tasted a bit tart, but it had a wonderful fruity, grape aftertaste and really grew on her.

In keeping with the touristy ambience of Tavern at the Park, the restaurant is noisy and has many TVs, though not one directly in our line of sight. Which was too bad from Steve's perspective since the Cubs actually won a game. There is seating upstairs that overlooks Chicago's Millenium Park, but we were seated downstairs. If you make a reservation, you might want to ask for the upstairs seating.

The total bill at Tavern at the Park was about $215 with a bottle of wine. It would have been about $150 with wine by the glass, which seems overpriced to us for what we got.

Steve, as is often the case, was a harder critic of the bathrooms than Lisa. First, both of us found it challenging to even locate the restrooms. Lisa asked a busboy where they were and thought he said to take the elevator downstairs. But the lower floor doors opened to a kitchen and a storage area. Another wait staff person boarded the elevator and told her to take it up to the second floor, where it was still difficult to find. Steve had similar adventures, even though Lisa gave him directions on how to get there by staircase. As to to the bathrooms themselves, the Women's Room was fairly clean, with nice dark marble counters. The Men's Room, unfortunately, was a bit grimy, with towels on the floor.

Our rating for Tavern at the Park, 130 E. Randolph St., Chicago:

6 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Exposure Tapas Supper Club: An Interesting Addition to Our Neighborhood (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 22)

2007-08-25T15:29:00.000-05:00

It is one of life's ironies that two people like us, who love food, happen to live in Chicago's South Loop, a neighborhood that, if described as a culinary wasteland, would be giving it too much credit. We were walking to a fine example of that (see our post about Room 21) when we passed this restaurant, which we only noticed because a woman stood in front of the door telling passers-by that the place had just opened. Since we liked her style, and like tapas, we made a point to return soon.

While there were some early opening glitches, we are hopeful that Exposure will be one of the top restaurants in the area (although that wouldn't be too difficult). For a tapas place, the menu seemed kind of limited to us. There were 7 or 8 cold tapas choices (including salads), about the same number of hot small plates, and three full-size entrees. But what it lacked in quantity, the menu basically made up for in quality. We started with a lobster martini, which, according to the menu, included ginger vegetables, olives, and creme fraiche. This was not one of our favorite dishes. Lisa liked the lobster, but wished there was more creme fraiche (she didn't see any), and Steve really didn't care for the lobster. However, we definitely liked the tempura shrimp cocktail, served with very fresh, soft mozzarella and tomatoes. The taste combination was wonderful, although Steve found the tomatoes a bit tough. Even so, this was an innovative and flavorful dish we plan to order when we visit Exposure again. The Atlantic salmon was cured with Grey Goose vodka sauce and came with hard boiled egg and brioche. The salmon lacked some taste and the sauce was a bit salty. But Steve loved the brioche, which tasted like French Toast. And the bread in general tasted fresh-baked.

For hot tapas, we ordered beef teriaki on sticks, which while good, was not memorable. We loved the potato au gratin with garlic cheddar topping. It was very rich and very good. Lisa enjoyed her crab cake. The crab was tasty, and the breading only had a slight amount of spice, which is how she prefers it. Steve liked his lamb tapas, which consisted of part leg of lamb and part lamb slices. The meat was cooked perfectly and tasted like top-notch lamb.

For dessert, we split a peach and berry cobbler. It was served hot. The peaches tasted very fresh and the cobbler overall was just tart enough. Steve thought it could have used more crust, but Lisa thought it was perfect, which says a lot, given that she usually only eats chocolate desserts.

The total bill at Exposure Tappas Supper Club, with wine by the glass (a good but not inspired Zinfandel), was about $110.

The service was attentive and a little uneven, but better than we expected given that we were the only small party among three large parties. The courses came almost too quickly and on plates that struck us as too big for the table. We assume the spacing of the courses will improve over time.

The bathrooms had an Asian look, with stone tile with bronze undertones. The stalls were more like small rooms with doors that looked like Asian screens. The sinks were interesting. The basins were actually bowls set on a counter. Lisa found them pretty, but both she and Steve found it somewhat difficult to rinse their hands due to the angle of the faucet. Both restrooms were very clean and had hands free towel dispensers. There was a little dry toilet paper on the floor of one of the Women's bathroom stalls, however.

Our ratings for Exposure Tapas Supper Club, 1315 S. Wabash, Chicago, Illinois:

7 of 10 Steak Knives (or small plates, in this case); 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Wildfire in Glenview: Reliable But not Boring (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 21)

2007-08-25T15:13:00.000-05:00

We've mentioned before that the Wildfire in Oakbrook is probably our favorite restaurant in the Chicago area. We think the Glenview branch is a close second. We started with a bottle of Groom Shiraz, which was served slightly chilled, making it perfect for a warm evening. The taste is slightly tart, but still very smooth.

For an appetizer, we had the baked goat cheese and tomato sauce dish we like so much in Oakbrook. It is also great here, though a little light on the tomato sauce. For a salad, we somewhat mistakenly tried something different from our usual, which is the tomato and onion salad. We ordered instead the summer goat cheese salad. It consisted of numerous different types of tomatoes -- some light green and light yellow, which didn't make it look very appetizing -- and cold goat cheese, plus some onions. While neither of us liked this as much as our usual salad, it did grow on us to the point where we'd say it was pretty good. The tomatoes were fresh and had a strong taste that set off the goat cheese. But, overall, it still lacked the tremendous flavor of Wildfire's tomato and onion salad, which we'll never forsake again.

For the main course, we couldn't bring ourselves to substitute anything else for the traditional bone-in filet. As usual, both steaks were cooked a perfect medium rare, had just the right amount of charcoal to please both of us (Steve likes heavy charcoal, Lisa likes just a slight charcoal taste), and tasted wonderful, though Lisa found hers to be slightly salty on the outside.

For dessert, Steve ordered his usual apple pie with ice cream, which matches the title of this entry. It is always a good finish to a fine meal (although this time, it needed a little more of the crust that Steve likes so much). Lisa ordered the oven baked double chocolate chip cookie with ice cream. The cookie has semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, pecans and walnuts, and was just the right mix of sweet and chocolate. It is served warm, topped with vanilla ice cream. This is her favorite dessert so far at Wildfire.

The total bill at Wildfire was about $210 with a bottle of wine, and would have been about $160 with wine by the glass.

Both bathrooms were clean, as usual, and well decorated. This location has an interesting take on the sinks. They look like slabs/troughs but also are spotless. The Women's Room has the towel dispenser and garbage can near the door, so germaphobes like Lisa can use a towel to open the door and exit without touching the handle. The Men's Room didn't have this amenity, which is too bad, since Steve is even more of a germaphobe.

Our ratings for Wildfire, 1300 Patriot Blvd., Glenview, Illinois

8.5 of 10 Steak Knives (Oakbrook still rates higher); 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Room 21: Sometimes Trendy Does Mean Awful (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 20)

2007-08-19T18:15:00.000-05:00

We really wanted to like this restaurant since it is the new "hot" restaurant in our South Loop neighborhood. That is particularly true because the room is beautiful, with an interesting pink and red color scheme, and the outdoor garden, where we sat, was almost too good to be true. It is spacious, with plenty of trees, yet few bugs, a cobblestone floor, and cast iron tables. All in all, a wonderful place to have a meal outdoors in Chicago, but the food still has to be good, which it wasn't.

The meal started well, with one of our favorite appetizers, tuna tartare. Lisa liked this dish almost as much as the tuna tartare at Vie (see our prior review), as it was fresh with a bit of a spicy flavor. Steve ordered a goat cheese and shrimp quesadilla, which he thought was quite tasty. Lisa found it a bit odd. We should also note that while the pretzel rolls themselves were good, the butter had a sour milk-like undertaste. Lisa, who normally slathers her rolls with butter, couldn't eat it.

Things went downhill. We did not have salad, which was probably a good thing. To say the main courses left something to be desired is being generous. Steve's ribeye was closer to well-done, even at the bone, than to the medium rare that he ordered. It also had absolutely no flavor, even at the bone, which is quite an accomplishment because it's difficult to make prime beef taste bad, but they did it. Lisa had a ten-ounce filet mignon, which she also ordered medium rare. Hers was pink in the center and well done at the edges. The medium-cooked center had some flavor, the rest did not.

For dessert, Lisa ordered a chocolate-raspberry tort which she thought had to be good, especially because the waiter (who managed to be unctuous, pompous and inept at the same time--and, as you all know, we are not service snobs) said the chocolate was very dark. She was very disappointed. The whole tort was overbaked and too crunchy, she tasted no raspberry at all, and while the chocolate didn't taste like milk chocolate, which she dislikes, it didn't taste like dark chocolate either. Worse, the tort had the same sour milk undertaste as the butter, causing her to leave over half her chocolate dessert -- which violates one of her personal commandments (thou shalt not waste dark chocolate). Steve was also not enthused with the peach cobbler, which would have been a total washout except for a decent vanilla ice cream scoop on top.

We did like the Reisling we ordered, and Room 21's wine list has an interesting feature. Each wine is designated light, medium, or full bodied, which helped us choose. The service was extremely slow. On a Monday night, it took us 2 and a half hours to get out of the restaurant, though we didn't even have a salad course. (We usually like to linger over dinner, but this was ridiculous.) Part of the delay was because Lisa told the waiter the meat was overcooked, and he told us dessert would be complimentary. But it took him three tries with Steve's credit card to actually get the correct bill. We were willing to leave without the dessert being taken off the bill, but he wouldn't let us, prompting Lisa to note the similarity to the Hotel California.

We both liked the bathrooms at Room 21, which were very close to 3s. Both had great decor, with stone floors, small rooms instead of stalls, no touch faucets, and no touch dispensers. However, there were a few towels on the floor in both, and Lisa's toilet seat was broken, which she didn't realize until it slipped. (She was uninjured.) Also, the towels were half the usual size, and not big enough to dry one's hands, which seemed quite odd in a trendy restaurant.

Dinner for two at Room 21, with a bottle of relatively inexpensive wine and without being charged for dessert, was $180.

Our ratings for Room 21, 2110 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, Illinois:

4.5 of 10 Steak Knives (and dropping with each retelling); 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes; 1.5 of 5 Bug Zappers (0 being the best rating)

Vie: Best in the West (Suburbs) (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 19)

2007-08-19T17:44:00.000-05:00

We'd been to Vie twice, both times before we started the blog. The first time, we absolutely loved it. The second time, not so much. This time was in the middle, but this is still a first-class dining experience. In fact, we think this is the best restaurant in the western suburbs. This is a celebrity chef-owned restaurant which specializes in "local" foods (meaning from specific growers and regions, not necessarily Illinois). For that reason, Vie's menu changes quite often (and Vie has not had the appetizer we loved the first time -- the tuna tartare -- since then).

Because the tuna tartare was not on the menu, Lisa ordered the yellow fin tuna cake appetizer, which included clams, pickled fennel and saffron. She didn't like it as much as the tuna tartare, partly because she prefers cold tuna appetizers and didn't realize the tuna cake would be warm. But it did have an interesting flavor, and she finished most of it. Steve tasted it and liked it a lot, not being as attached to tuna tartare as Lisa was. He also liked his pan seared Kodiak salmon appetizer, although, like Lisa, he prefers a different type of salmon appetizer (smoked). But this was still excellent quality salmon, and Lisa enjoyed it as well.

For the salad course, Lisa ordered the local lettuce salad. It included various types of lettuce, which were fresh, and a house dressing. While a good salad, it's not what we would call a signature dish, and the vinaigrette dressing was a bit strong. Steve was adventurous and had hierloom tomatoes with watermelon and domestic feta cheese. (He hadn't noticed the watermelon on the menu, or his choice might have been different; Lisa noticed the watermelon but thought he was trying to expand his eating horizons.) In any event, the watermelon did detract a bit from the taste, but the tomatoes were extremely fresh and the cheese was good. Lisa liked the dish as a whole, even with the watermelon.

Steve loved his main course, a lamb combination. No, not lamb figure skating, as the title made Lisa imagine, but part leg of lamb and part lamb slices. The flavor was wonderful, the meat was tender, and it was cooked perfectly medium rare. Lisa had the Kobe beef. It, too, was cooked perfectly and had a good flavor, with just the right amount of charcoal to set off the meat but not overpower it. (Probably it would be too little charcoal for Steve.) The beef was a little tough for Kobe, but tasted so good, Lisa didn't mind.

For dessert, we shared a cheese tray. Usually we try to order cheeses for an appetizer, even if listed as a dessert, because we believe dessert should be sweet and/or chocolate. This exception proved the rule for us, because even though the cheese was very good, it left us a bit flat. However, we did get some complimentary petit fours to end the meal, which somewhat satisfied our craving. Lisa especially liked the dark chocolate candy and the gummy lemon candy, which was very tart.

The wine was particularly good. We ordered a Beckman Syrah Clone I. As with most good reds, we could hardly taste the alcohol, and it was a perfect accompaniment to both the meat and the cheese courses. We also had an excellent sommelier. Even though we did not ask him for a wine recommendation, he spent time discussing other wine questions we had, including the proper pronunciation of "Shiraz," which he said is pronounced "Shiraaaz" (with the second syllable sounding like the word "as" instead of "Oz," like the wizard). We're not so sure about that, but we will check it out and report later.

The total bill at Vie with a bottle of wine was $250 and well worth it. With wine by the glass, it would have been about $175.

The bathrooms both were nicely decorated and clean, but they had a type of stone tile that just didn't look very clean, though it may have been.

Our ratings for Vie, 4471 Lawn Ave., Western Springs, Illinois:

8 or 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Riva: A Great Place to View Fireworks (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 18)

2007-08-11T13:26:00.000-05:00

Recently, we decided to be tourists in our own city and visit the best restaurant on Chicago's Navy Pier, primarily to get a great view of the weekly fireworks. We were not disappointed in the fireworks, which is the best we can say for Riva. To start with, it was very loud. The room has a lot of hard surfaces, and a surprising number of people bring their children even late on a weeknight.

The meal started well enough with shrimp cocktail served on ice. The shrimp were large and very fresh, and the sauce was tangy, but not overly so. Things went downthill from there. LIsa skipped the salad, but Steve had one of the worst iceberg wedge salads he's ever tasted. The lettuce was wilted, the blue cheese dressing was overpowering, and the bacon bits tasted stale. For the main course, Lisa ordered an unremarkable (no it wasn't designated that way on the menu) 12 ounce filet mignon. The steak was cooked a proper medium rare, but just didn't have much taste. Steve had sockeye salmon, which was a mistake from the start. Somehow, Riva managed to make the fish taste like one big vegetable, and Steve hates vegetables. The salmon also had a kerotene look, which made it appear as unappetizing as it tasted. The actual vegetable we shared was asparagus. It was pretty good, in large spears with some type of grated cheese topping.

For dessert, Lisa ordered the gelato assortment because the menu promised bittersweet chocolate among the flavors. Instead, as best as she could tell, the only chocolate was a scoop of brown bland flavored gelato buried under the coconut and vanilla bean (which were not too bad). Steve ordered key lime pie, usually a favorite of his, but here it was only average at best, with the crunchy crust being by far the best part.

For wine, Lisa ordered a pinot noir. It had a dark, fruity flavor she enjoyed. Steve had a glass of Zinfandel, which is his new favorite red wine. It was also quite good.

Lisa found the women's bathroom disturbing. First, the doors to both bathrooms were propped open, and it was difficult to see the labels on the doors, making it easy for people to wander into the wrong one (which Steve almost did). Also, with the door propped open, while in the stall, Lisa could hear everyone walking and talking in the restaurnt just as if they were right outside the door. The women's room was very clean and nicely decorated with black and white tile and old fashioned sinks, and it was very clean, but she felt uncomfortable there. Steve had many of the same issues with the men's room. And the attendants in both rooms were an additional annoyance (not them personally, but that the restaurant chooses to have what strikes us as a demeaning employment role).

We did go largely for the fireworks, and on that score, if none other, we were not disappointed. The windows are very large, and it is easy to see the fireworks from almost anywhere in the restaurant.

Dinner for two at Riva, with wine by the glass, was a non-touristy $170.00, which was clearly not worth it to us, even with the great view of the fireworks. (After all, you can see them for free from the pier outside.)

Our ratings for Riva, 700 E. Grand Avenue (Navy Pier), Chicago, Illinois:

4 of 10 Steak Knives and 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Town: Subterranean Dining in New York (New York Restaurant Review 3)

2007-08-11T13:02:00.000-05:00

On the last day of our New York visit, the concierge made reservations at Town for brunch. We entered at the restaurant's ground level and were taken down a wide metal spiral staircase to an underground dining area with no windows. However, the ceiling was very high, and the light-colored walls made the room seem bright and open. While the room was interesting, the food left something to be desired, mainly good flavor.

We started with appetizers. Steve had the smoked salmon, which was not as fresh and tasty as one would expect at a top-notch restaurant. Lisa did, however, enjoy the tuna tartare. For the main course, Lisa ordered a banana hazelnut waffle, which like just about everything else, was overly sweet. Steve had french toast. It was acceptable, but was neither filling nor inspired. It did not taste any better than what could made at home, and in fact was not quite as good as the cinammon french toast Lisa makes for her holiday brunch every year.

In a role reversal, for dessert, Steve ordered a chocolate and caramel dish, which, in keeping with the rest of the brunch at this restaurant, was too sweet. Lisa had struedel with granola, which was mediocre at best, as she can barely remember eating it.

By far the best part of the brunch was a complimentary basket of rolls and muffins. (Steve initially tried to order and pay for a basket or rolls, which was on the menu, but the waitress told us we would get the rolls anyway for free.) The bread was warm and fresh.

We each drank a glass of champagne, compliments of the concierge who made all our restaurant arrangements that weekend. Otherwise, we had orange juice.

The bathrooms both were very nice and clean, with unusual sinks. The sink basins were rectangular and slanted down from the wall. HIdden faucets automatically sent warm water streams. Groups of what looked like white rocks or stones that appeared to be for decorative purposes lay in the sink basins, which was a little unnerving.

Brunch for two at Town with only orange juice to drink was still $150.00, which struck us as well-overpriced for what we got.

Our ratings for Town, 15 W. 56th Street, New York, New York:

5.5 of 10 Spatulas (steak knives just doesn't make sense for this one) and 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

D.B. Bistro Moderne: Trendy and Good Food (New York Restaurant Review 2)

2007-07-22T16:07:00.000-05:00

This was the trendy restaurant for our weekend in New York. It's not necessarily one we would have chosen, but the concierge was insistent, so we gave it a try. It was actually quite good. We started with a cheese plate with three different cheeses. One was a Vermont goat cheese, a second was a stinky French cheese, and the third was similar to a Brie. We really liked this course, particularly the goat cheese, which was very smooth. For appetizers, Lisa had a tomato tart, which had a distinctive tomato taste, and which she liked. Steve had the smoked salmon, which both Lisa and Steve enjoyed.

For the main course, Steve ordered the $29 deluxe hamburger, which came with cheese, tomatos, garnish, and delicious pomme frites. While it sounds overpriced, it is the signature dish on the restaurant's menu and Steve thought it was one of the best burgers he has tasted. It was a cooked a perfect medium rare and was very flavorful. Both Lisa and Steve loved the pomme frites, Lisa especially so because she was not as excited about her crab salad. The crab was very fresh and tasted fine, but she found herself wanting something more substantial. And salty.

We skipped dessert because we were planning to stop somewhere after seeing Jersey Boys (which was not as enthralling for us Midwesterners as it seemed to be for the east coast people, though the singing was excellent). We had wine by the glass -- a Bordeaux for Steve and a Shiraz for Lisa. In general, the restaurant's wine list was extensive, and the wines we had were quite good.

The total bill for two at D. B. Bistro Moderne, with wine by the glass and no dessert, was $150.00.

The bathrooms both were singles and were very clean and nicely decorated, but not outstanding.

Our rating for D.B. Bistro Moderne, 55 West 44th St. NY, NY:

8 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

La Grenouille in New York: Elegant Dining Experience (New York Restaurant Review 1)

2007-07-15T21:12:00.000-05:00

Every summer, we spend a long weekend in Manhattan. One of our favorite parts of that weekend is to go to a "dining destination" type restaurant. This year, we picked La Grenouille and we loved it. We started with an amuse bouche, compliments of the chef. It was cucumber-watermelon gazpacho. Though not normally a gazpacho fan, Lisa really enjoyed the fresh cucumber taste mixed with watermelon, and she ate all of hers. Steve found it a bit out of his tasting range, and stopped after a sip.

Next, we had a cheese plate which contained three unidentified cheeses. Perhaps the management intentionally kept us in the dark because this course was the only mediocre one in an otherwise excellent dining experience. The appetizers picked up the pace. Lisa had lobster and saffron ravioli, which was good, though the saffron was a little strong. Steve, trying to match the order with the nature of the restaurant, had caviar (which he did share with Lisa) which we both loved.

For the main course, Lisa ordered the prime rib of beef special. The steak was a perfect medium rare throughout and Lisa thought it was among the best tasting red meat she's had. Steve loved the appearance but found it a bit lacking in taste. However, he loved his sirloin and short rib entree. The two steaks were perfect complements to one another.

For dessert, Lisa ordered rasperry chocolate torte, and Steve had an apple tart. The desserts were good, but not as good as the entrees. The chef also included complimentary petit fours and bittersweet chocolate nuts, both of which were very tasty.

We expected a fine wine list from a restaurant like La Grenouille and were not disappointed. We picked a Chateau Le Conseillante Pomerol. It was very smooth and a perfect accompaniment for the meat and cheese.

As would be expected, the bathrooms were excellent, but we can't give them a 3 because both had mirrored walls on all sides, which we found a bit jarring. But the bathrooms were impeccably maintained with nice fixtures.

Even though it doesn't sound from how we described each individual item that this was a stellar restaurant, the whole at La Grenouille was much better than the sum of its parts. Overall, this was one of the best dining experiences we've had. Part of that is the tranquil and sophisticated almost eastern European decor, the well-spaced tables, and the top notch, pleasant service. But the food also, as a whole, was superb, which it should be -- see below.

The total bill at La Grenouille was $900, with a bottle of wine costing $250, and a larger than necessary tip given our lack of prior research on how much one tips a captain and a waiter when tips for both are listed. (We looked on the Internet later and learned that the appropriate percentage is 5% for the captain and 15% for the waiter.) So, with wine by glass and a reasonable tip, it would have been about $600.

This is a classic dining experience, not a trendy New York spot, which is why we liked it so much. We highly recommend that anyone who wants elegant quality dining try La Grenouille.

Our rating for La Grenouille Restaurant. 3 E. 52nd St., New York, NY:

9 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes