Carmichaels
Jan 30, 2004 | 8:21 am
#1
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Carmichaels
I can't find where I posted this, if ever I did. The steakhouse called Carmichaels was about a 14 minute cab ride from the W Lakeshore, and it is an old and comfortable steakhouse, loved by locals. The food was wonderful, the steaks were lean and had so much flavor and the sides were done right. The service was impeccable; though they were very very busy, and the unique dessert was a small, deep-dish apple pie baked in a brown paper bag, so that when you tore the bag, all the sticky escaped apple/cinnamon filling could be pulled from the paper and enjoyed as well. They served a dollop of cinnamon ice cream with it, it was hot and just incredible. I never do dessert, but this is one I would not miss, and the server was right on when she told us early to save room. Fun, too to see "guido and the guys" at every other table; I kept feeling like some big BOSS was going to come through the door at any minute....<I have an adventurous imagination 
Jan 30, 2004 | 7:19 pm
#2
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MetroMix rates Carmichaels well.
Im not crazy about the Certified Angus as it is a highly overrated quality label IMO, but the reviewer of MetroMix liked them.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">None of this would matter if the steaks didn't measure up, but Carmichael's acquits itself well on that score, too.
First to the table is a basket of bread, rolls and crispy flatbread, accompanied by a ramekin of whipped-cheddar spread. This gives you sustenance as you pore over the meaty and non-meaty options.
The operative question in the appetizer category is "How do you want your shrimp?" Four of the seven appetizers are shrimp, including a straightforward shrimp cocktail and shrimp de jonghe (a dish that originated in Chicago), which features lemon-kissed rock shrimp under a blanket of garlicky breadcrumbs. I've had a lot of shrimp de jonghe over the years (though it's rare to find it on menus these days), and this version is first-rate.
Larger shrimp are on display in the barbecued shrimp starter, in which a half-dozen shrimp are wrapped in applewood-smoked bacon and dunked in a tangy, hickory-smoked barbecue sauce, placed on a pile of Tabasco-marinated fried onions. Spicy shrimp are not alarmingly spicy, though the seasonings of cayenne and chipotle peppers do get your attention. I could do without the accompanying corn pudding, which tastes unpleasantly starchy.
The beef on Carmichael's menu is Certified Angus, cooked with a minimum of fuss and a great deal of accuracy by the kitchen, run by chef Brian Reid. Steaks can be ordered with a char crust (my favorite), peppercorn crust or al forno, in which the steak is studded with garlic cloves and blanketed by a blend of fontina, fontinella and parmesan cheeses.
The gimmicky apple pie, imported from a farmer in Mukwonago, Wis., actually is baked inside a lightly oiled paper bag, which the servers carefully tear away at the table. The bag allegedly keeps the crust crisp and flaky, and I can't argue with the results.
Carmichael's
1052 W. Monroe St.
312-433-0025
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Fri.
Entrie prices: $15.95-$49.95
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Recommended
Noise: Conversation-friendly
Other: Free valet parking.</font>
First to the table is a basket of bread, rolls and crispy flatbread, accompanied by a ramekin of whipped-cheddar spread. This gives you sustenance as you pore over the meaty and non-meaty options.
The operative question in the appetizer category is "How do you want your shrimp?" Four of the seven appetizers are shrimp, including a straightforward shrimp cocktail and shrimp de jonghe (a dish that originated in Chicago), which features lemon-kissed rock shrimp under a blanket of garlicky breadcrumbs. I've had a lot of shrimp de jonghe over the years (though it's rare to find it on menus these days), and this version is first-rate.
Larger shrimp are on display in the barbecued shrimp starter, in which a half-dozen shrimp are wrapped in applewood-smoked bacon and dunked in a tangy, hickory-smoked barbecue sauce, placed on a pile of Tabasco-marinated fried onions. Spicy shrimp are not alarmingly spicy, though the seasonings of cayenne and chipotle peppers do get your attention. I could do without the accompanying corn pudding, which tastes unpleasantly starchy.
The beef on Carmichael's menu is Certified Angus, cooked with a minimum of fuss and a great deal of accuracy by the kitchen, run by chef Brian Reid. Steaks can be ordered with a char crust (my favorite), peppercorn crust or al forno, in which the steak is studded with garlic cloves and blanketed by a blend of fontina, fontinella and parmesan cheeses.
The gimmicky apple pie, imported from a farmer in Mukwonago, Wis., actually is baked inside a lightly oiled paper bag, which the servers carefully tear away at the table. The bag allegedly keeps the crust crisp and flaky, and I can't argue with the results.
Carmichael's
1052 W. Monroe St.
312-433-0025
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Fri.
Entrie prices: $15.95-$49.95
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Recommended
Noise: Conversation-friendly
Other: Free valet parking.</font>