House 406 in Northbrook

There are a number of brief mentions about this place in various threads. But I can't find a review. We're narrowing down our options for a family celebration dinner somewhere north-ish. Gotta have steak; also gotta have some good solid reliable non-steak options or several members of the group will be, uh, unhappy. Morton's in Northbrook is already on the list and this place seems tempting, based on the menu. But some of the prices are more than a little high...i.e., $56 for a "10oz Bone-In Bleu Cheese Crust Filet." So...any word?

11431/2 Church St
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 714-0200

I haven't been there, and I'd love to hear from people who have.

If you're looking for other alternatives, based on what you've stated, you might consider Di Pescara, in Northbrook Court. It's Italian-ish with an emphasis on seafood, from Lettuce Entertain You. It's not going to stretch anyone's consciousness, but the food is delicious and well-prepared, the seafood is fresh, and the steak-lover will be satisfied.

House 406 is OK, but in my opinion over priced and a limited menu. I like DiPascera, we go there a lot. Morton's certainly has good steak and there is also a Ruths Chris down the street if you lean that way.

Try Prairie Grass cafe

Four of us went to House 406 for dinner last night.

We started with the bread service, which was excellent - pretzel rolls and dinner rolls, brought to the table piping hot.


We had three appetizers, four salads, four entrees, one side, and one dessert.

Butternut Squash Soup, Crème Fraiche ($8) - This was okay, a bit on the bland side.


Garlic Butter Poached Lobster Crostinis, Swiss Cheese, Butter Crostini, Cajun Aioli ($16) - This was quite good, although it had a bit too much cheese.


Steamed Mussels, White Wine & Herb Butter Sauce, Grilled Toast ($12) - The mussels were very good, so was the toast (made from brioche?), but the broth was MUCH too salty, virtually inedible.


Caesar Salad, Romaine, Parmesan, Lemon-Caesar Dressing, Croutons, Lemon Zest ($9) - This was okay. They said that they did not have anchovies (could not add them) but that the dressing had anchovies in it.


Wedge Salad, Hearts of Palm, Red Onion, Egg, Avocado, Bacon, Tomato, Green Goddess Dressing ($10) - This was excellent.


6oz Black Angus Filet Mignon & Wild-Caught Shrimp with Crab Stuffing, Redskin Smashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Port Wine Demi ($39) - The filet was good, but the shrimp had virtually no crab stuffing and were covered with a sauce (cheese?) that didn't help the dish.


Root Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs, Yukon Gold Smashed Potatoes, Braised Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions ($26) - This was excellent, tender and not very fatty.


House Fried Onion Rings, Garlic Dipping Sauce ($8) - This was the only dish that I really disliked. The breading had cheese and some spices and the flavor profile was not very pleasant. They were also overcooked as the breading was hard and crunchy and there were no tender onions in the middle.


Banana Bread Pudding, Bananas Foster, Vanilla Bean Gelato ($11) - This was good. The cooked bananas and sauce were excellent. The pudding part was rather soupy.


Shawn, our server, was friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable.

Overall, the dinner was decent, with most of the dishes tasty and nicely prepared - not amazing, nothing you haven't seen elsewhere, but aside from the one side dish, nothing was bad either (although on several other dishes there was an overemphasis on cheese and salt). It's worth trying if you're in the area.

The address and phone number are in the first post above. Their website is here.

nsxtasy wrote:House Fried Onion Rings

Thanks for your report on this place, nsxtasy, which sounds worth a visit next time we're having dinner with friends up north.

The above was the only thing that stuck in my craw. (Not due to your review, due to the restaurant's naming of the item.) Shouldn't one be able to assume that at a restaurant like this, the onion rings (if on offer) will be "house-fried"? What's the alternative? Frozen onion rings? Those exist many places, but not places like House 406. (Or at least, places like one feels entitled to assume House 406 is.) Pretentiousness alert!

riddlemay wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:House Fried Onion Rings

...Shouldn't one be able to assume that at a restaurant like this, the onion rings (if on offer) will be "house-fried"? What's the alternative? Frozen onion rings? ...

And who's to say it's an alternative? Wouldn't frozen onion rings still be house-fried? Fried a second time, anyway?

Question: in what year were your pictures taken? I'm guessing 1996.