Restaurateur Phil Stefani built it with his wife Karen, who runs Inspired Catering & Events, and their kids Gina and Anthony, the next generation of the Stefani restaurant group. Karen grew up in Lincolnwood, the family bought their house there in 1985, and they still live in town, which explains why this place feels more like a neighborhood clubhouse than a convention-center steakhouse. The menu splits three ways. Prime cuts run from an 8-ounce petite filet to a 22-ounce ribeye chop, an 18-ounce bone-in Kansas City strip and a tomahawk for two, the raw bar does oysters, tuna tartare and a seafood tower, and the signature Italian side is where the Stefani name shows: short rib raviolacci, fusilli Cipriani in the family vodka sauce and a red wine fettuccine finished tableside in a wheel of Parmigiano.
Dover sole gets filleted at the table, too. The Chicago Tribune's Phil Vettel wrote that the meat is so rich it glistens. The smart move is the bar happy hour, Monday through Friday from 4 to 6, with $12 martinis and old fashioneds, $10 wines, $6 beers and a $25 New York strip. It opens at 4pm daily, takes OpenTable reservations and asks diners to keep visits to two hours.
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