Christmas Eve at the Chicago Firehouse

Having worked many holidays in restaurants over the years, it was with both joy and trepidation that Husband and I ventured out for dinner last night. This is the first year in about a decade that I haven't been employed by a restaurant and I have been revelling in having weekends and holidays off - it had been so long I kind of forgot how nice it is! But, I am also well aware that holidays are not when most, if any, restaurants are at their best, so my expectations were on the low side.
We didn't feel like doing the hotel thing and were looking for a place that would be cozy and festive. The Chicago Firehouse's web site photos sold us and it definately lived up to the atmosphere we were hoping for. Fireplace, tasteful decorations, comfortable and spacious, candles....
I had made a reservation through Open Table about a month ago for 7:30pm and also called a few days before to see if there was anything special we should know about - i.e. prix fix menu. They were offering their regular menu plus a few specials. We arrived right on time but our table was not ready. Hostess and manager were both very apologetic, explaining people were lingering much longer than normal. We weren't in a hurry so it was OK. We were sat at about 7:45 in a spacious 4-top banquet table towards the back of the dining room.
Water and a bread basket arrived quickly (seeded crackers, sliced baguette, a plate of butter triangles.) A few minutes of observation told me that they were, not surprisingly, understaffed. Two busboys for a full restaurant/bar area and maybe 3 servers. Our server was fine. Not bad, but no attempt at holiday warmth or anything beyond efficency was made. I could be wrong, but my feeling was that would be the case with this particular employee holiday or no holiday.
I ordered the wrong appetizer. I wanted something a little decadent so I opted for the lobster and shrimp "fritters" which wound up being more like seafood hushpuppies. They were heavy and flavorless and the roe aioli added nothing nor did the ketchup-heavy cocktail sauce. Husband had the crabcake trio, which I also thought was pretty bland but he liked. I think we should have gotten salads - they looked pretty good. Or soup. Anyway, Husband ordered the 8 oz. filet medium rare and it arrived as ordered with a couple of onion rings and a nice sauce. He was very happy. I had the Halibut w/ crabmeat, yellow beans and Hollandaise sauce. The accompaniments were good, including the Hollandaise, but my poor piece of beautiful fish - they killed it. The thing was so dry I could have used it as a kitchen sponge. It was sad. A lemon would have been helpful but our server was MIA until past the point that it would have mattered. I will say the side dishes were huge hits. We ordered, to share, asparagus and potatoes au gratin. The asparagus arrived simply grilled which was a very pleasant surprise and the potatoes were wonderful with just the right touch of garlic.
First cups of coffee were lukewarm, but refills were piping hot. We passed on the heavy dessert offerings from the tray (mostly variations on the chocolate theme & we are only suckers for fruit-based desserts,) and shared some coffee and vanilla ice cream.
Outdoor patio looked nice for pleasant weather dining. We also thought it might be fun to come on a weeknight, sit at the bar and share a salad and an entree for a light supper in a lovely room without the big expense. Dinner, pre-tax and tip, was $145 for 1 cocktail, 3 glasses of wine, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 2 regular coffees and dessert.

Chicago Firehouse Restaurant
1401 South Michigan Ave
http://www.mainstayhospitality.com/index.php?section=3