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4 February 2002 Anne Spiselman Keefer's is designed with the business diner in mind. Of the new downtown restaurants, this collaboration of brothers Glenn and Richard Keefer, radio industry mogul Jimmy de Castro and executive chef John Hogan distinguishes itself by serving appealing but not-too-challenging steaks and seafood in a contemporary, conversation-conducive setting. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a 50-foot-long crescent-shaped bar with bottle-filled shelves curving around part of the circular main dining area are among the dramatic features, as is a lobster tank built into a stone wall. Booths and white-clothed tables surrounded by handsome wood chairs fill this and two smaller rooms decorated with vintage radios, black-and-white photos of broadcast personalities and colorful posters that pay homage to Mr. de Castro's career. The menu reflects Glenn Keefer's management experience with the Ruth's Chris Steak House chain and chef Hogan's cooking at his dearly departed French bistro, Savarin, as well as at Kiki's Bistro and Park Avenue Cafe. Lunch entrees include a cup of soup or a small house or Caesar salad, but you also can order from the dinner lineup. Meals get off to a good start with several kinds of bread, sweet butter and a little dish of olives and pickled vegetables. Best of the cold openers is the pair of pates, a country-style duck pate with pistachios and a creamy, deeply flavorful chicken liver pate, with appropriate garnishes and toasted baguettes. Smoked salmon on potatoes rostii doesn't quite work: The disk of crunchy deep-fried potato threads is reminiscent of shredded wheat and overwhelms the buttery salmon painted with horseradish sauce. Of the hot appetizers, beef tenderloin "Dianne" easily can double as a light entree. Three medallions of extremely tender, cooked-as-ordered meat bask with mushrooms and shallots in a rich sauce enhanced by red wine and Cognac. Hearty split-pea soup with smoked ham and sausage-improved by sprinkles of salt and pepper-is one day's special. Lobster bisque and chicken noodle soup are always on hand. Despite pre-grated Parmesan, the Caesar salad surpasses the mixed greens, thanks to the delicious, assertive dressing. A large Caesar is available as a main course with filet mignon, shrimp or smoked chicken breast. The ... la carte "country salad" is a classic salade lyonnaise by another name: frisee, bacon and croutons crowned by a poached egg-and, in this case, marred by a mouth-puckeringly tart sherry-walnut vinaigrette. Steaks loom large among the entrees, but my lunch ribeye-Delmonico is a bit of a disappointment. Billed as "USDA Prime," the inch-thick boneless slab rimmed with fat is rare, as ordered, but the reasonably tasty meat is so heavily salted, it's almost inedible. Sauteed fluke, on the other hand, sparkles. Coated with browned breadcrumbs, the fillet is beautifully moist in the center, cannily mated with wild mushrooms and set off by bright-green watercress sauce. A choice of potatoes-lumpy whipped, fries or a little croquette stuffed with bacon, chives and cheese (and still cold inside)-accompanies both. Pan-roasted salmon and fish and chips are other seafood entrees, as is a pot pie that brings together succulent sea scallops, lobster morsels, shelled mussels and other goodies under an impressive puff of golden-brown pastry. The remainder of the possibilities range from eggs Florentine to spinach and roasted-tomato ravioli, an ill-conceived marriage of doughy pasta pillows and cold arugula-diced mozzarella salad. A whole poached pear in an almond-encrusted cookie cup glazed with caramel sauce is a lovely, comparatively light dessert. The most decadent is "triple chocolate," meltingly fudgy flourless cake with a scoop of bittersweet chocolate-honey ice cream draped with chocolate sauce. Interesting wines by the glass (or bottle), amenities such as a stick of rock sugar with the espresso and generally professional service round out lunches that should encourage repeat customers. Crain's Chicago Business uses a four-fork system of rating restaurants, with the following values: one fork-above average; two forks-very good; three forks-excellent; four forks-world-class. In addition, there are "satisfactory" and "unsatisfactory" categories, which rank below one fork. Keefer's
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