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25 September 2009 Pat Bruno The guy who has his name on the sign outside is standing at the reservations podium just inside the front door. That's a good sign. His name is Glenn Keefer. He's a veteran restaurateur, so he knows that customer care can do a lot of good and that a visible proprietor makes a statement that speaks volumes. After we were seated in a nice booth, I saw chef John Hogan whiz by. Another good sign. The captain of the kitchen is on deck. I point this out because it is a rarity these days, in an era when the word "celebrity" is appended to the word "chef" all too often, -- and when many celebrity chefs are connected to their restaurant in name only. Keefer's is a busy restaurant, but the layout, the placement of tables, keeps a lid on the noise level, so even when the place is full you don't get that full feeling, as in voices being raised on top of raised voices. This is very civilized dining, and for a popular steakhouse, that's saying something. Steakhouse is probably the preferred culinary description for Keefer's, but it also does a nice job with seafood. An appetizer of steamed mussels -- a rubble of black beauties that appeared to be like any other steamed mussel out there -- seemed to be extra meaty. And because they were done in the French style (Hogan has done a lot of chef work in French restaurants), which has to do with shallots, white wine, garlic, and a touch of cream, the enjoyment was magnified. Balancing those ingredients is the key to unlocking the overall flavor, and Keefer's nailed it. Moving on, a wealth of slices of smoked salmon got draped over a potato cake that was as big as a Frisbee but a lot thicker. All of this was then decorated with creme fraiche laced with horseradish and watercress. Quite an appetizer for one, so have some fun with this and split it. One night we caught the tail end of the Chicago Gourmet 2009 Dine Around menu. And from that fixed-price menu, we plucked an heirloom tomato salad, a farrago of yellow tomato, mozzarella di bufala, string beans, frisee and radicchio, all of which were anointed with an onion-balsamic vinaigrette. On the steak end of things, you have choices: You can go on the top culinary deck and get it on with a prime New York strip, which had all the full flavor expected from a fine cut of prime beef (perfectly medium-rare, thank you). And there are the other steakhouse standards -- filet mignon, Kansas City strip, ribeye, porterhouse -- as well. However, just below the al la carte sides on the menu, check out the "Bistro Menu." Here you will find less expensive fare like a steak burger, steak sandwich, chicken pot pie, fish and frites, seafood pot pie and one of the best steak frites I have had in quite some time. Top sirloin was the cut I chose, and if I got the standard cut (which I assume was the case), it was almost too much to finish. This steak was unbelievably rich with flavor and deep-down goodness (some of that flavor was the work of the maitre d'hotel butter oozing on top). The price was $25.95, which some might suggest is kind of high for steak frites, but I had no beef whatsoever with the price for this delicious steak. And the frites? I have had better, but that's just me being picky. The kitchen got it right with the pan-roasted halibut, as well. The generously sized fillet rode atop a succotash that was peppered with smoked bacon. And alongside that was a rubble of sauteed wild mushrooms. It was all about the clean-tasting fish with flavor counterpoints of earthy mushrooms and the mildly sweet succotash. I couldn't have enjoyed it more. A dessert not to miss is the warm chocolate cake. Yes, I know, chocolate cake with a melted chocolate center has been done to death, but this cake moved me into a good place. In the shape of a mini-bundt cake, I could tell by its appearance -- richly dark with a gloss of chocolate sauce dripping down and around it -- that I was about to cut into something good. And it was. The carrot cake had some tasty moments, too -- the two layers of cake light in texture and gently sweet with a pleasing light cream cheese frosting.
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