Rosebud Steakhouse

I dined here on on 2/25 with two other gentlemen, my business partner and potential investor with a major private equity firm. This was, by far, the worst steakhouse experience I have had, having lived in Chicago for almost 10 years. It started with the cocktails. I ordered a Ketel One gimlet to get things started, and it was extremely weak and watered down, and it came in a very small glass. All this for $10+. Look, I know you pay obnoxious prices for cocktails in most steakhouses, but for the love of God, at least make it a decent pour. The "fun" continued into the next course where my business partner ordered a number of sea food apps to share. I don't like most sea food, so honestly, I did not try everything. However, I was excited to try these extremely large shrimp that they served. The waiter and the manager were extremely impressed with the size - yes they were huge - but sadly, they didn't taste like anything. They tasted like large frozen shrimp that had just been defrosted. Awful. I was willing to let this all slide as I was truly there for the steak, so I made sure to order a good cut: the all natural bone-in ribeye. When it finally arrived, I was disappointed to learn that the "bone" was literally a sliver no larger than a quarter, and not a full bone. Even worse, the steak had absolutely no taste. It was not seasoned at all. Look, I don't care if the cow was fed organic, hand-cut grass, or whatever; even quality meat needs a little salt and pepper. I imagine this steak tastes no better than what I could have gotten at a Ponderosa (at 1/7th the price.) Even the after dinner drink was a short pour for a reasonable $12.  Total bill was $550 for 3 underwhelmed people. If I was paying the bill, I would have lost my mind. But as we were being courted by a potential investor, it was not appropriate to raise an issue.

Look, I love good steak, and I've been to most of Chicago's landmark steakhouses, so I am writing this review with a solid frame of reference. If you want a decent steakhouse experience, don't waste your money here. Head to Gibson's, David Burkes, or even Ruth's Chris. Yes, it's a chain, but they simply serve better tasting steaks. Or hell, if you have $500 to blow, I bet you'd find it more physically and emotionally rewarding to simply to go Al's Beef and donate the rest of money to some homeless dude.

Mike the bartender was extremely attentive and kept the drinks full. The firecracker shrimp app was the best shrimp I have had in a long time.  I would recommend the bone in filet and lobster Mac n cheese....amazing!!!

My boyfriend and I went on a Saturday evening and were seated at our reservation time.  Very good food and very good service... the loaded mashed potatoes and filet were excellent!  

A few downsides: the host yelled over our table several times to call people at the bar which became annoying after the 3rd time (it looked like the bar area was too small for him to maneuver through).  It really ruined the ambiance of our romantic dinner date.

Also, the bartender wiped our glasses with a rag prior to pouring and the rag must have had pine-sol or something on it.  The glass smelled terrible and ruined the taste of the wine.  Definitely not a move I would have expected from a place of this caliber.