Location: 415 N Dearborn
Cost: Normally around $60-$75 per person
People are always asking me about my favorite Steakhouses. Chicago has a huge selection of options, but steak has never really been my forte. I really enjoy steak, but I usually reserve outings for a special occasion. To that point, when people plan a nice meal they want to make sure they're getting a good experience and reasonably have a lot of questions about a place beforehand. All that aside, when Sullivan's invited me to come try out their new menu items, I jumped at the opportunity. My buddy Brett has been on his Trauma rotation. I had just finished that one, and thus was in a very empathetic position. So the other night we traded in our scrubs for some generally nicer attire and hit up Sullivan's.
Logistics
In a similar pattern to some of the other nice steakhouses in town, Sullivan's has a very classy feel. There's hard wood decor and dim lighting throughout the dining room. We sat at a booth along the far wall with a good view of the whole place. They recently opened up the bar area to the main dining room, which came in handy when the live music started. I guess they have a little jazz going most nights, and the pianist was a nice touch. It matches nicely with the elegant and warm vibe provided by the staff.
The cost is right around the other steakhouses in River North. Most apps were in the low teens, and most steaks were in the $40 ballpark. Of note, they have a special running for the month of October called the Sure Thing Menu. It's basically a $39 pre-fixe menu with some proceeds going towards breast cancer research.
The Food
The first of our many courses included the Seafood Sampler (oysters, lobster claws, shrimp cocktail, and jumbo lump crab) and Crispy Shanghai Calamari. The seafood was all delicious and fresh. It was a huge selection of options. The calamari really stood out. The fried squid had a sweet and spicy chili pepper glaze making it different from any other dish I'd had before.
From there we split a Wedge and a Mozzarella and Tomato Salad. The wedge had a very rich blue cheese dressing in a classic presentation. The mozzarella and tomato salad was a creative take on the traditional caprese with multiple heirloom tomatoes and a light oil dressing.
For the main course we had the Filet Trio, the "Cowboy" Bone In Ribeye, the Mac n' Cheese, and the Creamed Spinach. The trio included blue cheese, peppercorn, and bearnaise toppings. My favorite of the three was the peppercorn. The spicy kick melded well with the rich and tender filet. The Cowboy Ribeye was a perfect medium rare with a generous seasoning rub. The fat content was well distributed to make for one rich and flavorful cut of meat. The mac was creamy with a solid caramelization to the top of the cheese.
Since we had so much room left, they generously brought out the Coconut Cream Pie and the Bananas Foster Bread Pudding for dessert. The pie had a delicate crust and a thick center with tons of shaved coconut across the top. My dad would've loved it. The bread pudding was soft in the middle with plenty of vanilla ice cream and glazed bananas.
Overall
There's a great feel to Sullivan's. It's got the fancy digs of a Chicago steakhouse with a somewhat more relaxed vibe. They've got traditional options along with some twists that keep things pretty interesting. I'd strongly recommend the calamari, the cowboy ribeye, and the bananas foster bread pudding. Go check it out yourself, and don't forget about the $39 Sure Thing pre-fixe menu next month.
Cost: Normally around $60-$75 per person
People are always asking me about my favorite Steakhouses. Chicago has a huge selection of options, but steak has never really been my forte. I really enjoy steak, but I usually reserve outings for a special occasion. To that point, when people plan a nice meal they want to make sure they're getting a good experience and reasonably have a lot of questions about a place beforehand. All that aside, when Sullivan's invited me to come try out their new menu items, I jumped at the opportunity. My buddy Brett has been on his Trauma rotation. I had just finished that one, and thus was in a very empathetic position. So the other night we traded in our scrubs for some generally nicer attire and hit up Sullivan's.
Logistics
In a similar pattern to some of the other nice steakhouses in town, Sullivan's has a very classy feel. There's hard wood decor and dim lighting throughout the dining room. We sat at a booth along the far wall with a good view of the whole place. They recently opened up the bar area to the main dining room, which came in handy when the live music started. I guess they have a little jazz going most nights, and the pianist was a nice touch. It matches nicely with the elegant and warm vibe provided by the staff.
The cost is right around the other steakhouses in River North. Most apps were in the low teens, and most steaks were in the $40 ballpark. Of note, they have a special running for the month of October called the Sure Thing Menu. It's basically a $39 pre-fixe menu with some proceeds going towards breast cancer research.
The Food
The first of our many courses included the Seafood Sampler (oysters, lobster claws, shrimp cocktail, and jumbo lump crab) and Crispy Shanghai Calamari. The seafood was all delicious and fresh. It was a huge selection of options. The calamari really stood out. The fried squid had a sweet and spicy chili pepper glaze making it different from any other dish I'd had before.
The Crispy Shanghai Calamari
From there we split a Wedge and a Mozzarella and Tomato Salad. The wedge had a very rich blue cheese dressing in a classic presentation. The mozzarella and tomato salad was a creative take on the traditional caprese with multiple heirloom tomatoes and a light oil dressing.
The Mozzarella and Tomato Salad
The Wedge Salad
For the main course we had the Filet Trio, the "Cowboy" Bone In Ribeye, the Mac n' Cheese, and the Creamed Spinach. The trio included blue cheese, peppercorn, and bearnaise toppings. My favorite of the three was the peppercorn. The spicy kick melded well with the rich and tender filet. The Cowboy Ribeye was a perfect medium rare with a generous seasoning rub. The fat content was well distributed to make for one rich and flavorful cut of meat. The mac was creamy with a solid caramelization to the top of the cheese.
The Cowboy Ribeye
The Mac N' Cheese
The Creamed Spinach
The Filet Trio
Since we had so much room left, they generously brought out the Coconut Cream Pie and the Bananas Foster Bread Pudding for dessert. The pie had a delicate crust and a thick center with tons of shaved coconut across the top. My dad would've loved it. The bread pudding was soft in the middle with plenty of vanilla ice cream and glazed bananas.
The Coconut Cream Pie
The Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
Overall
There's a great feel to Sullivan's. It's got the fancy digs of a Chicago steakhouse with a somewhat more relaxed vibe. They've got traditional options along with some twists that keep things pretty interesting. I'd strongly recommend the calamari, the cowboy ribeye, and the bananas foster bread pudding. Go check it out yourself, and don't forget about the $39 Sure Thing pre-fixe menu next month.
