Benny’$-Wine about the list
John Calipari, Bill Conway and the Pope walk into a bar….it sounds like the start to a joke but as we found out at our return to Benny’s a similar situation did in fact occur. We had not been to Benny’s in over two years, on the previous trip the general consensus was that it was good but expensive. Years later would a similar theme emerge?
Crenshaw, Brad and myself decided to get an early start to the evening and met at the bar at 6:30. The bar layout is nice, there is a long bar and a number of tables. The jazz like live music added to the atmosphere, providing a nice background soundscape that never overpowered the room or became too loud. It wasn’t particularly crowded would be the only negative. Mason, Conway, Hans and special guest Roddy joined us and we were off and running.
We had a nice circular table and since there were only 7 of us there was plenty of room. The dining room had a number of tables filled but was far from packed. I placed an order for apps immediately: Maple Glazed Bacon, Shrimp Dejonghe and Calamari. The bacon was fantastic, the maple adding a nice element of sweetness and the bacon itself pork belly like. The shrimp was good but the reigning king of shrimp dejonghe is still Joe’s. The calamari was nothing special and fairly generic as far as being prepared in the standard way but anything fried is good so no real complaints.
I went with the dry aged bone in ribeye which was good, however I tried Brad’s wet aged boneless ribeye and it had better flavor. Sides were mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, creamed spinach and homemade gnocchi with mushrooms. The gnocchi was the highlight, first because it’s a unique option for a side and second because it was just bursting with flavor. For dessert there was s’mores cheesecake, which was unexpected in how it was served but tasty. There was also some type of chocolate cake which I don’t remember because it wasn’t that memorable. I thought the server was solid, he was attentive but not pushy.
As we all know I’m not a wine guy so I passed off my host wine picking duties. Crenshaw, Brad and Mason all diligently looked for a decent priced option and must like hot girls at the Horseshoe Casino there are just none available. Around $200 a bottle really the only option. That is ridiculous and I feel like its kind of shady too, knowing full well no one is going to leave once sitting. I see no reason why you can’t have a couple of reasonably priced options on the wine menu just like every other restaurant in the city. This holding the customer hostage via the wine menu just left a bad taste in my mouth, it’s the principal of the whole thing that doesn’t sit well.
Dinner conversation focused on the recent election for Mayor, March Madness, being in a room with Calipari and the Pope and getting headshots of Scotty Martin plastered on restaurant walls across the greater Chicago area. We also found out that Crenshaw is the Daniel Day Lewis of Steak Night, very quietly getting everyone’s attention like he has a serious announcement only to make fun of Hans for having two pairs of crocs, Oscar worthy performance. Roddy won credit card roulette because his card is made of steel and was too heavy for the waitress to pick up. It was my Birthday.
Benny’s is still good but expensive. It was one of the first steak houses to have steaks in the $60s but that is not uncommon now. However their wine list is their down fall and why they continue to be grossly overpriced. It’s good but not worth the money until they address their wine list.
After dinner drinks were at Snickers. Great evening as always.
Filed under: General
I think the last time I won credit card roulette I lived in Chicago – it’s been a long time. Excellent steak, excellent sides. Great to catch up and hear the latest, ended up supporting underprivileged youth education programs after dinner.
Happy 11th Birthday, Steak Night!
As they said in The Big Lebowski, “he’s good man… and thorough,” they may have been speaking about Rick Ray’s aforementioned review.
I’d only mention that they gave us a nice primo table in a good locale, which was appreciated. Additionally, my wet aged NY Strip had great flavor, good amount of juice and salt in there (much like John Calipari’s cologne).
As also said in The Big Lebowski, “you’re entering a world of pain,” they may have been referring to the opening of the Benny’s wine list!
My first time at Benny’s. I’m surprised that they are able to sustain at those prices, especially on the wine. Must be Expense Account Central. In its defense, I will say that that I’ve had far less pleasant food and beverage experiences at only slightly better pricing. My steak was top notch, sides and apps delivered, and the Schaefer Cab was noteworthy.
Might be a great candidate for a BYO corkage fee in the future. I will remember the dinner fondly.
8/10
It’s amazing sometimes that no matter how much time passes, some things never change. And Benny’s prices never change. I think they’ve been adjusting for inflation a few years in advance. Anyway, regardless of the prices, I thought the food was good. But the wine list they should be arrested over. The one reasonable bottle on the menu they were out of. Shocking I know. In addition to a decent meal, the location and atmosphere probably keep the expense accounts happy. And anyone else is just a sucker for an evening.
6.5/10
I arrived after doing the ole hokey pokey on Reeshard in that I had both feet out and then reversed and got both feet back in within a day of the evening due to some other commitments. As everyone would later learn it is likely those feet where in fact clad in crocs. I dont think anything about Bennys deserve much more than a golf clap, and as the group has well documented the wine list is an atrocity. My steak was well prepared but not exceptional. The sides were the same. The bacon as our host described was a bit above par but still not up to Michael Jordans which is still supreme among bacons. I think Crenshaw consumed all of the gnocchi before it reached me, but it sounds terrific. The dinner discussion covered a wide range of topics which always provides both comic relief and serious insight. This evening in particular was a tremendously needed respite from all that occurs in any given day. Always a 10 out of 10 for company but a 6 out of 10 for ole Benny boy.
Posting for Brad who is on vacation and his login info is at his office…
Not having been to Benny’s in a while I thought this was a great pick. The bar is open and spacious and had a jazz triplet playing adding to the ambiance. the whisky list is pretty exceptional and reasonably priced. We had a solid group at the bar, rick Crenshaw and I got their early – don cancelled around drinks time for the evening and Roddy made another appearance which is always great. We were shown to a great circle table that had plenty of space. plenty of space. Did you read that, Chicago Cut…..plenty of space!!! which makes for a much more pleasant dining experience.
I was passed the wine list and couldn’t find anything remotely priced within the realm of sanity….so I passed to mason. I split the wet-aged ribeye with Crenshaw and it was great – better than dry age. I think I am done with dry age. All in all the meal was great. the crew was great the space was great as was the conversation. the only sour note was the outrageous price of the wine list. Unfortunately, that put a down note on the meal as a whole. however, I still had an amazing steak night and give the evening 8.5/10