Kinzie Chophouse — They Are Who We Thought They Were!
Kinzie Chophouse are who we thought they were! We’ve dined here in May ’09 and January’11. Who the hell takes the third dining experience like its bullshit, bullshit? Kinzie Chophouse are who we thought they were. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were. And we won’t dine here again!
Listen, we have not been here in a really long time. We had about a full group of guys (kudos to Roddy for continuing to set an example) and candidly I was late on the reservation. Thinking back, this place got some decent reviews, but I knew I wasn’t hitting a home run with this selection – I knew what we were getting into. Maybe we have evolved since 2011 – but it was just a bit too pedestrian for me.
I arrived at the bar which was small and cramped with dine in tables. The group assembled and we were shown to a decent table in the back room. The service was ok and the wine selection somewhat scant, but the group was in good form and having some great discussion. As previously stated – great to have Roddy and his stories of the Ukraine! This guy should get some sort of Lifetime Steak Achievement award for the commitment.
The apps were pretty straight forward, some blackened scallops, calamari and shrimp cocktail. Nothing was bad, but nothing really stood out. I got a bone in ribeye medium rare which wasn’t a great piece of meat. it was cooked OK, but something was off. Mason got the dry-aged….No-No, he didn’t. What he did do was impose a 1 year ban on himself from eating dry-aged steak.
I did try Scottie’s bone in filet and that was much more to my quality standard. Sides again were average with the cream spinach as the exception. This dish comes is as what might be the worst creamed spinach in the city. Creamed Corn and sausage was different and just OK as well. The highlight of the meal was not the meal – but fun discussion and with the boys.
It was Crenshaw’s birthday and Glick didn’t have a billing mishap because it was very reasonable. Mason led us on a Cuban excursion where there was some tango dancing (more like watching, but some dancing) and post dinner transgressions by TDI with Senorita Noriega. The text exchange the following day was excellent!
All in all a great night – But Kinzie is who we thought they were and I should probably make better decisions in the future.
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6 Responses to “Kinzie Chophouse — They Are Who We Thought They Were!”
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Quite the tirade, a tough act to follow. I always seem to confuse Kinzie Chop with Gene & Georgetti’s. Both are the old time Chicago steakhouses that seem to appeal to patrons with an average age of 70. I will say i think Kinzie Chop must’ve recently repainted as it seemed a bit brighter and less on life support than I recall. Top marks to Roddy for being a gentleman and a scholar not only on the economy of the Ukraine but on all topics. The bar area is narrow and I think they added a couple more high tops since the elderly don’t like to stand. We were shoe horned in at the end of the bar and periodically tended to by the aloof bartenders.
I liked our table at the back end of the main dining room, somewhat secluded and allowed us to veer into topics and volumes that may have caused some to request a new location. Ole Daddy Gimms pretty much nailed his recap of the food itself. Everything was certainly passable and i think my steak was cooked quite well despite sharing half of it with Glick which reminds me to sit at the other end of the table next month so I don’t fall into the sharing trap. The after dinner trip to Cuba was well worth the price of admission alone, I left on the earlier side before the shenanigans and dynamite fishing kicked into full gear. I had an inkling something epic was going to happen based on the twinkle in that crazy Panamanian’s eye and the willful abandon with which she was approaching the dance floor.
Kinzie Chophouse was a welcome appeal to my Midwestern sensibilities: the ones that have been bent, twisted, and squashed by years of $17 cocktails and steaks that cost more than I used to make in a day. How lovely to be offered the options of a $40 filet mignon and $36 Delmonico. And I thought the meat was pretty damn fine. Like the kind my granddad would have butchered for his family on the plains of Kansas (if he hadn’t been a doctor in Cleveland).
The pre-dinner bar situation was a little tough, but we are asking a lot by rolling eight-deep in well fed gentlemen. The room was homey and festive. Very appropriate for the season. We landed an excellent table at the back of the narrow and well-worn room. I may have been fortunate to have my back to room and not have to take in the assortment of Riffs and Raffs who may have been passing through in pursuit of discounted steak. I returned to my standard order of a wet-aged filet and was well satisfied.
We have my cab driver to thank for a good tip on the Cuban rum bar. I think we’d be fools not to take the boat back to that hole again sometime.
Happy Christmas everyone.
Good work with the Dennis Green reference, one of the all-time great coaching rants. I have to agree. Kinzie Chop House is solid, everything is good but nothing really stands out. You won’t be wowed but you won’t be disappointed. It’s kind of a standard no frills steak experience and there is clearly a place for that on the Chicago steak landscape because the place has been open forever.
I will say the I don’t remember the bar area being so terrible, maybe because it was more crowded this time. No space, lots of traffic from wait staff, average service. I think this may be the worst bar in any steak house.
The place was packed, last time we were here we were practically the only ones in the place. I think the table in the back room worked well for the group, plenty of space and far enough away from the other guests that we wouldn’t ruin their dinner.
I went with a porterhouse medium rare and it was very good. All apps and sides stick with the theme of solid but not unbelievable. One huge miss on the night was we forgot to give Martin his penalty shot for previous canceling transgressions. We will have to put that on the agenda in 6 months when Martin attends his next steak night.
Post dinner drinks found us transported back to 1950s-1960s Miami at the Flamingo Club. This place was cool, different vibe and seemed unpretentious. I’m not sure exactly how Panama’s finest took such an immediate liking to the group but I will say Miss Panama seemed to be on a mission and I was more than willing to help her complete said mission. That girl was sexy as hell, certainly a memorable night. Despite my best efforts I was unable to go back for seconds later on in the weekend. Overall a classic steak night.
Kinzie Chophouse was once one of Chicago’s great, under the radar steakhouses. Unfortunately, it seems to have gone the way of Erie Café, Gene & Georgetti, and some of the other “old guard” of steakhouses that have been surpassed by some of the newcomers on the scene.
For the second month in a row we had a solid crew in attendance, capped off by a surprise visit from Roddy, who now has a better 2017 attendance record than Don Cole. For a steakhouse that should be worrying about their image, and viability going forward, it didn’t feel like anyone working behind the bar gave a shit about decent service. It was one of the more frustrating situations, with bartenders spread too thin from also having to serve tables, and a general lack of attention. But, as always, the company outweighed anything else going on, or not going on in the bar.
After being seated, we all dove into the menu, which seemed very pedestrian by current standards. Nothing really stood out on the appetizer side. Scallops, calamari, and apparently some shrimp. I wouldn’t know as Hans had a few handfuls of it and finished it off.
My steak was fine. Standard Bone-In Ribeye order. It wasn’t bad, but also wasn’t going to hold a candle to some of the better paces in the city. I can’t recall the sides and am just going to assume they were all average.
Afterwards, we finally got a decent group to go out for drinks and watched Mason show off some of his cha-cha-cha dancing skills. And Rick committed adultery……again.
All in all, a great evening with great dudes.
Kinzie – 6/10
A fine night capped by the return of one of SN’s most notable founders (Roddy) made for extra festivities in what I agree has been a locale that seems to have lost a bit of luster/wonder as new places have opened up around town and this joint has seemingly been stuck in a time warp. Bar isn’t that spacious, yet service still suffers and unless you are lucky like we were to get a table towards the rear of the dining room, you are likely going to be feeling a bit cramped when it comes to your dining experience.
Speaking of the experience, l enjoyed the blacked scallops apps as the standout, then will confidently say I managed to roll 7 and get the best steak (or near it) at the table. Bone-in filets have become a new staple of mine as I’ve found them to be more consistent and this was no exception. Mine even managed to come out a bit more on the rare side, but after rubbing some dirt..er…bernaise sauce on it, I was ready to devour the thing. I even managed to show off my meat (which I was happy to do with these fine men) and share it with the group.
I was rewarded for my generousity by walking free from the bill, a first in what felt like years…aka 4 steak nights. On the penalty shot bit per Joe Predicto, I see that as a failure of the group to enforce the rule and would propose it be waived since the opportunity was missed. I will still take my medicine but feel we should put a rule in that if a penalty shot is due, it is up to the group to enforce it at the offender’s next steak night, otherwise it is null and void and the time is passed.
6.5/10
A memorable evening all around.
Rick wore his favorite Panama jack hat to go with his cargo vest and cargo shorts. If you didn’t know better you’d think he was setting off for a trip down the Panama Canal.
Steak was solid – I split w Bubby and he managed to leave some
For me.
Sides were great. Price even better.
After dinner we went for drinks at the Pink Flamingo and learned Crenshaw’s salsa skills are on point.
Overall 8.5