MK: STEAK + BAR — Restaurant in Glen Ellyn

We were excited to try the new MK’s in Glen Ellyn but we’re disappointed on a few levels. The vibe is great but the noise level made it impossible for all four of us to participate in any conversation. My Apple Watch even warned me that we were in a dangerously loud environment! We started with the crab cake which was delicious but maybe not worth the $25 asking price. We don’t mind paying more for quality and flavor but overall our palates were disappointed throughout the meal. The wine and cocktails were very good. I ordered the cowboy bone-in ribeye. The menu didn’t say it had a bone so Stacey our server had to check with the chef to make sure. So I agreed to pop for this $68 steak and ordered it medium rare. It came out staunchly “medium” and a little tough. I’m not one to complain but I did let Stacey know my disappointment. She brought the manager who looked at my steak and said he’d buy us dessert because my steak was overcooked. My wife’s au Gratin potatoes were barely warm and Stacey took them back to the kitchen to heat up, which meant she ate most of her meal before they finally came back to the table. Our friend ordered the New York Strip which came out with a bone, which he didn’t order (the bone-in NY Strip costs $20 more so Stacey adjusted our bill for the mistake). The Strip was also a little tough and lacked tenderness and juice. The other two meals were good, not great and certainly not worth the hefty prices. Overall I felt Stacey was our advocate against a kitchen that’s not ready for prime time. If you want to try MK’s now on a weekend, bring earplugs and order the salmon, not a steak. I don’t mind paying $230 for two people (before a 20% tip) if the food lives up to basic epicurean civility. MK’s does not. The separate bar area had a good vibe and was a little more quiet than the restaurant so you might want to eat there and spend less. We still enjoyed a lovely evening with our friends so we hope MK improves because it would be nice to have a great steak restaurant...

We were invited to a soft opening tonight. This place is great! Downtown GE needed an upscale steakhouse on the level of what's downtown Chicago and MK delivers.

Cocktails were great. I had the Jalisco Old Fashioned which is a Mezcal Old Fashioned and it was delicious. My wife liked it better than her martini.

We started with the shrimp cocktail and the shrimp might have been the biggest I've ever seen.

I had steak frites which offered a 14oz Ribeye with thick cut potatoes wedge fries for 52 bucks. Steak was seasoned perfectly and tasted great. Only used a butter knife to cut it.

Wife had the roast chicken and gave me a bite of the dark meat. Fantastic.

They have an awesome kids menu for that scale of restaurant and my son loved his filet and mashed potatoes.

We capped off with the beignet desert. Got 9 or so huge beignets with chocolate and caramel to dip. Loved the value.

Bar was hoping and the dining room offers a great view of the town with huge windows and you can look right into the kitchen.

We will be going...

Glen Ellyn, you just got the restaurant you needed. Service is amazing (thank you Lily). Ambience is comfortably sophisticated and cool. The food…this is what happens when you have a very good chef and source really well. A excellent meal start to finish. Be sure to try the prawns as a start. Nice and balanced cocktail list (well crafted) and wine list. My filet was perfectly prepared and just a perfect cut. Our salmon was vey nice. Other menu options that I cannot wait to explore. The brownie ganache cheesecake elicited a lot of guilt, but was worth every bit. So glad MK now exists near us and fully added to our rotation. Well done, so far a perfect...