I just booked my flight....



Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.  I think I'm gonna like it here.



....and now I'm anxious for the season to get going. 

Baseball Pilgrimage 2012 Part 1:  Arlington and Houston is on. 

After next year, I'll be up to 14 of the currently standing stadiums, with 4 more that I've been to that don't exist any longer.   Getting there. 

It will also mark my first foray into an West Division team in either league. 

Minute Maid Park in Houston.  Think we're gonna sit in the Crawford Boxes.

Sunday morning....

...I was up way too late/early.  We finished the steakhouse tour on Saturday night, and afterward I put a pork shoulder in the smoker.  I slept for about 4 hours in 2 hour spurts, awakening in front of the still on television several times. 

The movie channels were on, which meant I got wrapped up in movies.  Which prevented me from sleeping.

Some observations:

"Breaking Away" is one of my favorite films of all time.  Has been since I was in high school.  It got better watching it the other night.  Know why?  I'm a father now.  No wonder my dad liked that one so much as well. 

The Spielberg sweeping close up at the end of "Field of Dreams" when Ray Kinsella realizes the guy in the catcher's equipment in his dad has a moment that would not exist today.  There is a beautiful cloudy blue sky behind Costner, and the shot is established as Ray and his family.  It then jump zooms into Costner's face, with him on screen left.  It's a gorgeous shot.  And Amy Madigan's hair blows into it at one moment.  It would be digitally removed today, methinks.  Know why I know that?  The next shot is the same perspective...but guarantee Madigan was off set.  As a bad photographer who is constantly annoyed by things that creep into a frame...guarantee the cinematogropher wishes he had that one back. 

The "Star Trek" reboot is much better on second viewing.  And James Kirk gets his ass kicked CONSTANTLY in that film.  And always fights with his mouth open.  The light in the camera thing is WAY too annoying in that one to ever recommend it, though. 

So those are my observations.  This blog is going back to more random shots more frequently posted now that I have gotten through the steakhouse thing.  At least, after I write the last review.  Gene and Georgetti.  Good food.  Am I giving it away? 

Wildfire - Miss Chicago Steakhouse for November



You know, if I had just moved about 40 feet to my right, that tree wouldn't be
in the way of the name.  I'm such a bad photographer sometimes.

TRUE CONFESSION BEFORE WE BEGIN.  I started this three weeks ago.  I haven't had the gumption to finish it.  Today is December 6, and we dined on November 5.  I apologize in advance for the delay.  I just couldn't focus on this.

Here we are at the penultimate steakhouse on our tour through the great steakhouses of the Windy City. This whole project has been such fun, so educational, so much WORK and so much....money.  Well.  No one wants to hear me whine.  Mostly, it's just been a pleasure. 

Previous months reviews have been as follows:  Joe's, Keefer's, Gibsons, Morton's, David Burke's Primehouse, Rosebud, N9NE, Fogo de Chao, Benny's Chop House, Chicago Cut, and Chicago Chop House. 

Those of you who have stuck with me through this journey - thank you.  And you know that if you click the links, you'll get some humor.  Or my version of it.  Also - for the cheap hits...this is a safe for work photograph of someone I'm told is an adult film star.  How about that?  Lots of photos this time.  Lots of food, so lots of photos.

November in Chicago is a funny thing.  It can be 60 degrees and balmy one day, then cold as hell and soaking, nasty rain the next.  One of the things that is nice about November is that it starts to be fire time.  How appropriate then that our choice for steakhouse was Wildfire.  Get it?  No.  That's not really the reason.  It just happened to be where it was scheduled.  No deeper meaning.

20+ years of marriage and still sneaking a smooch.  Matt and Jill.

Anywho, this month we had the pleasure of dining with my old workmate Matt and his lovely wife, Jill.  Or, in their alternate handles, Matt in the Middle and Cha Cha of the blogosphere, OR The Agitator and Cha Cha of the Dirty Laundry Podcast.  Like those links?  Go get them.  Matt's been my companion at 7 of the 14 baseball stadiums I've visited thus far in this lifetime; and he and I are headed to Texas to take in Rangers and Astros games in 2012.  Before the Astros move to the American League.  Stupid fucking decision.  I'm sorry.  Steakhouses.  That's what we're talking about.  Check this blog after the steakhouse thing is over for more tales of Matt and me as I continue to review the stadia of the Major Leagues.

I must confess I haven't had time to sit and write this since we ate almost two weeks ago, so I don't recall the weather that night. I think it was brisk-ish.  Matt and Jill picked us up and we headed to the city for a little fine dining.  Located on Erie Ave., right behind Ed Debevic's, Wildfire is part of a chain of steakhouses, with 4 other Chicagoland locations, and 3 out of state.  Arriving at the restaurant basically right at our reservation time of 6 p.m., I was a little taken aback when we were handed a buzzer, like you'd find at an Olive Garden or Red Lobster.  It should be noted that Wildfire is a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, and that it is - most assuredly - what you'd expect of a Melman enterprise.  Getting back to the restaurant, walking in the door, the name "Wildfire" was appropriate.  The place had a slight wood smoke smell to it, probably because of the wood fire burning in the exposed kitchen.  As a new convert to the world of smoking meat, that hickory smell is like a Spanish Fly for my tastebuds.  I'm liking this so far.  Except for the buzzer thing.  I'll finish explaining that throughout this review.

I don't think anyone famous is in any of those pictures...

Fortunately, we only waited about 10 minutes, which gave us an opportunity to look around a bit.  Decorated in wood trim, large photographs of non-famous people and subdued, yet not dark, light, Wildfire is like walking into an upscale chain steakhouse.  It was not quite as elegant as a lot of the places we've been this year, but not as simple as an Outback Steakhouse.  There is a theme that's being established here people.

We were buzzed, (boy, that word has changed meaning for me since I was 20...) then led to our booth in a corner overlooking the rest of the restaurant.  Wildfire is one of the larger places we've attended.  Alive with conversation, the atmosphere is vibrant, bordering on loud.  It wasn't hard to hear conversation at the table, but I could see it being a little much for people who prefer quieter dining.  We were given our menus, then we met our server for the evening, Phillip.  Or Philip.  I didn't ask for spelling.  Sorry Phillip (or Philip) if you're reading this and I've misspelled it.  Phillip was a pleasant, cheerful guy who took his time to explain to us the specials of the evening, take our drink orders, and take a little of the humor that Matt and I can't help but throw people's way when we are given the opportunity.  A couple of small loaves of bread were placed on the table.  One was an Onion Bread, not unlike that found at Morton's.  The other was a Raisin Pumpernickel.  I tried the onion, which was good, and

Bread.

the pumpernickel got good reviews from everyone who tried it.  Much conversation was taking place at the table about kids, work, baseball, etc., etc. 

Matt and I have known each other for 10 years.  We worked together for 8 of those, so we've spent a lot of time together.  I've met Jill a few times, but Amy and Jill had never met.  It was great fun to sit and converse and enjoy each other's company so much.  It reminded me why I'm friends with Matt, why I married my wife, and why I like people like Matt and Jill.  I just dig being around grounded, REAL people. 

That's a great big potato.  Yummy.

A short while later, Phillip came to take our orders for entrees.  I chose...wait for it....the Bone In Ribeye, cooked Medium Rare.  You've heard that before, right?  Jill chose the Petite New York Strip, Well Done.  Matt chose one of the specials for the night, the Filet Medallions encrusted with 3 different flavors.  They were Parmesan, Horseradish and Blue Cheese, and Matt got the steaks Medium Well.  Amy ordered from the Prix Fixe menu.  Her main course was a Petite Filet, cooked Medium Rare, and she was thrown a bunch of other items as well.  I believe she got a soup (Shrimp and Crab Bisque), a choice of potato (Redskin Mashed), and a dessert (Pumpkin Pie - it's November, right? (well it WAS when I wrote that)).  I ordered a Giant Baked Potato and some Broccoli (portioned large enough to share with the table) to accompany my dinner.  Matt got the Baked Potato as well.  I have to confess, I can't remember what Jill got as a side, if any.  One of the advantages to taking so long writing this is that Amy informed me that Matt and Jill split the potato.  See.  If I'd gotten all hot headed and just plowed through this, you wouldn't know that.
 

Amy's Petite Filet.  For Her Petiteness.  Her Petiteness.  Hee hee.  I believe
she just got a new nickname.

Once our orders were placed, we went back to conversating.  I love made up words that sound right.  Something about them just embiggens me.  I'm drifting.  I should inform you that Wildfire does not feature USDA Prime steaks.  It is one of two places on this journey (Fogo being the other) that has that distinction.  Given the atmosphere, the noise, etc., I'm not sure "Prime" would have fit.  There's that theme again.... 

Amy was the first one to be served any food, since she had the soup with her meal.  Her bisque was seafoody.  I can't really comment.  I tried it, and was not offended by it, so it must have been pretty good.  Getting better with shellfish.....  I digress.  Again.  So, while Matt, Jill and I were left with a big handful of nothing....Amy was eating away on her soup.  Boy howdy.  When Amy was probably 7/8ths through (how do they time it so well?), the entrees arrived.

Matt's steak trio.  Huey, Dewey & Louie.

We were seated at a fairly large booth, with a decent sized table.  With the bread, the steaks, the potatoes and Amy's soup....suddenly the table was crowded.  My kinda meal.  Don't get me wrong....I'm still not gonna share very much with you, but I do like having mass quantities around to sample and share.  Just not gonna share that much of mine, thank you very much.


That bit of silliness aside, all the steaks looked fantastic.  Matt's three filet medallions were crusted over with the three toppings, looking absolutely cooked to perfection.  I used to eat a lot of steak toward the well done zone, so Jill's steak looked spot on as well.  Amy's steak was cute as a button.  Like her.  I digress.  It was a petite filet, so no, Wayne, it wasn't just a clever name, and it looked great.  My steak was (SURPRISE!) the biggest of the bunch.  Looking like it had been cooked just the way I like it, the bone in ribeye was crusted just right, and very soft when tested for firmness.  Felt medium rare, looked medium rare...I think they got it right.  I couldn't wait to dig in and confirm my suspicions.  

Jill's strip steak. I'm not a  well done guy anymore,
but it sure looks tasty, doesn't it?



Matt's first.  Matt was good enough to actually think about blogging enough after our meal to rate his steaks.  You can read about it in this blog post, but if you don't want to be carried by link to another corner of the interwebs...well...let me sum up his feelings.  His steaks were 3 oz. filets apiece, and his preference was (in order) blue cheese, horseradish then paremesan.  Apparently there were three other toppings to choose from, but I don't roll that way.  Matt really enjoyed his dinner.  Jill was a little less vocal about her steak, (it's hard to get a word in when Matt and I get rolling) but she looked to be enjoying her steak as well.  Amy was back again with another filet.  After last month's Kobe ribeye disappointment, she had decided to go back to her tried and true filet.  Cooked to a perfect medium rare, it was soft, almost melt in your mouth good.  This month I've been researching barbecue competitions for my passion with smoking meat at home.  There is some sauce called Slap Yo Mama BBQ sauce.  I'd say Amy's steak was bordering on slap yo mama good.  She had picked a good entree this month.  Lesson learned.

 My steak.  That's why you're here, right?  Wait, scratch that - substitute
the word "I'm" for "you're."

Now my steak.  Because it's the only one I can really comment on with any authority.  It is advertised as "Crusted Bone in Ribeye."  I was unsure of that when I saw it on the menu, but Phillip assured me that it was just cooking that crusted it, and not some foreign object.  Good choice.  My steak was delicious.  Perfectly cooked at medium rare, the crust on the outside gave a nice smoky bite to every morsel.  Flavor abounded, some from the cut of meat, but some from the fact that it had been cooked on a wood fired grill.  Nice touch.  Again, steaks at Wildfire are NOT USDA Prime.  They are wet-aged for between 21 and 28 days.  Unless you've been going to steakhouses once a month for a year, I'd say you'd have a real tough time telling the difference between Wildfire's ribeye and Prime.  I have been going to steakhouses once a month for a year.  I could tell.  But BARELY.  Have I raved about it enough?  I guess so.  Great steak at Wildfire.  As I dug into the steak a little more, it became obvious that I was going to need to eat my potato quickly again, so that I could focus on my meat.  The potato was very good.  Baked to a nice tenderness, it was a good compliment to the meal.  It should be noted that Amy really liked her redskin mashed potatoes.  In fact...I think they are her favorite starchy side dish this year...how about that?  The broccoli...was broccoli.  It was cooked right.  What else can be said about it?  

Much more conversation about things you don't really care about followed during the entree portion of our meal.  It was great to be out with another couple.  Have I mentioned that? 

Finally, when we were finished with our meal, it was time for desserts.  Matt and Jill said "no" originally, but I think peer pressure got to them, and they ordered the Baked Apple Skillet Pie a la mode. Amy had her Pumpkin Pie order in already, and I went with the Key Lime Pie.  I generally try to avoid key lime pie everywhere else because I've had the GREATEST KEY LIME PIE EVER at Joe's, and I'm a snob. Once I've had the best, why go back?  I took off my snob hat for a second.  I went with the pie.  I also got my customary cup of decaf to go with it.  Nothing says "I'm finished with this fine meal" like a cup of coffee to me. 

Foreground:  my Key Lime Pie.  Out of focus.  Background:  Matt
and Jill's Apple Pie.  Out of focus as well.

I'll start with Amy's dessert first.  She made another really good choice.  The pumpkin pie was a little spicy, creamy and delicious.  If I could have stolen the recipe, I would have.  My key lime pie was also very good.  No Joe's, but it was pretty damned close.  Served as a small, almost tart-y looking thing, it was creamy and the lime didn't overwhelm.  It announced its presence, but didn't hit you in the mouth.  Very well done, Wildfire.  Matt and Jill ate their dessert very quickly, and enjoyed it tremendously.  It was really half a skillet, but don't tell anyone. 

Finally the meal was over and it was time to pay the check, then head back to the suburbs.  Throughout the beginning of the review I talked about a theme.  I'll sum it up this way.  Wildfire is a classy but not "high class" place.  It is comfortable.  The buzzer bugged the shit out of me.  In reviewing their website and menu, I happened upon an option that they offer for big groups.  You get to choose from a variety of items on their menu for $32.95 a person.  I think that's great.  I would say Wildfire is the kind of place you could make a regular stop.  The food is very, very good, but it doesn't cost you any appendages.  You can also go with a group, and no one should do the "I'll have a burger" thing because they can't believe how much the fucking steaks cost.  I think it will be the place where we break our sons into finer dining.  Nice joint.  Try it. 

Nuts and bolts:

Amy and I picked up the check.  Matt and Jill insisted on paying for their liquor.  So.  Ready?  The meal was $250 bucks for the four of us, with liquor and tip.  $250.  That is 66% of what Amy and I spent BY OURSELVES with NO LIQUOR last month at Chicago Chop House.  The upper end flairs and touches were missing at Wildfire...but damn me if I wasn't more than happy with our meal.  I'd say it is our best bang for the buck so far this year for a place where you order off a menu. 

Bathroom stalls are floor to ceiling.  Don't know why I feel compelled to comment on that.

Buzzer thing is a major bad thing.  Didn't like that. 

Ambiance is very nice.  Well designed. 

Bring a group of people with you.  I think that's what the place is meant to host.  I don't think I'd like it as a "couple" destination as much.

So.  There you go.  I've finished this.  Only took me a month.  This is the second to last of these I'm doing.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Get to Wildfire.  You'll like it a whole bunch.

NEXT MONTH:  Gene and Georgetti.  We're ending this with the granddaddy of all Chicago steakhouses. 

The smile is a "Holy crap!  I ate that much good food and got to
keep my arm and leg!  Outstanding!"

I still haven't finished the review of Wildfire....

And today is the last day of November.  Bad Blogger.  I'll try to get it done by midnight, so it's still November...but life's been hectic.  It's like half to two thirds written. 

 

For giggles.....

I'm going to review a post I made in April.  I owe you guys a review of Wildfire.  It's coming.  It will be on here as of Thursday.  In the meantime, I thought I'd check the accuracy of a baseball post I made at the beginning of the year.  From April 14.  Comments after the season are in RED ITALICS. 

 

Two weeks in....

...and the baseball season is proving to be perplexing as hell. 

This baseball season was one of the weirder seasons in a long time.  I got this right.

I'm making my observations here.  Nothing profound.  No links today.

The Cubs may never lose 3 in a row.  They may never win 3 in a row either.  That does not bode well for the idea of playoffs.  Win streaks are what put teams in the playoffs.  I don't see the Cubs being able to do that.

WRONG DUMBASS!  The Cubs proved to be streaky.  More losing streaks than winning streaks, however.  I was too optimistic before the season started about the Cubs - although most of the players I thought would step up this year - did.  They just were a bad team. 
 The White Sox's bullpen troubles are beyond ludicrous.  Therefore, they will get better.  There is simply no way they can be that bad the entire season.

I'm not really sure where I was with this.  If I recall, the bullpen had blown a bunch of leads in a row at this point.  BUT.  The rest of the team was horrible, so ultimately the bullpen had nothing to do with their failure.  I'm right on this - but WRONG about the White Sox getting any better.  They got worse.  Much worse. 
The Indians are going to fall to Earth.  As are the Royals.  And the Twins will be better.

I got this two thirds right.  The Indians finished below .500 after a torpid pace at the beginning of the season.  The Royals are a scary good offensive team (check out their offensive stats - they are a doubles machine), but they have NO pitching, so they collapsed.  The Twins.  Never got better.  WRONG. 

Albert Pujols will probably hit .300 and have at least 35 home runs.  Because that's what Albert Pujols does.

If Albert Pujols had not played the last game of the season, I would have been 100 % right on this.  At the time I wrote the post, Albert was BAD.  He did hit 37 HR's in 149 games, while batting .299 for the season.  I'd say I was right on this.  The World Series Ring gives me the extra .001 on his BA.  Now - I hope he stays in St. Louis, as much as I want him mashing for the Cubs.  He just belongs there. 

The Red Sox will win the AL East.  The Yankees' pitching simply will not be good enough.

Spectacularly WRONG on this.  The Yankees' pitching did undo them in the playoffs, but the Red Sox missed the playoffs despite having the Wild Card in their grasp with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth in the final game of the season.  That being said, of all the ones I was wrong on, given the night of baseball we were treated to on game 162 - I love being wrong on this one. 

I'm looking forward to seeing any Phillies game this year.

Subjective.  I enjoyed every game I watched of the Phillies this year.  Except when they lost to Carpenter 1-0 in game 5 of the NLDS. 

I'm not sure about the Giants.  But the rest of that division blows. 

I got this one right, kinda.  The Giants were something to be unsure about - BUT - the Diamondbacks were pretty damned good. 

The Rangers are scary good.  And a lot of 3rd base coaches seem to be making bad decisions.

Right up until Nelson Cruz shortarmed the WORLD SERIES WINNING THIRD OUT OF THE NINTH INNING, I believed the Rangers were going to win the World Series this year.  I was right.  They were scary good.  And scary bad shit happened to them in Game 6 of the Series.

I am going to love Kauffman Stadium in KC. 

Yup.  I did.  I want one.  Now. 

I'm going to see Fenway and hate Wrigley even more.  I know it. 

This I was right and wrong on.  I LOVED Fenway, and would INSTANTLY choose it over Wrigley in terms of "old ballparks."  BUT.  After going to Fenway, and seeing what potential Wrigley has if money is dumped into her - I appreciated the beautiful parts of Wrigley MORE after I came back.  It's still a dump.  BUT, it could be more.  I look forward to it being so.  That said, I'd rather have Kauffman Stadium or Citizens Bank Park over EITHER of them.

Nothing is decided in the first 2 weeks of the season.  But lots of things can be decided BECAUSE of the first 2 weeks. 

Buck Showalter deserves a raise.  Since he took over, the Orioles have had the best record in the AL East by like 5 games.  That's crazy.  That team is not that good.  They just aren't. 

What do you know?  They were not that good.  But, they kept the Red Sox out of the playoffs.  Good on them for sending that underachieving team home.  And for getting us Theo Epstein. 

I'm going to hate when this season is over.  Just like I hate it every other year.

Got this one right.  Dammit. 

Tomorrow night....

My bride and I are going out to Wildfire with friend (and fellow blogger) Matt in the Middle.  He also happens to do a Podcast called Dirty Laundry Podcast.  In no way, shape, or form am I going to be cross- promoting him.

And so he knows, despite my unwillingness to cross-promote Matt in the Middle, we invited them because I miss him.  Period. 

So.  New Steakhouse Review coming soon.  Maybe Matt will do one as well....?

Chicago Chop House - Miss Chicago Steakhouse for October

Holy shit. 

This is number 11 in the quest for attending 13 Chicago steakhouses this year (and December 2010).  That's a lot of steak.  Now that I'm hitting the home stretch, I can't tell you what a pleasure this has been. 

Previously, we have (cheap hits for this blog coming if you click these links!) visited Joe's, Keefer's, Gibsons, Morton's, Primehouse, Rosebud, N9NE, Fogo de Chao, Benny's and Chicago Cut.  Every one of those (with the exception of Fogo - which makes up for "quality" with quantity) serves USDA Prime steak, and 8 of those 10 are locally based.  This month, we visited another local joint, Chicago Chop House.

This is a bad "artsy" shot I took of the restaurant. 

Located on Ontario, right in the heart of a VERY tourist-y part of town (Ed Debevic's, the Rock and Roll McDonald's, Hard Rock Cafe, Gino's East, Al's Beef and Excalibur can all be seen from the front door), Chicago Chop House is a one of a kind place, built into an old brownstone building.  Go do some research on Chicago architecture if you don't know what that means.  Basically what it means is that Amy and I were sitting in someone's old parlor during dinner.  The place no longer resembles a residence, obviously, but the outline of the room cannot disguise that this was once a home.  Or several homes, as the case probably was.

Getting ahead.  Click the links.  They're funny.  Mostly.  Well, they are to me.  I'm also linking to a Safe For Work picture of an adult film star to bump up the hits to this site.  Hee hee.
 

So, this past Saturday night, Amy and I went out to the Chicago Chop House.  It happened to coincide with the anniversary of our nuptials (THAT'S a wordy way to say something!).  That is actually kind of important.  Before I go to the place we choose every month, I research the restaurant online.  I have known for years that Chicago Chop House was expensive, but I had also known it to be of fine repute.  I have to tell you, and I blogged about it last month, I was strongly considering cutting Chicago Chop House from the list.  Research had led me to believe that we were going to be pressured, and that the meal was going to be PRICEY.  That's all caps.  That means PRICEY.  Most reviews from "normal" folks like me talked about how good the food was, but they talked about how much the wait staff tried to upsell them, and how much the food cost.  OK.  Let's get it out of the way.  The reviews I read were pretty accurate.  So.  I guess you're done.  Go look at Yelp and you don't need me.  Wait.  Stop.  Finish my review, because I think I've got a little more to say than those reviews.  The place is EXPENSIVE (note the all caps again), the waiters DO (all caps) upsell, and the food is...well....the food is GREAT (all caps again!). 



This is scanned from the free note pad on the table.  Most.Expensive.
Free.Note.Pad.Ever.



I should also tell you that Chicago Chop House has been on my Steakhouse Gift Registry for 15 years.  I've just never had the guts to go.  Given our anniversary, the general down-ish time I've had at work lately and the readers who trust me to write these reviews - Amy and I made the decision that, despite the fact that it was going to be expensive, we were going to go for it.  We're both glad we did.  Mostly. 

Arriving right on time for our 6:30 reservation, we walked through the entry vestibule and into a smallish hallway/stairwell.  As I stated, this place was a brownstone, so behind the host station was a sunken room, which at some time would have been the garden apartment, with a live piano player (yeah, like you want to see a DEAD piano player.  Wait.  I might like to see that.  I digress.) who, at one point, did play "Piano Man."  As I said, there was a stairway right there as well.  Decorated for Halloween, the stairs were adorned with pumpkins on the outside (left side going up - right side coming down).  That detail is important, because it's coming into play later.  We were led to the second of what I understand to be 4 floors in the building.  Coming through the door into our dining area, I was immediately struck by something.  We were not in a "central casting" steakhouse.  The walls are not cream.  The trim is not cherry.  The room is not dark.  The walls are green.  The trim is oak.  The room is well lit.  There are lots of pictures of famous Chicagoans on the walls.  People I've not heard of, people you've not heard of, but famous "fathers" of the city.  The room contained probably about 20 tables, give or take a few.  We were seated very close to the front window, in a small table for 4. 

This was the postcard on the table.  If you look in the lower
right corner you'll see "Adult portions also available."  That's pretty
funny.  I think it is anyway. 

Shortly after being seated, we met our waiter.  His name was Robert.  Robert was good at his job.  Very good at his job.  He was fun to talk to, took the time to explain things to us, tried to talk us out of items...tried to talk us into items (more to come on that later), and just generally pleasant.  Glancing around the table, I noticed a pad of paper and a postcard, both adorned with Chicago Chop House insignias.  I'm a fan of free shit, so of course, those are at home now.  Robert told me that if I filled out the postcard, he'd mail it to us.  I chose not to do that, but that's kind of fun.  Robert informed us that the bartender on this floor was especially adept at taking care of women's drink orders.  Not sure what that was about, but he said it.  Again, I don't drink.  Amy rarely does.  No point in going further on that, and fortunately, Robert didn't push it.  One thing about Chicago Chop House that you should be aware of when you go.  They will "upsell" you at every opportunity.  Every opportunity.  Robert got the message on the drinks. 

We were given our menus and explained the "deal."  So, here it is for you.  Basically, every cut of meat at Chicago Chop House is available one of three ways:  wet aged, dry aged Kobe, or just dry aged.  Wet aged is the cheapest variety.  It's still pricey though.  Amy and I did not select from the wet aged menu, so I can't comment.  All the steaks are USDA Prime, so I imagine that the wet aged steaks are fantastic (am I revealing too much already?).  We were also told about appetizers, specials, etc.  They had a Tuna Sashimi that I was tempted by, but Amy doesn't do raw fish.  Robert also started to explain how he could provide us with a meal that would be relatively affordable, and that would take us on a tour of the menu.  He asked if we wanted to hear about it, and we declined.  It actually sounds kind of cool, but I didn't come to Chicago Chop House to sample.  I came to have a MEAL. 



Amy's Mixed Greens Salad



Amy and I decided upon Crab Cakes for our appetizer, and Robert went to place the order, leaving us alone with the main course to decide.  He also said, "I'm going to bring bread.  Only eat one slice.  You are going to be eating a lot tonight, so DON'T FILL UP ON BREAD."  That Marge Simpson thing apparently never gets old.  We tried the bread.  I ate two slices.  It was a warm Italian bread.  Nothing special, but I do likes me some bread. 

My Wedge Salad.  That Thousand Island dressing is the
best I've ever eaten.

Robert returned a short while later and gave the rundown on the steaks.  He said the dry aged Tomahawk Cut was the best steak he's ever eaten.  He also advised us that if we were thinking Kobe, go for the Filet only.  The other cuts were too flavorful to benefit from the Kobe marbling anyway.  Let's talk Tomahawk.  A Tomahawk Cut is a ribeye with a long, Flintstone-esque rib bone attached to it.  The ribeye portion itself is taken right from the center of the ribs.  There are few places that offer this.  I'm not passing on it.  I also found out that it's aged....75 days.  After my experience at David Burke's....that was a tad....off-putting.  I decided to trust Robert and ordered the Tomahawk, medium rare.  Amy ignored Robert's advice and went with the Kobe....Bone In Ribeye, also medium rare.  We also ordered a baked potato, and we each ordered a salad.  I went with the Chop House Lettuce Wedge, and Amy got the Organic Mixed Greens.  At this point, Robert said, "And for a vegetable?  We have...."  Steakhouses are A la Carte.  So...asking about vegetables is....upselling.  "No thanks, salads will be good enough." was our reply. 

Among the discussions with Robert was a talk about the steak knives.  He commented that Chicago Chop House steaks were so tender that they didn't need serrated knives with their name on the side (Gibsons, Mortons, Chicago Cut, Benny's, etc.).  A simple butter knife with a sharpened edge was good enough.  OK.  I'm calling shenanigans here.  Yes, it was most assuredly a non-serrated knife.  BUT, the idea that it was a simple butter knife with a sharpened edge is short selling it.  It looked like a straight razor.  Definitely not as sharp as a razor, but it was NOT a simple butter knife with an edge.  I will also say that it did not have a great big honking handle on it.  So, while it was closer to a butter knife....it wasn't.

The Crab Cake.  A little too perfectly shaped.  The sauce was tasty.

Robert also told us that we needed to start thinking about dessert, and that he'd be around during the meal to order that.  He told us that Baked Alaska was the special of the evening, a Dulce de Leche ice cream, meringue, and chocolate cake all combined in a dish.  Amy and I had pretty much decided upon that when we heard about it.

 

Holy crap.  This is long, and I haven't even talked about the food.  I'll do this quick.  The Crab Cakes were underwhelming.  Mostly breading, there was not much "crab" in there.  They also were entirely too well formed.  They appeared to be "Crab Cakes" that you'd buy in bulk in a box.  Not good. 

The salads.  My salad was delicious.  Topped with some thick cut bacon strips, my little head of lettuce was drenched with an absolutely magnificent Thousand Island dressing.  The head of lettuce itself reminded me of "Audrey II" in the film version the first time it opened its mouth to Seymour.  You've seen that movie, right?  Amy's salad was also delicious to her.  It had a Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing, and was adorned with berries.  Good for her. 

The potato.  OK.  This potato was cooked to perfection.  Super flaky, super tender, just super. Amy's portion came with more of the bacon strips like I had on my salad.  Super duper baked potato.  And for ten bucks....it had better be.

Earlier I referred to the pumpkins on the side of the stairs.  Here's where this comes into effect.  At some point in the meal, I felt the need to use the...uh, euphemism.  What?  You haven't seen that movie either?  Man.  I'm gonna have to slow down on the cultural references.  Anyway, on my way down the stairs, I ran into a group of a thousand (actually more like 10 I think...) coming up the stairs.  So.  I got to wait.  Until every damned one of them cleared.  About 7 people in, a guy said "excuse us."  I couldn't help myself.  My natural smart-ass comes out at times.  This was one of those times.  I was good natured about saying, "Really, what choice do I have at this point?"  I don't think he was expecting a response.  Like I said, I can't help myself.  Anyway, after they cleared, I went into the bathroom.  You know all those previous reviews I've written and always glowed about the bathrooms?  Not at the Chop House.  The bathrooms are pedestrian at best, gas station-like at worst.  The men's room was adorned with pictures of Hollywood starlets from the 30's and 40's (I recognized about 6 of them....), and just generally....a bathroom.  Bad fixtures, bad yellow paint.  Let's just say this about the Chop House.  Infrastructure ain't its strong suit. 



The new champion.  The Dry-Aged Tomahawk at Chicago
Chop House.  Exquisite.



On to the steak.  OK friends, if you reread my review of Gibsons, you will find me over the top about my steak.  You have to remember that was number 3 in the countdown, and I swooned over it.  Having eaten a lot of great steak since, I can safely report that the blush is off the rose in that regard.  Gibsons was still the best, but it was not that much superior to a bunch of other places.  No more. 

The new and reigning champion is the Tomahawk Steak at Chicago Chop House.  Expertly cooked to a delicious medium rare, the steak came to the table looking every bit like a bronto-rib.  Charred lightly on the outside, there was no fat streak running through the middle of it, just a slight one around the perimeter.  Springy to the fork, it looked inviting.  Using my "sharpened butter knife," I dug into it.  Oddly, it cut easily.  How about that?  I've learned through this process that I'm definitely a wet-aged guy.  I just am.  Dry aging has a flavor that I find too gamey.  I like salt.  Wet-aged steaks seem to allow salt to flavor them, dry-aged don't seem to change with the addition of salt.  Anyway.  My steak was magnificent.  It suffered from NONE of the qualities that dry aging imbues, nor was it as off-flavored as my 75 day steak at Primehouse.  It was a perfect red hue on the inside, and required precious little salt.  That's not to say that I didn't "insult the chef" as my mother used to say, but I didn't use a lot of salt.  I, like I had previously at Gibsons, decided that the side dishes needed to be eaten all at once, because I was NOT going to interfere with the steak flavor by eating other things simultaneously.  So, after one bite, I shoved down the balance of my potato, and finished the small amount of salad I had left.  The steak was sublime.  Velvety, tender, and goddamned flavorful.  I hit a home run listening to Robert's advice. 

Amy's steak.  Very good.  Not exquisite.

Amy, however, did not.  Because....she didn't listen to Robert's advice.  Amy's steak looked magnificent as well.  I'm getting ahead of things.  Amy's steak was good.  It wasn't, however, transcendent.  At the price, it should have been.  BUT.  Amy was warned.  Amy's steak was very tender, as you'd expect with Kobe beef.  It was also gamey, as you'd expect with dry-aged beef.  In fact, her steak tasted gamier than mine.  That's not a good thing.  It was a ribeye.  It was flavorful.  It was tender.  It was juicy.  It just wasn't superior.  I think if you asked Amy she'd either go with the Tomahawk or the Kobe Bone In Filet (following Robert's advice) if we go back to the Chop House.  After we win several lotteries, that is. 

About 5 minutes into our steaks, Robert came around to talk about dessert.  Despite my two slices of bread, I was fairly certain that after our meals I'd still have room for dessert.   Like I said, we had decided upon the Baked Alaska already.  I can't resist anything "Dulce de Leche," given my past with a certain gambler named Obadiah and his date in Havana, Sister Sarah.  WHAT?  You don't know that movie either?  Shit.  I really need to educate you folks.  Oh wait.  I guess I am.  By the way.  All these movies I've referenced today are shows I've performed in at some point in my life.  So.  There. 

Baked Alaska.  Not as big as the state, but a fine dessert.

The Baked Alaska was absolutely delicious.  Light, ice cream-y, chocolate-y.  It was a nice compliment to our meal.  It should be noted that I ordered coffee with the dessert.  Robert asked, "Cappuccino instead?"  Upselling.  Right to the last minute.  I can see why it bothers people.  I was expecting it, and have encountered it elsewhere, so I was OK with it, but that one stung just a little. 

Finishing our desserts, it was time to leave.  Only thing to do was settle up the check on a very enjoyable evening at a fine restaurant with my fine wife celebrating our fine marriage.   We did.  And I never have to go back there again (see below). 

Nuts and bolts.

Price.  I have talked about how much these places cost as a service to you.  I'm not trying to say anything else with it.  This time, it's obnoxious.  Our meal was...with no alcohol....including tip....$385.  That's not a typo.  That's a car payment.  And then some.  This is where this review hits a snag.  I loved our meal.  It was not worth the money.  While I've not had a better steak, I've had better evenings, etc.  For $99 per steak...well...know what?  $99 a steak is too much.  Period. 

Bathrooms, and the overall ambiance is utilitarian.  Nice enough, but the place is about the food.   Perhaps it's too much about the food. 

I'm glad I went.  I'm glad I don't have to go again.  It's a status symbol.  I'm not that big into them.  I like quality, and I will pay for it.  But I don't need status.  Adding a dinner to things that can be "bragged about" seems silly.

That's it.  This is the first positive negative review I think I've written.  Loved the food.  Wish I could have left with my shorts.  This is also the longest I've taken to write one of these.  This one was a bitch.  Thanks for your patience. 

NEXT MONTH:  Wildfire -  with guests.   Our guests next month will be blogger Matt in the Middle and his lovely wife, Cha Cha.  I imagine we will have some hot blog on blog action.

Anniversary dinner.  Smiles all around.

I am attending my 25th high school reunion....

....tonight.  Guess people won't believe I'm 26 anymore.  Dammit.

Chicago Cut Steakhouse - Miss Chicago Steakhouse for September

Number 10 on the countdown...

I cannot believe this.  Faithful readers, we have hit the home stretch.  There are only 3 more steakhouses left to visit after our trip last Saturday night to Chicago Cut Steakhouse, a new place located right on the Chicago River at the LaSalle Street bridge, in the River North area.  Damn, that place is jammed with steakhouses.  

As I do every month, and because I'm a pageview whore, let's see where we've been thus far on our food odyssey.  We started with Joe's, then Keefer's, Gibsons, Morton's, Primehouse, Rosebud, N9NE, Fogo de Chao, and Benny's.  If you haven't read those reviews...look at that, I linked right to them.

Oh.  Don't forget to click on the links.  I like to think they are funny....

Speaking of links and pageviews, I'm going to try something here.  For those that don't know, my review of Gibsons has a link to a safe-for-work photograph of Adult Film Star Briana Banks.  I also have gotten 5 times the traffic on that particular blogpost than any other...I think the two things are related.  So.  Here's a safe-for-work link to a photograph of Adult Film Star Jill Kelly.  Now we'll see some major traffic.  Maybe.

I think I can get to the steakhouse review now. 

No, I can't.  Watch here in one week.  I'll put it on Facebook when the time comes, but I have to check out some legalities about something I want to do.  It has to do with helping fund next month's review (found out the place is REALLY pricey - TOO pricey)....and a trip out for one reader (couple) in appreciation in November.  That's what I can say until I check out if I can even do it.

The cover of the menu.  Very nice.

As I said, this month we went to Chicago Cut Steakhouse.  When I proposed this venture, Chicago Cut was not on the list.  It was a late substitution for Tramonto's.  The reason for that is here.  Chicago Cut is a newcomer to Chicago, just short of a year old.  It wasted no time establishing its reputation, partly I'm sure because of its location, and partly because of the way we chose to dine Saturday night.  Its outdoor seating is phenomenal.   Saturday, Sept. 10th in Chicago was a glorious day.  About 78 degrees with blue skies, it was the kind of day that makes living with 12" snowfalls tolerable. 

Arriving about 10 minutes early for our 6 o'clock reservation, we passed what looked to be a host station on the way to the front door.  We also noticed a fairly extensive outdoor seating area, overlooking the Chicago River.  Not being sure what the procedure was, we went inside.  We checked in and were about to be seated inside when I asked if we could sit outside.  Turns out that was indeed a host station we had passed, and we could have stopped there.  Our names were on the list outside as well. 

Dave Kaplan.  Celebrities in Chicago are sports related usually.
He qualifies.

In the brief moments we spent inside the restaurant, I glanced as quickly as I could.  There is a massive wine rack next to the host station.  All dining room seating is on the left, and actually looked pretty damned cramped.  Like, too cramped.  It looked nice, but it looked as if one might be elbowing one's neighbor all night.  The bar was slightly to the right.  The bar is gorgeous.  Trimmed in cherry wood (central casting), and filled with bottles of liquor, the place looked inviting.  Like I said, that was the extent of our time spent inside.

Being sent back to the outdoor host station, we were taken to our table, right on the railing looking over the river, a beautiful view.  As we were approaching our table, I poked Amy and said, "There's Dave Kaplan."  Dave is a local radio personality on WGN Radio, and also handles a lot of pre/post game work for the Chicago Cubs, as well as hosting Chicago Tribune Live on television.  Chicago Cut has a reputation of being popular with local celebrities, and Mr. Kaplan certainly qualifies as one.  We were seated a couple of tables away.  Amy checked in on him regularly with her eyes.  Apparently he had tuna, and corn.   That's my girl.

Soon after sitting down, we were given a choice in waters again.  Tap is fine.  Seriously.  A small basket of breads was left on the table, and we were given our menus.  Our server for the evening, a new to the area gentleman named Tom, also brought out the most unique thing we've encountered at one of these places.  An iPad with the wine list as an App.  Yup.  He left an iPad on the table for us.  We weren't going to order wine, but I've got readers.  I've got to check this out for you.  The wines are grouped by region, or type, or price, etc.  You choose.  It's fucking cool.  There are pictures, prices, and if you are inclined, you can order right from the iPad if you like.  Cool.  I was liking everything we were experiencing.

Lamb Chop Lollipops.  Lolita would look good eating
one of these.

As we sat eating the breads (one of which was a Pretzel Roll - our personal favorite), we were asked for our appetizer orders.  As I've said a couple of times on this journey, I've been inclined to try things I normally wouldn't, because....well....I'm not really sure.  I'm just trying new things.  Chicago Cut would prove to be no exception.  As a child, I don't recall ever eating lamb, and with my proclivity for all things beef, I would not order it as an adult either.  Why eat something I might like, when I can have something I KNOW I will like?  But here I am, out at a fancy restaurant....so....what the fuck.  I ordered the Lamb Chop Lollipops, cooked medium.  I figured an appetizer of lamb can't hurt me.  Amy ordered a cup of Split Pea Soup, cooked...well...cooked.  

Reveling in the weather and the view, we were thoroughly enjoying the choice to eat al fresco.  There is probably seating for about 40-50 guests outside.  I felt lucky to be one of them on this night.  A short while later, a couple who had just gotten married that afternoon arrived, along with their family/friends, a party of about a dozen people.  Seemed like a good place for a celebration.

Split pea soup.  Smoky green goodness.  When I was in
high school, those words were applied differently.

After a couple more minutes, Tom arrived to take our entree orders, bringing the appetizers with him.  The dinner order first.  Chicago Cut dry ages their steaks for 35 days on premises.  For those that didn't read last month, dry aged steak tends to not take a char as well as wet-aged steak does.  It also lends a little gamey quality to the meat.  I've figured out how to taste it.  If this project has taught me nothing else, it's taught me that. 

Anyway. 

For our entrees, I ordered...wait for it...the Bone In Ribeye, cooked Medium Rare.  SURPRISE!  I love this cut of meat.  Amy ordered the Bone In Filet, also cooked Medium Rare.  We also ordered a Baked Potato (big enough to share), and a dish of Green Beans Almondine to accompany the meat.  We then dug into our appetizers.

The Lamb Chop Lollipops were small portions of lamb, still attached to the bone, and they looked like lollipops.  Ta-dah!  Cooked to a perfect medium, the lamb was succulent.  What was really good, however, was the minty, oily sauce that accompanied them.  Giving just enough intrigue to the meat to justify using it, the sauce was a subtle garnish to a fantastic piece of meat.  I heartily recommend the lamb.  Hell, if I was to attend Chicago Cut regularly, I might even order it as an entree.  It was that good. 

Amy's soup was super thick, super creamy, and super smoky.  I have a soft spot in my heart for things that are charred/smoky flavored.  Amy's soup tickled that spot.  She really enjoyed the hell out of it, and also recommends it.  Since we always share at least one bite of every item, I can report I liked it also. 

The waitstaff at Chicago Cut, like every one of the places we've attended, was exceptionally attentive.  Water glasses were refilled quickly, when Amy went to the Ladies' Room, her napkin was refolded and placed next to her plate, etc.  One of the perks of fine dining is that not only do you have a waiter, but the bus boy helps out quite a bit also.  Plates don't sit empty.  It should also be noted that Chicago Cut has its own "branded" steak knives.  Their name is on them.   Nice touch. 



My Ribeye steak.  Hungry?  I am.



So they have these nice steak knives.  What are they used for?  Oh yeah!  Steak.  After a brief intermission post-appetizer, our steaks and sides arrived.  Sides first.  The sides arrived in All Clad fancy little serving dishes.  Very nice.  Amy's half of the potato was loaded with sour cream, chives and bacon.  My half had butter.  Potato was good.  Not fantastic.  A lot of the potato "stuck" to the skin, and was the part you can't eat, without going ahead and diving into the skin.  Guess what I'm saying is that it was a little overdone, because only the very middle section was "tender."  The green beans, however, were spectacular.  Crisp.  Flavored with just enough salt.  They were the best green beans I've ever eaten.  No hyperbole.  And the sentence preceding the hyperbole thought is a sentence I never imagined I'd compose in my lifetime. 

The steaks.  That's what you're here for, right?  My steak was lightly charred, and appeared to be cooked to the proper temperature.  Served with a small tomato with a little wooden "M Rare" flag sticking out of it, the steak looked good enough to eat.  Oh.  Wait.  Back to the "M Rare" flag.  I don't know why I like those things, but I do.  Remember going out with your grandparents, and getting a steak with a plastic tab sticking out of it?  I do.  Those flags always make me nostalgic.  They're totally superfluous, but they give me a warm fuzzy feeling.  I digress.



Meat cascading from the bone.  She said the sauce was good. 
She didn't use it, though.  My God, this was a good steak.

 Amy's steak was...there is no delicate way to say this....a clod of meat.  Charred to a crisp on the outside, the way it was butchered almost made it look as if the meat was cascading off the bone.  I don't know if that translates in the picture, but it looked GOOD.  I dug into my ribeye, and Amy started in on her filet.  My first comment was "this is dry aged."  There is a definite flavor I've already talked about, and Chicago Cut's steak had it in droves.  My steak was juicy, cooked to a hair past medium rare (close enough), and well charred on the outside.  There was something a bit funky about it that is not Chicago Cut's fault.  Dry aging steak also dry ages the fat.  Ribeye is a fatty piece of meat.  The ring of fat that helps define the "eye" gets a flavor that is a little funky with dry aging, and it also kind of dries out.  A good wet-aged steak will have some of that fat melt in the broiling process.  I think.  I don't know.  All I know is that the fat, which is unavoidable at times, added an odd flavor.  Nothing Chicago Cut can do about that, short of wet-aging their steaks.  Bottom line, my steak was great.  Truly great.  I am quibbling.

Amy's filet.  Amy had not ordered a filet on this adventure yet.  A pricey steak, it was worth every penny.  Tender, charred to perfection on the outside, an almost red hue on the inside, it was a fantastic filet.  I would recommend getting that steak if you go to Chicago Cut.  It was tremendous.  Since Amy had not been feeling well, she ate about half her portion and brought the rest home.  She then proceeded to eat it in front of me the other night at dinner.  Bitch.  By the way, you know how people collect string handled shopping bags?  We could have an extensive collection of these if we had chosen to save them, rather than using them for recycling our other paper.  'Cept our collection would be all steakhouses.  Hee hee.

Chocolate Bag.  It's not just a clever name.

Finishing up our dinner, our server Tom came over to tell us what was for dessert.  I found it a tad askew that we didn't receive a menu for this.  He listed Key Lime Pie, Cheesecake, etc. then he said, "Chocolate Bag."  I didn't hear him right.  I said, "Chocolate Bath?"  I think Amy heard something similar, because she had been saying "no dessert" all night.  When she heard "Chocolate bath/bag" she perked right up.  Little trooper.  Anyway, Tom corrected my deafness and said, "No, chocolate bag.  It's a bag made of dark chocolate, with a white chocolate mousse and various berries inside."  Um.  Duh.  Fetch that.  Quickly. 

I can report that the Chocolate Bag was exactly as described.  The bag portion didn't really taste like dark chocolate, probably because of the other complementary flavors included in the bag.  It was also a gorgeous presentation.  We enjoyed it tremendously. 

Darkness was starting to envelop the city, and our dinner was coming to a close.  A beautiful night on the river, spent with a beautiful woman, eating a beautiful dinner.  I am the luckiest man alive.

Nuts and Bolts:

We got out of there for $225.  Sense a trend? 

Place is beautiful inside, mostly.  Tables look cramped.  I recommend eating outside, if you can.

Bathrooms are about what you'd expect.  Beautiful.

Attentive staff.  Love that.

Chicago Cut is a new place, and earning a powerful reputation.  I'd say it's well deserved.  It takes balls of steel to open a steak place in a great steak city, and Chicago Cut certainly asserted itself right into the mix.  Well done.  Another place to return to, once this quest ends. 

NEXT MONTH:  TBD.  (it's supposed to be Chicago Chop House - watch here next week for an announcement on that) 

The picture of the two of us didn't turn out.  Here we are
as individuals.  Me as the professor.



Amy as the smiler.