Ronny's Rules [Formerly, Shocks and Awes Me]

Sunday, I was unable to attend the LTH picnic because work required me to be in my office all day. My NEW office, that is, located at LaSalle and Lake, a far cry from the west-Loop boondocks of Canal and Monroe I inhabited for the past 13 years. Hah! A newly-minted sophisticate, in zip 60601, no less. Anyway, I'm learning what's available here, and Sunday, my boss and I decided it would be Ronnie's.

Now, I've known about Ronnie's and its dirt-cheap steak dinners for years. But until Sunday, I had never eaten in one of their outlets. Going back to 1988, when my pal James Moriarty was a freshman at the Art Institute, stationed in a Soviet Blok style dorm in the Crown Center. In addition to witnessing the filming of the exploding toy store scene from the original Child's Play movie directly across from his dorm window, James had easy access to Ronnie's III. Visiting him on bleak pre-South Loop gentrification winter days, I came, I saw, but I did not ever conquer Ronnie's III, mainly because at the time I was a vegetarian, but the failure to connect with Ronnie's went on for another 18 years ... until this Sunday.

This is, I believe, the new home of the original Ronnie's that was located at the northwest corner of State and Randolph, now occupied by Borders Books (no wonder all the pages stick together on the books I purchase there!). So, anyway, Ronnie's has now moved into a space in the State of Illinois building (oops ... I mean the "Thompson Center"). Sunday, about 1:30 p.m., and we walk in and note the special of the day, $7.99 for a complete smothered pork chop dinner. Who could resist? Not us, that's for sure. Turns out the only difference between the "special" and the regular pork chop dinner served every day is the addition of a plastic bullet of jarred applesauce, but hey ... it's still a good deal. (There is a pervasive feeling of upselling, deception, and carny-ness to the whole Ronnie's mise en scene. For example, the servers ask all innocently if you'd like some corn on the cob with your meal, like it's a free option, and then turns out to be a half ear that sells for $1.19(!). So just know you've been warned and ask what things cost if you want to keep it on the really cheap side).

And what of those pork chops? First off, they were wonderfully breaded and fried; despite it being 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon, the pork chops seemed like they had been pretty freshly prepared, and not sitting on the steam table more than a few minutes. Then, the gravy was pretty tasty, too, if nothing extraordinary; it was just a good complement to the chops and the mashed potatoes. Oh, did I fail to mention the mashed potatoes? Surprisingly -- shockingly, perhaps -- these were simply perfect examples of the mashed potato genre. Lush texture but firm; creamy but mainly potato flavor; silky richness ... all were there, and, I certainly would not have expected it. Almost worth the whole 8 bucks in themselves. But, there was also an OK hunk of garlic bread (tasted like fake butter, but the garlic was real and hey, more starch!) and a simple salad. And, oh yes, that bullet of cheap canned applesauce. And did we want steamed onions with that? Need you ask? Indeed, so. (And no up-charge for the onions, surprisingly enough.)

All I can say is, it exceeded my expectations. Maybe my expectations have become too low from 13 years at Canal and Monroe, but I know I was a happy camper on Sunday (even if I was stuck in the office with my boss the whole day and well into the night ...). So, yeah, Ronnie's feels a bit creepy, like it was beamed down from Fremont Street in Las Vegas or pre-Disney Times Square, but it does have a certain Chicago southside home-cooking sensibility, despite its pseudo-corporate trappings and the egregious up-selling tactics of the servers. I think I may hit them up at breakfast time and see how that goes.

[Edited 9/28 to correct spelling of "Ronny's" for the benefit of posterity.]

Jim,

I hope that your monocle and powdered wig didn't fall into your soup, given the shock you received at Ronnies. As a fellow member of the Cook County bar, I find it somewhat suspect that you had never been. Kudos for finally trying it. I'm a long-time infrequent patron of Ronnies, back to my salad days when a real cheap steak with some urban grit meant a lot. Indeed, a good pal used to alert me to the dates when Ronnie's would roll back prices 30 years and sell a complete steak dinner for under 5 bucks. In an entirely relative way, it was always pretty good. Gotta go with the 1000 Island on the salad, by the way. It's been a while, but this decade I usually get the BBQ chicken at Ronnies which, improbably, is rather well smoked before it is finished on the flame broiler.

Ronnies was not in the space now occupied by Borders. It was in the Flemish jewel box of a former penny arcade that briefly housed a comedy company and now an absurdly overpriced tea emporium. Among the salient features of the old Ronnies were several expertly conceived murals depicting key moments in US and world history, with beef at the center of the composition. I can't remember whether Ronnies had a Pietà with brisket, but it certainly had a signing of the Declaration of Independence with roast beef.

Regards,

Your Brother at the Bar.

Among the salient features of the old Ronnies were several expertly conceived murals depicting key moments in US and world history, with beef at the center of the composition.

Which if I recall correctly, were a fairly late addition, having been painted by Hollywood for some John Hughes movie which shot a scene in there (the Miracle on 34th Street remake, maybe, since its main exterior was the Thompson Center).

Fans of the Music Box can also thank Hughes for the ornate concession stand there, which was built for Curly Sue.

I used to work downtown and would stop there a coupla times a week.

They make good specialty calzones with offbeat fillings, Italian beef and chicken. My favorite, gyros calzone, cannot be made anymore due to another gyros tenant in the building.

It was also a spot to stop after events downtown (fireworks) to allow the CTA crowds to subside. Always fascinating characters. An order of fries and it was time to head home.

I have not sat and ate at the new location and only had the steak once.

OK, so today in an effort to make up for my past foolishness regarding avoidance of Ronnie's (mea culpa, JeffB), I hit them up again today for lunch. I had a pretty decent "double double" cheeseburger, a good flavorful char and not too overly done (maybe a medium). Too much glop on it, however; next time I will know to have them hold the mayo, at least.

So that was a decent burger, but I once again got a taste of the legerdemain by which Ronnie's keeps down the prices on its famous steaks. Not the $1.19 corn on the cob (I'm not the kind of pea-picking rube that would fall for that kind of game). No, this time it was the macaroni and cheese, which looked good enough there on the steam table that I asked for a side dish. Emphasis on SIDE. Two seconds later, I was staring at a bowl the size of a gladiator's helmet filled to its rim with gloppy orange goo. Too late to complain, I found myself paying $2.99 for the bowl. Despite how it looked on the line, it was basically just insipid, with overdone pasta and sauce that had the right colors, but sorely lacked the right flavors. Some hot sauce, salt and pepper sort of rescued it, but not really.

Ah well, fool me once! Although I heard the busboys tittering behind my back as I strode out onto Clark Street, I refused to lose my dignity or grant them the pleasure, and continued without pause on my way. For I knew I should be back, and soon, and with my wits about me and better attuned to playing by "Ronnie's Rules."

JeffB wrote:Ronnies was not in the space now occupied by Borders. It was in the Flemish jewel box of a former penny arcade that briefly housed a comedy company and now an absurdly overpriced tea emporium. Among the salient features of the old Ronnies were several expertly conceived murals depicting key moments in US and world history, with beef at the center of the composition. I can't remember whether Ronnies had a Pietà with brisket, but it certainly had a signing of the Declaration of Independence with roast beef.

I’m glad you mentioned the murals. I hope there are photographs of them somewhere. That building was originally Eitel’s Old Heidelberg, a replica of their restaurant at the Century of Progress Exposition (1933). If memory serves, at one time Ronny’s Steak Palace had a real disco in the basement. Anyone remember that?

When the place was renovated to become the Noble Fool, I was so impressed that they invested the money and effort to restore the clock. Not that long ago it chimed on the hour and a statue of King Gambrinus made an appearance. I think it's no longer functional (or is it?).

Rene G wrote:

JeffB wrote:Ronnies was not in the space now occupied by Borders. It was in the Flemish jewel box of a former penny arcade that briefly housed a comedy company and now an absurdly overpriced tea emporium. Among the salient features of the old Ronnies were several expertly conceived murals depicting key moments in US and world history, with beef at the center of the composition. I can't remember whether Ronnies had a Pietà with brisket, but it certainly had a signing of the Declaration of Independence with roast beef.

I’m glad you mentioned the murals. I hope there are photographs of them somewhere. That building was originally Eitel’s Old Heidelberg, a replica of their restaurant at the Century of Progress Exposition (1933). If memory serves, at one time Ronny’s Steak Palace had a real disco in the basement. Anyone remember that?

When the place was renovated to become the Noble Fool, I was so impressed that they invested the money and effort to restore the clock. Not that long ago it chimed on the hour and a statue of King Gambrinus made an appearance. I think it's no longer functional (or is it?).

And if you want to trace back the history of the spot to the point of diminished returns, it would perhaps be worth noting that the Iroquois Theater sat directly on that parcel of land. The few who survived gathered in the alley out back, which is remarkably unchanged from how it looked 103 year ago. Regarding Noble Fool, I always found it uncanny that an all-comedy theater should have chosen that spot. I actually saw one of their productions (an absurdist re-thinking of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" starring the Green Mill Poetry Slam Guy). I have trouble walking past that spot without whistling.

All I can say about this place (Ronny's) is that I went there opening week and swore I'd never, ever set foot in there again. That was 5+ years ago and I've stuck to my word. Unless the food quality has been upgraded during that time (doubtful when you consider the prices) I would be hard-pressed to give it another shot.

rdstoll wrote:All I can say about this place (Ronny's) is that I went there opening week and swore I'd never, ever set foot in there again. That was 5+ years ago and I've stuck to my word. Unless the food quality has been upgraded during that time (doubtful when you consider the prices) I would be hard-pressed to give it another shot.

I guess it depends on what you order; I haven't tried a steak and probably wouldn't, judging by the looks of them, but the less ambitious foods I have tried on my two visits (reported above) were pretty good, considering the type of place it is and the Loop location (can't argue with convenience). Would I keep Ronnie's over, say, Kuma's Corner? No, and if Kuma's decides to open a branch at Lake and Clark, I'll be the first in the door! But until that time, one must make do with what one has ...

I'm right in that area and am always on the search for new stuff, just can't bring myself to go to Ronny's. Yet one does get tired of the Cosi/Corner Bakery/Au Bon Pain overly expensive sandwich and salad places surrounded by a half dozen Mexican joints.

[Note to those keeping score: I realize I have been misspelling "Ronny's" throughout this thread, but I just don't have the energy to correct myself.]

In the eighties I ate at the Ronny's on Wells street that was near Jackson. I could never get anyone to eat there. The steaks for the price were ok but the potato sides were tasty. The other loop Ronny's on Randolph across from the the 'Delay' Center was bigger and more crowded. I don't recall the disco, but there was a basement bar on that block called the "R&R" with a western theme. Lots of construction guys eating chili, burgers and beer.

For the benefit of future searchers, allow me to provide the correctly spelled name and address:

Ronny's Original Steakhouse
100 W. Randolph St., Chicago
(312) 939-6010

I think there is also still a location at 340 S. Wabash Ave., (312) 346-9487, which seems more in character than anything in Thompson Center can possibly be.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:And if you want to trace back the history of the spot to the point of diminished returns, it would perhaps be worth noting that the Iroquois Theater sat directly on that parcel of land.

I thought the Oriental Theater was built where the Iroquois once stood and this website (and others) seems to bear that out. There’s quite a bit of information there, including that the Randolph Theater occupied the site that became Old Heidelberg, Ronny’s, Noble Fool, and now Argo Tea. It’s possible property lines shifted so several stories may be true.

lambskin wrote:I don't recall the disco, but there was a basement bar on that block called the "R&R" with a western theme.

I may be confusing the disco with another place (more later if I figure it out) but I’m certain I wasn’t thinking of the RR Ranch, almost always called Bar-Double-R. That’s where the Sundowners played virtually every night for decades. Here’s a nice article Dave Hoekstra wrote about the band and the proto-alt-country scene in Chicago. It’s not exactly the article I was looking for (Hoekstra has written quite a bit on the Sundowners) but it’s a very interesting read.

LAZ wrote:I think there is also still a location at 340 S. Wabash Ave., (312) 346-9487, which seems more in character than anything in Thompson Center can possibly be.

That Ronny’s has been gone a long time (years?). But you’re right, it had the properly sleazy atmosphere so lacking in the current incarnation. If anyone really cares about the history of Ronny’s, it would be worth tracking down a surprisingly interesting feature article in the Reader about 10 years ago.

Finally here’s a scan of a matchbook from Old Heidelberg, probably from the 1940s, that I’d forgotten I had.

Rene G wrote:

LAZ wrote:I think there is also still a location at 340 S. Wabash Ave., (312) 346-9487, which seems more in character than anything in Thompson Center can possibly be.

That Ronny’s has been gone a long time (years?). But you’re right, it had the properly sleazy atmosphere so lacking in the current incarnation.

Well, it seems like I was just there the other day, but it turns out my last visit was actually two years ago. FWIW, the phone number still works -- it's answered by the Thompson Center location.

JeffB wrote:Jim,

Indeed, a good pal used to alert me to the dates when Ronnie's would roll back prices 30 years and sell a complete steak dinner for under 5 bucks.

Customer Appreciation is Back at Ronnie's this week. T-bone steak, potato, bread, & salad for $4.99. I picked up 2 rare steaks to take home for DH & Mum-in-law. I think this deal will probably be dinner the rest of this week.

Enjoy,