Reunion In Rosemont

The Capital Grille

5340 N. River Road, Rosemont

(847) 671-8125

www.thecapitalgrille.com/home

Meets In Attendance:  Adelman, Goodman, Levy, Mullen

A note from the Editor (Meet Goodman):

As the meets have remained steadfast to our respite from the drudgery of our lives, with a juicy steak as our recompense.  These ‘meat meetings’ are not be regarded as ‘Cosa Nostra’ between meets with secretive undertones.  These are moments to celebrate and share.  May we share more with you and as you share more with us.

It was a ‘long time, no see’ feeling between the meets.  The love was palpable, the drinks were plentiful and our stomachs were barking at the kitchen from the word ‘go’. 

Our server, Alexandra, had a nice post-modern, androgynous look going… let’s move on.

Our sodium levels were raised through 3 separate courses (appetizer, salad, side dish) that included every Jewish person’s guilty pleasure, BACON!  We started with the double cut smoked bacon slab (about ¾” inch thick) with tomato jam slab for the starter, summarily cleared.  The Wedge with bleu cheese was complemented with cubed bacon bits, which made for a nice palate cleanser. 

Yes!  Bacon can be used as a palate cleanser at our table.

Each meet went with their own 10-ounce filet, with Levy and Mullen peppercorn crusting their medium rare cuts.  The warm center was even and impressive for Levy.  Mullen claimed that a rare+ preparation on his cut would have more preferable, but it would have likely given him trichinosis.

Adelman was good with the flavor of his filet, but gave some serious irate table chatter about the size of the cut.    

“That isn’t 10 ounces.” said the irate table chattering Adelman.

Goodman opted for the parmesan crust, which was a little underdone, but did not completely take away from the steak.  His call on the maple bacon brussels sprouts was a solid side dish, with glazed morsels of bacon caressing each sprout with a maple film of wholesome goodness, was popular.  It was nice that Adelman found them too sweet for his liking, as Goodman gladly gorged on his relinquished sprouts.  Thank you, Meet Adelman.

A belated birthday celebration for Mullen capped off the evening with a coconut-cream pie that even non-coconut lovers would die for.  For the 60015-ers (Levy, Goodman, Adelman) the proximity to Rosemont made for a quick ride home, to which we say…

Let’s do Rosemont again!

Our Meets Are Sorely Missed

Chicago Chop House

60 W. Ontario St.

(312) 552-7729

chicagochophouse.com

Meets In Attendance:  Adelman, Goodman, Levy

Meet Bloom was primed for a homecoming, but unforeseen circumstances forced a cancellation, as it did with Meet Mullen, who had family in town.  This left Adelman, Levy and Goodman as the Red Meet triumvirate yet again (we had dined at Gibson’s Italia for our last outing, sorry for the non-post). 

Levy showed up with new specs, which he wears well despite his new tribulation with impaired vision.

Goodman was chastised for being too paranoid about mentioning a party (in honor of Bloom’s homecoming) in which he was invited but not Levy and Adelman.  He took their ribbing too seriously and of course, ended up looking like a senseless goon.  But he learned to forgive himself and went back to his whiskey.

The “Steak House Where Chicagoans Dine” was what we usually heard while asking for reviews from friends who have dined there previously, so the Meets had high expectations going in.

No cold seafood was ordered, and we opted for the Fried Calamari, which Goodman found pleasing, but to indifference from Levy and Adels.  We split a Chop House Salad which was gloriously covered with bacon bits and a mild, creamy Parmesan dressing.  All 3 Meets tore into it with gastrointestinal fury.

The steaks are certainly what separates the Chop House from its competitors, as they touted their in-house dry-aging process, to which the Meets bought in and summarily ordered their steaks as such. Levy was pleased with his customary Peppercorn crust on his 12-ounce, bone-in filet and considered the cut good enough for his house dog to finish the dregs on the bone. 

Adels was impressed with his 12-ounce Grand filet and remarked that this was the saving grace of the meal, as the sides we ordered (Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts) were bland and didn’t complement the meal well.

Strangers and Shoe Shines

Prime and Provisions

222 N. LaSalle St., Chicago

(312) 726-7776

primeandprovisions.com

Meets Goodman and Adelman were the first two to arrive and took a table near the bar, where the Cubs proceeded to lose a playoff game on a nearby TV.  Meets Mullen and Levy attended soon after. 

Levy and Adelman got into their usual patter, with Levy asking for small favors under the table.  Adelman suggested a new entry into the ‘Rolodex of Love’.

The Stranger is a move by which you sit on your hand (whichever one you toss off with) until it gets numb.  Once the numbness sets in, you start the self-abuse.  It’s supposed to feel like someone other than yourself is twanging your wire.

 

The attending Meets will inform me of their respective experience with this.  Now back to our meal.

Our server, Roxy, was attentive and kept our tumblers full throughout the night, not once having to wait for a refill.

We opted away from the usual seafood starters and took on some Thick-cut Bacon and Fried Chicken with a chili Bourbon Maple glaze for dipping.  The winner at the table was the chicken by a landslide, fried to perfection with a crispy, tooth-cracking skin of greasy love.  To a man, the Meets agreed that the only other thing that was needed was a side of waffles… and a bowl of the Bourbon Maple Glaze.

When it came to the meat, the cuts were satisfactory.  However, Mullen found his Bone-In Ribeye to be overcooked, closer to a medium than medium rare.

  

Prime and Provisions does have a game changer with the roasted garlic on the side, ready for smothering over our respective cuts.  Goodman took full advantage of this, extracting every last oily clove, smothering it on every bite of his 10-ounce filet, leaving an exhausted garlic carcass on his plate.

A dessert of Peanut Butter and Whipped Milk Chocolate Pie was buttery smooth and absolutely ravaged by all Meets.

Aside from familiarizing ourselves with The Stranger, the highlight of the night occurred post-meal as a derelict approached us outside at the valet stand, offering shoe shines and his own brand of gospel.  The man was ‘saved’ from the evils of drugs and gangs, choosing the straight and narrow path.

Meet Mullen, the most charitable of the Meets, obliged himself to a shoe shine from the man, with little regard for the lack of small bills in his fold.  Long story short, Mullen’s charitable nature cost him $40 for a shine that probably involved nothing more than wipe down with water and vinegar.