It’s not in Addison…

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

We decided to go all out for Jim’s “Last Supper” before he goes “under the knife” once again. He is turning into a living “Operation Game.” The doctor replaced his knee and the buzzer went off, WRONG!!! Now, the hip doctor is giving it a try with a back surgeon waiting in the wings. Jim is turning into the bionic food critic. He felt he needed a good steak before surgery, so we thought we’d give Addison’s Steakhouse in McHenry a try.

This restaurant is in a strip mall, and isn’t very large. It is modestly decorated and not pretentious at all. You would not expect a steakhouse to have big screen TVs all over, like Addison’s Steakhouse does.

While we were looking over the menu, our waitress brought over a basket containing two rolls with honey butter on the side. We were munching on these and deciding what appetizer we wanted. We were torn between the crab cakes and the sweet chili calamari. We really fell in love with Ruth Chris’ sweet chili calamari and decided to try Addison’s version of it for $13. It was calamari lightly breaded and fried, tossed with a sweet chili sauce. It was beautifully presented, and the flavor was right up there with Ruth Chris’.

As you all must realize by now, Nancy is not a steak lover, so her eyes quickly went to the seafood section of the menu. She spotted an entree containing all of her favorites. I am referring to the Addison’s Seafood Trio ($54). This was a six-ounce cold water lobster tail, two jumbo seared scallops, and two shrimp stuffed with crab, served over creamy Italian risotto and grilled asparagus. Since Nancy doesn’t like asparagus, she asked to switch it to onion straws.  Again, the presentation was spot on, and Nancy almost had a “food-gasm” with her first forkful of this dish. She loves risotto, and to her surprise, it was loaded with garlic. Now I know how Billy Crystal felt in the restaurant scene in the movie “When Harry Met Sally.”

Jim wanted steak tonight, so he went with the eight-ounce filet ($27) with onion and bacon compound butter on top ($2 extra). His entree came with a choice of two sides, and he chose rice pilaf and onion straws. This was one of the best steaks he has ever had, and the topping put it over the edge. He has to admit, the rice pilaf was a disappointment.

All entrees come with either soup or salad. Nancy, once again, chose a salad with creamy garlic dressing. I went with a cup of their “award winning” chili for a $2 upcharge. In my opinion, it was truly “award winning”, and a six on my “sweathead meter”.

Onto dessert. We decided on the Salted Caramel Brownie Sundae ($7.50). This was a moist brownie iced with creamy caramel. It was topped with chopped pecans, chocolate curls, drizzled with chocolate and served with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. This whole concoction was covered with chocolate and caramel syrup, candied pecans, and a pinch of sea salt. The brownie even came to us warm, yum. This dessert was so decadent even Nancy dived into it! Try it, you’ll fall in love with it.

FYI:  This restaurant is handicap accessible, and you definitely need reservations for a Saturday night.

Price for Jim’s “Last Supper” $113.94, OUCH, but worth every penny!!!

If you are looking for a quiet romantic restaurant with ambiance, this isn’t the place for you. If you are looking for phenomenal food, definitely give Addison’s a try. We’re wondering if they deliver to St. Alexius Hospital in Hoffman Estates…

Jim’s take: Onion bacon butter on top of a steak that was like butter; it doesn’t get any “butter” than that!

Nancy’s take: Everything was awesome. I needed a cigarette after my entree!

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo?  Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com

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