Smith & Wollensky

In downtown Chicago there's literarily a steak house on every corner, so competition is fierce. Smith & Wollenskys is one of the old boys in the steak house industry of the town and that fact has its pro's as well as its cons. This is classic stuff, servers who have been working there for longer than I've lived, a menu which is safer than a Volvo combi. The choice of steks and sides are many and you can always find something that suits you. What S&W really can brag with is their winelist, one of the most comprehensive lists that I've seen in this country. And what's better than a steak and a good bottle of red? Biggest let down here is the price...main course with sides will easily land way over the $40 mark which is a lot. Well worth a visit but far from the best steak in town.

There are so many better steak houses in the city for the same price as S&W. It was mediocre at best-the steak was bland, the tuna was overly greasy and the service went above attentive to down right annoying. Hovering is one of my biggest pet peeves and the server we had was a huge hoverer.

I'm torn between giving 3 or 4 stars.  It was good, but for the price there are comparable places that are better.  We went on Valentine's day at 6:20pm and it still was pretty empty, they didn't fill up until about 7:15.  The service was great, it could not have been any better.

The food we got:
-Calamari (good portion and fairly priced, just was rubbery and not crispy.  It didn't stop me from devouring it because the remoulade sauce is amazing)
-Caesar Salad for 2 (very crisp and cold lettuce, but dressing was bland.  Good but average)
-Cajun Ribeye and wife got filet medallions.  Hers looked amazing and she really liked it, but mine was a bit over seasoned with cajun (and I love heavy seasoning) & I'm not a fan of my steak dripping in butter.
-Coconut cake:  THIS WAS AMAZING.  I would go back just for this cake, it was well worth the $10 for a piece.  Apparently the judge on Top Chef voted this as one of her favorite things and now I see why.

Good, but  not as good as David Burke's Primehouse.  I would go back for when they have their wine tasting or specials.