Pete Miller's Evanston

Noticed that there are mentions of Pete Miller's steak house scattered thru the site. Reviews are definitely mixed. Thought I'd start a thread with my experience a few days ago.

Recently I had a large birthday and decided to celebrate with a good steak dinner. Despite some reports about unevenness at Pete Miller’s Steak House in Evanston, I decided to give it a try. I enjoy steaks but go to steakhouses only rarely, and don’t pretend to be a connoisseur.

The decor is typical steakhouse, traditional and on the dark side. Pete Miller’s often has live jazz; if you want to converse it’s best to ask for a table in the back.

My wife ordered tilapia, while my son and I focused on the strip steaks. Miller’s offers then in small (12 ounce) and large (16 ounce), as well as a Kansas City (bone-in) version of the large strip. My son opted for the large strip while I went for the Kansas City.

I had a house salad which was adequate but unexceptional other than including hearts of palm.

The steaks were done as requested, mine medium rare and my son’s medium. We had none of the problems with doneness experienced by some at David Burke’s and other places. The steaks were quality pieces of meat with good flavor and texture. Were they all-time great steaks? No, but they were definitely good and worth the price.

My wife enjoyed her tilapia which was cooked properly. It came with a citrus butter sauce and spinach. Her mashed potatoes tasted fine, but had a slightly pasty texture. I had the roasted potatoes which were good, while my son’s steak fries were ordinary. My own view is that the usual steak fries are too thick to get the proper texture; once they get that thick they should be roasted.

My wife had a glass of the house Pinot Grigio and I had a glass of the house Cabernet. Both were decent wines. The wine list has a limited selection by the glass. There looked to be about 50-60 choices of full bottles and a few half bottles.

Service was pleasant and efficient, and we were not rushed. We likely will return.

Pete Miller’s
1557 Sherman
Evanston, IL 60201
847-328-0399

My experiences with Pete Miller's have always been fine, but nothing exceptional. While I really love beef, I've gotten to the point where I don't view these types of steak houses as fine dining. If I'm spending the kind of money places like this command, I want multiple ingredients with interesting sauces and a wine list designed to pair well with the menu.

If I were going to drop that kind of cash in Evanston, I would much prefer to do it at Chef's Station. Just my $0.02.

All the best,
John

John Danza wrote:My experiences with Pete Miller's have always been fine, but nothing exceptional. While I really love beef, I've gotten to the point where I don't view these types of steak houses as fine dining. If I'm spending the kind of money places like this command, I want multiple ingredients with interesting sauces and a wine list designed to pair well with the menu.

If I were going to drop that kind of cash in Evanston, I would much prefer to do it at Chef's Station. Just my $0.02.

I agree... I think.

I went to Pete Miller's a few months ago. The steak was excellent, and so was the skate (daily special) entree.

If you're in the mood for steak, go to Pete Miller's. The skate shows that they can prepare fresh seafood well, too. That being said, if you think you would enjoy something other than steak, Chef's Station is wonderful. Whenever I eat at Chef's Station (or Oceanique, or Va Pensiero, or the Stained Glass, or Jacky's Bistro), I feel like I have had something really special. When I eat at Pete Miller's, I feel like I have had a good steak. Different feelings.

Oh, and if you like burgers, Pete's has a good one and it won't break the bank.

We ate at Pete Miller's in Evanston again tonight, and everything was sinfully delicious. Note - we didn't have steak, so if you're looking for a steak review, skip the rest of this post.

Incidentally, they just started a new menu in the past week, so some of the items may sound new. Their website has already been updated for the new menu - kudos to them for that.

We started with an excellent Caesar salad - conventional, and just extremely well done. Another starter was the "cole slaw with a horseradish kick", and this was terrific. It's very similar to the cole slaw at Carson's - creamy and tangy, with the cabbage cut very fine. The horseradish did indeed add a kick to it - not overwhelmingly spicy, but you could definitely taste that it was there. In fact, I now suspect that horseradish may be the ingredient that makes Carson's cole slaw so tangy and good! Carson's is the best cole slaw I've had in many years and is my standard for judging cole slaw, and this was a darn close second.

For dinner, my dining companion and I got two seafood dishes. One was the seared jumbo sea scallops with butternut squash ravioli and gorgonzola cream sauce. Sheer ecstasy!!! I should note here that I love scallops, but I rarely order them because too often, either they are tasteless, or they are not prepared to my taste. (I prefer them "cooked through" and ask for them this way; any restaurant should be able to cook them any way you like, of course.) These were the best scallops I have had in many years! Not only were the insides cooked through, just the way I requested, but they were fresh and bursting with flavor, and the outside edge was perfectly seared, to the point where it had a caramelized taste. Bravo!!! The ravioli were delicious although the pasta layers were a bit too thin and, as a result, they stuck to each other and places where the corners/edges weren't covered with sauce quickly dried out and became chewy. I am probably being overpicky with my description, as they were really, really delicious; I would just suggest that the pasta layers might be a bit thicker and/or making sure the ravioli were completely covered with sauce to avoid the sticking and chewy aspects. The gorgonzola cream sauce quantity was a bit small so it didn't have a big impact on flavor, but that was actually perfect for this particular dish, I think. This was a wonderful seafood dish.

The other entree was the pecan encrusted walleye pike with a lemon caper sauce. This was outstanding as well; the fish was very fresh and with a mild, delicious flavor, which balanced perfectly with the pecan crust and the mild flavor of the sauce. Just excellent.

We substituted the thin cut fried onions as the side with the pike, and they were excellent - very light and flavorful, not at all greasy. They were served with a light mustard sauce that was also very good.

We were full so we passed on dessert.

This was a wonderful dinner in every respect. Pete Miller's continues to turn out excellent food - and obviously, they do many things well - not just steaks!

nsxtasy wrote:We ate at Pete Miller's in Evanston again tonight, and everything was sinfully delicious. Note - we didn't have steak, so if you're looking for a steak review, skip the rest of this post.

Incidentally, they just started a new menu in the past week, so some of the items may sound new. Their website has already been updated for the new menu - kudos to them for that.

Hi Nsxtasy,

The new seafood items at Pete Miller's are "lifted" from the Schaumburg Davis Street Fish Market menu, as these have been well received at that location.

I'm glad you enjoyed the Scallop entree, as that is one of my favorites too. It's always nice to hear another LTH'er validate my opinion.

FYI, I've refrained from posting reviews of Davis Street because my husband works there.

Kim

Kim3 wrote:The new seafood items at Pete Miller's are "lifted" from the Schaumburg Davis Street Fish Market menu, as these have been well received at that location.

Thanks for your note!

Are those items available at Davis Street's Evanston location as well? Or does Schaumburg's DSFM have an entirely different menu from Evanston's? (If their website is up to date, then the menu looks significantly different in the two locations - and I see Pete Miller Evanston's new lobster and shrimp pot pie on the Schaumburg DSFM menu too!)

We liked our dinner at Miller's (Evanston) so much, we made a reservation for their Easter brunch!

I live in Evanston, and my go to place for when I have business guests in Pete Millers. I find that for a business dinner steak expereince, it lives up to exactly what I want - it ins't quite as good as going into the city, but it is almost.

when I am not there for business is when I have a problem. when I first moved to town I took my wife and 5 year old son (my son is actually a very good restuant visitor, really). I told the host who sat us that I recongnized that this wasn't really a family place, and if having a kid would be a problem, they should tell me and we would eat someplace else. they assured me it would be no problem at all. unfortunatly, the service was horrible, and I am convinced it was because we came with the family. I dind't go back for a year.

the next time I wanted to take my wife there, I called in advance and talked with the manager, and explained myself. when I got there I had a little talk with the host. I got great service. now, when we have family or personal guest from out of town, we also take them there.

there's a davis street fish market in schaumburg!?!

are there any members here who remember when the davis street fishmarket, tommy nevins, merle's, and pete miller's were purely evanston and owned by the late great steve prescott?

i know the fish has changed drastically from those days. i'd love to know what the food is like at these places, and what perceptions are. back in the day these restaurants were the places to be, and i can honestly say, deservedly so. they all were great.

krm61965 wrote:there's a davis street fish market in schaumburg!?!

are there any members here who remember when the davis street fishmarket, tommy nevins, merle's, and pete miller's were purely evanston and owned by the late great steve prescott?

i know the fish has changed drastically from those days. i'd love to know what the food is like at these places, and what perceptions are. back in the day these restaurants were the places to be, and i can honestly say, deservedly so. they all were great.

Not a big fan of Pete Millers, if I want a great steak I go into Chicago. I have found the steaks hit and miss @ Pete Millers, and the service to be lacking.

As for Davis Street, in my humble opinion it has gone down hill since they rennovated the space. The old fish shack theme they had going on back in the day was better, and so was the food. I used to love making the trek up to Davis Street for lunch and some chowder, but never again.

krm61965 wrote:there's a davis street fish market in schaumburg!?!

are there any members here who remember when the davis street fishmarket, tommy nevins, merle's, and pete miller's were purely evanston and owned by the late great steve prescott?

i know the fish has changed drastically from those days. i'd love to know what the food is like at these places, and what perceptions are. back in the day these restaurants were the places to be, and i can honestly say, deservedly so. they all were great.

Under Prescott, they weren't all exclusively in Evanston. For a while, he had a version of Davis Street Fishmarket at Belmont and Lake Shore Drive, on the second floor of a high-rise there, and called it Belmont Harbor Fishmarket. I don't remember how long it lasted, but I did have a couple of meals there, and it was good - and the view was great.

I do think the Clean Plate Club restaurants have slid a bit over the years, and of course they shed Tommy Nevin's (which still has great Irish music on late Sunday afternoons), but they're still good enough to be worth an occasional visit.

As a tangent to this thread, I, too, have noticed that the food quality at the Clean Plate Club restaurants has gone downhill.

When we lived in Evanston, my husband and I used to love going to Merle's. We went back a few months ago and realized that it wasn't the place we remembered. The menu had changed drastically, and some favorites were nowhere to be found (tombstone taters and the mock choux) The ribs were only fair to middling. It was a disappointing visit.

It's just one in a long list of "not as good as it used to be" restaurants.

Under Prescott, they weren't all exclusively in Evanston. For a while, he had a version of Davis Street Fishmarket at Belmont and Lake Shore Drive, on the second floor of a high-rise there, and called it Belmont Harbor Fishmarket. I don't remember how long it lasted, but I did have a couple of meals there, and it was good - and the view was great.

i believe the belmont fish was actually before the davis street.

belmont was an abject failure, but davis st. built three other restaurants. it blows me away that there are franchises out in the burbs.

nsxtasy wrote:

Kim3 wrote:The new seafood items at Pete Miller's are "lifted" from the Schaumburg Davis Street Fish Market menu, as these have been well received at that location.

Thanks for your note!

Are those items available at Davis Street's Evanston location as well? Or does Schaumburg's DSFM have an entirely different menu from Evanston's? (If their website is up to date, then the menu looks significantly different in the two locations - and I see Pete Miller Evanston's new lobster and shrimp pot pie on the Schaumburg DSFM menu too!)

I believe that the they are trying to do different offerings at each restaurant as to not make identical clones. The lobster pot pie was rolled out as part of the Schaumburg-based Lobster fest in February and proved so popular, it became a permanent menu item.

They have done a lot of tweaking with Schaumburg menu since the restaurant opened last September. They removed my favorite item, which was a tilapia crusted cashew dish with a hot butter rum sauce. They found out that Schmick and McCormick's had a similar item and yanked it from the DSFM menu. It's too bad, because their take on it was decidedly different from S&M's. Their hot rum sauce was a rum-saffron based sauce, where as S&M's is a very sweet sauce served with a fruit salsa.

iahawk89 FYI, both Davis Street locations serve Maquechoux. I can't say if it's the same one that used to be at Merle's, but I just thought I'd let you know. It's been years since I ate at Merle's, so I'm saddened to here of its decline.

Kim

I don't mean to divert this thread, but Pete Miller's in Evanston is being discussed without mention of the fact that it has some terrific jazz. I can particularly recommend Ron Perillo (Tuesdays) as one of the top pianists working in Chicago, and Bobby Broom (Wednesdays) as one of the top guitarists.

The good news is that they don't have a cover charge; just ask to sit where you can see the small stage. The bad news is many diners have no interest in the music, so you'll have to put up with some conversation, if you're there during prime dinner time.

Jonah

Jonah wrote:. The bad news is many diners have no interest in the music, so you'll have to put up with some conversation, if you're there during prime dinner time.

Jonah

I always find it really awkward when there's a meal in front of me and there's live music. I so hate to talk while someone's playing their music and it's just weird to be eating in front of them too. I don't know maybe it's just me!

Part of what I enjoy while eating in a restaurant is discussing the food with whoever I'm with and any other pleasant conversation. I just find the whole dinner with a live band playing thing not a very comfortable situation.

We had dinner here last night and had an excellent meal. As steakhouses go, I think you get good value for your dining dollar. We ordered bone-in filet, bone-in ribeye and bone-in NY strip (aka Kansas City). All were prepared as requested and very good quality with lots of steaky flavor. The wine was not overly marked up ($40 retail, $75 in the restaurant - I think they've lowered their markups from the past). We got a Calamari starter, which was good, generous in size, but nothing special.

Steaks come with choice of potatoes, or you can sub in any vegetable on the menu, some have a small upcharge to do so.

Service was good, as well.

We were there before the music, but the music is in front and they have seating in the back as well. If you want more conversation, ask for seats in the back, more music ask for seats in the front.

This topic mentions the Pete Miller's location in Schaumburg, which has since closed. The locations in Evanston and Wheeling remain open.

leek wrote:As steakhouses go, I think you get good value for your dining dollar.
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The wine was not overly marked up ($40 retail, $75 in the restaurant - I think they've lowered their markups from the past).

If you enjoy wine and bargains, go to Pete Miller's on a Tuesday. That's when they have their "20 for 20" promotion, 20 different wines for $20 a bottle. We went there for dinner a couple of months ago and the wine we got for $20 - a 2007 Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel - sells in retail stores for $25 (according to a recent New York Times article which gave it 3.5 stars). They're not showing it on their website wine list, so they may not always have it, and obviously the "20 for 20" selections may change.

The website list is out of date, and is not what we saw in person the other day at the Evanston location, I would take it only as an example of the sorts of wines they sell.