M. Hermann's, Forest Park

M. Hermann's, Forest Park

Open less than a month, M. Hermann's at the corner of Randolph and Circle is the first restaurant to launch in Forest Park in maybe a year or so (it preceded Saigon Pho by about a week).

M. Hermann’s faces some challenges (not the least of which is the name, which seems taken from the Restaurant Playbook, circa 1978: "Give your restaurant a wacky name with initials; cf. R.J. Grunts, J.B. Winberries, etc.")

The Wednesday night we stopped by, it was empty, which is too bad, as it’s a nice comfortable room, well-appointed if pedestrian.



Similarly, the menu was very…safe: salads, burgers, steaks.

We had an order of onion rings, and I didn’t ask if they were frozen, but I’d bet they were: personality free, heavy on the breading and low on onion, with no fresh snap.



The wet-aged rib-eye steak was a good piece of meat, but for $25, I didn’t feel I was getting what could be called a value.



The steak came with a salad, which showed marginal effort, and a baked potato that was brown inside. How do they do that?



The spinach side was very well prepared, just lightly sautéed and so much more pleasant and refreshing than most steakhouse creamed versions.



I had a Sazerac, $12. It was heavy on the Pernod, and for that price, I’d expect a more expert mix.


M. Hermann’s closes on the early side (9:30PM on weekdays and 10:30 on weekends), so it’s clearly going for more the restaurant crowd than the bar crowd. If that’s the case, I’d love to see them maybe take a few more risks with the menu, put in a specialty item or two, you know, surprise us. I'm guessing, however, that surprise is precisely not the point of this place.

M. Hermann's
201 Des Plaines Avenue
Forest Park, IL
708.488.09400

Dave, thanks for the review. I saw that this had opened recently, but haven't had a chance to go in yet.

It will be interesting to see what happens. After they closed the bar (Randolph Street Depot) several years ago, there was some initial work, and then the building just sat there forever with nothing being done. I drove by it regularly and saw nothing but the tyvek wrap and some newly installed windows, but no other work being done. Then finally, I am not sure if it was a financial thing, permits, different owners, whatever, the building was completed and finished out in a relatively quick amount of time.

I have not seen nor heard a lot of "buzz" for it locally, which may account for the sparse crowd you encountered. I'm not sure that people know its open, seeing as it is not exactly on the beaten path for restaurants.

The area could use a good steak place, It would be nice to see M. Hermanns deliver.

My daughter and I wandered in last night. I really liked the interior. After driving by the building for years and wondering if it was condemned or soon to be demolished, it was good to see that really cleaned the place up.

For food we both had a wedge salad. The were OK. Could have used more dressing and the lettuce wasn't as tight as wedge salads I've had before.

My daughter had the burger and I the rib-eye. Good not great. They both could have used more salt.

At 7:30 only us and another couple were there.

There was an article yesterday about M. Hermann's in the Forest Park Review

http://www.forestparkreview.com/main.as ... M=42916.61

Marmish wrote:There was an article yesterday about M. Hermann's in the Forest Park Review

http://www.forestparkreview.com/main.as ... M=42916.61

The $5 discount on steaks for singles sitting at the bar is a good thought. Interesting that the writer headlines and reiterates the crowds this place draws, as that does not seem to the be experience I've seen reported, but it no doubt varies by time of week (and we were there mid-week, as was dradeli).