Eddie V’s – Rockin’ in the Free World
Eddie Vedder’s steakhouse was a welcome sight to be seen again from this established group of gentlemen as we were pleasantly joined by an officer for a once again, exquisite dinner. First things first, the night started on a cheap note with young Hansel generously supporting the group’s penchant for pre-dinner drinks by taking care of the bar tab due to previous month posting tardiness. Sadly, though, and more on this later, he was smart to cut it off not a second past 8pm and I was drinking band-aids alone for at least the first 25 minutes of the free cocktail hour. I believe he got away with a tab under $200, which for this group (and based on my free cocktail tabs of past) is a true gift.
Everyone arrived in time for dinner, and as usual, I was chatty with the host, Mario, who after a couple ass taps was more than accommodative of our distinguished guest of the night, Naval Lieutenant William Conway. This led us to get a private room with glass doors, an internationally recognized waitress named “Berlin”, and a table that was fitting for this group.
The night was off and running, as was I, as mentioned before…given the pace at which I was running up Hans’s bill all the way towards $200, the appetizers with my old age slipped my mind as to what was ordered but I assume were good because nothing was thrown on the floor. The steaks at Eddie V’s from my viewpoint remain in the upper tier of the city…good cuts, good preparation, complimentary sides and perfect temperature is just about always what I have experienced here. Going with my new staple of the bone-in filet med rare once again was a delight and takes away the risk of an inconsistent play that has become of the bone-in ribeye was a good move and one that I will stick with.
Rick was completely treated for the evening as the Ryan Arcidiacano reincarnate Dante Divencenzio like he was playing for Rollie Massimino (see a pattern here?) whisked Rick to victory in the NCAA march maddens bracket challenge for a walk free card. The night was full of both cold and warm war stories from Lt. Conway where truly I can say this group appreciates and are in awe of the bravery and commitment he has to his cause. May awaits!
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I know we have been to Eddie V’s, but I don’t really have a comparison point because, as I was reminded 72 times, I blacked out at dinner last time around. So, this was like an entirely new dining experience for me. The bar space at Eddie V’s is solid – good space and some live music going.
The crew was at the bar and I saddled up to some Oban courtesy of Hans and immediately began getting the goods from Lieutenant Conway. Scottie mentioned he 100% did not read through any of Bill’s updates (kind of what I do with Scott’s market emails) so some of the stories were repeats – which was fine as the storytelling in person was sublime.
We were showed to our table fit for about 5 dudes and they tried to cram us in – we weren’t having it. There was a private room open and I think the host agreed to sit us there just so Martin would stop close talking him and rubbing his shoulders. The private room turned out to be great.
For apps what stood out to me were the lobster tacos – very different and dynamite. Glick and I went on to split the steak and it was cooked perfect and had a ton of flavor. I wasn’t expecting it to be that good to be honest – so a nice little surprise from Eddie V’s.
Rick walked free for and they were practically shutting down the restaurant while we were still there. All in all a great night and excellent to have Bill back on US Soil.
8
I too had a hard time logging in – to defend Scotty. I enjoyed the free drinks on Hans and the ovetime celebrations as we anxiously awaited Coach mason Phelps – fresh from the victorious Latin middle school volleyball drubbing of a team nicknamed the catholics. We told Mason not to tell them he’s Jewish.
Rick was in full form celebrating his NCAA pool victory, for the record 7th time in a row. We decided next year we actually have to watch some college basketball before filling out our brackets. Rick celebrated the occasion of Lt. Conway’s return with a camo sports coat to go over his camo pants. At parts of the evening we had a hard time finding him in the crowd.
Dinner was good – steak hit the spot and service was fine. Honestly all I’ll remember from the night was hearing Don and BIll’s stories of what it was like to serve and am thankful for all that they did and that we got to hear what that was like. That’s what will stick with me. Glad Bill was back with us and looking forward to more fun nights when (if) the weather gets warmer.
On to May
To Hans credit, he did leave his card down for the full cocktail hour (and not a minute longer!) and I believe the bill was in excess of the $200 claimed. However, the pours were generous and they did actually pour Oban this time, unlike last time where they poured Wild Turkey and called it Oban.
I especially enjoyed the private room they gave us. Great atmosphere. And thank you to the group for permitting me to tell a few “No shit, there I was…” stories from the deployment.
I had the 12oz Filet. It was great, but as always, it could have used more salt!
I coasted into Eddie V’s on a cloud of adrenaline that only low-level, no-cuts, private middle school coaching can provide. I missed the open bar, but immediately settled into the rehashing of Officer Conway’s in-theatre tales, to my great enjoyment.
The habit of steakhouses smashing their biggest ticket dining groups into tiny tables amazes me. Chain restaurants. Well played by Mr. Martin on getting us the private room. Slightly less well-played beckoning the waitress with the moniker of “Berlin Wall” (although a later reference to deutsch marks was pure comedy).
The apps were great, and I have very little memory of the steak. Great to hear Don and Bill’s military stories, and I could spend many more conversations on that topic.
Welcome back Mr. Conway.
7/10
For the record, you finest of gentlemen are able to run up a $300+ tab in 20 minutes. Very impressive.
Apr. 12, 2018 EDDIE V’S 0178515 CHICAGO IL Expand Details$ 302.29 Drinks
Apr. 12, 2018 EDDIE V’S 0178515 CHICAGO IL Expand Details$ 234.07 Dinner
I did indeed suffer a lapse in calendar management and was on the hook for drinks before dinner. I arrived slightly on the later side and was happy to find only a smattering of Chicago’s finest indulging in my bar tab.
With 20 minutes to go in the open bar, the remainder of the crew rolled in and ordered up shots of baby seal tears, scotch aged in 18 year old virgins, and the blood of scottish royalty. Quickly it escalated to the expected $300+ tab. I am happy to pay my penance and will not be tardy to the party again for quite some time.
Being the original steakhouse caller on Eddie V’s I was skeptical back then and have never looked back. The first trip did include the epic events of Scotty picking up Darius Rucker and Brad Ray considering the merits of the meal prior to it having been served. EV delivers a consistent high quality product despite the vibe of a high end basement. The main issue for me is the low ceilings combined with the dim lighting. Most of the venues we find ourselves dining and judging have really upped the ante in the volume of space required to call yourself a steakhouse. The private room was an upgrade to the knee slapping close range quarters Scotty most likely asked for in the first place for ease of groping. Bone in filet was a tender medium rare with a crispy, salty sear to it. Hearing the tales of duty served from Don Recommitment to Excellence Cole and William the Prodigal Son of Chicago Conway was truly the memorable part of the evening other than Scotty saying Danke Schoen to the Berlin Wall after she so patiently and pleasantly took his order. She was also made aware that he is on television and is someone to “know”.
A return to Pearl Jam’s favorite steakhouse, Eddie V’s. Dare I say would it get a ten?
I arrived at 7:15 to find Scotty at the bar solo, I’m not sure how long he was there but he had yet to make best friends with anyone. I immediately got a Tito’s & Soda to take advantage of Zee German’s foul play but let’s be honest Tito’s is not doing the major damage on these bills even if I down a number of them prior to dinner. The bar at Eddie V’s is pretty cool but it’s just not that busy.
It is baffling to me why they would attempt to cram our party of 8 into such a small table especially when the restaurant was not that crowded and entire sections with larger tables were not being used. There are 8 guys, this is going to be the best table in the restaurant check wise, and you would think they would want to take care of the group right off the bat. Thanks to Scotty’s charm we ended up in a private room which worked out well.
I don’t remember all the apps at this point but I remember the lobster tacos being awesome. I went with a bone in ribeye medium rare which was solid. The au gratin potatoes were a bit dry which was disappointing.
Dinner conversation revolved around military tales from Bill and Don which were endlessly entertaining and fascinating. Our server had a smile and was polite but I feel that was masking her mild distain for the group, being dubbed the Berlin Wall certainly didn’t help. Speaking of which Scotty is like the Adam Dunn of making jokes, he either swings and misses wildly (Berlin Wall) or knocks it out of the park (Danke Schoen). I wasn’t sure how to spell Danke Schoen but this is how Hans spelled it and I figure he knows
We are all aware that I am the first person at Steak Night to get locked in, see the parking garage incident circa 2008. Scotty became the first to get locked out, somehow getting locked of the restaurant after stepping out to take a phone call. Apparently Eddie V’s goes on lockdown at 10:00 which is super lame for a down town restaurant in a major city, although Scotty texting to get back into dinner was worth it.
Thanks to my Pizanos at Villanova I ate for free. Free drinks, free dinner, tough to beat that. After dinner Conway and I headed to Sienna for a brief night cap.
Looking forward to warmer months.