The Palm-A Sequel Many Years Later
The fine gentlemen of Steaks & Cigars had only been to The Palm once as a group and it was like 7 or 8 years ago. The Palm has recently gone through phase one of a multimillion dollar renovation so it seemed like as good a time as any to return.
We pulled an audible for happy hour and decided to have drinks on the river walk and enjoy the gorgeous weather. I have not spent a ton of time on the river walk and when I have been there it has been in the Marina Tower area, I had no idea how far down it went. We met by the Tiki Bar and I was pleasantly surprised, it’s pretty cool down there. There are a bunch of picnic tables and chairs and bags games, it’s festive, casual but not packed with people. Great place for drinks on a nice summer evening and Brad, Conway and I took advantage of Crenshaw’s tab. We headed upstairs shortly before 8 and were joined at the bar in the restaurant by Hans and Glick.
I don’t remember exactly what this place looked like previously but it does feel like they made the bar area much larger and more open than before. They do also have an excellent whiskey smash so they get kudos from me for that.
We were seated and jumped right into apps which included bacon wrapped scallops, calamari and meatballs. Everything was really good but nothing blew me away. I went with the prime bone in ribeye and it was a bit over cooked, definitely not the medium rare that was requested. Although everyone else seemed to really enjoy their steaks and I had a taste of Conway’s which was better than mine. I guess I just got unlucky with mine. The hash browns were awesome and the au gratin potatoes were solid, both nice compliments to the steak. I don’t eat creamed spinach but Brad dubbed it the worst in the city. This did lead to a funny exchange with the manager and I think she comped it. I think we had crème brulee and something else that escapes me for dessert, the whiskey smashes were having their desired effect at this point.
Dinner time conversation included recent rounds of golf, upcoming bachelor party and wedding activity, kids, the Stanley Cup (which was on), the World Cup and the quiet voices that both Ray brothers possess However the funniest part of the evening for me was learning about Bill’s Australian speaking tour and how he should negotiate compensation. The story is better served by Bill telling it in person but that could only happen to Conway. We did inquire about being immortalized via caricature on the wall since the men of Steaks & Cigars are Chicago icons, they seemed too disagreed with our icon status and noted we have a better chance by donating money. I think the number was $15K but I don’t remember and might have pulled that out of my ass.
I thought The Palm was solid, nothing spectacular and nothing terrible but really solid across the board. If my steak was better it would get higher marks. After dinner drinks were at The Boss. Great start to the summer steak night season
Filed under: General
5 Responses to “The Palm-A Sequel Many Years Later”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I had not been to the Palm in years – so many in fact that when we asked the waiter when it moved from off East lake Shore – he replied – 25 years ago. Well it’s been a while.
I arrived late due to a family graduation event and was happily greeted at the bar by a complimentary makers and diet courtesy of John P. Crenshaw, Motivational Speaker extraordinaire. I accepted his generosity and off to the tables we went.
Rick was excited about his Warriors in the NBA Finals for the 4th straight year (which also marked the fourth straight year of his die-hard fandom) and he was in a Bright Blue Suit w a Yellow Tie to mark the occasion.
Apps were ok – nothing too special about them. Brad and I split the bone in ribeye and I thought it was pretty good – but nothing too special. I honestly don’t remember the sides except that one we called the worst in the city – which got us a gratuitous offer of free dessert.
Stanley cup was on – and BRay wanted some action – $100 was bet on whether the Golden Knights would tie it up in the last 3 minutes at 2-1 odds (after much haggling) and as the Capitals shut them out he graciously paid.
Roulette came out exactly as i called it – once the only heavy card came in – it was the only card remaining.
Overall the Palm felt a bit like everything else on East Wacker Drive – does enough to give a Chicago feel but it’s still a bit of a tourist trap – but it doesn’t gouge you like Chop House but it also doesn’t give you a reason to want to come back.
Off to Boss Bar we went and I think I lasted until 1130. Which felt like 2 am. After years of making fun of BRay, Scottie and Jevon for going home early – I think I finally understand why.
All in all good times.
Palm – 7.5
Overall: 8.5
Running a bit late I was able to only sneak in one complimentary cocktail on the Underhill tab, quite disappointed by my performance on this one. The bar area is much larger and seemingly more open but alot of the space is actually behind the bar, which is always a curious thing these places do since you dont make money behind the bar. A cougar was cautiously seated at the end of the bar almost in our group. She took in some of the conversation then stood up and said, I think you all need more room and went to the far end of the bar.
Anywho, its a better looking space over all but much of the original vibe remains. Glick nailed it in his review, its good enough but not worthy of a return trip when there are much better options out there. Our table had a nice view of some dude’s pickup truck and the ramp to lower Wacker and was in the armpit of the dining room. In general the apps and sides were okay, nothing was truly unique or new and worth further discussion. I did make a change in my steak ordering and went with the bone in aged strip. It was cooked to a perfect temp and had a solid crust. I managed to consume the entire thing which explains why I didnt spend alot of time on the sides. Oddly this is the first place we have been that listed the calorie content of the steaks, I was actually surprised by this and was expecting it to be higher.
Carrot cake was the dessert young Reeshard couldnt remember and I couldnt forget. Welcome back my dear friend CC to steak night, we have missed thee. Lovely conversation and banter between Chicago’s finest with the Ray Brothers voices never dropping below 100 DB.
The Boss was as always a great idea at the time that was a bad idea the next day. There was a hilarious moment when some chica cozied up to Reeshard and in a single coordinated movement all of the rest of us disappeared, curious how that ended up…
Starting at the River Walk Tiki Bar was an unexpected treat, I did not know that was even there. What I did notice were the dark & stormy’s courtesy of Mr. Crenshaw’s literary tardiness which set up the dinner nicely.
My steak was good – I got a nice 14 oz. New York Strip and didn’t leave anything on the plate. Granted I was hungry, but it was good. The hash browns were a nice complement as well.
The apps as previously described were fine, nothing to write home about. I would say the same about the wine, but that maybe the selection that was made.
However, what was nice was the credit card roulette at the end of the evening, which was won by yours truly. However, I gave a good chunk back in the form of Jack & Coke’s at the after party, and I felt those the next day.
And to confirm they did say you need to spend $15K to get your caricature on the wall, but after seeing President Obama and Jennifer Hudson’s I suspect it’s a moving target.
June’s night out for steaks brought us to The Palm. Opened in New York City in 1926 by Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi, The Palm’s philosophy is simple. Treat guests like family, serve great food, and always exceed expectations. Their shared commitment to quality and generosity of spirit sounds an awful lot like the standards our close-knit group. Luckily our delivery is better than The Palm’s.
The night started with a little different cocktail hour as Brad, Rick, Bill and myself walked way down to the end of the Riverwalk to a little hidden gem of a tiki bar in a great outdoor area. Wooden picnic tables and a one man acoustic 80’s band on the river, with a beautiful view was a great way to start, and probably a location that deserves a return trip.
After walking up to The Palm, we were met by Sirs Glick and Fedderke and Bill regaled us with tales of his Australian speaking tour. I still laugh at the story on its fourth or fifth telling. Amazing.
On to dinner, we were sat at a nice round table. The entire restaurant seemed a little make shift. We were basically sitting behind the lobby bar. It’s a very strange establishment. But nevertheless, I was impressed by the feast. Although expectations were very low. So there’s that.
Appetizers were okay, with the bacon wrapped scallops standing out above the rest.
I had the bone-in ribeye as usual and I thought my steak was really nice. It might have just been the abundance of salt, but no matter. It was a nice cut of meat, seasoned and cooked perfectly. I don’t think everyone had the same experience, but I guess in this review, mine is the only one that matters.
Sides were slightly above average, except for the very subpar creamed spinach. Regardless, Hans every last bite of it. The hash brown potatoes were the standout of the sides.
Any dessert order that doesn’t involve carrot cake or key lime pie is good by me. I stuck with the crème brûleé which is really hard to screw up. But this one was just average.
The night ended with a few drinks at Boss Bar, and that was a wrap on June.
On to July, on to summer, and hopefully one for the ages.
Restaurant – 6/10
Bill’s Speaking Tour Story – 10/10
Dark and Stormy…..A real sailors drink. That is what we pre-gamed with at the Tiki bar down on the river walk. Really interesting how they built that out – a mix of locals grabbing happy hour, corporate outings boarding river boats, some tourists and chicks jogging. I think I saw Pete Levine riding around on his bike “looking for some trim”.
Thanks to Mr. Crenshaw for the cocktails.
On the way up the stairs to the Palm Bill told his Global speaking engagement story – amazing. Honestly the best I have heard in years. We got to the Bar and the Palm is very much a hotel restaurant – open to the Lobby and not too big but a nice job was done on the rehab to modernize it a bit.
We started with apps and they were good. Nothing I am going to remember forever – like the terrible creamed spinach – but they were enjoyable. I split the rib-eye with Glick and it was really good. My expectations weren’t super high, but the steak exceeded them. The creamed spinach was just dreadful however and I made a bit of a spectacle of it. I did so not because I was looking for a comp rather if they are serving something that bad the restaurant needs the candid feedback.
Dinner discussions proved lively. Rick told me for a 5th time there is no way in hell Belgium is winning the world cup. I can’t wait until I pull that one off! I lost $100 to Glick on a silly degenerate bet and declined the post dinner drinks. I did manage to leave my work bag there and had to go back the next day to get it….idiot. Great night. Looks like I am hosting in July for what will be a small group.