An Evening @ Gibson's Steakhouse

[Aurora]

Sorry for inadvertently posting twice. I finally get how that happens.

[Sweet Willie]

When a friend and I went to Gibson's, we both ordered the W.R.'s Chicago Cut--a bone-in ribeye.  For a well-marbled cut, this ribeye lacked the musky flavor that I've enjoyed elsewhere.  I understand that Gibson's wet-ages their beef (as opposed to dry-aging), so perhaps this had something to do with it.

Also, the table next to us had ordered a medium-rare NY strip, which had arrived closer to medium-well.  They asked if our steaks were cooked properly, and indeed, they weren't quite as we had ordered them.

Last time at Gibson’s, I ordered a cut of meat called the W.R. Chicago Cut. The Chicago cut is a bone-in ribeye. I thought it was very mediocre (I was embarrassed that my hometown, a beef town, put out such a poor cut), plus I had asked for mine Med Rare and it was Med to Med-well.

When the waiter asked how things were, I mentioned that my steak was not that great.

Gibson's took off the charge for my dinner as well as the carrot cake. A very nice gesture on their part I thought.

Gibson’s steaks are wet-aged which if I’m paying those prices it better be dry-aged.

I won't be going back, three mediocre visits is enough.

[ronnie_suburban]

I was at the Gibson's on Rush for a dinner on July 20 and it was fantastic. We were in the private room upstairs and they absolutely doted on us. The meal itself was also outstanding and I didn't hear anyone in our group of 15 say anything negative about the meal. Still, my experiences there have been erratic over the years.

I've ended my meals there feeling everything from 'never again' to 'why not every week?' I once hosted a biz dinner at the Rosemont location that was so bad I was embarrassed that we had suggested it in the first place. But, this last time out was stellar.

=R=

[Bobaloo]

Re: Gibson's.

The only steak to order is the NY Strip Bone-In. Make sure you ask for center cut, and make sure the waitroid understands that you want it medium-rare, exactly.

The Saturday night dessert special is called "The Meaning of Life". It sells out early, so you may want to reserve a hunk. Imagine a five-layer cake wedge, 7" radius, nine inches high.

[ronnie_suburban]

I've posted on a few other threads about my up and down experiences at Gibsons--sometimes it's amazing, sometimes it's...meh. Today I had lunch at Gibson's in Rosemont, IL and witnessed one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen at a restaurant--let alone an upper-eschelon Prime steak house.

One of my lunchmates ordered the NY Strip, medium rare. When the server brought the steak to the table, he asked my companion to cut into it and see if it was cooked properly - - Huh?! He cut into the steak and there was still a 1" center section of it that was completely raw. The server looked at the steak and asked my companion if he wanted it cooked a little longer. "Yes" he answers and then the server asked him "how long? one minute, two minutes?" I was stunned. My companion didn't know what to say and I could see in his eyes that he had no idea how much longer the steak needed to be cooked--especially since the outside of the steak was pretty well charred. "Well, to medium rare would be good" he finally mustered.

The server disappeared with the steak and returned minutes later with the same steak, which was now even more charred (into near oblivion from what I could tell) and approaching medium rare in the center. The steak was dry and the plate was completely devoid of any juice. No one wants to act like a 'fussy little bitch' at a business lunch, so I understand why my companion sat there quietly and accepted what had happened. Still, it was all I could do to keep my mouth shut. I have no qualms about acting like a 'fussy little bitch."

At no point was he offered another steak, or any other concession by the restaurant. Gibson's never offered to make a deduction from the bill or even bring us cups of coffee on the house. It was clear that the restauarant had screwed up yet no offer was made. Instead, everyone from Gibson's acted as if this was the acceped SOP at their establishment. I consider this to be not only disappointing but also inexcusable.

I'm just blown away by this event. For a high-end establishment like Gibson's--one that toots its own horn repeatedly--to ask the customer for instructions on how to cook the steaks is laughable and to not simply offer a new one to the customer in this situation is inappropriate. I'm sorry, but stuff like this makes Gibson's just about impossible to take seriously. Gibson's boasts the best Prime, aged beef money can buy. Now, if they could just find someone who knows how to cook it

=R=

[Lady T]

Blazing braindead dropjawed Hell! That's as outrageous as anything I've ever seen. "Fussy little bitch" my left foot: those drooling twits would have given my companion a fresh, correctly cooked steak, and they would have comped it too, before I was done!

Bless you in your restraint, Ronnie: I'd never have managed it.

[Sweet Willie]

Bless you in your restraint, Ronnie: I'd never have managed it.

could not agree more. I'm hoping to achieve restraint as I think I'll live a few years longer if I do.

As I stated above in a previous post, three times and wet aged is too much for me, never again.