Thursday seemed like the unofficial start to summer for the gents of Steaks and Cigars. The day came with some fantastic weather, great company and more importantly, women in sundresses. They seem to have come out of hibernation. It was remarked that Chicago in the summer is a bit like Vegas in that someone must fly these women in from other parts of the country. There’s no way some of you have been here all winter. We’ve been watching…….intently……from afar.

In other non-stalker news, excitement was high to try the latest restaurant to burst onto the Chicago steak scene, Prime and Provisions. Situated beautifully on the corner of Wacker and LaSalle, first impressions were great. They have a nice covered sidewalk café seating area tucked into the building, which just begs for a summer happy hour crowd. Inside we were greeted warmly by the maître d and shown to the bar area. Zee German and myself love a nice, wide open bar floor and this did not disappoint. A three sided bar with ample floor space made it easy to find a corner to gather, drink brown liquor older than my eventual wife and catch up as other members arrived. *Note. Scotty actually picked up TWO guys in route to P&P who joined us for a drink before they were ushered away.

About 8:30 we were shown to a table of the rectangular variety, which isn’t preferred, but hard to scoff at as it clearly allows the restaurant to seat more patrons. Drinks and wine were ordered and we were off! While it took longer than normal between drinks and the appetizer ordering, we chalked this up to being a larger table in a brand new restaurant. They were still figuring out a few kinks with using two waiters for larger tables. Important to note that Patrick was an excellent waiter and really tried his hardest to make sure everyone was taken care of. In addition, Lucas, one of the principals came over to introduce himself, ask some questions, listen to some concerns, and really make us feel welcomed, and more importantly, heard. We told him about steak club, blah, blah, blah like we do with any poor, unsuspecting soul who comes within earshot of us. But he seemed genuinely intrigued. Whether he was or wasn’t doesn’t matter. Customer service goes a along way with this group and by taking WAY more time than he should have with us, he definitely won some repeat customers.

Like any good porn actor says, enough fluffing, on to the main event.

Apps ordered were bacon (shocker), jumbo shrimp cocktail (key word jumbo) and Lobster /Avocado salad. The bacon was amazing as bacon always is. I’d put it in the top three behind Michael Jordan’s and David Burkes. Believe it or not, the only knock is it’s actually not fatty enough. The jumbo shrimp were unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They were basically small lobsters, and the cocktail sauce / horseradish combo was off the charts. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think the shrimp was the best of the three. Of course, since Jevon pulled a Hans and ate all of the lobster / avocado, I’ll reserve final judgment on that until next time.

The meat selection was nice, with a few different options than your traditional steak house. Steak was available a la New York’s finest, Peter Lugar’s, where you order Porterhouse for 2,3,4….alongside your more traditional prime cuts of beef. P&P pride’s itself on using only organic, naturally raised cattle. Most times when you hear “grass fed” you think of Don’s awful steak night selection in Bucktown. Also lean, flavorless beef. I ordered the $72 bone-in rib eye as usual. It’s the only way for me to accurately compare steaks. It should be noted that these $70+ steaks are becoming all too common in the scene. Moving on, my steak was cooked to perfection, and although I’m not a fan of the sizzling plate they served it on, this didn’t affect the integrity of the preferred temperature. It remained a warm medium rare through out. The fastest way to my heart with steak is by the flavoring. This was dashed with a bit of rock salt, on top of the nice char and was really outstanding. Not my favorite steak in the city, but I certainly wouldn’t kick it out of bed. Hell, who am I kidding, my bed might as well be Ellis Island….. bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses (only on Wednesdays).

Sides were all above average. I especially liked the au gratin potatoes with gruyere and charred leeks. You’d have to be a savage not to enjoy that. They also did a slightly different take on creamed spinach that consisted of a spinach/kale blend, with a light cream sauce that was really good. I also deemed it acceptable for a healthy vegetable side. Cream sauce be damned!

 

 

 

 

 

Friday being the Mayor of River North’s birthday, a wonderfully decadent chocolate caramel cake was ordered in his honor, and happy birthday was sang to him and Shawn Merriman, former LB and steroid user from the San Diego Chargers who was seated a few tables away. Or was it Shawn Marion? Let’s take it to Brad Ray for additional insight. Brad? Oh yeah, we also had vanilla custard beignets, which are maybe my favorite dessert of all time. Not only would I not kick these out of bed, I’d actually buy them dinner, take them dancing, and introduce them to my parents.

Conversation was lively. Vegas was discussed. There’s a real buzz for Jon Glick’s bachelor party weekend. Gambling systems, good wholesome girls, and healthy living were topics of interest. And, we decided to add two new members to the group, effective for the June outing. Let it be known, that although our informal interview process didn’t work out quite as we imagined, this does not excuse our new members from the requirement of wearing bow ties, and having a few words prepared. I stand firm on this. All in favor?  The “ayes” have it.

Scotty walked free after not showing up for five months. I’m thinking a new rule should be proposed next month about showing up to collect your winnings. Two months max to collect? Talk amongst yourselves….

In conclusion, these Thursdays have become less about the food, and more about the people. I look forward to these nights to catch up with friends, have a few laughs, and try to hustle free drinks out of someone. I’m looking forward to June, new members, summer and sundresses. And may God bless the Chicago Blackhawks. Onward…..

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