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1/16/2002 BY PHIL VETTEL (Originally published Jan. 16, 2002.) Hogan is still prime ; Keefer's does steaks and more near-perfectly. John Hogan's career has included memorable stints as chef at KiKi's Bistro, Park Avenue Cafe and his brilliant but ill-fated Savarin. Now Hogan, one of the best French chefs in Chicago, has returned at the helm of Keefer's, a 10-week-old contemporary American with an emphasis on steaks and chops. I think Keefer's has legs (then again, I thought Savarin would last forever, and I was shocked when it closed in less than two years). The food here is approachable and very good, and ownership — consisting of Glenn Keefer, until recently vice president of a firm that controlled eight Ruth's Chris Steak House locations, along with media moguls Jimmy de Castro and Larry Wert — seems committed to running a quality operation. The elbow-shaped restaurant looks out onto the city from a 16-foot-tall expanse of glass and metal framework; the interior includes a number of homey touches, including a gas fireplace and displays of vintage radios (a nod to de Castro's radio roots). Tables are draped in white linen; leather booths are so new and firm that they squeak if you squirm. First to the table is a basket of excellent breads and a small relish tray that includes excellent marinated olives, lightly glazed carrots and other nibbles; devour these quickly and the waiter may notice and bring more. The simple-sounding menu won't make your mouth water, but the near-perfect execution probably will. Start with a lovely lobster bisque, full-flavored yet light on the tongue, fleshed out with two minced-seafood dumplings. A tomato bisque is just as delicious, its silky texture enhanced by toasted Italian couscous and fontina cheese. Plump mussels mariniere swim in a creamy broth I'd happily swig from a cup. Tenderloin Diane, a classic Continental entree, is an appetizer here, but the flavors are pure and true; all that's missing is the tableside flaming. Steaks are the nominal specialty, and Keefer's offers some beauties, among them a prime NY strip steak that can compete with any steak in town — packed with beefy flavor, accented by a bit of maitre d' butter and beautifully textured. Lamb chops, smeared with herbs and breadcrumbs, are almost as impressive. And the best pork chop in town might reside at Keefer's; it's a double-thick, house-smoked chop with an apple-based barbecue sauce, served with white and purple cabbages. The rest of the menu demonstrates that man does not live by meat alone. Seafood offerings include the ever-reliable Dover sole meuniere, a luxury item presented with all the ritual care its price tag demands. Sauteed grouper is a can't-miss choice, whether crusted with breadcrumbs and wild mushrooms (menu version) or topped with peeky-toe crabmeat, sauteed leeks and gratineed breadcrumbs. The Bistro menu lists a half-dozen or so moderately priced entrees, most less than $17. Included is the seafood pot pie, a flaky-crust pie filled with lobster, shrimp, scallops, mussels and other goodies in a lobster veloute; it arrives at the table topped by the prettiest golden dome this side of South Bend. There's also a fish and chips offering that's far beyond most pub efforts; Hogan dunks hake fillets in Guinness Stout beer batter, rolls them in panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and fries them to a perfect crunchiness. (The same batter works nicely with the fried calamari appetizer featured on the lunch menu.) The steak frites, a top-sirloin, isn't in the same league as Keefer's prime steaks, but it's a third less expensive. Steak places typically charge extra for vegetables, soaking you $8 or so for a plate of sauteed spinach to compensate for the relatively skinny profit margins on prime beef. The vegetable side dishes at Keefer's, however, are actually worth ordering. Hogan's Peas is a delicious casserole combining sweet peas with onions, lardons and cream sauce; braised Belgian endive is dusted with breadcrumbs and served with a parmesan-swiss sauce, which nicely moderates the vegetable's sharp flavor. And cheese-laced potato croquettes, topped with a smear of melted fontina, are agreeably crunchy and arrive piping hot; a colleague termed these "gourmet tater tots," a description I cannot improve upon. Sharon Peltier's desserts end the meal in spectacular fashion. The obligatory chocoholic inclusion is a triple-threat of dense flourless chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream and rich chocolate sauce; on the lighter side there's a classic tarte tatin with cinnamon-vanilla ice cream. There's often a special dessert of the day, which might be nougat glace, a semifreddo filled with pistachios and fruit, or financier, a cranberry-stuffed almond cake topped with a dollop of caramel creme fraiche. Service during our visits was very professional, friendly but not presumptuous, with nary a missed step. I expected no less; Hogan met me at a social event about 10 years ago and has never forgotten what I look like. But it's nice to see the staffers can perform when the pressure's on. The 100-bottle wine list isn't terribly deep — most bottles are 1998s or 1999s, and eventually some steak-eaters will demand reds with more age on them — but some effort has been made toward corralling lesser-known wineries and toward keeping prices reasonable. "Reasonable" these days means any good bottle, particularly a red, under $50, but happily most of this list qualifies.
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