Vince Volpe "Cousin Vinny"

 

Overall Experience:  3/5

• I hosted our 3rd dinner of 2017 at STK Chicago. All in all, it was a fun night with great conversation and decently good food. My overall experience was a little tainted, as Mario Carbonaro AKA "The Michigan Boy" spilled an entire glass of red wine on me halfway through the dinner. This put me in a spot where it looked like I had gun shot wounds to the side on my body for most of the night..  I will try and leave that particular experience out of the rest of my review.

 

Food:  3/5

• We ordered 4 appetizers (Rock Shrimp, Scallops, Cured thick-cut Bacon & a lump Crab Cake) as well as a dozen of east coast oysters. I think all 4 appetizers and oysters were done exceptionally well. The only problem I had was the actual size of each of these dishes. We had 6 people at the table but it seemed like no one had more than a small bite of each dish. For shared plates, there wasn't nearly enough food for our group. For my entree, I orders a dry aged 18oz Strip cooked Medium Rare. I usually order a bone in ribeye but it was taken off of the menu because of the limited amount that they had at the restaurant. The waiter said they had 2 wet aged bone-in's left but I figured I'd switch it up for this review. When my steak arrived I could tell immediately that it was cooked wayyy overdone for it to be medium rare.. In my opinion this steak was cooked Medium Plus, which automatically took a point off of the score for the entire review. We ordered creamed spinach, sauteed mushrooms, mashed potatoes and mac & cheese for the table which were all prepared very nicely.

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Bar:  4/5

• For cocktail hour we found a nice spot on the corner of the bar where we had a couple different bartenders serving us. My drinks were made adequately throughout the night. The bar itself had a real cool design with a trendy lit up backdrop. The bar did screw up 2 Manhattans that Pierce and Christian ordered as they were given Old Fashion's instead. The best part of the bar/ drinks was that we were able to bring two nice bottles of Cabernet with a $35 corkage fee. I thought this was a great option and I wish more restaurants would adopt this same thing. This later would come back to bite me in the ass. (Mario the Greek spilling half of the $50 bottle on my lap made me regret the decision of bringing any wine)

 

Service:  3/5

• When we first got to the bar it did take about 10 minutes for us to receive all of our drinks. The bar was about half full so I thought that this was way too long. Our waiter was knowledgeable of the menu and seemed to make some pretty good suggestions. He didn't do anything in particular to show exceptional customer service skills and it seemed like he didn't make enough trips to our table to see if we needed any drinks or more food. We also received bread after our appetizers which I thought was kind of a weird move. The music was pretty loud so it  was sometimes hard to hear him as he was speaking to the whole group.  He could've done a better job projecting his voice to the entire group.

 

Ambiance:  5/5

• I was a pretty big fan of the entire ambiance/ atmosphere of STK. They had a DJ performing the entire time we were there and he was tossing out fire. All throwback hits that had everyone singing along. It was a smaller dinning area that had a clubby feel which I think everyone in our group liked. We also were seated at a circle booth in the middle of the room, which I would prefer over a longer rectangle table as it is easier to talk with everyone in the group.

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Pierce Baron "Mr. Hospitality"

 

Overall Experience:  4/5

• Twist on the everyday Steakhouse for a new lively approach. Another Steakmaster’s outing in the books, and this time it was the very popular STK. I had heard that it was a modern place, but it really took the traditional steakhouse to the next level.  When you think of Chicago Steakhouses in the River North area, you think of fine dining and honestly this place could have been mistaken for an upscale bar with some great food. Overall, a great time with my fellow masters and another joint checked off the list. I recommend anyone try out STK, just to feel and see the different vibe in which they depict a Chicago Steakhouse.

 

Food:  4/5

• When arriving and scoping out the environment, I honestly thought the food would fit the mold of the place, where it might have been pressing the luck a bit, but it really did make a strong impact on why STK is a relevant spot. The appetizers, which were mainly seafood focused, had some great flavor and textures. The sea scallops and crispy rock shrimp were my favorites. My one issue was Smoked Bacon as it had a Hawaiian glaze and did not really contain a smoky flavor and lacked a crispy texture.  For my dinner I had to order my usual, 10 oz. filet cooked medium. As an addition that was pushed quite often from our server that you will see later, truffle butter was a decent touch but was also $10 making it a bit steep for a small addition.  I also had King Crab added, but was a minimal amount for $17. The filet had a nice char, a must for me, and truly did pass my flavor test even without the toppings.  The sides at the table were not all for me, but I did enjoy the Creamy Potatoes and Mac & Cheese. The dessert was a long way from the beginning of the night, and after some wine, was hard to fully remember but I do remember a cookie skillet that was eaten up very quickly.

 

Service:  2/5

• This was the hardest part of any review we have had so far. It all started at the bar where we had about 3 different bartenders making the 6 of us drinks, and there were multiple extras because each one tried making our order. This was a lack of communication but the extra drinks were complimentary and would never complain about that. When thinking that would be the end of the service issues, Greg, our server for dinner came about. Now while this rating may seem harsh there was one main issue that struck my attention for the evening: the restaurant was understaffed, Greg had too many tables and either did not notify management of that, or no one decided to step in to take action and help him. Greg was constantly on the move and was by no way shape or form a bad server, but when items and drinks are coming too late and wrong, it is beyond repair. Christian and myself ordered a Manhattan and it came as an Old Fashioned.  The wait times for items took a long time, and we were constantly looking to find Greg to move to the next steps during our evening. I wish I did not have to knock them for the service, but it definitely needs better service standards to make a better evening.

 

Ambiance:  5/5

• STK had an extremely unique and uncommon feel for a Steakhouse, but after experiencing it, this was the main reason that makes the place standout from others. The crisp white color scheme and texture feel of wavy lines from the ceiling makes for a bold feel. The booths were well rounded so that we could converse. The music was not a low toned jazz or traditional beats; rather, this was more of like a DJ set mix that entices the younger crowds. While loud, I think it captured the crowd and made the feel that much more unique. Great Interior to what looking at the outside may make one not seem like it is special inside.

 

 

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Kurt Akers "The CEO"

 

Overall Experience:  4/5

• Modern steak joint with a millennial club like focus. On this Saturday night, I had a nice evening and enjoyed my meal. Which is the most important part. I was not expecting the style it had going hand in hand with such a focus on steaks, but their style and taste worked together. I enjoyed myself with the other masters and got to see Vince and Mario bicker a bit over some spilled wine. I highly recommend the bone in strip with truffle butter and mac & cheese as a side dish. Be prepared for different experience than a traditional steakhouse.

 

Food:  4/5

• The food at STK was better than I was expecting based on the lounge/club like feel of the place. The appetizers we had were mainly seafood so I focused of course on the bacon pork appetizer. It had a sweet hawaiian like sauce covering it and was bit chewy, I was not a huge fan. My steak on the the other hand was very good. I had the 18oz bone in dry rub strip cooked medium with truffle butter (highly recommend the truffle butter). It was delightful, tasty and cooked to my liking. I would absolutely like to have it again. The sides we ordered were the mac & cheese, spinach, creamy potatoes and mushrooms. The mac & cheese was by far the best and so far the best mac & cheese I have had from any place we have visited so far. (highly recommend).

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Bar:  4/5

• A modern hip bar that crossed between a lounge/club feeling. It had nice lighting and was easy to gain access to. It was exceptionally clean and had a great taste in color scheme. The chairs while looked nice, a tad uncomfortable to be sitting longer than 20 mins.

 

Service:  3/5

• The service is what you typically get when out at club, more sporadic. The bar service was light and minimally engaging. Didn't even get an introduction to names from them. Our server for dinner was Greg. He did a great job and not fault to him, did fine for us, but they had him on way too many tables. He worked his ass off, never stopping and going table to table so I give him an A for that. Unfortunately, it took away from our experience and engagement with him as our server. We had to wait sometimes longer than normal just to move on to the next part of our meal. Again this is STK’s issue not so much Greg.

 

Ambiance:  4/5

• Not a traditional steak house setting, but it had an upscale vibe focused towards millennials that I digged and worked. They had a live DJ playing which was nice, but a little loud on the volume  while eating dinner. STK has a lively fee to it and you could feel it with the groups of people around. There were more girls in this place than guys. The DJ played awesome music and really set the vibe for the night inside STK.

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Christian DiVito "Prince Charming"

 

Overall Experience:  4/5

• Although we didn't have the full crew this time, I had a great evening at STK. This is a trendy steakhouse that I would suggest to anyone that is looking to have a fun experience and enjoy some delicious food.

 

Food:  4/5

• This is the first steakhouse where I didn't see a rib eye on the menu. I wasn't disappointed because it forced me to try something new. I decided to go with the bone-in filet and I was very pleased with my decision. The filet is a thicker cut so it was nice and tender, I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially with a side of the mushrooms. We order several appetizers but my favorites were the bacon and the rock shrimp. The bacon had a ton a flavor because it was so fatty. The rock shrimp was delicious I would highly suggest ordering it and dipping it in the sauce, which had a little kick to it. The ice cream cookie skillet was a great way to finish up the night.

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Bar:  3/5

• I liked how the bar was right in the middle of the restaurant, but it took a little long for all of us to get our drink. I ordered a Manhattan and the bartender told me they make their's with port wine. I thought it was delicious it was nice to mix it up. I thought it was very cool that we were able to bring our own wine. It's usually so expensive to order a couple bottles of wine so it was nice that we're able to save a little money but still enjoy a nice glass of red wine with our steaks. 

 

Service:  3/5

• I thought our server did a great job but it looked like he was the only person working the back section. Unfortunately this resulted in us waiting a long time for our food and drinks. 

 

Ambiance:  5/5

• In my opinion, the ambiance is what really differentiates STK from any other steak house I've been to. There was a DJ playing throwback jams the entire night, I loved it!! It was sometimes a little loud but it was a unique touch and I really enjoyed it. The ambiance is what tied the whole night together and the top reason why I'll be coming back to STK. 

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Mario Carbonaro "Michigan Man"

 

Overall Experience:  3/5​

• First and foremost I want to apologize to Vincent Anthony Volpe for spilling some of our Cabernet on his coat (even though the cleaner got it out like I said they would.) Also, a congratulations to our Honored Guest of the evening – Bernardo Medellin on his recent nuptials to the beautiful bride.

 

Food:  3/5

• As usual we sampled quite a bit of the menu at STK.  I am a big seafood fan so I was pleased with the seafood tower we all shared, namely the variety of oysters provided.  Mac and Cheese, a mainstay in our culinary exploration was particularly good, in texture, temperature and flavor profile. For my entrée, I ordered the Bone-In filet, medium rare- plus as is standard protocol – and I was let down. There was no real discernable effort made on the meat . The presentation was lack luster, the seasoning was non-existent and the temperature of the steak was less than stellar at the time I got it.

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Bar:  2/5

• This was one of the more odd bar experiences we have encountered in our history. The noise, as well as the design of the bar played a factor in my rating.  The place was so loud and compact around the bar I could hardly get a word in with the bartender. Some of us waited quite a while to receive drinks and different bartenders made them than who we ordered from. All in all a confusing experience that left me underwhelmed.

 

Service:  3/5

• This was hard to judge because of the aforementioned noise but I was unable to hear our waiter for the majority of our meal. I feel bad because he was stretched pretty thin and was seemingly all over the place but we waited a while for food as well as the check at the end. On a good note, the staff was rather knowledgeable about the menu.

 

Ambiance:  3/5

• STK offered a unique take on the interior of a steakhouse. We walked in and immediately understood that we were in for something we hadn’t came across in our CSM encounters thus far. It was noticeably louder inside of STK than the normal steakhouse and we knew it was only going to grow louder as a DJ took stand over a booth and began to play some upbeat, modern music with some heavy bass. I am not a 50 year-old complaining, since I rather enjoyed some of the tunes in general – but I would have loved to be able to hear my fellow Masters a little better. 

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