After pulling the swap with Reeshard last month, Zee German had some time to ponder my selection for November.  Having dined all across this fair city of ours, I realized there is one place I have somehow missed, Joe’s.  After booking 4 weeks in advance, the anticipation has been building for some time.  Daddy Gimms has also spoken so highly of Joe’s that I was expecting alot.

Arriving at 7:10 pm to an already packed high top of Holingwa, Cizzle, Gimms, and Scotty was a pleasant surprise.   Bar service was slow and somewhat painful, but the banter provided ample entertainment.  I am of the mindset that all steakhouses should have a wide variety of brown liquor with educated waitstaff.  After asking what bourbon they had in stock, I was first given a blank stare, then offered up “High West something, something” or maybe “something with Buffalo in the name”.  High West is a rye and they didn’t even have Buffalo Trace on the menu.  Oh well.  It was Cizzle’s treat for a posting transgression last month, circumstances to be discussed later.  The confidence pool and strategies for success were discussed at length, but I remain in the lead.  Reeshard and Ole Thorezine strolled in with time to spare, but Glick managed to arrive just past 8pm, which I guess passes for on time in the Glick book.

Upon sitting down at our table, I had the feeling they decided to shoe horn in a table that was actually a couple seats too big for the small area in the back.  Service started off pretty well and we were underway.  In a steak night first, I handed off appetizer selection to Brad since he speaks so highly of the crab and seemed to know the ropes.  A double clawing for all with plenty of their famed mustard sauce.  I must admit I was not overly impressed with the sauce, but I think I stand alone on this point.  For being first of all relatively expensive and for being the centerpoint of this establishment, I thought the crab was pretty disappointing.  It was clearly frozen and somewhat devoid of flavor.  The calamari was bland and relied solely on the cocktail sauce for anything memorable.  The crab bisque would have been the best bisque I have had, however it came out a touch below luke warm.  All of Joe’s shortcomings were immediately forgotten when my filet arrived.  It was perfectly cooked to a medium rare with a crust that had a perfect crunch and seasoning.  I think this is the best steak I have had on the 1st Thursday of the month.  I ran a bit wild with the sides: brussel sprouts with bacon, mac n cheese with mushrooms, hash brown potatoes, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach.  Brad barking across the table that he needed creamed corn despite its lack of being on the menu was not fulfilled.  The brussel sprouts should have been roasted instead of steamed.  They disappointed Thorezine most of all, but I felt the same way.  The mac n cheese barely made it around the table and the couple scraps I had were actually quite good.  Both potato sides were adequate but not memorable by any stretch.  The creamed spinach won the side competition, but honestly it wasnt a strong field to begin with.  We had a couple good bottles of wine, starting out with the Adelsheim Pinot and a Cote du Rhone.  To go with the steaks I ordered a 2007 Ridge Cab that was fantastic.  The wine will surely be mentioned in other ways in Glicks post so I will leave that to him.

Much of the dinner conversation revolved around a delinquent lead post by Reeshard last month which resulted in Cizzle’s transgression.  There are debatable points to both sides, but clearly since I am posting this the Friday morning after Steak night, I am one for punctuality in posts.  I still believe the lead post should be up before the following Monday morning, but I have little support in this.

Overall, I would say the main course would have been a disappointment had it not been for the steak.  Most steak houses in Chicago do as well with the sides as they do with the steak, not the case here.  Dessert is where Joe’s decided to pick it back up again and shine.  Key lime pie, pecan pie, an insistent Jevon ordered up pumpkin pie, and a brownie sundae for the birthday boy Brad.  I would say each was equally delicious and worth sampling.  The credit card roulette was just about to get underway when Brad tried to explain it to our unassuming waitress that somehow included the word “lube” which struck her the wrong way.  From there things fell apart with a very upset waitress denying Glick his loyalty points and asking if he knew how to read.  More on the points and wine from Glick, I hope.

A strong showing at Alive One for after dinner drinks capped off the evening.  Upon entering the bar, Ryan, the bartender immediately recognized Chicago’s finest and said “Must be Steak night huh?  What can I get you to drink?”

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