For the July Edition of Steak Night we returned to the scene of the crime committed by the Sommelier at the direction of Mr Holingwa that resulted in a loss of much hard earned currency many, many years ago. S&W is a Chicago classic steakhouse with a great location along the river, yet it has not been in regular rotation. I was unaware the lower level bar existed luckily Conway knows all the caverns and taverns of Chicago like the back of his hand. Far more spacious and with a great view we were seated at the bar and had about 30 minutes remaining to try to run up the bar tab on Glick.

Back upstairs on the main level we were guided to a round table along the front windows.   Our waiter Lee was attentive without being overbearing.  We regretfully did not inquire if the Sommelier was on duty as Crenshaw took the initial lead.  I fired in the app order quickly as I had arrived ravenous.  The Rib Eye Carpaccio was very good despite many of the salad dodgers in the group complaining of the massive amount of arugula spread over the top.  The rib eye was flavorful and the combination of the lemon oil / parmesan was perfect.  The Tuna Tartare served in a bowl full of avocado seems to be a staple in steakhouses these days, it was okay.  I give top marks to the simplicity of the Beef Bacon app which is served in a jar and accompanied by a bleu cheese dip.  No frills, no giant slabs, no brown sugar glaze, just some damn fins bacon strips in a jar.  The Burrata with Speck Ham was also fantastic, however I think you could put burrata on just about anything and it will be delicious.

For the steak I opted to split with Glick which in the past has been a mixed bag.  This time around I think it was the way to go.  Perfectly cooked and seasoned, nice marbling, a very good cut.  The sides included beef rib cap mac and cheese,  szechuan green beans, au gratin potatoes, and the creamed spinach.  The creamed spinach was a classic preparation, the way it should be and by far the best of the lot.  I don’t know why restaurants keep putting more things into their mac and cheese, totally unnecessary.  We closed out the meal with cheese cake, something else that I didn’t try and as a steak night first, a bottle of port.

Overall everything was very good and if it wasnt for the following two slights I would put this edition among the best.  The first one demonstrated the shady side of the restaurant biz.  We ordered a specific bottle of wine from a specific year and were sent the bottle but from a different year.  Lee then went on to claim that just because it says something on the menu they arent obligated to give you that or notify you if there is a substitution being made.  Utter bullshit.  While you are at it try to tell me that lamb chops are suitable for steak night.  Crenshaw will surely elaborate on this incident.  The second, which to me is of greater significance, S&W apparently took the carrot cake off the menu a year and a half ago.   My soul was crushed by this revelation, they had one of the best in the city.

Filed under: General | 5 Comments »