Mastro’s was fine/good. But for a place that used to be my personal favorite steak place in Chicago, it was a letdown.

First off, it was interesting that I was able to get this reservation with just a week’s notice. Mastro’s used to be a real tough reservation. It no longer is and I suspect after our experience, it is because it has fallen off. The half filled restaurant further verified that.

I arrived promptly at 7:15 and in minutes found Mssrs. Crenshaw and Rick Ray, followed shortly thereafter by Mssrs. Fedderke and Glick and subsequently joined by proud fathers Scotty and Jevon. The bar scene at Mastro’s is still great. We were able to quickly find seats and had excellent service per usual.

We were then seated at a nice table in the middle of the dining room. The waitress got off a bit on the wrong foot in that when she brought the wine, it appeared that she deliberately hid the fact that she had brought the wrong vintage by covering that part of the label when she showed the bottle. This was a small slight however as the subsequent wine selections were great, an early Pinot and a Justin Cabernet with dinner that both hit the spot at a fairly tasty price.

The sautéed shrimp and seared ahi tuna appetizers both received rave reviews. However, after a miscounting by me, I actually failed to be able to try either one. I did subsequently dip my bread into the sautéed shrimp sauce and I could understand the source of the rave reviews.

The steaks were next brought out. Everyone else asked for a normal temperature plate but me, I was fine with the hot plate. I actually like the fact that while I slice towards the middle from the sides the middle continues to cook catching up with the outside. I had always loved Mastro’s steaks because they were cooked to the perfect temperature and had plenty of salt on them. On this night, I believe every person sent theirs back as it was undercooked. I even sent my New York Strip back with the warm plate. Others have (and will in posts I’m sure) speculate that they were undercooked because of the room temperature plates, but my hot plate was still undercooked. The salt was also a bit less than I recall.

As for sides, the Roasted Brussel Sprouts were great. But a lot of places serve good sprouts these days, so that doesn’t elevate Mastro’s too much. Frankly, I can’t recall the other sides.

For dessert, it was Rick Ray’s birthday, so a great chocolate cake was enjoyed by all.

All in all, was Mastro’s an enjoyable evening with a good meal? Sure. But previous Mastro’s meals have been delicious and almost thrilling, this was merely good. And the half filled dining room indicated that Mastro’s no longer rises above others in the greak steak houses of Chicago discussion and frankly, I don’t think it rises above Prime & Provisions anymore specifically.

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