536 W Erie (at Larrabee)
After a long week, I wanted a straightforward meal of red meat and red wine. Nothing requiring too much focus. No scene. No wait for a table. And quiet, which can be hard to find in Chicago restaurants. We decided on Erie Cafe, an old-school-style Chicago steak house right on the river that is owned by a relation of one of the founders of Gene & Georgetti. (But not truly “old,” as I think it opened in the early 1990s. No matter.)
Our kindly waiter showed us to a comfy booth. We ordered a bottle of pinot noir. I ordered expensive lamb chops, the biggest I’d ever seen. Also asparagus. And cottage fried potatoes. The husband ordered linguine with a generous, garlicky clam sauce. Salads arrived—iceberg lettuce, of course, with a really good vinaigrette. Our dinners were perfect. We drank all the wine. The Husband ordered an after-dinner drink. We took a cab home. The end.
Total was $150.