Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse

On December 23, 2016 the Hart family set out to downtown Chicago for a nice meal together. Nate, myself, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend attended the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Christmas program (which was excellent by the way) on the same day.


After an afternoon of music listening, walking around and being full of the Christmas spirit, we were more than excited to rest our weary (and for some of us, wet) feet at a nice restaurant for dinner. This year's selection was Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse.


For those of you not in the know (myself included), Harry Caray was a baseball sportscaster and is well known for his work for the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox. He also lent his namesake to the Harry Caray Restaurant Group, which contains seven restaurants in the Chicago area and a catering company. I, however, had only ever seen the location at the Midway airport so I was a tad skeptical at first but the Italian Steakhouse River North location at 33 W. Kinzie St, Chicago, IL definitely replaced all my doubts about the location's luxury, plus with a Michelin recommendation how can you go wrong?


Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse River North


Décor: excellent. Everything about the décor is a nod to the steakhouses of old. The lighting is dark and intimate, the walls are paneled dark woods and the decorations hint at Harry Caray's sports' legacy without feeling like you're in a sports bar.


Food appearance: excellent. I apologize for not taking pictures of the exquisite food but we tucked into everything so quickly we barely had time to look at it before it was all devoured. Food was presented with definite attention to plating. Everything looked absolutely delectable.


Food taste: excellent. Nate and I grabbed a drink at the bar while we waited for Mama and Dad Hart to arrive and while we were there we munched on some house-made bar chips. The chips were kettle cooked, fresh and seasoned simply with salt and pepper. They were the perfect snack to have with our beer and sparkling wine.


When the in-laws arrived, we sat down and ordered a trio of appetizers: toasted ravioli, grilled octopus and bruschetta. The toasted ravioli was almost nostalgic in a way, at least to me. I can recall going to a not-to-be-named Italian-inspired chain restaurant and ordering these crisp, fried and cheese-filled babies and enjoying every last morsel! These ravioli, however, were much better and topped with a slightly chunky marinara which really cut through the richness of the fried flavor. The grilled octopus was absolutely divine! The tentacles had a delightful flame-grilled smokiness and the texture was chewy without feeling like rubber bands. The octopus was accompanied by pan fried potatoes, and a lemon wedge. The potatoes had that great crispy exterior and soft interior that everyone who's ever cooked potatoes hopes for and the lemon was the perfect dressing for all of it. The bruschetta was bright and fresh and topped with lightly dressed arugula and shaved parmesan cheese. I will confess I didn't get the bruschetta whole (I'm trying to avoid the Holiday Bloat), so I ate a de-constructed version and I will say the arugula salad was my favorite part.


Now on to the main dishes: in addition to the main dinner menu, the restaurant offers specials and a pre fixe menu. I ordered the Scallops special. The scallops were quickly seared on the outside and the inside was so tender they almost melted in your mouth! My goodness I'm drooling just thinking about them! They were served with cheese tortellini, roasted corn kernels, cheese and a sauce so luscious I would've bathed in it! I could've done without the tortellini though, I didn't think they added much to the dish other than a filler. I would've been perfectly content with my scallops, corn and sauce.


Dad Hart ordered lobster tail which was so tender and sweet the only condiment it needed was a squeeze of lemon juice. He also ordered a side of asparagus and hollandaise sauce for the table, which how can you possibly go wrong with butter, lemon and egg yolks? You can't.


Nate ordered the Chicken Vesuvio, which is the "Best Chicken Vesuvio in the City" according to Chicago Tribune food critic, Phil Vettel; after tasting it I must say I agree with Phil. The chicken was tender, the skin was crunchy and the potatoes that it came with were fantastic and I would've drank the sauce like a wine. It was almost indescribable. Just know if you go there, order it.


Mama Hart ordered the Pan Roasted Whitefish Oreganato, which I, regrettably, did not sample. However, it looked scrumptious. She also ordered creamed spinach for the table, which I also, regrettably, did not sample.


My brother-in-law, Sam, ordered surf and turf, I can't remember the cut of beef but I remember he ordered crab legs for the "surf" and he seemed to enjoy everything.


His girlfriend ordered the Seafood Fettuccini with shrimp, scallops and a sundried tomato cream, now just tell me that doesn't sound like you've died and gone to Heaven?


Dessert was key lime pie to share. The crust was the perfect crunchy-yet-soft texture and the filling was refreshingly tart after all the richness of the meal.


Service: excellent. From the moment we walked into the restaurant we felt like royalty. The hostesses were friendly and immediately took our coats for the coat check. When Nate and I sat down at the bar the bartender, even though she was busy, stopped to drop off a menu and waited patiently while I selected my wine. When I went to the restroom there was an attendant outside who gave me candy and instructed me to send in my fella to be sprayed with fine cologne.


Our server, Waverly, was absolutely excellent! She was patient, she explained the difference between the wet and dry aging process and brought out a large tray of raw steaks and chops to describe the different cuts. Our water and wine glasses were never empty, there were never empty plates on the table for very long and she was just friendly. Never did she seem overwhelmed or like we were an inconvenience. Waverly, if you're reading this, your service was excellent.


Cleanliness: excellent. Everything in Harry Caray's is a well oiled machine, and therefore there are pieces in place to keep everything looking in tip-top shape.


Total: 15/15


I would return to Harry Caray's in a heart beat and order all the scallops, lobster, Chicken Vesuvio, potato chips, sparkling wine and Manhattan's to my heart's content! And you, my dear readers, should do the same.


I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Festivus, Happy Kwanza, Winter Solstice or whatever you celebrate with your families and friends!