Benny’s the Third
It was June 2011 the last time the guys hit up Benny’s. With one of the larger selections of dry aged chops, I figured it was time for another go. I arrived a little early and settled up at the Bar. One thing I have always noticed is Benny’s has kind of a strange smell to it when you first walk in. Not sure what is going on there, but I got past it and was served my Oban. Shortly after my arrival I was greeted by Donald at the bar along with his lovely friend, Samantha. I must say, this was a Steak Night first. I mean, people have brought outsiders to the table before, but never a chick. However, If this boundary was to be transgressed by anyone, Donald was surely to be the guy.
I talked with them for a bit before the rest of the group started to make their way in — Mr. Conway, Jevon, Reeshard, Crenshaw (and his blue belt). Each of the dudes had this quizzical look on their face, a look that kind of said, “Who the fuck is this chick?”. Anyway, Donald sat down to his table and we finished up our cocktails in what was a somewhat lively jazz duo filled scene.
We were shown to our table and settled in. In looking to order some wine I found myself a bit overwhelmed, a huge wine list with little to no reasonable Cab options. Nary a bottle in the $100 range, I passed the buck to Mr. Conway and he took proper care of us.
Ordering up the apps we had some jumbo shrimp, glazed bacon, fried calamari and salmon tar tar. Benny’s was off and running as the apps were pretty much singing to everyone. The Calamari was lightly fried with some red peppers and well delivered. The tar tar, for those that are into it, was super fresh and delicious. The bacon, however, was clearly the winner.
The Benny’s menu is big and much like the wine list, super expensive. They offer a few additions such as a dry aged porterhouse,16 oz. and 20 oz. rib-eye options. I went with the 16 oz. dry-aged bone in rib-eye. The steak arrived and was cooked to perfection, nicely seasoned and the edges were delicious. The one thing is, my steak was not as marbled throughout as I would have liked — not for a $60 piece of meat.
For sides we had creamed corn, mashy p’s, lobster mac and cheese, creamed spinach (off the menu) and mushrooms. I enjoyed the sides but the table didn’t seem too enthused. The cream corn was a standout in my eyes.
One thing I noticed when eating dinner is that Bill Conway must have his food 100% separated while on his plate. There were clear divisions between meat and sides with regular “touch ups” to make sure never the twain would meet. People, the Mac and Cheese must be protected from the Mashy P’s! Just imagine if the two combined? I mean, apocalyptic!
We finished with a huge carrot cake (much to the chagrin of Reeshard), some S’mores cheesecake and something else I can’t remember. I walked free for winning the World Cup pool and what a good night it was for
that! One of, if not the most expensive steak night to date (save, Chicago Chop House).
So here is my final review. I like Benny’s. It is really good. It is big, the staff is attentive but not overbearing and they have a huge menu with quality chop options. However, with the price point where it is for what you receive, it will never be great. I liken it to Maestro’s — I will gladly dine there in the future, but only on an expense account.
Note: Jon Glick cancelled dinner within 24 hours and as such should have to do a shot of the groups choosing next month. This will no doubt be a topic of hot debate as Jon left the door slightly open from the get go, with communique he might not make it. There was also some foul weather to blame. With that, the holy Roman empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire….discuss.
Filed under: General
I was the second person to arrive behind Mr. Brad Ray, well unless you count Don and Samantha. It was clear that Mr. Ray’s natural affable demeaner had allowed a friendly conversation to ensue without addressing the elephant in the room. That being Samantha, who herself was far from being an elephant. She seemed like a natural conversationalist with a fine demeaner. Under different circumstances, she would have made an excellent addition to the steak club, but as she is not a member, her presence was indeed curious. After a couple of Macallan’s though, she fit right in.
The conversation and the service was excellent. Topics included whether Glick should be penlaized for cancelling within 24 hours (as I said, happy to be prosecutor or defender there), Canadian revelry, American healing, Crenshaw’s belt that he stole from Holinger’s closet, the proper procedures of sports betting, the virtues of marriage and the vices of marriage.
After being given a wine list that was by any measure exorbitant, the sommelier steered us toward a fine cabernet that was full-bodied but with a smooth finish at a reasonable price.
The apps were tasty and quickly devoured. I didn’t think the salmon tartar was anything to write home about, but the bacon and calamari were spectacular.
My steak was good, but a bit of a disappointment. I got the 16 oz. bone-in filet, and while good, it wasn’t quite salty enough for my liking. As Cizzle put it once, “there is no such thing as too much salt on steak,” while I don’t agree with that, they were a little too shy in the application. The sides were adequate as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed the carrot cake for dessert. Nothing else to say there. It was a big slice and quickly eaten by the populace despite the steaks just consumed.
Steaks: 6/10
Service: 9/10
Wine/Sommelier: 8/10 (would be higher if the list wasn’t crazy)
Sides: 7/10
Dessert: 9/10
Samantha: 7/10
What are we talking about man? We talkin’ bout practice… Benny’s had most certainly been practicing up since my last dinner here many moons ago. The small jazz duo in the opening room and a warm vibe from the bar tender made for a welcoming entrance. I must say, I did not know what to make of Donald’s guest, I thought perhaps we were having our first female attendee to steak night, however, it was not to be. Mr. Cole slipped away from drinks to his own work affair.
Before I get into the meal, which was fabulous, i have to note how outrageously overpriced this place is. I am all for Benny”s as I do not think there are nearly enough privately owned steak places that are not tied to a chain. Furthermore, I am a real fan of Volare, Benny’s sister joint on St Clair. Still – I left the meal feeling violated in my walllet.
I digress – very good apps – salmon tartare was a new route for the group and i approved. We probably over ordered by one, but the prawns, calimari and bacon were all delightful.
My bone in dry aged NY Strip, was perfect – not usually a strip guy – I appreciate the waitresses recommendation.
We definetly over ordered on the sides and I do not think any of them were that good. Mushrooms were my favorite
Desserts I paid little attention to, but I did sense a carrot cake that was a bit too sitcky
I cheer for this place as a non-chain, and given the busy atmosphere i anticipate it will do well. However, bring the wallet and if feasible – let someone else pay.
Roll Tide
How about Daddy Gimms with a Usain Bolt like initial post, up before noon the day after the dinner, well done. Clearly he didn’t have as many scotch’s as the night at Eddie V’s or that would have never have happened.
There was plenty of room at the Benny’s bar and the jazz duo only added to the atmosphere. Bringing those not in attendance up to speed on the Canadian debauchery would have to wait because there was a female amongst us and tales of Vancouver would no doubt offend her. I was perplexed like everyone else, who is this chick and why is she at steak night? It didn’t make sense like when you wake up after a night of drinking and your pants are on the kitchen counter. I always thought there was an unwritten rule that there were no chicks at steak night, at least not until we leave the restaurant. Leave it to Don Cole to bring up the no hitter to the pitcher. None the less after the initial confusion we had an enjoyable happy hour and Don had his work dinner. Despite plenty of discussion we decided not to go over to his table and perform our best Top Gun melody.
We were seated at a round table which always leads to all inclusive high quality conversation. Our server was excellent, really attentive and grasped the subtle nuances of being a good waitress. A quick example: I was in the bathroom when the waitress came out of the kitchen with my lobster bisque, she glanced at the table saw I wasn’t there and headed back to the kitchen so my bisque wasn’t just sitting at the table. She than noticed me walking back to the table and quickly headed to the table to serve it. I witnessed it first hand, it was a veteran move that showcased her awareness and ability.
I ordered a lobster bisque for the first time in a while unfortunately it was watery. Peppers make calamari better, end of story. Thick cut bacon where you need a knife and fork never disappoints. How do I get some of that bacon with my eggs at breakfast? Bone in ribeye for me which was good and cooked the way I like it but the meat itself was a bit chewy. Sides were good but didn’t stand out although I did like that creamed corn. I will continue to champion my platform that carrot cake (and key lime pie for that matter) is a vastly overrated dessert and should not be a gimmie order. Screw carrot cake, everyone likes the frosting, not the cake itself.
I agree with the others, Benny’s has many positives but the prices are beyond ridiculous and thus will never be a favorite. It may have been the most expensive steak night ever, including Chop House.
I look forward to spirited debate on whether Glick will have to do a shot at the next dinner for canceling within 24 hours. I honestly feel like he shouldn’t have to because he warned us prior and it was weather related. That being said it will not be hard to twist my arm to the other side, not because I think it is right but because we need him to break the tie on whether or not Green Chartreuse is that bad. Don did it like a champ, Scotty almost died. On to the fall.
The end of summer edition of Steak Night brought us to Benny’s. It had been a few years since I’d been there and really couldn’t remember much about it so I was excited. Now that I think about it, I haven’t been remembering steak nights recently so I guess there’s no difference between a few years and a few days.
I arrived to find Sirs Ray, Conway, Fedderke, Cole, Cole’s female work associate and…..wait a minute. How did that last one slip in there? Although a semi-controversial move, I applaud Don for making a nice effort to come see the crew for a drink. No problems with it here. This wash;t any sort of precedent setting maneuver so I’m fine with it. The poorer choice by Don was not taking her to Bavette’s. That is UNFORGIVABLE.
Anyway, we were seated at a lovely round table, across the room from Don and his party where we took photos that any private investigator would have been proud of.
The wine and apps came out and we were off. The bacon was the only memorable thing to me. It always is. I’m not even sure I can objectively judge bacon anymore. The current slice is always the best slice for me. Actually I can say this. No bacon will ever touch Peter Lugers. That I know for sure.
I had the bone-in ribeye as usual. It was fine, nothing remarkable. Too little salt/flavor for my liking. Sides were okay. Creamed corn was probably the standout. And you’re not making any friends with creamed corn.
Dessert…..carrot cake, blah blah blah. Rick and I stood up to the rest of the group and their consistently poor choice of carrot cake and got some peanut butter concoction. It made the carrot cake its bitch.
Brad Ray waked free and oh was it a bad night for that to happen. A smaller group with high menu prices is a bad combination. Benny’s was the most expensive steak night we’ve had since I’ve been attending. Not even close to being worth it.
The company – 10
The food – 6
I was running a bit late which is far from my normal protocol but nonetheless came in hot and ready to do some recapping from the Vancouver adventure. Denied was I by the aforementioned female who mysteriously appeared. Brad Ray spend a few awkward moments discussing NYC with her and that’s about the extent of it. We managed to recount a few of the finer moments of the weekend past once Donald took his female companions to their table. I still think we should have Top Gunned him, but that’s just me.
Table, top marks. Service, top marks. The first time we came to Benny’s we got the hard sell on the seafood tower, which was annoying then but now in retrospect of the better server we still managed to spend a pretty penny without enduring the up-sell. Let me decide how to spend a fortune at your establishment. Apps were far superior to the sides which have been discussed in detail. I went the bone in ribeye route, seemed like a lemming move for me to follow the group but they are a knowledgeable bunch so must be on to something. Ehhh. Maybe not. It came out smelling good and looking better. At first bite I was pleased with the char and crust on the edge. Upon further inspection, it was pretty chewy and lacked the proper marblization. (spell check can go fuck itself, that is a word).
Carrot cake is the king of the steak house dessert and I am a fan of the king. It was just okay, a bit dry and lacking in the true carrot cake flavor. The other desserts ordered did the heavy lifting for a disappointing carrot cake.
I enjoyed this outing to Bennys better than either of the previous. With all the great steakhouses in Chicago they made two crucial mistakes. Price point and meat were both inferior to some of the other options out there. Its not like this stretch of Wabash is exactly the high rent district like Mastros or some of the other higher priced locales we have visited. I mean, its on top of a used bookstore from 1972.
When are we going to RPM Steak?? October, oh good!