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Phil Stefani's 437 Rush
Italian Steak & A Lot of Sizzle
Posted: Thursday, February 24, 2005
By Alejandro Benes
The bar and lounge
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"Cigar smoking allowed in lounge area." These are the words that cigar-loving New Yorkers or Californians long to read on a menu. Unfortunately for them, they are printed on the menu at a superb, very large Chicago restaurant, Phil Stefani's 437 Rush. This used to be Riccardo's, a staple for way too many years that mercifully closed in 1991. After a relatively brief incarnation as something else, Stefani took it over about three years ago and set out to restore the establishment to what it was when Riccardo's was in its prime.
"The more we looked inside the walls, the more we found we had to do," Stefani explained one warm fall day as customers filled the tables on the sidewalk. He's in a hurry today, trying to wrap up some things before he takes off to do research.
"Call me the week after next," he suggests, "I'm going to Italy tomorrow. Florence, Padua. My cousin says the weather's nice." That's the kind of dedication that results in the kind of gustatory experience you'll have 437 Rush, located at the corner of Rush and Hubbard.
The just thing to do here would be to reprint the menu. While 437 Rush's foundation is built on steak, this is a fine-dining establishment from Phil Stefani's Signature Restaurant empire. Signature has about a dozen and a half eateries of different stripes in the Chicagoland area. This one is sure to stick around a long time. First, it's located in the heart of Chicago's newspaper and advertising community, just steps across Michigan Avenue from the Tribune and just around the corner from the Billy Goat Tavern. Second, it has the food that Chicagoans and visitors love, even if they don't know it yet.
The steaks are all prime, and one of them, the ribeye tagliata, is listed with other special entrées. The dish is served with caramelized pearl onions, roasted rosemary potatoes and a sweet Marsala reduction, which the ribeye's juices are perfectly complement. Beyond the steak, Executive Chef Federico Comacchio, of Milan, has assembled an attractive blend of classic and innovative dishes that can leave a customer spinning from variety. Do you go for the traditional appetizers: bruschetta, fried calamari, prosciutto, tomato and mozzarella? Or do you venture boldly: Green Bean Timbale or Buckwheat Polenta and Gorgonzola Souffle? Often, great restaurants have much more exciting starters than main courses. That's not so much the case at 437 Rush. The entrees present more customary flavors and technique, but do so with style.
Some of the dishes -- owing to food fashion, one would suppose -- fall in the category of "tall food." It doesn't matter. All the flavor is there. A lunch special on this day was sautéed monkfish, a personal favorite, "encrusted with aromatic herbs, served with sauteed wild mushrooms, baked cherry tomatoes and chardonnay wine reduction.” You suspect that there's just one ingredient too many, but they mesh nicely. Here's what you'll want to try the second time you go, assuming it's on the specials menu that day: the "Homemade Maccheroni Gratinati" combines the pasta with Italian smoked ham, gorgonzola fondue and spinach. From the regular menu, try the "Fettuccine al Pesto di Rucola, served with roasted blackened sea scallops." If you're a freak for Caesar salad, this one is served in a "parmigiano basket."
The Newsroom
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The brilliance of 437 Rush, and a lot of the Stefani properties, is the recognition of the American appetite. The alta cucina is accompanied by a lobster club sandwich, a grilled ribeye steak sandwich on a ciabatta roll and, yes, perhaps one of the top five burgers in Chicago. At $9.95, it looks pricey in this city, but you will not eat the rest of the day. Unless you're with my friends, of course.
The décor at 437 Rush is relaxed and elegant. It does not seek to compete with the food, but provides an entirely comfortable and local milieu. Photos of Chicago's famous and its notable visitors line the staircase to the restrooms. One of the dining rooms is called "The Newsroom," but in reality, before or after you eat, your interest should focus on the bar. If you're peckish, you can order some oysters. If you're thirsty…Are you kidding? It's Chicago. If you want a cigar, 437 Rush will sell you a Montecristo Double Corona or a Dunhill Condado for $14.50. The Davidoff Short "T" goes for $12.50 and the Partagas No. 1 for $9.95. The Macanudo Hyde Park Maduro is available at $8.50. Right. I'm taking my own cigars, but the selection is respectable, if limited. You can smoke and watch the Cubs on one of the two TVs in the bar.
The scene after work is active. These are the city's professionals, many of whom are just getting started on their night traipsing north on and around Rush Street. Enjoy yourself, stay out late. Get a nightcap at Stefani's. Tomorrow you're on the flight home and back to lighting up in your car.
Alejandro Benes gets too little sleep when visiting Chicago and regrets it not at all.
Phil Stefani's 437 Rush
437 N. Rush St. (at Hubbard)
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312-222-0101
Hours:
Open for lunch and dinner.
Go to Cigar Bar Central.
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