Smith and Wollensky’s Round Two
A Chicago classic was revisited with much to celebrate. Brad made it home from SA intact, Don and Hans became homeowners, and Scotty’s boys can swim. The last go around at this venerable establishment saw only half the crew assembled so this time we came with the full squad to make our presence known. Holinger was relieved of wine duties after the vicious abuse done to all our credit cards last time at the hands of the sommelier. The appetizers proved to be excellent as usual only out done by the steaks. In general my steak was perfectly prepared and in the end got the best of me, one of very few instances in which steak remained on the plate. It should also be noted that I do not recall excessive blackberry use by JG but I will allow the rest of the group to weigh in on that. Onward to August!
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6 Responses to “Smith and Wollensky’s Round Two”
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A full boat of 8.
Return of Cole.
Celebration of Martin’s impending fatherhood.
Hans’ house purchase goes through.
Young Donald turns 30
Brad returns from S. Africa
So much to be thankful for. The steak was tremendous, although the table and the service left something to be desired.
It is good to have everyone back together. Roddy…. we miss you
I agree with Jev…however, one of the best perks too was the ‘late dipped’ cajun ribeye. Basically the steak comes dripping in lovely sauce and is not burned on the outside. A much more joyous ride through meat heaven…I will be ordering the future steaks as such…you too Mr. Cole?
Cajun Ribeye was enough to keep me content for days. Already looking forward to the next one. Amazing crew – welcome back, Donald – thoroughly enjoyed hearing about shark diving and African safari kills.
Service was OK and the sides were outdone by the steak. We had to order a second round of calamari during the starters session… crispy deliciousness and the marinara complemented it perfectly.
As if being off a plane after 30 hours of travel wasn’t reason enough to celebrate, I got to head right out the door to a full crew (who were either having babies or buying homes) and the return of one Donald Cole! Smith and Wols; I was present for the first go around which was enjoyable. The second time was no better or worse. The apps were good and I did a refire of my cajun rib-eye. As far as I am concerned, the cajun rib-eye is best served at Morton’s, which naturally becomes the basis for evaluation. I am sorry to say while delicious and cooked as ordered the Smith and Wols version doesn’t hold a candle to Morton’s….not even a match. I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on the epic truffle mac and cheese, simply spectacular.
I guess for me it all comes down to value and for my money I don’t think Smith and Wols delivers. Ranking as the most expensive experience for the group, you would expect better then “very good” steaks in addition to top tier service. I didn’t feel the love on either front. At $150 a head I want amazing steak, wine filled regularly, napkins folded and pure attention to detail – that much we did not get.
It was Cole’s birthday (really), I have yet to walk free and Glick (who arrived at about 8:20…I boo thee) walked free for the fourth time.
Looking forward to August.
Good news all around as we enjoyed pre dinner cocktails. Don and Hans both close on new places and Don hits the big 30. Brad returns from South Africa. Scotty is going to be a Dad. Jevon, Holinger and Rick apparently suck, as they have no milestones to celebrate.
I went with the Cajun rib-eye, a popular choice with the group. It was good not great, a little rare and a bit chewy. I agree with Ole Gimms; the Morton’s Cajun rib-eye blows this one away. The truffle mac and cheese was excellent and the hash brows were tasty as well-A flavor explosion if you got a spoonful of both at the same time.
If you want bang for your buck don’t come here. $150 tab and we can’t even blame Holinger this time, as he was not allowed any where near the wine list.
Glick was late so we all decided to ignore him and stare at our phones when he arrived, texting him hello. Not surprisingly texting Glick hello seems to generate a quicker response then a more traditional verbal greeting. Glick did provide potentially the moment of the evening by dropping the name of American Idols favorite host at the speed of light.
A quick recap:
Brad-You will never guess what album I bought with Aerosmith Pump.
Glick-How old were you?
Brad-Sixth grade
Glick-Paula Abdul-Forever Your Girl
A disappointing showing for post dinner drinks, just Glick and myself. Especially since two years ago the July steak night was such a legendary evening filled with barking and parking…as in garages. Despite our best efforts, the post dinner portion of the night never really took off.
Like Lou Gehrig after Babe Ruth bats, I’m up next. Stay tuned for the August location.
Fun night – clearly a lot to celebrate which was well recapped above. Meal was solid. Looking forward to more summer steak nights and hopefully a little more life from the old farts at the table. Poor showing again post-dinner.
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