Why we love The Park's menu

I got my first taste of The Park Steakhouse in Park Ridge over the weekend. I wasn't reviewing it (It received 2 1/2 stars in 2004), I wasn't there to write a story, I wasn't there to meet anybody. Just me and my family, looking for a good meal.

Reading through the full menu for the first time, I realized that this wasn't your everyday steakhouse, and for that, I was grateful.

All steak lovers can enjoy it: Steakhouse purists will find the porterhouse faultless. A little char, a little bloody juice, a little butter. But those who can't help but shake A-1 sauce all over their creation will love that The Park serves four kinds of sauce with every steak. A barbecue-like homemade bottled sauce, a fruity red wine reduction, a mild blue cheese "fondue" and a Bearnaise that frankly would have tasted good on just about everything we ordered.

Steak-haters aren't ignored: At Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn, your waiter will snap at you just for glancing at the fish or lamb chops on the menu, as he did to Frank Bruni's table. My wife usually doesn't join me at steakhouses, purely because she doesn't care for steak ("tastes like a hamburger" she said after taking a bite of mine.) But she'll go back for another serving of the braised lamb shanks with the chive-mustard spaetzle, unless she opts to try the roasted duck -- braised leg and roasted breast with homemade sauerkraut and sweet corn custard and pomegranate molasses. The scallops come with a wild mushroom crust, bacon-wrapped shrimp come with cheddar and corn grits, and the menu also includes risotto and a souffle. You won't get that at Peter Luger or any of its clones (like Cliffs in Englewood Cliffs). You won't even get that at the River Palm Terrace.

The kids' menu is upscale, too: Macaroni and cheese, a fixture on nearly every kids' menu, comes with lobster at The Park. Instead of chicken tenders there's a chicken satay. Or junior can get a little filet mignon. Fresh fruit and vegetables also come on the plate. As someone whose kid has eaten more than enough grilled cheese sandwiches and curly fries in restaurants, I have to say it's refreshing. (Of course, none of this ended up mattering when my daughter blew off the macaroni and cheese with lobster and ordered a la carte.)

Comments

[Foodie]

I know this isn't very PC, but no one..really, likes peter lugers, do they?
I can't wait to try this place...thanks for the words of confidence