Category Archives: Steakhouses

Chicago Cut Steakhouse

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*** (3 stars)

I’m surprised by the reviews on this place, because we found nothing to distinguish it above a dozen nearby Chicago steakhouses, and several things were barely mediocre.

First of all, the outside patio on the river is one of the best locations, so that is certainly their strongest plus.

The wine list is presented on one of those gimmicky iPad applications that make is impossible to quickly assess the list. Ten minutes of searching revealed that the list is heavily dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, to the point the browsing this category–an almost endless jumble of randomly arranged bottles–is impossible. Prices are quite high, but we found a lovely bottle of Argentine Cabernet Franc at a reasonable price.

The assortment of bread presented at the start of the meal was interesting, but two of the three varieties would have been better yesterday.

Salads were fine, if pricey. The wedge salad is–oddly-not served as a wedge, but chopped and tossed; perhaps this was just our server’s idea.

We shared a bone-in New York strip and Chilean sea bass. The bass was fine; this tends to be a very mild fish, so the accompanying yuzu cream was a great idea to add some flavor. The steak was tender (a good thing, since the dangerous-looking steak knives were about as sharp as a butter knife) but was undercooked to a comical degree. Regardless of how red you think medium rare should be, half of your steak should not be completely raw. No doubt this could have been fixed, but since the server had already split and plated the steak with the fish without checking with us about how it was cooked, we didn’t bother. The fact is that the dry aging had produced a fairly gamey flavor to the semi-cooked edge, and we decided to focus on the other dishes.

Accompanying green beans almondine were a tasty recipe, but also within a minute or two of being uncooked. I like some snap to my vegetables, but when you can’t cut them with your steak knife, it gives one pause.

Onion rings were giant, the breaded kind, and were good, probably the best thing we had other than the yuzu sauce.

Overall, a fairly unsatisfactory dinner, not nearly good enough to make us want to return, especially given that we walked past a dozen other steakhouses on the way. There are better–and cheaper–choices.

Chicago Cut Steakhouse
300 N Lasalle
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 329-1800
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-cut-steakhouse-chicago

Kinzie Chop House

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**** (4 stars)

I like this clubby steakhouse, which seems more like a place for locals to hang out than one for traveling businessmen to impress their friends.

The place is divided into a number of rooms, so noise levels are better than some other places, although we unfortunately had a loud party of alpha males next to us, an occupational hazard of steakhouses, I suppose.

In addition to a broad assortment of steaks they also offer pasta and more salads than most of the competitors. My companions thought their New York strip was so-so, but I loved my “Cowgirl” which was like a lean bone-in Delmonico. I would definitely have that cut again, and I’ve not seen it elsewhere.

The Brussels sprouts and mac & cheese sides were good. I liked that the mac pasta was al dente.

To me the highlight here is the wine list, a Wine Spectator award winner. There are a lot of interesting selections, and the pricing is much more reasonable than at many of the other places in town. There’s even an entire page of exclusive lots bought at the annual Premiere Napa Valley Auction, something I haven’t seen anywhere else. That alone is reason to go back.

Kinzie Chop House
400 N Wells St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 822-0191
http://www.yelp.com/biz/kinzie-chop-house-chicago

Flights 101 Club Lounge

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**** (4 stars)

This lobby lounge offers a surprisingly intimate atmosphere in the evening, with low lighting levels that make it easy to watch the flight traffic in and out of SFO. In fact, the lobby area is a much better choice for dinner than the adjacent restaurant, which is lit up like a coffee shop. And the lounge offers all the same food, plus bar food.

The chicken quesadilla was really more like a flauta, and it was fine. But the fish tacos were truly delicious: three larger servings of nicely seasoned fish topped with slaw and a piquant sauce.

During the course of our meal we were tag-teamed by six different servers, yet there was perfect continuity, and they were all very friendly and helpful. If traveling through SFO I would definitely eat here again.

Flights 101 Club Lounge
1800 Old Bayshore Hwy
Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 692-9100
http://www.yelp.com/biz/flights-101-club-lounge-burlingame

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

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***** (5 stars)

A great restaurant that seems like it has been around for over a hundred years (which its Miami counterpart has) not just 15. Extremely professional service, and, of course, amazing crab. But the real standout here is the terrific prime beef, some of the best in Chicago.

Joe’s is a great way to step back in time and enjoy dining the way it was meant to be, when waiters wore tuxedos, and tablecloths were changed in seconds between seatings in bustling dining rooms.

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
60 E Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 379-5637
http://www.yelp.com/biz/joes-seafood-prime-steak-and-stone-crab-chicago

437 Rush Restaurant

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**** (4 stars)

This Italian steakhouse offers great service and excellent food in an environment that differentiates it from the other steakhouses in town. It’s lighter and more open (less “clubby”) than the dark wood red leather booth places.

We had the Prix Fixe menu, which included our choice in each of four courses. Many of the starters and second courses had an Italian slant, but I wouldn’t really describe it as traditional Italian cuisine. Steakhouse staples such as shrimp cocktail were also offered.

Both the filet mignon entree and the ahi tuna entree were really excellent: tender, perfectly cooked, and full of flavor. We finished with an excellent tira misu.

There is a nice wine list with some reasonably priced selections.

437 Rush Restaurant
437 N Rush St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 222-0101
http://www.yelp.com/biz/437-rush-restaurant-chicago

The Capital Grille

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***** (5 stars)

Of all the chain steakhouses, I think Capital Grille is my favorite. Their steaks aren’t as good as some that offer prime meat (including sister chain Eddie V’s) but their sides, such as the lobster mac and cheese are the best.

Capital Grille is also the best choice for lunch, because of their attractive multi-course deals. The Kona rub Wagu burger is a favorite new addition, and the lobster roll is always good.

This location isn’t quite as nicely decorated as the one on International Drive, but it is smaller, more intimate, and doesn’t get packed on convention days.

Service is always friendly and professional. It seems like most of the professional servers in town have, one time or another, worked at Capital Grille.

The Capital Grille
4200 Conroy Road
Orlando, FL 32839
(407) 351-2210
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-capital-grille-orlando-2

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse

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**** (4 stars)

I was here with a group for a special menu.

We began by sampling the escargot, crab cake and thick cut bacon au poivre. The crab cake was the best, with very little filler. Escargot was tender; it was hard to tell what the normal presentation would be like, as we had it on a crouton. The bacon was a fairly tough an fatty hunk of pork belly that didn’t appeal to me at all.

Lobster and shrimp dumpling was very nicely sautéed, and the heirloom tomatoes served with burrito cheese were excellent.

The filet mignon we had was very tender, but it lacked the sort of char that would make an otherwise fairly bland cut interesting. At least they hadn’t tried to cover it up with sauce to disguise its flavor. The accompanying lobster tail was fairly durable and didn’t have much flavor, and my wife’s was even tougher. So I don’t think I’d order a surf and turf, and would be inclined to order a more flavorful steak such as a strip or porterhouse.

The brussels sprout side dish incorporated bacon, which tasted nice, but because the sprouts had been separated into individual leaves it was fairly dry compared to, say, the succulent ones at Eddie V’s.

The lobster mac and cheese used fontina cheese which resulted in a somewhat pasty consistency without a lot of crust, but the lobster was good, however the dish was nowhere near as good as the lobster mac at Capital Grille.

The Wild mushrooms were quite good, with a nice variety of mushrooms, succulent and tasty.

Both the chocolate souffle cake and the buttercake were excellent, with my vote going to the buttercake.

A variety of good wines were paired with the meal, and the Del Frisco Cabernet Sauvignon, made by Robert Foley, was a particularly nice choice, a fairly light bodied cab with good fruit.

Service was superb, very attentive and professional.

We were in a private room, which was great, because the main restaurant, which was packed, was absolutely deafening, and there’s no way we could have carried on a conversation there with our tablemates.

On the whole, I’d say it’s a good conventioneer steakhouse, but I think locals can find better choices.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
9150 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32819

http://www.yelp.com/biz/del-friscos-double-eagle-steakhouse-orlando

Smith & Wollensky

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**** (4 stars)

In a city almost stuffed to the brim with steakhouses, Smith & Wollensky is one of the better known names. A mini chain (of 9) founded in New York in 1977, it is now owned by Patina Group.

The Chicago location looks and feels fairly venerable, although the interior is certainly modern, and the extensive patio is more light and airy than one associates with steakhouses.

As with all the major steakhouses, prices are high, because prime aged meat ain’t cheap. Lunch is a more economical option, and that’s when I tried it out.

After a nice serving of a complimentary bread loaf (topped with herbs) I began with the split pea soup, which was in many way the highlight of the meal. Smooth and delicious, it had a great fresh pea flavor with a hint of smoke. My mother’s specialty was split pea soup, and this was better. High praise indeed.

Next I had the Wollensky salad, a huge serving of crisp lettuce with lardons, mushrooms, and (oddly) cubes of potatoes instead of croutons. I really enjoyed the vinaigrette dressing, and liked the salad enough to take the leftovers with me (which were a lot).

I finished with the steak sandwich, which was served with slaw, a pickle, and a side of fries. The steak was extremely tender and flavorful. I liked the horseradish sauce on the bun. The fries were just all right.

Any of these three courses would have been a complete lunch, making it an affordable option.

Service was very attentive, and there’s a nice view across the river.

Smith & Wollensky
318 N State St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 670-9900
http://www.yelp.com/biz/smith-and-wollensky-chicago

Tamari Japanese Kitchen

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***** (5 stars)

This very stylish and excellent Japanese restaurant is in an unlikely mall location.

The real test of a Japanese restaurant is in the quality and visual appeal of the sashimi, and Tamari passed with flying colors. The tuna sampler appetizer was a great example. I was expecting some piles of tartare, but instead received nine pieces of sashimi, including creamy white tuna, lightly seasoned albacore, and superb big eye tuna.

They also have the usual novelty rolls, fried food and noodle dishes, which were all good, but the sashimi is where it’s at.

Efficient service and a great vibe make this the go to spot for sushi in the southwest ‘burbs.

Tamari Japanese Kitchen
639 E Boughton Rd
Ste 105
Bolingbrook, IL 60440
(630) 863-7288
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tamari-japanese-kitchen-bolingbrook