Wollensky’s Grill – A Private Affair
Suggested by Glick with a location assist from Mason, September 5, 2019 brought with it a Steak Night first; private dining for the NFL season opener. The Venetian room at Wollensky’s Grill suited the group well with a table for 10, including the live broadcast.
I settled into the room for drinks as opposed to the bar. Crenshaw and Rick soon followed with Scottie unexpectedly crashing through the doors. The problem with Scottie there is it was 20 min to kick off and he was supposed to be at Soldier field with his wife. After some awkward greetings he did what ‘Captain Sneaky’ (college nickname) does, and vanished without a trace.
The ordering process differed from the norm so we could maximize our time in the room. Once a few folks came in we just started ordering some apps and wine. No real method to the madness. The menu for the private room was the same as the restaurant – which varies a bit from the Grill’s traditional offerings. We started with the grilled bacon, crab cakes and angry shrimp. All were real solid with my top marks going to the shrimp. The bacon was good but had more of a pulled pork taste as opposed a bacon log. Flowers pinot, always a good choice, was the wine we started out with.
The decision was made to get a bunch of different steaks and have them sliced up so the group could sample a bunch. We were recommended the chateaubriand and rounded out with the porterhouse for two and a bone in rib-eye. The chateaubriand was just decent while I enjoyed the other two cuts. The meat was enough for me, however may have been one steak short of a complete order, to be fair. Groth 2014 for wine with the steaks which was excellent.
With the desserts we kept it to the cheese cake and chocolate cake, which were decidedly differing in size.
As far as the game goes, the Bears were No Bueno and leave a lot of open questions heading into the rest of the season. We hit up Snickers for the after party.
I thought this was a great night all in all – Just a Scottie shy of a full boat, which is rare these days. Changing up the month to month is a good idea when the opportunity arises. Kudos to Glick who floated the idea and Mason for his $.02 on the venue. Service and ambiance were what was expected.
Evening: 9
Meal: 7.5
Filed under: General
7 Responses to “Wollensky’s Grill – A Private Affair”
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What a great idea this evening was. Really fun to be together and have the backdrop of the game. Bears were a bit of distraction from banter, but it was wonderful to enjoy a return to fall. It is a first, but I actually did not get enough meat to eat. Food just decent, but room, company and execution, flawless.
Always great to mix things up and kudos to Kid Ray for setting up a great venue. Private room was a great touch and we all enjoyed it.
Rick came in full Bears attire, wearing his commemorative Bears superbowl tie as the Bears begin their march to the Super Bowl this year.
Shrimp app was solid, glad we ran it back. Steaks were perfect – splitting them was the right call given the game.
Great times even if it wasn’t a great game.
Evening- 9.5 – loved the after dinner move to Snickers.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Being with Chicago’s finest gentlemen in a private room that allowed the Long Island Sound to go at full volume without distracting other patrons was a great change up to the norm, however the Bears performance left such a bitter taste of disappointment after all the hype. Rick already had his Bears v. Browns Super Bowl LIV t shirt made. The bacon was top notch along with the shrimp. The steak left me wanting my own. I didnt find a cut that suited my elevated palette, but it was certainly serviceable. Even the dessert couldnt drown out the bad taste left in my mouth from our teams performance, if only I was a Dolphins fan then I would have been prepared. Snickers should be investigated for their hiring tactics, not that I am arguing for change but there has to be something illegal going on there.
Terrific venue and if we can continue the participation rate necessary to hit the restaurant minimums I’d love to do private rooms every time. Wonderful appetizers. Crab cake was top of the class for the city. Sharing steaks didn’t really work out for me. The French can keep their Chateaubriand. Meahh.
Downstairs at Smith and Wollensky’s remains an excellent somewhat off the path nook. I’m a fan.
8.5/10
I have to echo the sentiment about the private room. I wish we could do that more often, regardless of a mediocre football team playing. Food certainly wasn’t the main attraction, and neither was the football, although both were mildly enjoyable. Once again, the camaraderie took center stage as it should and besides the outcome of the game, it was a splendid evening. I love the recent love affair with Snickers as an after party too, and hope it stays in heavy rotation. On to October.
When there is a game that I want to watch I always get a little nervous about committing fully until I know the details of the room and TV set up. When the private room at Wollensky’s was secured I knew we would have a great venue to officially kickoff the 100th Season of NFL football with the Bears/Packers.
I made sure to get their early and secure a front row seat. The room was spacious, nice large table but room to walk around and mingle too. I thought our waiter was attentive and understood the dynamic of a large group of guys getting together to watch the Bears. Scotty never fails to remind everyone that he is Scotty. Making a quick appearance on his way to Soldier Field reminded me of the time he showed up to my house to watch the Bears/Vikings game a half hour after getting engaged. I wonder what time he actually got to the game given the traffic.
I thought the shrimp were great and the highlight of the apps. The bacon was good too but felt more like pulled pork which is not a knock but more of a surprise. Crab cakes were not good but I think I am finally realizing I just don’t like crab cakes very much because I have the same reaction every time I have them. I would have preferred to have my own steak, I don’t disagree with sharing given the venue and spirit of the evening but when you usually eat a porterhouse by yourself a couple slices is not enough. I wasn’t a huge fan of the chateaubriand.
What can you say about the Bears? In short the D is incredible, the offense was abysmal and for the first time I thought Nagy did not call a good game. Way too pass heavy when it was always a one score game. I don’t understand why they don’t roll out Mitch more and hit receivers and tight ends with short passes in the flat, even if it is just to get him some confidence and completions. Despite the shaky debut I still believe this is a playoff team.
After dinner drinks were at Snickers which is quickly becoming a favorite with the group. It was fun to put a bit of a twist on Steak Night. Perhaps it’s the start of a new tradition to kick off the NFL season every year even if the Bears are not playing. Good times as always.
I showed up late to this one, but just in time to see the Bears not start off the season on the right foot. That said, good apps and good steaks, but the private room made the evening. As did Glick and Rick’s nervous energy!