What's good at Wildfire?

Urgent! I'm going there for lunch today.

Wildfire's been mentioned a few times here, but I've only found general, "it's-okay" kinds of comments. What do people like there?

I loved the bone-in ribeye. one of the more flavorful steaks I've ever had, actually.

Shannon

Macadamia nut crusted halibut is pretty good.

I also had the NY strip last time which was tasty.

The horseradish crusted filet medallions were pretty good.

kanin wrote:The horseradish crusted filet medallions were pretty good.

Ditto

Also, depending on your dining companions, I would recommend that you share the spinach salad (If they've gone back to serving it), and start with the fire roasted Mussels.

Flip

Went there with my friends 2 weeks ago. The crabcake appetizer was pretty good. I had the filet mignon trio - 3 different styles of filet prepared including the signature horseradish crusted (9 ounces). For a regular, single style filet it's 10 ounces. The horseradish style is an acquired taste. Some people may not like it. The bleu cheese style was pretty good while mushroom topped style was so-so. There are other styles of the trio you may order like parmesan. The kiwi mojito wasn't that great. After having the potent but delicious caipirinha previously at Sal Y Carvao, I guess I expected a little more. Very good service.

DOH!

Too late but I will recommend anyway.

I hear the rotisserie chicken is to die for and, even though I dio not see it on the menu, I hear the Prime Rib Hash is good (Perhaps it is a lunch special?).

Thanks for the tips! It was a nicer restaurant than I'd expected (Oak Brook location). I had a special: the French Onion Soup Cheeseburger. The meat patty was sorta stuffed with grilled onions and had fried onions on the top, and it came with a little crock of french onion soup that was really mostly cheese to dump over the burger. Neat, if weird, idea, but in practice it wasn't doing much for me.

My friend had the lemon pepper chicken and was disappointed that there wasn't more spice.

LTH,

Speaking of Wildfire, my wife had dinner this evening at the Schaumburg location and seemed quite enthused about her spinach salad with warm bacon dressing and macadamia encrusted halibut. Her sister was similarly enthused about the horseradish crusted fillet wrapped in bacon. YMMV*

On the rare occasion I find myself at Wildfire, I tend to stay with steak, lamb chops or roast chicken. Actually, IIRC**, the roast chicken is pretty darn good, though I love chicken in all forms.

Enjoy,
Gary

* Your Mileage May Vary
**If I Remember Correctly

Personally, I've always really liked Wildfire. I'm glad to see it receive some positive comments, as I think I recall seeing past references to it drawing a fair amount of negative criticism. This is understandable, as some (if not most) of the LEYE restaurants probably are easy targets for this group. However, IMO Wildfire does a great job with steaks, salads, and sides. Also, the horseradish-crusted filet really is the way to go...Not sure whether it's an acquired taste, but it's great.

Something you don't see on menus at steak restaurants too often is skirt steak, but Wildfire's is definitely worth the order, if you are in the mood for something a bit different.

I was there once at lunch and they had a pepper steak as a special. It was one the best meals I've ever had. There was a huge pile of big chunks of tender beef with a delicious seasoning. My family took me there for my birthday after that and one of the specials was lamb, which most of us ordered, and we were all very disappointed because it was gristly and chewy. I should have ordered beef or steak and told everybody else to do the same.

Even the peppercorn crusted hamburger is excellent!

i think the prime rib there is great.

I'm also curious -- is there any difference among locations? I've promised to take a friend to Wildfire for her Christmas gift, and if there are differences, I'd like to pick a better one.

Wildfire is one of my favorite "splurge" restaurants. No, it's not the best in Chicago, but it's consistently good food, decent prices for all the food you get, really good service (the waitstaff have always been very attentive-without being annoying- and very knowledgeable about the food). I've never noticed a difference between locations, except when I order my favorite drink there- they used to have a Chocolate Banana Martini on their menu that they took off, but they'll still make it for you if you ask. The Glenview location seems to make the best one. Other than that, I haven't found much difference in the locations.

It's also worth noting that Wildfire is a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant. During December, LEY offers a deal on gift cards; for each $100 in gift cards you buy, you receive a somewhat-restricted $25 bonus gift certificate. If you're planning to go to Wildfire, go buy gift cards (at least one day in advance) at any LEY restaurant (or Maggiano's) to take advantage of the deal.

Good reminder, Nsxtasy! We took advantage of that last year, and one other thing to note is that the bonus gift certificate DO EXPIRE! The regular gift cards do not. We remembered this about 2 days before the expiration (last year, it was sometime in April, I think) and had a very spontaneous Wildfire dinner!

abe_froeman wrote:Good reminder, Nsxtasy! We took advantage of that last year, and one other thing to note is that the bonus gift certificate DO EXPIRE! The regular gift cards do not. We remembered this about 2 days before the expiration (last year, it was sometime in April, I think) and had a very spontaneous Wildfire dinner!

A few years ago, I didn't realize that until it was too late, and my bonus certificates expired. I called the folks at Lettuce Entertain You and they said that I could send the bonus certificates to them, and they would (and did) send me replacement bonus certificates for the following year in the fall. Kudos for them!

No guarantees that they will do so in the future - it's certainly not required - but if you find yourself in the same situation, you have nothing to lose by calling them to ask about it...

Wildfire Oakbrook - perpetually running behind on reservations, grubby eating areas, carelessly prepared and not particularly fresh seafood, canned desserts, often stale or re-warmed bread service.

But then, excellent mixed drinks, particularly good coffee, and very nice Carson's-style ribs with a spicy mustard rub reinforced by their tangy mustard barbecue sauce, finished quickly in the wood stove for a smoky crust. Not traditional by any means, but tender, sticky, good-tasting meat. And "Roumanian" skirt steak still on the menu for a reasonable price point and in a splittable portion with a hill of grilled onions.

Not a bad way to burn LEYE gift certificates, but tread carefully, especially around the fishy apps and bread (and expect to be seated 20-45+ minutes after your reservation on weekends).

One of the most memorable meals ever was a starter of the Spinach-Artichoke Dip with toast points, scallops in lemon butter sauce with asparagus and mashed red potatoes, and their individual Key Lime Pie. Fantastic. I could barely move after that.

after going to wildfire downtown i fail to see the fascination with this place.

a lot of people rave about the filet medallions with their crusty what nots... i ordered the trio. i was pretty disappointed. the horseradish wasn't spicey and was more a mushy topping than any sort of crust.. totally unimpressive.

to me the place felt more like an applebees in disguise than a nice restaurant. we had a reservation, yet when you show up they give you one of those little buzzer things to wait past your reservation time? ...some of the wines are all obviously paid to be on the wine list.... geyser peak is too prominently positioned, and they also named their split off rooms after brands of wine ("Geyser Peak Room")

before even seeing the dessert tray, i told my friends "i bet they have this and this and this on the dessert menu" ... and i was right on 5 of the 6....

so a pretty unoriginal experience all around if you ask me. we had been given a gift certificate... unless someone throws another our way, i can think of 100 places i'd rather go in the future than here.

...as far as if the different locations are..different... i've heard that yes they are.. a few people have said the oakbrook location is nicer. maybe it's a nicer crowd, not the sweat pants "visiting downtown" crowd.

Santander wrote:(and expect to be seated 20-45+ minutes after your reservation on weekends).

Totally understandable...it seems like Wildfire, Cheesecake Factory, and Maggiano's get slammed nightly. I watch out the window of my restaurant (2100 Blue on the 9th floor of the Renaissance in the same parking lot as those) and see nothing but business out there. As for us...we're dead each night due to poor management and very little advertising.

Jayz wrote:

Santander wrote:(and expect to be seated 20-45+ minutes after your reservation on weekends).

Totally understandable... As for us...we're dead each night due to poor management

i have a friend who is always late. i always think, why not plan to arrive 30 minutes before you need to, then it all evens out... or change your clock. how is this any different? is this really acceptable--always making people wait long past their reservation time? (maybe the bad management has rubbed off on you!)

In the suburbs, Wildfire offers a reasonably priced, reliable option for steaks, seafood and American comfort foods in an agreeably grown-up atmosphere. In the city, where there are lots more options of this type, it probably has less appeal. I think they do very good steaks and prime rib for the price; I enjoy their roasted mussels and roast chicken, too.

My memory is not so good. Mr. Pie's birthday is coming and I have a LEYE gift card. What is the dress code for Wildfire? Is it the same all around or are the suburban ones more casual than the one in the city?

Pie Lady wrote:My memory is not so good. Mr. Pie's birthday is coming and I have a LEYE gift card. What is the dress code for Wildfire? Is it the same all around or are the suburban ones more casual than the one in the city?

The dress code is dictated by whatever you're celebrating (i.e. there really isn't one -- maybe "shoes & shirt", but if you've been to L.Woods or Myron & Phil's it's the same spectrum - families with kids in shorts and t-shirts to suits/nice dresses). I don't think I've ever put on anything nicer than jeans on my visits (because I rarely wear anything nicer).

I've seen everything from sleeveless t-shirts, caps, shorts and flip-flops to suits at Wildfire. I'd pick something in the middle. Personally, if you've never been, I recommend taking everyone to Antico Posto in Oak Brook instead. It's LEYE's best kept secret.

I have had some really good scallops at wildfire. I will report again as I am going to a party at the wildfire in the city and have not been there for a while.

I used to love their scallops. It looks like this weekend we'll be doing pizza, but that's okay, I'll save the certificate for possibly Antico Posto. What are the prices like there? I can bring my parents.