Restaurant week is a funny thing. On one hand it's a good reason to go out, try a new restaurant and splurge on some new eats. On the other hand it's a little glutinous. While I love to eat, I very rarely need to eat an appetizer, entree and dessert...but it's restaurant week...so I eat.On the last night of restaurant week, some friends suggested going to the Chicago Firehouse (1401 S. Michigan) for a night of sophistication, friendly banter and large cuts of steak. Who can pass that up?
We've been to the Chicago Firehouse a couple times and tend to have a good time. The food is great and classic, but the building, mood and ambiance is something that always impresses. Anyway, we're not talking about the building anymore. We like it. It's cool. End of story.
Today we're focusing on restaurant week. If you've participated in restaurant week you know that you can order off the normal menu, but that's not very fun. It's restaurant week, so you have to order off of the 'special restaurant week' menu, right? The CF restaurant week dinner menu consisted of two price points and both had three courses (where you had to pick one from each course):
$33 option
Appetizer
- Firecracker Shrimp
- Lobster Bisque
- Baby "iceberg" wedge
Entree
- Roasted Amish Chicken
- Skate Wing
- 10 0z Flat Iron Steak
Dessert
- Pumpkin Pie
- Callebaut Chocolate Brownie
$44 Option
Appetizer
- Charred Baby Octopus
- Steak Tartare
- Lobster Bisque
- Caesar Salad
Entree
- Roasted Pork Chop
- Atlantic Salmon
- 12 0z Rib-Eye Steak
Dessert
- Key Lime Pie
- Callebaut Chocolate Brownie
- Raspberry Cheesecake
So we had a decent sized party and all I can say is that I didn't hear many complaints about the choices the group made (all the choices are italicized above). If there was one complaint it was that my flat iron steak was a little more rare then I liked (and I asked for it to be medium rare). Being the carnivore I am, I still ate the whole thing...and it was still delicious.
Anyway, our experience for restaurant week at the Chicago Firehouse was good and would recommend it. Yes, we ate a little too much, but hey, restaurant week only comes once a year.
Did anyone else go to any South Loop restaurants that participated in restaurant week? If so, speak up and let us know your experiences. Some people are cynical towards the whole week, so we would be curious to hear how it's perceived in the Sloop.
(Hat tip: PSC!)
5 comments:
I had the ribeye, and had the same problem: my steak was far more rare than what I had wanted (medium rare). I regret not sending it back, only because I didn't particularly enjoy it very much. I had cooked far better steaks at home, so I left a bit disappointed.
Went to Firehouse for Restaurant Week also. They put the same walnuts on their pumpkin pie that they do on their salads. The problem? The walnuts are coated in garlic powder, so our pumpkin pie was garlicky...weird.
Also, they have a drink called the Southloop Sidecar that was awesome
Service is miserable here.
Overpriced poorly cooked food.
For a steak, don't forget this is Chicago....you can do much better.
Joe's, Carmichael's, Keefers, GG's, Gibson's, even Capital Grill blows this place away
It's a same this place is going down the way Grace Omalleys did.
This place is an over-priced dump that caught some positive publicity a few years back because (a) is was (and still is) the ONLY fine dining option in the entire neighborhood; and (b) it was affiliated with Daley someway/somehow.
Just like Grace O'Malley's, it will shortly be shuttered for a "reconcept" (whatever that means).
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