Room 21

Room 21 2110 S. Wabash ( http://www.room21chicago.com/ ) - It was my wife's birthday and I wanted to take her somewhere nice. We love alfresco dining, and I had seen a review on the local channel about the outdoor garden at Room 21. The building was used by Al Capone as a liquor warehouse and speakeasy in 1930. The building was raided by Elliot Ness by bashing in the door with a 10 ton truck and removing 200,000 gallons of hooch. During the renovation of the restaurant, a hidden tunnel was discovered while an electrician was installing an outlet for the cappuccino machine, when he knocked a brick through the wall. An opening was made, and they discovered that the tunnel led to a door, labeled Room 21.

With it's location in the South Loop, the outdoor patio really is very quiet and peaceful, thanks to the trees placed along the two perimeter walls.

Outdoor Dining at Room 21






We started with a few drinks from the drink menu. I had an Old Cuban, which was a variation of the traditional mojito. They added champagne instead of tonic. It was really different and I enjoyed it ($11) My wife had a pomegranate mojito which was excellent and not too sweet ($11). They served pretzel bread rolls accompanied by a tasty stone-ground mustard butter.

We decided to share our appetizers and an entree so we would have room for desert and maybe enjoy more drinks at the bar later. Unfortunately, I neglected to take photos of the appetizers, as we were distracted when the orders arrived. For appetizers, we had the cold potato-leek soup special ($9.00), which received additional flavor from some smokey bacon. We also had the jumbo crab cake ($13), which was fresh and flavorful, and set atop grilled spinach.

We decide to share an entree special that they will eventually be adding to the menu. The special was a risotto with roasted sweet corn and mushrooms ($29)(The regular risotto menu entree with grilled vegetables is $15) We took the addition of grilled scallops for another $10. Yeah, I know,.....who the heck would spend $39 on a risotto dish?!!?? But it was incredibly delicious!! They split the order for us as well.


Taking a bathroom break, I took a few pics of the beautiful restaurant inside. What an awesome room!


Tables near the bar area:


After dinner, we shared their signature red velvet cake desert, and a few cappuccinos. Can't say I really enjoyed it, as it was mostly just sweet, without any notable flavors. They said it had a pistaccio gelato, but it really tasted like vanilla ice cream. I think I am spoiled by the excellent gelatos served at Freddies in Cicero! The presentation, however, was grand!:


After dinner, we headed to the bar for a drink. We loved what they did with the mirror at the back bar. It reminded us of the "shadow boxes" from the 60's, with the zebra print around the perimeter.


After dinner, we asked if we could have a tour of the discovered "tunnel". How cool it was to be led through the tunnel, up the stairs, and into the real "Room 21". The room itself has been renovated, and can host a small party of 10 or so. There is one large banquet booth and additional chairs. They installed a large window that looks down into the busy kitchen:


The tunnel, used by Al Capone, looking down from the actual Room 21


All in all, we enjoyed our dining experience at Room 21. It was a little overpriced, but there is quality in everything, including the drinks. The service was very attentive, and we were left without a want. I would recommend Room 21 for a place to celebrate an occasion.

I had a disappointing meal at Room 21 this evening.

The evening started with the waiter asking for drink orders and informing us that two appetizers (the short rib sliders and something else I can't remember) and two entrees (the Ribeye and Pot Roast) were not available. I ordered a mojito (three varieties of which were listed on the cocktail menu) and the waiter came back 5 or 10 minutes later to inform me that they didn't have any mint, so couldn't make a mojito.

I ordered a crab cake and, at the waiter's strong recommendation (he described it as "perfect), the Halibut with macadmia butter over a bead of asparagus. I also ordered a side of Duck Fat Potatoes. The crab cake was fine, nothing wrong but nothing to write home about. The halibut was fine but certainly not perfect. I found it a bit overcooked (the texture was good, but had just that slight stringiness that you get just after it is done). The sauce was very buttery (almost greasy) and had very little flavor. Overall, the dish was alright but not wonderful. Given their name, the potatoes were very disappointing. They were neither crispy nor terribly flavorful. Just sort of tasted like not very well prepared oven roasted potatoes.

Throughout, I should add, I thought service was pretty bad. The waiter was good, attentive and offering detailed recommendations (not all of which turned out great, but what can you do?). It was the rest of the staff that was annoying. Despite the fact that the restaurant was all but empty, it was like they were desperate for us to leave. Bus boys stood around our table waiting to pounce. We were trying to have a relaxed dinner conversation, but as soon as anyone finished a dish, they swooped in to clear the dishes, even though others were still eating the same course. At one point a bus boy actually interrupted one of my dining companions in mid-sentence to ask if he was done with his risotto, which was only half eaten. At another point a bus boy came up to me and asked if he could clear my plate while I was holding my fork bringing food from the plate up to my mouth. It was ridiculous.

The dessert was the highlight. I ordered the cinnamon donuts filled with home made apple sauce. They were delicious. Fresh, warm, crispy. The apple sauce was yummy and not too sweet. I should also note that the manager came up to our table during dessert to tell us that he was comping dessert because of bad service (we had not complained about the service). The bad service he was referring to was that several times the wrong dish had been put in front of the wrong person. This was, in my view, the least of their service problems, but I appreciated the gesture.

All told, the bill with tip, comped desserts, and two moderately priced ($45 and $65) bottles of wine, was $430 for 5 people.

Room 21
2110 South Wabash
Chicago, IL 60616
http://www.room21chicago.com/

"had just that slight stringiness that you get just after it is done"

what do you mean by this. Seafood is always right after it is done. I might be mistaken but halibut becomes dry and very flaky when it is over cooked. Please explain. I do not work at Room 21 but I am wondering what you meant.

I've always been kind of curious about this place....efood's review pretty much killed any chance I would ever go there. Sounds like one of those places on "Kitchen Nightmares."

"Bus boys stood around our table waiting to pounce. We were trying to have a relaxed dinner conversation, but as soon as anyone finished a dish, they swooped in to clear the dishes, even though others were still eating the same course."

Now that you mention it, we've noticed this "phenomenon" at a few other restaurants lately. Recently, at "A Mano" on N. Dearborn, and Tuscany on Taylor. It drives me crazy! I want to put up a cardboard sheild around my plate so they can't tell if I'm done or near done eating. Either that, or jab their had with a fork!! I guess in this economy, when business is slow, they want to look busy at our expense?

When we dined at Room 21 this past summer, though, I'd have to say that the service was "just right", without the mad plate grabbing you had to deal with. Times is tough, I guess!

bobby z wrote:"had just that slight stringiness that you get just after it is done"

what do you mean by this. Seafood is always right after it is done. I might be mistaken but halibut becomes dry and very flaky when it is over cooked. Please explain. I do not work at Room 21 but I am wondering what you meant.

Sorry, this was unclear writing on my part. What I should have said was something like, "that slight stringiness that you get if you cook it just a little bit past when it is done." But maybe this isn't even a perfect description of the texture. Anyway, the biggest issue with the fish was not any overcooking (though to my taste it could have come out a minute earlier), nor was the biggest problem with the meal any particular issue with the fish. It was the combination of generally competent but uninspiring food and mediocre service.

E