A WBBM RESTAURANT REVIEW BY SHERMAN KAPLAN
BROADCAST MARCH 28, 2008
“It’s entry level!” is how our server described the cioppino on the menu at Devon Seafood Grill when I asked how it compared with the very best cioppino served in San Francisco. That sort of candor is refreshing and it was not the only suggestion we had from our server who seemed genuinely enthused at interconnecting and guiding us to the best this Chicago outpost of the seafood chain has to offer.
Devon Seafood Grill is at 39 East Chicago Avenue. Rather than the tired old New England nautical theme, the restaurant is sleek and modern. The main floor houses the lounge with full window views of the Wabash and Chicago Avenue intersection. The main dining room is downstairs, a large room with contemporary accents beneath a vaulted ribbed ceiling.
The first thing to greet us after being seated were warm rolls, much like a combination between scones and buttermilk biscuits. When our waiter appeared in a few moments, he immediately steered us to a particular menu page, with a list of Seasonal Preps, more simple preparations and the nightly specials.
You would think the nightly specials would be the first selection, but he said that for the true flavor of the fish, get the simple preparation. Otherwise, that flavor would be blanketed in sauce.
A simple point, but one that made sense. And, he was correct. Halibut, rare ahi tuna, rainbow trout, salmon, Chilean seabass and blue nose grouper were on that short list. The halibut was meaty, sweet, a perfect representation. The blue nose grouper was a bit stronger tasting than I preferred, maybe even a little over cooked.
Elsewhere on the menu, golden seared scallops are fine, and an accompanying mustard mayonnaise sauce when used sparingly, does not harm the results. It’s plated with a creamy lobster risotto, maybe a bit too creamy.
There’s meat on the Devon Seafood Grill menu; a small steak was cooked medium rare as requested, with a juicy, natural flavor.
We began with the mixed appetizers our server suggested. They came out only medium warm. A manager offered a replacement, but we had already eaten most of the calamari, barbecue shrimp and crabcakes. We declined the offer and when the bill came, the sampler had been removed.
Another server recommendation, carrot cake was top notch. Dinner for two will be about $85 plus add ons. Take the recommendations and things could turn out OK at Devon Seafood Grill, at 39 East Chicago Avenue, which has a K/RATING of 17/20.
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