Devon Seafood Grill-- rhymes with "Fred Gobster"

You have one experience at a hot new restaurant and you're impressed. You have practically the same experience at another new restaurant and you begin to sense the hands of consultants. David Burke's Primehouse impressed me in some ways (food), seemed clearly handicapped in others (decor, mainly) by its somewhat awkward location in a new hotel tower and a not entirely successful blend of comfy steakhouse and Chichi Restaurant '06. The Oakbrook-managed outpost of a Philadelphia place, Devon Seafood Grill-- which every review will feel compelled to say rhymes with "heaven" rather than being pronounced like the Indian food street-- seems to have been unpacked from the same box as Primehouse in a new luxe condo tower named, with considerable irony, for a man who took a vow of poverty, the late Cardinal Bernardin. Well, it is serving loaves and fishes, as well as wine....



There's a bar-- the first things you see are, respectively, a cross-shaped table (nice joke by the designer) and, oh thank you Holy Father, ESPN HD. Downstairs is a long, very noisy dining room in wavy glass paneling and blue twilight which stops just short of making you think you're supposed to be in an aquarium tank. Along the sides are a series of alcoves which made a nice, slightly quieter dining room for eight, although they still reflect plenty of the outside commotion. As you're seated, you're served the housemade signature popover-- no wait, that was Primehouse-- the housemade signature biscuit, which was a little sweet, but went quickly.



Much of the menu is written in typically incomprehensible menuese-- "Arvenian maneau fribot in a pursée of shinked duncers with new-dirt-grown spants and inverse knived funsels"-- and was dotted with misspellings which didn't inspire confidence ("proscuitto," "terrior," etc.) Frankly I can deal with that, but the big surprise for a place taking itself seriously is that it seems to be seriously understaffed, which would have repercussions for the printed menu. Our waiter arrived in what seemed to be a mild state of panic, and never had the time to settle in with us. I give him considerable credit for keeping things running under duress, and the meal ran fairly smoothly as an operation, but by never having the time to shoot the breeze with us, find out what we were interested in, two big areas that should have gotten personal attention-- the wine list and that list of "Tonight's Fresh Fish" listed with no clues as to methods of preparation-- were basically ignored. (If there's a sommelier on the premises, we never saw any sign of him or her.)

We did okay on our own with the wine, but I wonder if Devon Seafood Grill really shot itself in the foot with the fish that way; we mostly ordered more elaborate fish dishes off the next page (potato-crusted grouper, that sort of thing), and were mostly underwhelmed with both the freshness and the preparations. It might well be that the simplest and most satisfying preparations of the freshest fish went unnoticed on that list.



Generally, we were happier with appetizers than main courses; "Port Judith" calamari pleased me but others thought it was fried at too low a temperature so the breading flaked off; Oysters Rockefeller and a plate of raw bluepoints seemed fine, what do I know about oysters...



...but I do know my caprese salad and this one, ordered by SteveZ, was an overdone mess of extra flavors and colors trying to compensate for styrofoam tomatoes and just good enough cheese:



Case Number: SZ002
Date consumed: 6/3/06
Location: Devon Seafood Grill
Tomato Score: 1.5
Pretty but flavorless red and yellow combo.
Mozzarella Score: 1.5
Just enough flavor to pass [note: score adjusted per SteveZ below]
Basil Score: 1.0
Hidden amid other flavors.
Discretionary Points: 0
What is all that stuff? No raspberry coulis or maple-mint jalapeno?
FINAL SCORE: 4.0/20



Entrees proved to be Ennh-trees. I'm not sure I even feel like going through them individually; each was edible, each had something about it that kept it from seeming first class. The Char-Crust (a Chicago product) on rare tuna was just weird, like sugar coated sashimi. Scallops were rubbery, G Wiv can explain his theory about why and why they weren't as fresh as the menu claimed, the lobster risotto was gluey and lobster-flavor-free.



The potato-crusted grouper was a nice dish, except the fish inside was cooked to grouper jerky. Lobster tasted better but also was cooked past its perfect point.



The best was the simplest, this sea bass, but even it came with a side of excessively gloppy cream-cheesed-up potatoes.



A supposed dry-age steak was pretty good but... you say you have a cave and dry age them for 28 days, eh?

By the end we were disabused of any notion we had come in with that this was a serious seafood contender. The commitment to hyper-fresh clean-tasting fish and perfect preparation just wasn't there, and we were throwing around the name "Red Lobster" pretty freely. There are some operational issues to be fixed here that might improve some of that, but I suspect that the main ones are philosophical. And that Devon Seafood Grill is perfectly positioned on Chicago and Wabash to attract a tourist crowd for whom it will be a step up... for the seafood lover in you.

Devon Seafood Grill
39 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago
Tel: (312) 440-8660

Mike,

Thanks for doing the math for me on my "caprese" salad, although I think you were more generous with the cheese points than I would have been...unless you score Jewel mozzerella as a 2.5. Also, you forgot to mention my unmemorable mixed seafood grille, which somehow managed to be both overcooked and served cold at the same time.

Mike G wrote:Scallops were rubbery, G Wiv can explain his theory about why and why they weren't as fresh as the menu claimed,

Mike,

Fresh is one of those elastic terms, in U.S. Food and Drug Administration terms I'm sure Devon's scallops were fresh, though they were "Fred Gobster" fresh, not knock your socks off serve em to the Queen of England fresh.

The difference, and SushiGaijin can step in to clarify, is pristinely fresh scallops are dry pack, no soak in water with added phosphates to extend shelf life and 'plump' the scallops. The phosphate soak gives the scallops a slightly rubbery texture and, occasionally, an ever so subtle hint of baking soda, which is what I commented on at Devon.

'Soaked' scallops are not particularly egregious, though not what one would expect in a top flight seafood house.

Mike lanced Devon quite cleanly, though I should mention I liked the bar which had a friendly energetic feel, and the hostess staff was nicely keyed into positive customer interaction. For example, they were quite willing to seat half our group before the others arrived, but did not miss a beat when even after we all were in attendance we opted to have another round in the bar.

Our waiter was most certainly out of his depth, the risotto a goopy joke and if the New York strip steak was dry-aged then I'm a long-legged fashion model on a Milan runway. I did, however, like the biscuits.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv,

I hate to pick on the waiter for what I see as operational issues (especially striking because, as you rightly note, the bar and hostess area upstairs was very well run). When you quizzed him about the alleged dry-aging, and he hemmed and hawed that there was apparently some room somewhere that they dry-aged in, though he'd not personally seen it, that's an operational problem. Because, one, if it's true, then by God march all your waiters there and give them a 10-minute introduction to the concept so they can speak about dry-aging with confidence, like they do at David Burke's Primehouse. And two, if it isn't true, then don't lie to your waitstaff and expect them to pass the BS along to the rubes. When a self-proclaimed seafood hotspot turns out to do only a middling job with seafood, and then also claims to have something (a dry-aging room) of which there were only one or two in the city until it suddenly became a much-hyped fad, well, maybe they have one but my detector's flashing bright red at that point.

At least they didn't claim to own their own tilapia stud, by whom all the tilapia eaten in the restaurant are sired.

Incidentally, poking around Metromix for reader reviews on the Oakbrook restaurant group's signature restaurant, Braxton Seafood Grill at Oakbrook mall, that rather than the Philadelphia original of Devon Seafood Grill seems to be the source of the signature biscuits. Mmm, biscuits! I'm trying real hard not to be a city snob mocking suburban mall dining come downtown, but Devon Seafood Grill isn't helping much.

Mike G wrote:I'm trying real hard not to be a city snob mocking suburban mall dining come downtown, but Devon Seafood Grill isn't helping much.

Mike,

Now why would you do that, especially when Red Lobster is but a scant 1/2 mile from Devon Seafood.

Enjoy,
Gary

I'm glad you posted a menu photo so we could see what seafood they've chosen to sell. I hope this doesn't sound too preachy but I feel pretty strongly about understanding where my food comes from.

I pulled out my trusty Shedd Aquarium "right bite" wallet card and looked up each fish. The wallet card is a pocket guide designed to help us choose seafood from sustainable fisheries and to avoid fishes that either contain unacceptable levels of toxins (like mercury) or that come from sources that are overfished or are otherwise harmful to the environment. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a similar card and a very informative web site on this topic.

Anyway, I was disappointed to see Atlantic salmon, grouper, and Chilean Seabass on the list. Environmental Defense has issued a health alert on Chilean Seabass for unacceptable levels of mercury and other environmental toxins. Over 1/2 of these fish are caught illegally and in ways that result in a lot of bycatch (fish, turtles, and birds that die on longlines and are discarded by the fishermen).

Groupers tend to be high in mercury and many are overfished. Atlantic salmon are farmed in highly polluting ways.

Why would a restaurant serving Copper River Salmon (good fish) feel the need to serve Atlantic salmon?

If you eat seafood regularly, you might be interested in this resource:

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood watch

http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

Don't worry, that's not really a grouper.

Diannie wrote:I pulled out my trusty Shedd Aquarium "right bite" wallet card and looked up each fish.

And here I was, thinking that the card ranked all types of fish based on deliciousness. That would be way more fun.

Don't worry, that's not really a grouper.

Right, I assumed it was this kind, from the football shape. Bluenose "grouper," if you were right about the identification that time. Well, whatever it was, it had the chewiness of Thanksgiving turkey by the time they were done making the potatoes golden.

I wonder if the over cooking part renders the potential toxin part irrelevant?

Diannie wrote:I wonder if the over cooking part renders the potential toxin part irrelevant?

I don't know about that, but it does render the potential taste part irrelevant.

About the Menu:

I saw the rainbow trout from the Rushing River, WI. I have been almost everywhere in Wisconsin and fished many spots too. I have not heard of a Rushing River. I doubt there would be a river large enough to have a commercial fishery other than the Wisconsin and maybe the Fox (and I wouldn't eat anything out of the Fox).

I didn't know they had aquaculture farms in Wisconsin.

AngrySarah wrote:About the Menu:
I saw the rainbow trout from the Rushing River, WI. I have been almost everywhere in Wisconsin and fished many spots too. I have not heard of a Rushing River.

I am sure they mean Rushing Waters Trout Farm, south of Palmyra in Kettle Morraine, which is not a river at all, but an 80 acre farm with 56 trout ponds and raceways. Seems from the comments above, the attention to detail they show in the menu is reflected in the food.

http://www.rushingwaters.net

d4v3 wrote:

AngrySarah wrote:About the Menu:
I saw the rainbow trout from the Rushing River, WI. I have been almost everywhere in Wisconsin and fished many spots too. I have not heard of a Rushing River.

I am sure they mean Rushing Waters Trout Farm south of Palmyra, which is not a river at all, but an 80 acre farm with 56 trout ponds and raceways. Seems from the comments above, the attention to detail they show in the menu is reflected in the food.

http://www.rushingwaters.net

Well, what do you know. When I was a kid my pop brought me to "Trout Valley" somewhere around Lake Geneva. It was a commercial trout pond like they have there where you rent a cane pole and catch trout. I caught my first fish there.

I read the blurb on Devon Seafood in this month's Chicago Magazine again today while I was in the "library". I don't know how I missed it the first time, but they (Chicago Mag) claims that Devon Seafood is owned/operated by Houlihan's. That explains a lot.

stevez wrote:I read the blurb on Devon Seafood in this month's Chicago Magazine again today while I was in the "library". I don't know how I missed it the first time, but they (Chicago Mag) claims that Devon Seafood is owned/operated by Houlihan's. That explains a lot.

OMG, you are right. According to the Houlihan's inc website, they also own Braxton Seafood Grill in Oakbrook, as well as a seafood restaurant in KC and one in Atlanta.

I was going to nominate this for funniest line ever on this forum:

'At least they didn't claim to own their own tilapia stud, by whom all the tilapia eaten in the restaurant are sired. "

until I read this:

jesteinf wrote:

Diannie wrote:I pulled out my trusty Shedd Aquarium "right bite" wallet card and looked up each fish.

And here I was, thinking that the card ranked all types of fish based on deliciousness. That would be way more fun.

The place may have average fish, but at least it kept me entertained for part of an evening.

Thanks for eating there, so I don't have to.

The family and I dined at Devon last night. My experience was completely different from the reviews above from 2006. All the fish was perfectly cooked, and I thought reasonably priced compared to a place like McCormick and Schmick.

I started with the Proscuitto crusted scallops. They used finely chopped proscuitto as a coating on the top and bottom of each of three scallops served, which made for a nice crust but it wasn't too salty, which you can get with the cooked proscuitto. The scallops were cooked to just slightly underdone, which is just right. There was a small fennel salad in the center of the plate and it was served with a drizzle of basil oil and reduced balsamic. Price was $9.50.

My main course was the seafood grill combo. It consisted of four grilled shimps, two grilled scallops, their jumbo lump crab cake, and a small piece of salmon. It's supposed to come with garlic mashed potatoes, but they swapped that for lobster risotto. The salmon was slightly overcooked, but all the other items were cooked to a correct doneness. The crab cake is a bit different than the norm, as it's not really breaded and sauteed fully. The put a little breading on one side and saute that for a little crust, but otherwise it's a bit more like a crab salad. There were a couple of sauces served with the dish, but I didn't use them so can't describe them (my bad). The lobster risotto was very tasty, but kinda starchy. Overall, I liked the dish. Price was $29.50.

The rest of the crew all liked what they had, although I didn't taste any of their stuff. The lobster ravioli seemed to be a big hit, as did the lobster bisque.

Overall, I liked the place a lot and will definitely go back.

All the best,
John Danza

Mike G wrote:The Oakbrook-managed outpost of a Philadelphia place, Devon Seafood Grill-- which every review will feel compelled to say rhymes with "heaven" rather than being pronounced like the Indian food street-- seems to have been unpacked from the same box as Primehouse in a new luxe condo tower named, with considerable irony, for a man who took a vow of poverty, the late Cardinal Bernardin. Well, it is serving loaves and fishes, as well as wine....

Devon Seafood Grill
39 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago
Tel: (312) 440-8660

What gave you the impression that Cardinal Bernardin took a vow of poverty?

YoYoPedro wrote:

Mike G wrote:The Oakbrook-managed outpost of a Philadelphia place, Devon Seafood Grill-- which every review will feel compelled to say rhymes with "heaven" rather than being pronounced like the Indian food street-- seems to have been unpacked from the same box as Primehouse in a new luxe condo tower named, with considerable irony, for a man who took a vow of poverty, the late Cardinal Bernardin. Well, it is serving loaves and fishes, as well as wine....

Devon Seafood Grill
39 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago
Tel: (312) 440-8660

What gave you the impression that Cardinal Bernardin took a vow of poverty?

Maybe the way he lived his life as a model for all of us, from the way he handled the untrue allegations against him to the way he faced cancer.

Just tossing ideas out there.

For a lot of us, if Cardinal Bernadin was still alive, we would be in Mass now, rather than at home working.

DML wrote:

YoYoPedro wrote:

Mike G wrote:The Oakbrook-managed outpost of a Philadelphia place, Devon Seafood Grill-- which every review will feel compelled to say rhymes with "heaven" rather than being pronounced like the Indian food street-- seems to have been unpacked from the same box as Primehouse in a new luxe condo tower named, with considerable irony, for a man who took a vow of poverty, the late Cardinal Bernardin. Well, it is serving loaves and fishes, as well as wine....

Devon Seafood Grill
39 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago
Tel: (312) 440-8660

What gave you the impression that Cardinal Bernardin took a vow of poverty?

Maybe the way he lived his life as a model for all of us, from the way he handled the untrue allegations against him to the way he faced cancer.

Just tossing ideas out there.

For a lot of us, if Cardinal Bernadin was still alive, we would be in Mass now, rather than at home working.

Please don't misunderstand what I was asking. I have no doubt that Cardinal Bernardin was a wonderful person, but I don't believe that he ever took a vow of poverty. Many people, both dead and alive, have lived their lives in ways that we could all aspire to, but that does not mean that they have taken vows of poverty. Diocesan priests do not take a vow of poverty, so I was asking the OP why he made the statement that he made. It was not meant to cast aspersions upon Cardinal Bernardin in any way.

Hi,

Why not consider the statement, made 18 months ago, as poetic license with a nod to conventional wisdom (which isn't necessarily accurate).

If you have further questions on this topic, then PM the OP to discern this further.

Thanks!

Regards,
Cathy2 for the moderators

Has anyone been here, and if so, what do you recommend? I tried a search but didn't find anything. The menu looks interesting..

Devon's Seafood Grill
39 E. Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60611

a little trick that can make searching much more efficient: select "Topic Titles Only" in the "search within" part of the screen. A search for Devon Seafood would then find this thread.

Another search trick is to spell the name of the place correctly.

Thanks for all your help.

ekreider wrote:

jleblanc05 wrote:Devon's Seafood Grill
39 E. Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60611

Another search trick is to spell the name of the place correctly.

You're in Chicago; he did spell it correctly. It's the restaurant that spelled it wrong. Other similar examples are Jewel's, Wiener Circle's, Treasure Island's, graham elliot's, Nordstrom's, Nuevo Leon's, Burger King's....

A friend & I practically used to live at the bar that was next to Bricks Pizza on Lincoln (before it became "Amp Rock Lounge"). We always had a blast there, but I didn't know whether to laugh or shake her whenever she suggested we meet at Katacomb's for a drink.

Khaopaat wrote:You're in Chicago; he did spell it correctly. It's the restaurant that spelled it wrong. Other similar examples are Jewel's, Wiener Circle's, Treasure Island's, graham elliot's, Nordstrom's, Nuevo Leon's, Burger King's....

In my house, it was always "the Jewel".

Wrigleysville Dog has got to be the best example of a misplaced, erroneous "s". They've made the switch on their website, so it wasn't until I was a few months into living almost directly across the street before I noticed their sign had a different spelling. One with an "s"...in the middle.

(If you happen to be one of those people who does click through on links here, check out the copy they've included in their 'photo shoot' section, which intrepid interwebbers will notice has the url of http://www.wrigleyvilledogs.com/SexyPhotoShoot.html)

$20 for $50 Groupon deal today - http://www.groupon.com/chicago/