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Mike Ditka's
Chicago, Illinois
In a town that boasts the most famous living athlete on the planet, Chicago has seen its fair share of sports celebrity-owned establishments, with varying success. Michael Jordan's Restaurant has closed, while Harry Caray's continues to thrive despite the passing of its legendary Chicago Cubs broadcaster. Perhaps one of the longest runs in the spirit of reinvention belongs to owner Mike Ditka. The original Ditka's, which opened in the '80s, was more of a nightclub-cum-restaurant that no one seemed to miss much when it closed. Then Ditka opened Iron Mike's, a restaurant that was much more serious about its food and liquor. After a few years, Iron Mike's changed its name to Mike Ditka's to make it more synonymous with the former gum-throwing, truculent but lovable Chicago Bears player and coach. Whatever sideline shenanigans and metamorphoses the name "Ditka" conjures for Chicagoans, one thing is clear: da coach's latest restaurant venture demonstrates a keen appreciation for the finer things in life -- namely top cuts of meat, cigar smoking, and premium booze.
Upon entering Ditka's, which occupies the lower levels of the Tremont Hotel in downtown Chicago, I was a little surprised to find such a tame crowd on a Saturday night -- at least on the first level. Ditka's is a much classier joint than you'd expect -- more gentlemen's club than dime-a-dozen sports bar. Most dramatic are the caricatures of famous sports figures such as Ernie Banks, Bobby Hull and Stan Musial that line one stretch of the back wall. Sports memorabilia abounds, but it's discreetly tucked into alcoves and display cases along the masculine, wood-paneled walls.
There were no beefy fellows sans neck at the bar, nor did the tables spill over with the "tourists and businessmen from the South" that my companion had predicted we'd find. Instead, Ditka's seemed to exude a staid, misty-eyed nostalgia that even nonsports fans can appreciate. Several couples nestled into the dark brown leather booths, enjoying dinner and cocktails under low lighting, while a few families occupied the separate dining area behind the bar. The televisions above the bar broadcast the game at low volume. A server explained that during the week, the place sees mostly local businessmen looking to close the deal, while it hosts couples and families on the weekends. Tourists, she continued, were more of the local variety -- from the outlying suburbs, Indiana and Wisconsin.
It is almost impossible to forget where you are at any time during your meal, as Ditka's cartoon likeness is on everything, from your plates to the pats of butter served. The Cowboy Oyster Shooter ($1.89 each) -- a fresh and creamy Malpeque oyster served in a shotglass with Tabasco vinaigrette -- is definitely the don't-miss appetizer, while the Corn Chowder ($4.63, listed under "Souper Bowls) tastes fresh off the cob. For $23.89 (every price on the menu ends in 89 or 63, Ditka's playing number and his rookie year with the Bears, respectively), you can do the "Tower of Power" -- any three appetizers on the menu.
Dinner entrées range from Fettucine with Heart Healthy Vegetables ($13.89) to what we'll call Ditka food, which is code word for meat. Standouts include the Kick-ass Paddle Steak ($32.89, voted best rib-eye by Chicago magazine, the Fridge Burger ($9.89) and DA Pork Chop ($24.89), a massive double-cut chop artfully served with warm cinnamon apples and green peppercorn roasted garlic au jus. Skip the Veal Scallopine, which was a bit on the bland side. I suppose you could opt for some seafood, like the Wasabi Crusted Salmon ($21.89), but why bother? You've come for the steaks and chops, my friend.
Ah, but you'll need a premium wine to go with that hefty slab of meat, and Ditka's sommelier Todd Gunderson has come up with an impressive selection that complements the menu's American flavor, including the excellent Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir ($80). By the time dessert rolled around, my companion and I were so stuffed from our carnivore's binge that we had to pass, though the banana cream pie and the chocolate layer cake, the house favorites, looked iviting. Besides, it was time to head to the upstairs cigar lounge.
A walk up the elegant staircase proved a valuable exercise in Ditka edification. We passed Ditka's NFL Coach of the Year trophy, which sits in a glass case, oil paintings of Ditka, football helmets of Ditka's football teams, photographs of Ditka's sports heroes, and finally, all the way up the stairs past the cigar-store Indians and large humidor there sat -- Ditka himself! It became glaringly obvious that this was where the action was, and not just because of the coach. The joint was hoppin'. A live band was playing in one of the three private dining rooms, and the bar crowd was much livelier than the one downstairs.
When I asked our cocktail waitress if it was uncommon to find Ditka in his own restaurant, she replied,
"Oh, no! He's here all the time."
Brush with greatness. Sports icon. Chicago's own. Could I muster up the courage to approach the man who had led the Bears to their only Super Bowl title? Better have a cocktail and a stogie first. Ditka's serves stiff drinks, with a large selection of single-malt Scotch and Cognac. According to Ditka's cigar concierge Octavio Arzola, the restaurant is "very serious" about the cigars it offers. "We always have a hard-to-find selection and we don't have limitations on how many cigars you can buy, even on our [Fuente Fuente] OpusX, like some other places in town," he said. The OpusX will run you $50. Some of the other pricier cigars on the list include the Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Corona Gorda ($35) and the Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Prensado ($20), but there are a wide selection of Partagas, Davidoff, Dunhill, Macanudo, Montecristos and others from which to choose starting at $10.
Arzola explained that the house cigar, the Mike Ditka, is currently being revamped, so look for it in the coming months. The restaurant also plans to host cigar dinners with His Ditkaness once a month.
But I didn't plan on waiting for a private dinner to meet Ditka. The boxing match was winding down and da coach was stirring a bit. Before I approached Ditka's table, I made a mad dash to the ladies' room, where I was ambushed by a coterie of tanned trophy wives raving about dinner, the band and the show they had seen that night. "Do you know Ditka?" I felt like saying, but held back. Instead, I checked my hair, tried to think of something sporty to say, and sauntered out the room and through the hallway back into the playing field, only to find Ditka exiting the lounge with his wife, Diane. Dare I try to tackle him?
"He's really tired," said the cocktail waitress as she noticed my disappointment. "He's been traveling all over lately." Oh, well. Didn't get to meet Ditka the man. But Ditka the restaurateur sure was a helluva guy.
--Nadine Ekrek
Mike Ditka's
100 East Chestnut Street
Tremont Hotel
Chicago, Illinois
(312) 587-8989
Hours:
Monday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday, 6:30 a.m. to midnight
Saturday, 7 a.m. to midnight
Sunday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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