Keefer's Restaurant

So last night, in celebration of my birthday and our one-year anniversary, we headed out to Keefer's restaurant in downtown Chicago.  They're known for their steaks and had a yummy seafood selection, so we were exceedingly excited about what dinner was going to offer.


And they did not disappoint.


As most high end restaurants go, everything is a la carte, so be sure you know that going in.  Nothing "comes with" anything else, which is where a lot of the bill can come in because suddenly you've added $50 to the bill because you wanted the salad or potatoes and spinach sides for every person.  

We, however, kept it simple:  appetizer, two dishes, and a bottle of wine.  The corking fee there is $20, so for us to buy a nice bottle of wine (in the $20-$30 range) to take with and then have to pay another $20 seemed silly when we had a perfectly good bottle there for $50.  We were able to taste the wine before we got it because it was offered by the glass, and the waitress did a phenomenal job suggesting it.  We wanted something full-bodied, a little spicy, but that would pair well with steak and still not overpower the seafood I knew I would order.  She recommended a Syrah by Beckman, and woah!  It was everything we wanted and now on my list of wines to purchase.  Highly recommended.


Dinner was simple: grilled calamari appetizer, halibut, and rib-eye.  And everything was delicious.  The grilled calamari, I will warn, has a twinge of asian flavoring to it, and I actually found myself, upon smelling it, wanting to grab for chopsticks.  It's excellent, but if you don't like asian flared food, this probably isn't for you.  The halibut was good and had a firm texture, but I still think the steak beat out all of the other food, hands down.  It was beautifully marbled, melted in your mouth, and the blackened seasoning gave it just enough of a kick to enhance the flavors.  It's also big, so it should fill you up.  If you're super hungry and don't order an appetizer, then you probably will want a side, but we actually ate all three dishes completely, still had room to split a small dessert and not feel stuffed.  And our dessert was free - a small chocolate lava "happy birthday" cake which was amazing, and I don't usually like dessert with hot, gooey chocolate in it.  In fact, I usually really don't like it, but the cake just melted into a velvety rich heaven once you bit into it.  Also on the list of things to recommend.


So, if you're looking for a nice restaurant to try or you've been here already but didn't get the rib-eye delmonico, then I say you need to put it on you "must visit" list and do so pronto.  5 out of 5 for the steak, 5 out of 5 for the calamari, 4.5 out of 5 for the halibut, and 5 out of 5 for the service and overall atmosphere.  Thank you for making the night so deliciously wonderful.