smith & wollensky's roast beef hash

After spending a few hours at the disappointing VinExpo America, a friend and I felt like something brunchish. I have been dying for a roast beef hash fix from Smith & Wollensky, so we drove north to Marina Towers.

I have only eaten at S&W's for lunch and had not seen a need to order anything besides the fabulous roast beef hash. This recent version was a littlle bit of a let down. A pair of perfectly cooked poached eggs, a touch of hollandaise, the tastiest fried potatoes you have ever eaten, and the 'trimmings' from 28-day dry aged prime rib eyes usually meld together into one very fine hash. The problem: the beef was truly trimmings, more fat than flesh. This has not been the case on previous visits. Maybe the problem was due to forgetting Anthony Bourdain's 'never eat in a restaurant early on a Sunday' rule. The hash was not served in the skillet, but the potatoes were of the crispness to make G Wiv weep.

We were seated at the first row of tables inside, next to the French doors open wide to the patio, overlooking the river. It almost felt like you were outside, but without the glare and heat from the sun.

Smith & Wollensky
318 N. State (in the Marina Towers complex)
Chicago, IL
312.670.9900

Hi Al,

The lovely Donna and I decided to go S&W this past Sunday, in the early afternoon. You can't ask for a nicer setting than their patio on a cool, sunny day.

I also experienced a roast beef hash letdown. No skillet. More of a mixture of well done beef tips just mixed up with those great hash browns and plated. It didn't have that cohesiveness which you, I, VI, and GWiv experienced that day. You know what I'm saying...where the sum is more than the parts, that beefy, crispy, buttery goodness. It was tasty, really tasty, but as you said, not what they serve on the lunch menu. The runny egg yolk and hollandaise helped, but still not the same. Donna had the Smith salad, which was shredded romaine with grilled shrimp, green beans and stuff.