Prairie Fire

Well I'm sure someone will eat here soon enough, so there might as well be a thread for it.

I did come across a menu as posted by Chicagoist so I thought I would get it up for those that are thinking about going shortly after opening

Chicagoist wrote:On Monday Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris serve their first dinners at Prairie Fire in the old Powerhouse space downtown (215 N. Clinton St., 312-382-8300). Lunch service starts Tuesday and brunch on the 13th.

The Monday refered to above is 2/8.

here is the apps portion of the menu, follow the Chicagoist link at the bottom for the entire thing.

Chicagoist wrote:

Code: Select all

APPETIZERS
• Warm baked feta cheese with thin slices of spicy banana peppers and tomato
- $6.00
• Chicken liver pâté in a crock with sliced apples and port wine balsamic
reduction - $6.00
• Duck ballotine “pâté” with cornichons, mustard and cognac-marinated prunes
- $9.00
• Mushroom ricotta and Parmesan ravioli with mushroom reduction - $9.00
• Crispy rolls of tender braised Mint Creek Farm lamb with cucumber, mint and
yogurt sauce - $6.50
• Shrimp “spring-roll style” with spicy dipping sauce - $9.50
• Ahi tuna and basil with pickled ginger “tartar” sauce - $9.00
• Prairie Fire spicy grilled chicken wings with homemade ranch dressing - $6.00
• French lentils slow-cooked with tomato marmalade, crumbled Capriole Farm
goat cheese and crispy shallots - $6.00
• Niman Ranch bacon and Pleasant Ridge cheese pizza - $9.00
• Smoked salmon pizza, sour cream and traditional toppings - $12.00


To the whole menu.

Prairie Fire
215 N. Clinton St.
Chicago, IL 60661
312-382-8300

Was there last night for the first night of the friends and family preview . . .


Friends and Family Preview at Prairie Fire

They invited about 80 guests and I'd guesstimate that they were about 75% of the way to operating at full speed. Service and food were both very good. Frankly, I was surprised how smoothly things went, given that it was night #1. Of course, the limited crowd and half-full house of friends and family doesn't entirely simulate an actual night of being open.

As has been widely reported, the soft opening period is slated to begin on Monday 2/8.

=R=

Disclosure: I have a miniscule financial interest in Prairie Fire.

What a beautiful-looking room. Can't wait to try it; I'm particularly gratified that they chose a location so close to my office

I'm eager to try this too. So accessible for those of us that work in the Loop.

On the Metra ride home on Friday, I noticed the Powerhouse banner was still up on the north side of the building. That needs to come down.

I did also see the Prarie Fire sign on the north facing wall.

We had a very enjoyable dinner at Prairie Fire last night. We found the room very comfortable. Nice wine list - lots of mid-priced options. Service was flawless, which I found extremely impressive given the short length of time they've been open. Everything we ordered was good, although Jonathan and I both thought the Warm Feta appetizer could have used a few more banana peppers. The highlight was his Spicy Grilled Goat Sausage entree - he absolutely loved it.
What stands out to me about Prairie Grass, and now Prairie Fire, is how many of the menu offerings sound tempting. It's really hard to decide what to order! Keeps us coming back though...

sorry to say we had a pretty dismal brunch today. it started out well with friendly staffers and a very pleasant room with a sort of hotel lobby reataurant kinda feel. the reataurant was pretty empty with only a few tables filled. two of us ordered the corned beef hash, two of us ordered the traditional eggs benedict and my husband ordered an omelette with feta, spinach and mushrooms. when the food arrived my daughter and i received the benedict with chorizo and spinach. i told the waiter that we had ordered the traditional and he said that was what we received. i said i might be mistaken but i thought it was with canadian bacon and regular hollendaise. he said he would replace it if we wished. ahh yeah. the corned beef hash was a round disc with two poached eggs plopped on top. no crispy bits to be had and no garnish on the plate. how about a strawberry or an orange slice. very unappetizing. my husbands omelette was also screwed up but he never mentioned it. in the meantime we had requested some hot sauce and ketchup which took over five minutes and an additional request of the busboy to receive. a woman who i assume was a manager was flagged down for coffee refills and while she was at our table asked why we had not received our entrees and i told her there was a mixup with our benedicts. she then asked if there was anything she could do for us and i said no, it was fine. the redone entrees came out soon after that and even though they were freshly prepared were not hot, only warm. i think what upset me the most was no effort to try and make up for the service gaffes. no round of drinks, no offer of dessert, no nothing. to top it off the bill was never adjusted down for the regular benedict, they overcharged for the expresso, and charged for extra ingredients in the omelette when three are included in the price. the food wasn't bad but this was just amatuer hour. i realize they are new but this team has ample experience and these things should not have happened. for a new restaurant to not try to make things right is a big mistake. we won't be rushing back.

abolt wrote: a woman who i assume was a manager was flagged down for coffee refills and while she was at our table asked why we had not received our entrees and i told her there was a mixup with our benedicts. she then asked if there was anything she could do for us and i said no, it was fine. [...] i think what upset me the most was no effort to try and make up for the service gaffes. no round of drinks, no offer of dessert, no nothing.

If a manager asks if there was anything she could do for you, isn't that a pretty blatant attempt to try and make up for, as you call it, 'service gaffes'?

Also, out of curiosity, on the things you were overcharged for or charged wrongly for, did you notice at the time and not say anything (presumably so as to not prolong the experience), or did you only figure this out afterward?

we pointed out the error of the charges and they were all corrected. my disappoint with the restaurant was that they didn't automatically do something to ensure we would leave having had a good experience. i guess i could have said yes, comp us a round of drinks but i don't think i should have to provide a way for them to earn goodwill. it should be restaurant 101 for a new establishment.

I am remiss in not having written or posted this sooner. Last Friday (2/12/10) I had the privilege of eating at Prairie Fire. I am obliged to note at the outset that my drinks and dinner were comped.

I feel it only fair to say that I have eaten at Prairie Grass several times. Not a lot but more than once or twice. It is not a destination I look forward to very much (sorry, Ronnie). I don’t know what in particular to point to but I have never been particularly enamored of the food there. I’ve never had a bad meal but I’ve never had a meal that left me looking forward to the next visit. So it goes.

For that reason, I wasn’t entirely eager to try Prairie Fire. Now, at a week’s remove, I can confidently and happily reaffirm my initial impression: that I look forward to returning; indeed, I am eager to do so. The menus may have some overlap, but by and large I find the Prairie Fire menu more attractive—or perhaps I should say that I find it more in line with my interests and tastes.

I arrived early and spent a good hour at the bar before my table mates arrived. Dinner was 7:00 pm and I had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the surroundings. I am taken with the room, which I find handsome, attractive, and comforting, all at once. There is some nice dark wood (especially in the bar area) and, more important to me, plenty of soft surfaces to mute the noise. There was a steady stream of patrons and by the time we left, the dining room was mostly full. Even then, the noise level was not a problem in the least.

We had an opportunity to try many of the appetizers on the menu. I enjoyed many of them but I’d like to single out a few. My personal choice was the hand’s-down winner in my book: a duck ballotine "pâté" accompanied by cornichons, mustard, and cognac-marinated prunes. (I should define ballotine, I think, because I’ll assume that there’s at least one other person out there as clueless as I was before I ordered. A ballotine can be made from meat, poultry or even fish; it is deboned, stuffed, rolled, tied, and then poached or braised.) The portion was generous and the duck just too good not to love. I found it rich and chock full of flavor, perfectly complemented by the cornichons and prunes. (In all honesty, the mustard, not so much.) Of the others I tasted, the mushroom/ricotta/parmesan ravioli (with a mushroom reduction) was one of the most mushroom-y (mushroomiest?) of dishes I can ever recall having. If you don’t like mushrooms, steer clear. But if you’re a fan of the fungi, you can’t go wrong with this. I also very much enjoyed the little lamb egg rolls in phyllo (as I recall) served with a cucumber, mint and yogurt sauce.

There were others, some of which impressed me, though I might not have liked them. For example, I do not generally order or eat liver in any of its incarnations, including pate. (Indeed, I suspect that this failing—on top of my lack of interest in single-malt scotch—may be among what my Dad’s considers his greatest failure in my upbringing). Still, I tried the chicken liver pâté with sliced apples. Golly. Though I’m unlikely to order it, someone who’s a fan would do well to consider it, I think. It was smooth as silk and lacking much of the minerality that I often find off-putting. I was impressed at how tempting it could be in the right hands.

The grilled chicken wings (with homemade ranch dressing) left me unimpressed, but then I’m not a wing man. The biggest surprise/disappointment was the lentils with a tomato marmalade, sprinkled with goat cheese and deep-fried shallots. The description is dead-on and it just didn’t work. I found the dish not particularly interesting. In analyzing the dish afterward, I think the problem is the tomato marmalade, though I know that others were swooning over the dish. Although I enjoy all of the ingredients separately—and maybe even some of them together—the dish simply didn’t come together for me. Part of it was that lentils usually need something to grab you. Nothing did. I like lentils in many different preparations (many of them Indian or Nepali), but the goat cheese and shallots were not enough (in terms of "sharpening" the dish; they were more than sufficient in quantity) and the tomato marmalade simply didn’t work.

By now it was time to order and I found myself in a quandary when the server came up, pad at the ready. Should I go with the homemade lamb sausage with giant “Greek-style” beans or the duck leg and confit “cake” with the braised cabbage, apple, and a cider sauce? (Coming in a close third was the homemade goat sausage with leeks and lemon/oregano potatoes. Ah, decisions, decisions.) Gluttony won out and I went with the duck. The decision was made much easier by a friend’s ordering the lamb sausage with a promise to share. Oh my, oh my, oh my. The duck leg was duckiest of legs (pun intended). Big, meaty, perfectly cooked. Not greasy. Rich, almost melt-in-your-mouth good. If you enjoy duck, the leg is a no-brainer. In all honesty, the confit “cake” made of shredded duck was less of a hit. I see, according to the Trib, that Carol Mighton Haddix liked it. Well, there you have it. There was something about it that simply didn’t work for me. I’m not sure if I found it too starchy or if there was something in the seasoning I disliked. Whatever it was, I couldn’t finish the confit cake. The braised cabbage and baked half-apple were wonderful complements, though; there’s a reason they’re classic accompaniments to duck.

The lamb sausage was another generous portion and quite good. I found it redolent of lamb without, again, being greasy or fatty in any way. The flavor and seasonings were spot on and, had I liked the beans more, I imagine it could quickly become a favorite. One thing I did not taste but would have loved to was the pork schnitzel with potatoes, broccoli rapini and caper-lemon sauce. I like schnitzels of all kinds and given the high success rate, I expect that this would be a winner.

Desserts. I have only one word for the desserts: Oh. My. God. (Well, okay, three words. Still.) I don’t know what goes on in heaven, much less what’s on the menu. And for my various deeds and misdeeds, I don’t expect to find out. But I know one thing for sure: the “warm sticky toffee date cake” is served there. The toffee is to die for, the dates identifiable (sedate, one might say) without being overwhelming. Served warm. Had I not been at a table with others, I might have ordered three of them and eaten every last morsel. I simply cannot recall loving a dessert that much in a long time.

Now, the banana cream pie was pretty damn banana-y and the crème brulee (never a favorite) smooth and good. The apple tart a textbook rendition. Other desserts were likewise top-notch and I could easily—much too easily—have spent the evening eating desserts. And although it’s not too hard to adore sugar and butter, the skill and level of execution in every instance was wonderful. Whether it was an old favorite, something I’m not likely to order, or something completely new to me, there was nothing offered that was less than excellent. Nothing.

On re-reading what I’ve written, I fear I sound a little overwhelmed, a little too un-critical. But the truth of the matter is, the dinner was that good. Even a week later, I remain impressed with the room, the service, the menu, and—most of all—the high quality of what I tasted. I’ve already told the Lovely Dining Companion that we’re going sooner rather than later. And hardly a day goes by at the office (a mere two blocks away) when I don’t seriously think about going there for lunch. Again. And again.

P.S. No pictures. The glitzy new macro lens arrived just in time but was disappointing in the extreme. I hope (and expect) to see pictures from others who were there.

I organized the dinner that Gypsy Boy described above and was -- as a diner and an interested party -- very pleased with the outcome. The food and drink were both terrific and it seemed like those at our meal really enjoyed themselves. I was struck by the depth and diversity of the offerings -- especially the small bites menu -- and felt that in the 1 short week since the friends and family preview, great strides were made across the board. Getting a new restaurant off the ground is unbelievably daunting, even for people who've worked in the industry for decades. This requires a skill set far above and beyond what is necessary to run a restaurant on a daily basis. I think that's why even really experienced teams need time to ramp up operations at new venues.

It was clear, listening to the comments around the table, that the meal was a success, even though not everything was loved by everyone. It's hard for me to comment on individual dishes. Not only do I lack objectivity but I was really out of it that night, as the meal took place just hours after I'd retured from the netherworld that is anesthesitization. Still, items like the wings, lentils, ballotine, pate, shrimp, spinach-bacon dip, mushroom ravioli, farmer's salad and lamb sausage with gigandes really stood out for me (and I've had most of these dishes at other occasions, too). Desserts were tasty and I'm completely in love with the sticky toffee date cake, which I've now had a few times. The double chocolate cookies were insanely good, as well.

As was mentioned above, the entire meal was comped. The original plan was that our food would be comped and that we'd pay for our beverages, tax, tip, etc. In the end, however, the house was extremely generous and decided, without our knowledge, to 'eat' the entire bill. This put me in an odd spot. As a diner, I was thrilled with the free meal. As an investor, I was furious about it.

In any event, the house could certainly prevent us from paying but they couldn't prevent us from leaving (what we hope was) a substantial tip.

I took a few pics and covered most of what we ate. I definitely missed some salads and entrees, though . . .

Bar Bites:

Roasted Tomato Salsa



Black Mission Fig and Goat Cheese Phyllo Triangles with Port-Balsamic Dipping sauce



Guacamole & Chips



Fried Breaded Sustainable Gulf Shrimp



Spinach, Bacon and Cream Cheese Dip



Prairie Fire Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings


Appetizers, at the table:

Duck Ballotine Pate with cornichons, mustard and cognac-marinated prunes



Chicken Liver Pate with sliced apples and Port Wine-Balsamic reduction



Shrimp 'spring roll style'



Ahi Tuna and basil with pickled ginger tartar sauce



Tender, braised Mint Creek Farm Lamb roll



French Lentils with slow-cooked tomato marmalade, Capriole Farm goat cheese and crispy shallots



Mushroom, ricotta and parmesan ravioli with mushroom reduction


Some Soups and Salads:

Celery Root Soup



Farmer's Salad - Three Sisters Garden greens, chopped romaine, roasted root vegetables, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese and herb dressing



Terrine of Amish Blue Cheese with grapes, candied walnuts and mixed greens


Some Entrees:

Sauteed 'Sea2Table' North Carolina Amberjack with local sunchoke puree and River Valley Ranch portobello mushrooms



Mint Creek Farms handcrafted lamb sausage with giant Greek-style lima beans



Ancho-marinated skirt steak with local bean and rainbow chard ragout and grilled onions



Ahi Tuna, seared rare with baby bok choy, River Valley Ranch shiitake mushrooms and spicy soy sauce


Some Desserts:

Thin Apple Tart with Creme Anglaise



Banana Cream Pie



Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee



Molten Chocolate Muk Muk Cake with Creme Anglaise



Double Chocolate Cookies



Sticky Toffee Date Cake

My hope and belief are that Prairie Fire will become at least as successful as Prairie Grass Cafe. In this week's Dish, Penny Pollack -- who seemed to enjoy her meal at Prairie Fire -- wrote that it "doesn’t break much new ground" and I couldn't agree more. That's definitely not the goal here. This is thoughtfully-conceived, carefully-prepared, ingredient-driven cuisine that's a bit more traditional than what's being served at other spots in the immediate area (Blackbird, Avec, Sepia, etc.). I think this restaurant will fill a vacant niche and become not only a draw to those who travel to eat but also a regular stop for folks who live and work in the neighborhood.

=R=

Great pics Ronnie, per usual. Reminded me of how much we enjoyed finishing our meal last week with an order of those Double Chocolate Cookies and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They may not look special at first, but they're served warm and once that melted chocolate hit my tongue, followed by the cool, creamy vanilla ice cream, and then a sip of excellent Intellegencia coffee... a perfect end to our meal.

Ron,
First let me acknowledge the pics. When (and if) I grow up, I wanna learn to take pictures like you.

Second, let me thank you for reminding me of a few dishes I neglected to mention. In the haze of recollection (your memory, too, may become less vivid when you reach my advanced age), I simply forgot a few dishes and so, in the order of their appearance, let me add the following to my review upthread.

1. Among the appetizers I tasted at the bar, all were very good, but the spinach and bacon dip was a very pleasant surprise. I had trouble contemplating how the two would partner and, in the interest of furthering human knowledge, I felt obliged to taste it. I found, to my very pleasant surprise, that the dip was really quite good. Notwithstanding the unique ability of bacon to improve most things (though I'll probably draw the line at chocolate mousse). I enjoyed it quite a bit: the saltiness of the bacon added the snap needed to highlight the flavor of the spinach and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

2. Thanks for the lovely picture of the previously highly praised duck ballotine.

3. I neglected to mention the shrimp rolls which were noteworthy, among other reasons, for the chunky shrimp. Shrimp in such rolls is usually minced or finely chopped and the chunks added to the textural interest and heightened the flavor. Not among my top two or three apps but definitely enjoyed.

4. I can't believe I omitted to mention the terrine of blue cheese. The cheese was exceptionally mild--perhaps even a little too mild--and when I first saw the presentation I wondered what I'd gotten myself into. As it happened, what I'd gotten myself into was a superb dish that worked beautifully. The crunch of the walnuts, the sweet tang and slight bite of the grapes, the rich cheese. A true delight and something I look forward to ordering many times without tiring of.

In fairness to some of the other pictured items, I did not taste everything there and so my failure to comment on a particular dish should not be taken as criticism by omission. I think my overall level of excitement probably came through pretty clearly above and so I need not belabor it.

P.S. Did I say how extraordinary that date/toffee cake was?

great pics Ronnie, looks like aheck of a meal.

If only because of your association with Prairie Fire I may have to give this place a try.

We went pre-opera on Saturday night, and I would echo the sentiments above. Every single dish we had was delicious and very well made. Some of the highlights were the duck ballotine (the best duck pate I've had in quite a while), the goat sausage, and the toffee cake (OMG). Service was the usual PGC informative and friendly without being overbearing. A very nice night. We will certainly be back.

mattshafferHP wrote:We went pre-opera on Saturday night, and I would echo the sentiments above.

It just occurred to me that PF could be a pre-Lyric option. I've got the Damnation of Faust and the Marriage of Figaro next month. Given the restaurant name, perhaps I'll dine there before Faust.

We went pre-Damnation. Very good show with quite an original presentation. Also, I should mention that the staff was aware that we were pre-theater and were very accomodating.

mattshafferHP wrote:We went pre-Damnation. Very good show with quite an original presentation. Also, I should mention that the staff was aware that we were pre-theater and were very accomodating.

Ah, thank you. I've seen Damnation in San Francisco and the Met, but I'm very excited about Berlioz at the Lyric. I try to avoid eating full meals before operas more than 3 hours long, so pre-Damnation Prairie Fire (!) seems the better bet. Last time I saw Marriage of Figaro was at the Wien Staatsoper, and I gorged myself on very excellent Austrian pastry beforehand. Much sleepiness ensued. This time, the plan is to eat lighter.

We had a wonderful meal there last week. This restaurant needs our business, getting a new restaurant off the ground in this economy is quite difficult. My spice company has done quite well in this economy, as people are cooking at home a great deal more. Yet the flip side of people cooking at home, is our loyal restaurant chef customers are the hardest hit and many are struggling. As these have become our friends over the years, our heart goes out to those who have worked so hard to evolve their restaurants. This is a marvelous restaurant run by good people, great food, resonably priced, we parked easily on the street. They need our (do I presume if I say formidable?) LTH support. Please visit them soon.

Phil Vettel awards Prairie Fire some kind words...and three stars: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertain ... 418.column

Sorry if I missed it in the long texts, but does anyone who's had it remember what type of bread or cracker the chicken liver paté is served with?

Katie wrote:Sorry if I missed it in the long texts, but does anyone who's had it remember what type of bread or cracker the chicken liver paté is served with?

Thinly-sliced apples, actually, though there is also baguette from Bennison's served with lunch and dinner.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Katie wrote:Sorry if I missed it in the long texts, but does anyone who's had it remember what type of bread or cracker the chicken liver paté is served with?

Thinly-sliced apples, actually, though there is also baguette from Bennison's served with lunch and dinner.

=R=

Indeed. Granny Smith, if memory serves. (And perhaps also some Red Delicious??)

Gypsy Boy wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Katie wrote:Sorry if I missed it in the long texts, but does anyone who's had it remember what type of bread or cracker the chicken liver paté is served with?

Thinly-sliced apples, actually, though there is also baguette from Bennison's served with lunch and dinner.

=R=

Indeed. Granny Smith, if memory serves. (And perhaps also some Red Delicious??)

The red are honeycrisp, iirc.

=R=

David Hammond wrote:Phil Vettel awards Prairie Fire some kind words...and three stars: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertain ... 418.column

Out-of-towner question here - what is the star scale for the Trib? The piece doesn't say. (Three out of how many possible?)

We were there May 5 and Sarah knew this was coming out; glad it was so favorable.

NancyEsq wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Phil Vettel awards Prairie Fire some kind words...and three stars: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertain ... 418.column

Out-of-towner question here - what is the star scale for the Trib? The piece doesn't say. (Three out of how many possible?)

4

We are going to go for BYO on Monday. How is their glassware? I'm going with friends who will be bringing some serious wines, and have no problems bringing their own glasses, if necessary. (you know that some places have good glasses, and some have bad glasses, and some give you different glasses based on the wines you order, etc....)

The wine list isn't on their web site, so we can't really judge how serious they are about their own wine program...

The wine glasses are nice, hand-blown 18 oz red wine and 13 oz white wine.
Do not hesitate to call with any questions - 312.382.8300

Daniel
Mixologist/Manager
Prairie Grass Cafe/Prairie Fire

I’m going to gush for a moment so feel to ignore...


As a newcomer, this is what I find absolutely mind blowing.

Ask a question about the glassware of a respected establishment and 3 HOURS later get a response from the actual Bar Manager?!

This board is like some parallel universe of food heaven!

zoid wrote:This board is like some parallel universe of food heaven!

That's what they want you to think! Enjoy while you can, but do not look behind you... oh well, pass me the pinot anyway.

Nordicnectar wrote:The wine glasses are nice, hand-blown 18 oz red wine and 13 oz white wine.
Do not hesitate to call with any questions - 312.382.8300

Daniel
Mixologist/Manager
Prairie Grass Cafe/Prairie Fire

Thanks so much for your answer!