Jan. 29--Never tell your pregnant daughter that she can't order a steak, especially when you are driving her to a steakhouse.
May St. Cafe Steakhouse in Pilsen (1146 W. Cermak Road, 312-421-4442) features Allen Brothers brand steaks and Caroline wanted one badly. But there was no red meat mentioned on the online Chicago Restaurant Week menu -- and we were going specifically to try that menu. It was a tense drive.
Imagine my relief to pick up the actual Restaurant Week menu ($33) when we sat down and read "Allen Brothers Prime Beef Rib Eye steak." The steak that night turned out to be another cut, the apologetic server said it was from the loin, but it was red meat, it was Allen Brothers, and it was good. I loved how the seasoned crustiness of the meat's exterior gave way to the juicy tenderness of the rosy flesh inside. Caroline beamed, especially as the steak was served with a large helping of garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus spears, strips of red pepper and portobello mushrooms and garnished with cranberries.
The other entree choice was also an attention-getter. The Pina de la Playa was a hollowed-out pineapple half, complete with a tuft of leaves, stuffed with a very nice Spanish fried rice and spiked with shrimp and teeny scallops, little cubes of zucchini and red pepper, and a chipotle-coconut sauce for a bit of creamy spice.
I found myself smiling at the pineapple presentation; just my style. But, honestly, I was in a happy mood even before it arrived. Just going from the dark cold of a Chicago winter into a warm, comforting dining room of this contemporary Latin restaurant lifted my spirits, then there was the cool music, the art and a gracious server.
The menu offers a choice of soup or salad to start. Both work. The butternut soup was infused with the caramelized sweetness of roasted onions and studded with cranberries. The salad featured assorted greens with sauteed pears, split grape tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese and spiced pecans in a bright balsamic dressing.
For dessert there was white chocolate flan that, as the menu noted, was featured on the Food Network show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." It's easy to see why celebrity chef Art Smith (Table Fifty-two) chose it for the show; the dense tiles of custard were drizzled with caramel and garnished with sliced strawberries. Even my daughter, never a flan lover, was won over -- as was I by May St. Cafe Steakhouse.
Tribune writers will be filing restaurant reports every day during restaurant week, so please check back. The ninth annual Chicago Restaurant Week runs through Feb. 4. For a list of participants, menus and online reservations, visit eatitupchicago.com.
wdaley@tribune.com
Twitter: @billdaley
