Smith & Wollensky - Chicago — Restaurant in Chicago

Smith & Wollensky ~ Chicago America’s Steakhouse $$$ ~ $100+ /person

First, let me just say…WOW! Not only was the food incredible, the service impeccable, but the ambiance…. Simply remarkable. Stunning location with amazing views of the water and the city!

The Menu I had…

Apps:

Crab cake: Absolutely delicious! Very fresh, perfectly seasoned, broiled to perfection.

Shrimp cocktail: Served perfectly chilled on a bed of ice complete with a balanced cocktail sauce with horseradish & fresh lemons. Tasted fresh, nicely cooled and perfectly cooked.

Bread on table: Served warm, soft, delicious & sprinkled with coarse rosemary infused salt. Tasted delicious & with that whipped butter on the side!

Mains / Main Course / Entrée

10 oz Cajun style Filet Mignon: Cooked perfect medium rare! The Cajun spice was delicious but a tad too spicy for my personal liking. I much prefer a bloom of spices but not for it to overpower the senses. Meat was tender, delicious and served at perfect temperature.

Moroccan Salmon: Served grilled with a nice moderately spiced couscous (others may find a tad too spicy, it was perfect for me). Fish was a tad bit crunchy on top but perfect temperature and not over cooked inside. Temperature was perfection ! Taste was 👌🏼

Sides

Asparagus served drizzled with hollandaise sauce: Perfectly cooked, crisp, tasty and lightly seasoned with salt & pepper. The sauce was simply a perfect pairing !

Home Fries: Oh what a feast for the senses! Served with fresh herbs & wonderfully spiced. If I’m correct I tasted either Tumeric or safron, coriander & cumin spices. Prob a tiny hint of mustard seeds as well. It was absolutely delicious and makes for a delight to the senses.

Desert

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée: Oh boy…. It was sinfully delicious! That caramelized sugar crackle was on point! The custard/ pudding was so creamy & rich! Served perfectly chilled too! Def a desert that needs a friend to share with. Generous serving but oh why the heck not indulge when on vaca?

New York Style Cheesecake: Served perfectly chilled on a drizzle of fresh raspberry sauce. A tad tangy with the hint of citrus infused into the cheesecake. Crust was firm & sweet. Definitely another desert that needs a sharing partner. A lovely generous portion.

You’ll be needing to definitely valet your car if driving. Parking needs to be validated. A nice $22.00 with validation or you’ll feel the pinch of $38.00 otherwise. Probably best to Uber there in hindsight.

Chicago is a beautiful city & Smith & Wollensky certainly added the highlight to day 1 dining in the books!

Anyone looking to simply experience the best in fine dining with culinary expertise should definitely put this restaurant on their bucket list!

You’ll def be shelling out at least $100.00+ person in this joint so it’s definitely a treat for a special occasion or bucket list.

06/15/25~ Response to Owner: Thank you for your kind & supportive morale boost! I think I’ll have to consider a career change or addition then 😊. Can’t wait to visit again next time...

The famous food critic Ruth Reichl once said that Smith & Wollensky was "A steakhouse to end all arguments," and I would have to agree. Upon entering, one is greeted by the seasoned staff, the host, his assistant who will seat you, and the coat check clerk. Welcoming, professional, and foreshadowing the civilized dining experience to come. The menu is focused on high-end beef dishes (naturally) but does not neglect non-steak eating diners such as myself. A note from their menu, "Our beef is chosen from the top 2% of cattle in America and selected for rich, even marbling." Sourced from Double R Ranch Northwest Beef and Snake River farms, and aged in-house for a minimum of 28 days, the beef is truly exceptional. My partner was torn between the Coffee & Cocoa Rubbed 10oz Filet with ancho chili butter and angry onions, and the Gorgonzola crusted 10oz Filet with bacon and scallions. In the end, after serious deliberation, she chose the latter. It turned out to be an excellent choice. The filet was done to a textbook medium-rare, perfectly juicy and flavorful. The gorgonzola, bacon, and scallions topping it were also broiled expertly, forming a delicious and oh-so-savory crust. Her comments upon being asked her thoughts between bites were short and definite, "delicious," "food porn," and "if you are a steak eater, this is IT." Enough said. I considered a couple of seafood offerings, narrowing it down to either the Chilean Sea Bass with poblano sauce, fondant potato, pickled leeks, and radish or the Seared Yellowfin Tuna with a nori and gochugaru crust, cucumber kimchi, and coconut fried rice. I chose the tuna, although I feel either dish would have been wonderful. It was also cooked perfectly, which with tuna can be tricky as it cooks so quickly. The subtle flavor of the Yellowfin was evident in no way being overshadowed by the crust. The sides were also carefully chosen so as not to overpower the tuna, the cucumber kimchi was the most mild I have ever eaten, and the coconut fried rice carried just enough flavor to compliment the entire plate. I usually consume tuna of this quality in sushi and was wondering how I would enjoy it cooked, I needn't have wondered. It was incredible. The creamed spinach is an iconic steakhouse side dish, and I have consumed it hundreds of times over the decades. This example will be my benchmark for texture and taste for all future offerings. I am somewhat notorious for liking everything, for consistently positive reviews, but I say this with all honesty, Smith & Wollensky Chicago Steakhouse was a five star dining experience and ranks at the very top of all of my restaurant experiences. Not just steakhouses, not just in any one category, but overall, lifetime. And I can't really say much more than...

Food Quality: The quality is acceptable for the price, but it doesn’t stand out. You can find similar or better quality at a lower price, even at places like Whole Foods.

Food Portion: The portions are disappointingly small, especially considering the price. After ordering the filet mignon, I was still hungry, which is not what you'd expect from a dish at this price point.

Presentation: The presentation was severely lacking. Each dish looked as though the chef simply tossed the meat onto the plate with no thought given to condiments, decorations, or any aesthetic details. For a place charging $70-$250+ for a piece of meat, I expected more. The plates were plain, with just meat and no vegetables, garnish, or anything else. I've seen far better presentations at cheaper restaurants and Michelin-starred places.

Service: The waitstaff were friendly, but their demeanor felt out of place. While a bit of humor is fine, I expected more elegance and professionalism in a setting like this. It might just be a matter of personal preference, but it didn’t match the upscale atmosphere I anticipated.

*One of our group members ordered a gigantic chocolate cake, clearly too large for one person. We asked for an extra plate to share the cake with the rest of the group. Instead of bringing another dish, the waiter, who had just served us crème brûlée, simply picked up my plate with one hand, which had a crème brûlée bowl on it, and awkwardly shifted the plate back and forth to slide the bowl off. Once it worked, he handed the plate to another person at the table.

I’ve never seen anything like this in any establishment ranging from fast food joints to Michelin star restaurants - casually sliding a bowl off a plate just to pass it along, rather than simply bringing another plate. I was speechless but chose not to say anything to avoid making a scene. Absolutely unbelievable.

The manager I spoke with was receptive and apologetic about the concerning behavior of the dessert waiter. While the management seems genuinely committed to addressing the issues, I don't think I'll be returning, as the experience just doesn't offer enough value for the price.

Overall: The food quality, portion sizes, presentation, and service were all below par compared to other establishments, including Michelin-starred restaurants at similar or even lower price points. I expected much better. The only impressive aspect was the view, but that doesn’t justify the exorbitant prices for the mediocre food...