I checked out Powerhouse a couple month's back, here's my review.

One that possesses great force or energy, that’s how the dictionary describes a “Powerhouse”. In a crowded dining scene, how does one become such a great force? Start with a personable owner, a historic location, and a new chef flexing his culinary muscle. Add that all together and you get Powerhouse.

The former power plant was once known for its iconic smokestack, but is now home to broad shouldered styling and awe inspiring culinary creations. Owner Jimmy Alexander has created a space that oozes everything Chicago dining is known for. Large booths, deep red curtains, and service that is friendly but never pretentious.
That style carries over wonderfully to the cuisine. Maryland style crab cakes with mango relish and remoulade sauce wet your appetite with the right balance of texture and flavor. Roasted butternut squash soup warms your soul with its velvety texture and sweet undertones.

The big double cut pork chop and its three chili sauce are a treat for the senses. The bone in chops flavor becomes more satisfying with each passing bite. My personal favorite was the melt in your mouth marinated baby rack of lamb with mint yogurt sauce. The yogurt was the perfect alternative to the obligatory mint jelly.

Dessert is where Powerhouse shows its fun side. Warm sweet potato doughnuts glazed in brown butter and resting in a pool of cinnamon sabayon are absolutely heavenly! As if doughnuts weren’t enough, a dose of cognac ice cream accompanies crisp rice pudding spring rolls surrounded by spun sugar! Even the most serious of patrons can’t help but smile when presented with one of these sugary delights.

Typical dinner for two will run about $200, which is on par with other fine dining establishments. Overall Powerhouse offers elegant yet powerful décor, bold and beautiful meals, and personable service. In Chicago’s crowded culinary scene, this restaurant may prove to be a true “Powerhouse”.
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cybermud wrote:I went here in November, Jayz, and I agree with you. It really seemed like mid-range hotel room service food choices. More steak choices than most room service menus I have seen--but that is besides the point when the quality is also typical of mid-range hotel room service food.

I have not been to Powerhouse, but based on a perusal of the current menu, I'd tend to agree with this sentiment. Anyplace that puts this on the menu - Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass served with wild rice, carrots, and baby bok choy - has, imo, pretty much mailed it in. Out of season ingredients abound, and there's not much to inspire on this menu. Reminds me very much of room service menus that make me cringe when I travel. Maybe they execute WAY better than anyone else; otherwise, it's hard to imagine how a menu this boring can draw people in.

Kennyz wrote:

cybermud wrote:I went here in November, Jayz, and I agree with you. It really seemed like mid-range hotel room service food choices. More steak choices than most room service menus I have seen--but that is besides the point when the quality is also typical of mid-range hotel room service food.

I have not been to Powerhouse, but based on a perusal of the current menu, I'd tend to agree with this sentiment. Anyplace that puts this on the menu - Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass served with wild rice, carrots, and baby bok choy - has, imo, pretty much mailed it in. Out of season ingredients abound, and there's not much to inspire on this menu. Reminds me very much of room service menus that make me cringe when I travel. Maybe they execute WAY better than anyone else; otherwise, it's hard to imagine how a menu this boring can draw people in.

Lol, my refrenced salmon dish was Miso Glazed salmon served with wild rice, carrots, and baby bok choy . The best part about it was the bok-choy....well steamed and with a decent flavor.


edit:

HungryZ wrote:Roasted butternut squash soup warms your soul with its velvety texture and sweet undertones.

I started out with this soup, but was turned off by the large globules of oil floating within it. I think it was peanut oil. The presentation was beautiful, poured from a caraffe, but the end product was simply not good.

Miso Glazed salmon served with wild rice, carrots, and baby bok choy

I could be wrong, but if you add rice noodles to this dish, isn't it what got that culinary school kid kicked off of Top Chef for being too one-note and pedestrian?

Really a shame to see what happened here. It started out -- certainly not perfect -- but with so much promise. Seems like once chef Peters and Scott Noorman left, the place descended rapidly.

whiskeybent wrote:I could be wrong, but if you add rice noodles to this dish, isn't it what got that culinary school kid kicked off of Top Chef for being too one-note and pedestrian?

And yes, I think you are exactly right, although the noodles were not merely rice noodles but improperly cooked rice noodles.

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ronnie_suburban wrote:Really a shame to see what happened here. It started out -- certainly not perfect -- but with so much promise. Seems like once chef Peters and Scott Noorman left, the place descended rapidly.

=R=

The 'descend' was actually purposely forced upon by the owner. He was never blown away by the fancy menu and insisted that the steak and potato route would be his ultimate goal. Once the Chef's made a move to the door the Owner quickly lined up a whole new crew, menu, and decor (he literally had changed the entire restaurant over night without telling a great majority of his crew which he then got rid of to bring in his new staff) for his restaurant ultimately making it what it is now...he's more than happy with what it is at a 'lower quality' yet higher profit restaurant in his mind. Some people would rather own a Chili's making a million+/year than owning Alinea and only taking in 100k.

*the information above is my take on what I gathered from an inside source

Weird situation tonight. Tried to go for dinner, only to find the restaurant closed, door locked, but the bar space on the south side of the building was open. Normally, I might chalk something like this up to frigid weather, people wanting to stay home, but after reading the earlier posts about the "fluid" situation at Powerhouse, it makes you wonder.

Olde School wrote:Weird situation tonight. Tried to go for dinner, only to find the restaurant closed, door locked, but the bar space on the south side of the building was open. Normally, I might chalk something like this up to frigid weather, people wanting to stay home, but after reading the earlier posts about the "fluid" situation at Powerhouse, it makes you wonder.

Have lately encountered a number of places that used to do lunch and dinner but now only do dinner, or are partitioned to use only a portion of their space, or are "closed for remodeling." Whether they would say so or not, I'm certain it's the economy.

The wife and I ate Powerhouse yesterday after some late meetings we both had downtown. We previously dined at Powerhouse thrice, all three times relatively soon after they opened (or at least before the staff changes discussed on earlier posts.) This place never was a superstar, but a solid place and its proximity to the Metra made it a great place for the one off spontaneous dinner. I have to say, we were absolutely shocked at the difference.

First, the restaurant menu was completely changed and I have to agree that it was really just equivalent to a standard hotel room service menu. The bar menu was really basic as well -Tuna Tartar, fish and chips, chicken sandwich, burger. The menu that was printed was a lot smaller than what was on the website, and I remember the food being much more adventurous than this on previous trips.

However, being in a mood for something simple anyway, we split the burger. It was overcooked and on par with TGI Fridays. The side salad that they have always served with the burger was missing the bacon and tasted like mayonnaise on lettuce. The crab cake appetizer was literally like a hockey puck, and dubiously symmetrical as if it was formed in a factory in a far off land.

Worse, were the changes to the wine list. When this place opened, we met the wine director and he was really top notch and there were a slew of interesting wines by the glass and a great list - he would occasionally have a burgundy by the glass or something special (great if you are grabbing a glass before a commute.) We recently saw him working at GEB, although not sure if he was the WD or another position.

Now, the local dive bar by my house has a better wine selection. Fetzer and Mirassou were the two that made me do a double take. I have no problem with Fetzer or Mirassou, they are fine everyday wines but, you can buy them at JEWEL for $16 per bottle for crying out loud, it is criminal to pour at $8 - $10 per glass

Top it off with a bartender that didn't know his Pinot Grigio from his Pinot Noir and we really witnessed a 180 degree turn from a solid restaurant to so much chaff. All I can say about Powerhouse now is 'last one out turn out the lights.'

Jessewolfe1 wrote:The wife and I ate Powerhouse yesterday after some late meetings we both had downtown. We previously dined at Powerhouse thrice, all three times relatively soon after they opened (or at least before the staff changes discussed on earlier posts.) This place never was a superstar, but a solid place and its proximity to the Metra made it a great place for the one off spontaneous dinner. I have to say, we were absolutely shocked at the difference.

First, the restaurant menu was completely changed and I have to agree that it was really just equivalent to a standard hotel room service menu. The bar menu was really basic as well -Tuna Tartar, fish and chips, chicken sandwich, burger. The menu that was printed was a lot smaller than what was on the website, and I remember the food being much more adventurous than this on previous trips.

However, being in a mood for something simple anyway, we split the burger. It was overcooked and on par with TGI Fridays. The side salad that they have always served with the burger was missing the bacon and tasted like mayonnaise on lettuce. The crab cake appetizer was literally like a hockey puck, and dubiously symmetrical as if it was formed in a factory in a far off land.

Worse, were the changes to the wine list. When this place opened, we met the wine director and he was really top notch and there were a slew of interesting wines by the glass and a great list - he would occasionally have a burgundy by the glass or something special (great if you are grabbing a glass before a commute.) We recently saw him working at GEB, although not sure if he was the WD or another position.

Now, the local dive bar by my house has a better wine selection. Fetzer and Mirassou were the two that made me do a double take. I have no problem with Fetzer or Mirassou, they are fine everyday wines but, you can buy them at JEWEL for $16 per bottle for crying out loud, it is criminal to pour at $8 - $10 per glass

Top it off with a bartender that didn't know his Pinot Grigio from his Pinot Noir and we really witnessed a 180 degree turn from a solid restaurant to so much chaff. All I can say about Powerhouse now is 'last one out turn out the lights.'

Wow! What a shame.

FYI, the former wine director at Powerhouse -- who is now the sommelier at Graham Elliot -- is the incomparable Scott Noorman, an alum of both Trio and Alinea, to name a few.

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Davooda wrote:Mrs. Davooda and I will be in the city for the Boat Show in mid-January and we're always looking for new dining options, especially in this niche.

(It will also be the tenth anniversary of the night I asked Mrs. Davooda for her hand in marriage at Chef Jean Louis - a very nice french restaurant which was located in the Arcola, IL bowling alley - romantic that I am!)

Ronnie - just so I am prepared for it, do you have a ballpark idea of the the price of this princely meal? I know you dined with a friend, but I thought I would ask just in case...

Thanks,
Davooda

make sure you call in advance. they will be happy to add a custom message to the top of your menu for such an occasion.

Unfortunately the Powerhouse is no more. They closed their doors a couple of weeks ago. Very sad.

Not surprising given the downward trajectory of the place...

To put the finishing touch on this thread, the folks at Prairie Grass Cafe just announced that they'll be opening a second location -- Prairie Fire -- in the old Powerhouse space.

Chefs Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris are opening their second restaurant, Prairie Fire

Estimated opening is November 2009

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Interesting info, Ronnie. I'd read - in Dish? UrbanDaddy? Thrillist? Can't recall, unfortunately - that the space was being divided, and that separate bar and resto entities had already signed on! Wonder what the real story is/was?

sundevilpeg wrote:Interesting info, Ronnie. I'd read - in Dish? UrbanDaddy? Thrillist? Can't recall, unfortunately - that the space was being divided, and that separate bar and resto entities had already signed on! Wonder what the real story is/was?

From what I understand, you are correct. The entrance to the building is actually a vestibule with doors that lead north and south. What used to be Powerhouse's bar -- the smaller, self-contained space located south of the entrance vestibule -- will be a separately-owned entity but I'm not exactly sure what it will be (a bar, I think). The larger section to the north of the entrance -- which includes several dining rooms and a large kitchen -- will be home to Prairie Fire.

=R=

This is very good news. I'm a big fan of Prairie Grass, but not such a fan of going to the suburbs for dinner, so hopefully this will be as good as the original (and I have no reason to believe it won't be).

From what I understand, you are correct. The entrance to the building is actually a vestibule with doors that lead north and south. What used to be Powerhouse's bar -- the smaller, self-contained space located south of the entrance vestibule -- will be a separately-owned entity but I'm not exactly sure what it will be (a bar, I think). The larger section to the north of the entrance -- which includes several dining rooms and a large kitchen -- will be home to Prairie Fire.

Good to know! Thanks for the clarification. I'm sure we'll be there at some point relatively soon, as my Customary Dining Companion actually lives just a bit further down south on Clinton.