Sam & Harry's is an excellent restaurant (this coming from a dude who ate there two nights in a row!) My first visit was with a party of four. I ordered salmon and it was perfect! Our waiter was excellent and we enjoyed a leisurely meal with excellent food and great service. My second night was with a party of eleven! I ordered a NY Strip steak and it was perfect! Our wait staff was flawless and we all enjoyed an outstanding dining experience. Sam & Harry's is the type of place you'd expect top-of-the-line ambiance, food, drink and service - we received it all both times. 5 stars - highly recommend.
(5)
Wendy E.
Good food. Pricey, but expected that at a hotel restaurant. Split your plate of food for proper portions. Service was good but slow for a very large number of people at one table - with no other tables filled. Cashing out was a pain due to the need to split the check, shared meals, shared bottles of wine. Conference style lunches were okay food, but were certainly served well.
(4)
Mandi A.
My husband and I had our wedding reception at Sam and Harry's on Saturday, August 8, 2015. We had the private room in the center of the restaurant. The manager, Lisa, was outstanding from the beginning to the end. She got back to me every time I emailed her and came through on everything that we discussed. The chef Robert was outstanding and very friendly. The food was amazing. The pastry chef Brandy did a fabulous job on our cake. It was beautiful and tasty. Kat was our waitress and she was very knowledgable and friendly. They decorated the room so nicely, and we had a blast. We are very happy with our experience at Sam and Harry's and would highly recommend having dinner there, or a special event.
(5)
Rick R.
So I dined here on Tuesday night for a business dinner. The space was impressive and had very comfy banquettes albeit probably not the best for dining but better for lounging. The restaurant was relatively empty except for a large group of suits in the private dining section in the center. Service was good. Food was not. I ordered the Niman ranch ribeye with horseradish crust medium rare. The steak came out medium and it was dry and not very flavorful. Also got grilled asparagus with ham and it was super salty! Eck! It was also missing an egg on top which was described on the menu. Deserts were ok. Wine selection was excellent. I've been to the one in DC and this suburban outpost just doesn't cut it. For the cost, I'd rather go to Wildfire or even (should I say it?) Weber grill. So disappointing. I so wanted to love this place.
(2)
Nicole W.
Let's talk about Sam & Harry's breakfast. Beyond good. Beyond hotel decent. Damn impressive, I tell ya. Not only is the service spectacular, but the menu is nicely edited, creative and delicious. While it's a little pricey, let me tell what you absolutely must order.... Corned. Beef. Hash. I was Harry Caray-ing it the whole time..."Holy Cow!" Imagine fresh chunks of tender brisket having a part with perfectly flavorful diced potatoes, a fluffy but not overly runny poached egg and a smattering of spices. It was perfection and beautifully done (not even remotely salty). I'm still salivating over it. I've also tried the blueberry pancakes and oatmeal, both of which are hearty and tasty. I can guarantee you that I'll crave that corned beef hash time and time again. Five stars for the corned beef hash and pleasant service, 3-4 stars for a fairly pricey hotel resto menu.
(4)
Jill O.
Only had apps...Lobster bisque is creamy and chunky with lobster. Presentation is cool too. The bread plate is generous and the Parmesan crisp bread is delicious. The oyster and kimchi appetizer was rough because I didn't like the kimchi, even though I love traditional Asian foods. I only are the oysters and it was $16 plus tax and tip, so it was a terrible value for only 5 fried oysters. Otherwise, the service was excellent. Very attentive staff.
(4)
M L.
Ate lunch here and had the Elk Sandwich. Note this was served "hot dog" style with the meat in link vs a pattie. The problem is the slaw that was added overwhelmed the sandwich. You could not get a sense of the true flavor of the meat. Served with side of fries that was soggy. Not very impressive !
(3)
Nicole C.
I will start this review by letting everyone know I did not eat at this restaurant. This review is based solely on the service. My husband and I walked into the restaurant and were directed to the bar where we sat for 15 minutes without being helped. 5 workers stood a few feet away from us without asking if we needed anything. Luckily, Michael the bartender saved the day. Nice guy, great conversation, truly the only reason we would ever consider returning. We chose not to eat here because of the blatant disrespect. Instead, we left. The stars are for Michael!
(2)
Michael V.
From LA to NYC, this is the best steak house I've ever had the privilege of experiencing in all my travels. Love them!
(5)
Megan M.
I hosted NYE here 2013/2014. I booked the party room (center of the restaurant) with Christina, who was responsive and a pleasure. She was detail oriented, but left major decisions up to me. She confirmed reservation the day before, and took special instructions (I was treating my guests and didn't want them to know). The evening of, I arrived early and found the room prepped to my exact request, and we had a wonderful pair of servers that evening. We weren't rushed, nor were we waiting. The food- dear God I dream about that food! Ribeye was incredible, Lobster bisque was amazing and all of the sides are decadent. It was the best group experience I've had from any restaurant. Sam & Harry's made our NYE celebration from start to finish. Don't pass up an opportunity to eat here, ever. Phenomenal atmosphere, and equally amazing meal!
(5)
christine k.
Valentine'a day 2014. All dolled up and ready to celebrate. Let's talk about how the night went... Walk in and the ambience is delightful. The live music was great, pleasant lighting, and modern decor. The night started great but went all downhill from there. We had 2 orders of short ribs, 2 steaks, Mac & cheese, and mushroom. Everyone took their first cut into their dish and disappointment was on everyone's face. FAT. I have never seen so much fat and gristle on a piece of meat before. Half of my steak was in a pile to the side of my plate because it was inedible. For real?! For 38 bucks that steak should have been much better quality. Midway thru eating our subpar dinners we realized one of the side dishes never came out. Super. Waitress probably came by us about 5-6 times during our 2 hour dinner. She disappeared like a ninja every time she left our table. She did comp desserts. Good thing they were free because I would have been even more annoyed if we had to pay for the crappy bland desserts too. The only thing that made this evening better was the awkward fight a couple had across from us that lasted about an hour. I would like to thank them for their entertainment. I'm not sure if I made it clear, but I will never be going back.
(1)
Taylor M.
I went here with my boyfriend for NYE. I was a little turned off by the fact that people decided to bring their not so well behaved kids out, but I cannot fault the restaurant for that. We had a 6:30 pm reservation, since we were going to the city food as party after. We were seated promptly, and the restaurant was not that busy yet. I tried both the French onion soup and lobster bisque. Booth were good, but I preferred the bisque. I had the filet mignon with blue cheese on top. I thought it was really good!
(4)
Larry C.
Awesome wine selection, great seafood, steak and greens. The exceptional service and decor made for a memorable dining experience.
(5)
Jake S.
Stopped in here for an early lunch here this past weekend. First off, every new restaurant that is starting up should send their waitstaff here to see how it's done. The word "no" was not in the lexicon. We actually arrived during the period when they are closed between breakfast and lunch (in preparation for lunch), but the hostess quickly verified that the kitchen was ready to go and that a server was available. My sister inquired what they had to drink that would be low calorie and caffiene free - the server quickly checked and came back with her options in a minute. I had the Tuna Banh Mi (delicious!) and my sister had the Steak salad, with an order of sweet potatoes and tomato soup. The soup was good, but admittedly they could add a little roasted garlic or basil and it would make it exquisite. The sweet poatoes were roasted perfectly, and the Tuna on the sandwhich featured a great sear. Great meal and excellent service - I will have to return to try out the dinner fare at some point in the future.
(5)
Eiei O.
Don't confuse S&H with a premium restaurant. The overall quality of food and service IMO is not the same. We were a group of 25 who booked the center room on a non busy night and had no less than 4 servers who covered this room. I had to chase one of them to order a $17 martini as for some reason my side of the table was overlooked for drink orders. If she had later checked on my empty drink, I would have ordered a second $17 martini to ease the disappointment from my cold, tough, unseasoned, undercooked steak. My wife's dinner was similar. With a check for 2 of $180 ( no wine 1 martini), the lousy food and spotty service is inexcusable. On a positive note, the onion soup is very good. I should have stopped there.
(2)
Val H.
After waking up to an awesome view from my hotel suite at the Renaissance Hotel, myself and 4 of my family members decided the most appropriate way to start our day was to have breakfast at Sam & Harry's.. After being greeted by a very gracious hostess, my waiter, Amadeo,immediately offered my entire party samples of breakfast smoothies (Which were Awesome).. Playing it safe I ordered the buffet (WOW!) Danny prepared me the best! REPEAT the ABSOLUTE best cooked to order Omelette, with all of the "fixin's". I ate so much, I had to cancel and postpone previously planned afternoon outings.. I only had energy to return to my room and daydream about the wonderful sweet fresh fruit, rich tasting coffee, and perfectly chilled juice.. 5 stars!!!
(5)
betty b.
Such a beautiful restaurant! This was our third visit and even though our previous two had some issues, we gave them another chance after a Convention Center show. Unfortunately it'll be our last. Worth a Trip: 1. Charming Ambiance - Tables nicely spaced with many romantic over-sized booths. 2. Stellar Begining - French onion soup perfect; bread basket extraordinary with crispy-cheesy flatbread and fresh & crusty bread. Deal Breakers: 1. Disappearing Server - sat too long with no drinks! 2. Temperature Fail - filet ordered medium plus served (past) well done. Steak re-fired but served bloody... another wait and finally it's as requested! 3. Chilled seafood appetizer so water-logged, bar napkins needed to squeeze shellfish dry! 4. Sloppy Ending - steak & seafood leftovers tossed ALL together in large Styrofoam container! Bottom Line: Every restaurant has a bad moment of two... how they correct it separates the great from good! And although they did comp our steak, a complimentary side or glass of wine would've gone a long way during the awkward 15-20 minute wait when everyone else was eating. So for too many reasons, we'll take our $200 elsewhere next time.
(2)
Al G.
Went here for breakfast. the staff was wonderful. Started with a complementary smoothie delicious . Benjamin the manager was extremely friendly.
(5)
Ashley B.
Great service, a beautiful restaurant and the steak was amazing. Also, be sure to order the macaroni and cheese. Sounds silly but you'll thank me later!
(5)
Howard B.
Solid steakhouse, but a bit thin on sides and salads, which may not be an issue if you are focused on a big slab of fine meat well prepared! Good wine list and prices are reasonable. Service was attentive while avoiding too much interruption, a real good approach for a business dinner.
(3)
Jon P.
I had lunch there during a conference, the restaurant was crowded, but I'm sure that had to do with the conference, The chicken sandwich with pesto was very good.
(4)
Ray M.
Very nice employees and even at the hotel itself. Food was good breakfast was also good.
(5)
Kevin S.
Expectations were high for this special event dinner. Have dined here a couple of times before and loved the cuisine. This time 9/23 was the dreaded exception. Service was deplorable and two plates had to be sent back. Steak was the saving grace. Filet oscar was great. Cocktails took 20 minutes to arrive. Server did not know difference between single barrel and single malt. Apps came out staggered and one was forgotten entirely. Then the 30 minute gap to be served dinner which was only average at best. Now I know why on a Saturday they only had 6 tables filled. I would recommend going to Chicago Prime or Morton's rather than this place. At least they get the service and quality done well. Terribly disappointed and would not recommend.
(1)
Muhammad C.
Excellent brunch menu and buffet and lovely service service. My wife and I had breakfast here during a 3 day stay at the Renaissance hotel. The food was tasty, even if the eggs were over cooked and a bit dry. Stay away from the scrambled eggs in the buffet and ask the chef to make you a fresh omelet (included in the buffet). You can choose your ingredients and it they always came out wonderfully. There is a nice seating area outside (open in the evenings) which offers no view, but a nice breeze and good sun when it is warm outside.
(4)
Brian K.
I TRIED: Delmonico (Bone In Ribeye) (3/10) Calamari (5/10) Wedge Salad (4/10) Creamed Spinach (5/10) Au Gratin Potatoes (6/10) Grilled Asparagus (5/10) The Renaissance Convention Center/Hotel is really quite amazing. I've been here for a couple wedding receptions and a conference, and the convention center part has been excellent! I never stayed at the hotel, but based on the decor and, just, the "newness" of the place, it's pretty awesome and luxurious. It sorta feels weird that it's in Schaumburg. Yes, Woodfield Mall makes us classy, but not much else does. So, having tried just about every steak joint in Schaumburg, I realized I never went to Sam & Harry's. So, for Father's Day, I took my parents here. The dining area is very chic and expensive looking. There's even a table in the wine cellar. It also, strangely, had a very "comfortable" feel to it, like I could spend all day here! But, then it hit me, duh, it's the hotel restaurant. With Schaumburg offering quite a few options (and Morton's down the road), should you get a steak here? DELMONICO Since I always get a bone in ribeye anyway, it pleased me to know that the waitress suggested this (second to the NY Strip -- no thank you). Everything's a la carte here, so the steak comes out alone, that is, except for the half head of roasted garlic, which is extremely tempting might I add. The steak had a nice crust to it that you can feel while cutting, but strangely, it didn't live long enough to actually feel the texture while chewing. Definitely no David Burke's. However, regardless of the outer texture, this was probably the most tender AND juicy ribeye I've ever had! Granted, it was a bit fatty, but hey, it was marbled very well and not in clumps, so kudos for picking the beef! And it wasn't just the first bite, it was the entire steak! So, why does this marblously (see what I did there?) textured steak get such low grades? ...Seasoning. Usually I give poor marks for meats that have too little seasoning, but this is one of those rare occurances where there was too much! The first bite of most ribeyes tends to be salty, because you end up getting a small chunk of fat. Same happened here, except the entire steak tasted like that! It was overly salty. It was so salty, I ate all of the asparagus to try to dilute it. It was a tough tradeoff because on one hand, the texture was so great but the saltiness was bordering painful! So, here's how I explain it. If you took 1 bite of the steak, you would say, "Wow, that's good. It's just a tad on the salty side," which is what I said, but after you finish 22 oz of that, the saltiness builds and builds, to the point where I'm not reaching for wine anymore, I'm chugging ice water! So, unfortunately, that great texture was wasted. CALIMARI Nothing special. Same ol' same ol'. However, that does kind of tell you how limited the rest of their appetizer menu was. Calamari doesn't vary that much from place to place, so it's my absolute last option of appetizer. Well, at Sam & Harry's, it came down to that! WEDGE SALAD I had them split it 3 ways, since we were also splitting an appetizer. It says there's supposed to be a tomato vinaigrette, but I didn't taste it. In fact, there was hardly any on my plate. Just a 1/3 wedge of lettuce, some blue cheese, bacon bits, and onion strings. I guess those adequately provided the salt to make it an effective salad, but it oh well. SIDES The asparagus had some sauteed onions on top, which is a little different. I don't like raw onions, and even though they were cooked, they were still very oniony. Other than that, very normal. Creamed spinach was the same as anywhere else. The Potatoes Au Gratin had a nice little thing though, which was a layer of sweet potatoes. SAM & HARRY = RENAISSANCE MEN? Nah. The saltiness of the steak really ruined the sides too, because anything that even had a hint of salt, just seemed to taste salty after the steak. The most satisfying thing with the steak was my glass of ice water that had to be refilled like 6 times. I read a few other reviews and didn't see anyone else mention saltiness, so I guess that means mine was a fluke, right? However, no one else mentioned texture either, so I don't know what it was. I don't want to go back, but I'm secretly hoping that somehow I'll be with a group that wants to go and try the steak (or I get gift card or some kind of reason to go). That texture was seriously new frontier for me, so I'm hoping that they can recreate that, but only put the right amount of salt next time. OTHER NOTES Oh, and they don't have a very extensive wine list. Their Cabernet Sauvignon selection is horrible. For a Father's Day at dinner time, I was also very surprised at how empty it was. Maybe 5 other tables at most around 6:15p. Wedge + Calamari + 2 Delmonicos + 1 Shrimp Pasta Dish + 3 Sides + 1 Sorbet Trio + Bottle of terrible Shiraz + Tax/Tip = $255.
Went for dinner Thursday and some friends had indicated to me earlier that they were less than impressed. My experience was better. Service was fantastic (slow Thursday evening at 7 though could have an effect here) and I thought the menu was varied but concise enough not to confuse. Crab Cake appetizer was...OK But my KC strip was very good and done perfectly. I thought they did an excellent job of explaining their meaning of temperature to us before ordering (their medium is more like other house's med rare) and as all good steakhouses should do asked us to cut into the center before the waiter left the table....simple stuff but so important.... I would go again ....probably try some seafood next time One thing to know for sure...Really pricey...dinner for two with 2 drinks and 3 glasses of Merlot ran over 300 was a little surprised at that number ..Felt like 200.00 to 225.00 quality but ...it was good FYI They had a nice dining area for larger business group events that I will remember for upcoming opportunities.... It was in the center of the restaurant but done very cool....
(4)
Karen G.
After staying away from Sam and Harry's for a couple of years due to a bad experience with a particular server (she spent way too much time flirting and talking with the men at our table on a regular basis) my boyfriend and I decided to revisit. I was surprised at how empty the restaurant was on a Friday evening (maybe four tables in the entire place). The host asked us to wait in the bar area so the server on duty could 'catch up'. We were given an attitude by the host because we did not want to sit in the open traffic area that he picked for us. With an empty restaurant, we figured we could get some alone time. The high priced rib eye was over cooked and the mushrooms were also overcooked and were taken off our bill. Probably not somewhere that I would go again - too many bad experiences........
(2)
Andrea L.
This review is for Breakfast, only I needed to fill 6 hours of my day starting at 8am while my boyfriend attended a conference being held at the hotel where Sam and Harry's is. I decided to start passing the time with a leisurely breakfast. Whooda thunk it would make my morning? I was sat at a table with plush couches for chairs. My server Stephen was AMAZING! The perfect example of kind, friendly yet professional service. I told him I would be taking my time, and he was so accomodating; he had the perfect balance of fulfilling a need and leaving me contentedly reading my book. Really, one of the best servers I've ever had, and that's saying a lot. The food was also absolutely wonderful. I opted for the buffet, as it came with juice AND coffee (according to hotel prices, an$ 8 value). Expecting a typical hotel breakfast buffet, I was shocked to find made-to-order eggs (omlettes, over-however-you-pleased, even poached!), tender lox, waffles and french toast, even grits! The typical sausage, bacon and hashbrowns were also available, and they were all fresh. This buffet was worth the price even before I discovered what good quality it was. Yes, I got THAT excited about a hotel breakfast buffet.
(5)
D.J. O.
Ate here because it's in the hotel I'm staying in. Sat on the bar area by myself. Was busy but not overly busy. Took a little while for bartender to come take my drink order but that's the usual when you eat in the bar area. Drinks came out quickly but there was lettuce or some kind of leafy stuff in my drink glass. Ordered ribeye med rare ceased salad and mushrooms. Cesar was nothing special. Ribeye came out and was flavorful but not the most tender. Mushrooms never came out. By the time bartender checked on me I was almost done with my steak and didn't want the mushrooms. Even though service was far from fast and efficient the bar tender was friendly once he wasn't so busy anymore. High prices, average food and slow service would not have me coming back again even though I'm staying in the hotel
(2)
Marc Y.
Quiet, Elegant, Relaxed and Fabulous! Everything, from the asiago flatbread and olives to the salad and giant shrimp cocktail with homemade cocktail sauce to the amazing pistachio crusted lamb chops with garlic sauteed spinach to the homemade sorbet trio was wonderful! Our server was friendly and attentive - just right! Wonderful glass walled private room in the center of the restaurant for parties too.
(5)
Negin Y.
Excellent food and service, I was so impressed. A special thank you to our waitress, Barb, who was seriously the sweetest. I like my food a certain way, and most of the time I have to send it back. She listened to my requests and got my order perfect the first time. She had to deal with our big group and she did it with so much patience and a smile! It was really a wonderful experience because of her. There needs to be more Barbs!! Thank you!!!
(5)
Teddy M.
Took the family here for Mother's Day Brunch and the women in my family are no strangers to fine dining so I wanted to make sure this experience was amazing. Not s big fan on buffets and the crowd they bring, but the brunch was top of the line and offered the most decadent and flavorful meats, salmon and fruit we could have wanted out of a brunch. I even think Sixteen (which is in the trump towers can take note), because this definitely topped their last year Mother's Day brunch. I digress, so after the waiter was very attentive and entertaining he offered free mimosas and at the end of dinner brought the hospitality director to offer us 20% off dinner on our next visit. I will definitely recommend this amazing restaurant to my clients.
(5)
Katie K.
This place is absolutely amazing! My husband and I have been here a few times, most recently last night, and it always lives up to our expectations.
(5)
Insun M.
Should have known when the place was maybe 10% filled on a friday night. They had a simple wine list with decent prices by the glass or bottle. The oyster appetizer was delicious. I asked for tobasco sauce and the waitress came back with a few mini (the size of my pinkie nail) size bottles. Really? Does nobody there ask for tobasco sauce? Calamari appetizer was decent. Came with pretty good tarter sauce. The fish of the day was halibut one of my favorites so I had to order it. For the the portion (looked about 4 ounces) the price was pretty steep but I hoped that the taste would make up for the lack of size. Sadly it was sliiiiightly overcooked. The cajun sirloin was ordered med to medium well but it came rare, blood dripping. We asked for it to be cooked longer because it was more rare then what we asked for and the waitress took it back nicely but never apologized for the mistake. Unfortunately when it came back cooked at a medium, the cajun seasoning on the steak was either too bland or overly seasoned depending on the bite. The side of mushrooms was pretty good but then again you can't really ruin that dish. I liked how they used a variety of mushrooms instead of the usual button mushrooms. All in all, the ambiance is nice but the food does not justify the prices.
(2)
Patrick E.
Lobster bisque: excellent! Chilean Sea Bass with cous cous and carrots (special on NYE) was amazing. Beautiful decor and excellent service. The prices are appropriate for this level of dining. Enjoy!
(5)
iddells E.
I went here this past Saturday for my brother's graduation and we had such an elegant dining experience. Our group was in the glass room right smack in the middle of the whole restaurant and it was niiiiiice. We had sort of a pre-set menu consisting of 4 courses and within those courses were 2-3 choices. I ordered the crabcakes, the soup of the day (grilled tomato with shrimp bisque), the 12 ounce filet mignon, and for dessert, the chocolate dome. We also had an appetizer platter which had breaded calamari and oysters, and large cocktail shrimp. I was totally satisfied with everything I had. Everything was so delicious, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. The service was very friendly and there was always someone there to help you. I loved the room that we were in.....it had a cool ambience with glass walls and such a high ceiling. The only inconvenience was the washroom location since you have to exit the restaurant to use the hotel washrooms.....but they were very cool! I would love to come back here again!
(5)
Darin S.
On a par with a Morton's or similar, certainly above average for a hotel. Everyone in our party was pleased with their selections. The wine list was extensive, the desert offerings were limited but excellent. The filet I had was certainly very good, although not spectacular. Seems to be a safe choice for a special date or business dinner.
(4)
Xavier E.
Cheeseburger review: $12, comes with fries. The hamburger patty i would bet comes from costco. I buy those same patties and im familiar with it. They cooked it so dry that its almost carboard like. But im hungry and had limited lunch time so i finished it. Fries are okay. Their soup of the day is good though. Tomato bisque. The greeter julie seem cold and aloof but the waitress julie did a good job. Is nice and accomodating
(2)
Von A.
Steakhouses seem to be a dime-a-dozen in Chicagoland, and in the burbs - this is probably one of the two best in the area. Came here at peak dinner hour on a Monday, and it was pretty empty. There is something to be said, that a packed restaurant always makes your food taste even better - and part of me wishes that were the case. Luckily I didnt pay with my own money (work did) otherwise i'd be underwhelmed with my meal. i got the dry aged Ribeye - which is my usual go-to steak cut - so i'd ascertain myself to be connoisseur when it comes to ribeye steaks. Overall - cooked well, however underseasoned, good char on the outside, and good marbeling. The side of roasted garlic was dry, and looked to be mass roasted and refrigerated the night before. I got it with the yukon gold mashed potatoes which were very good. The carrot cake donuts were delish! Overall, i'd come here again. The restaurant is decent, nothing too special though.
(3)
Jessica P.
I've been here for Mother's Day brunch for 2 years in a row. They have a buffet brunch which provide you with many food options from carved beef to breakfast items and pretty dessert or just fruits! Costs: $45 for buffet adult $25 for buffet children The restaurant is connected/located inside a restaurant. Atmosphere: great for famiy, friends, dates. Attire can be business casual, no sweats please.. Parking - plenty of parking spots in the parking lot. I would definitely recommend this place for Mother's day brunch.
(4)
Adam C.
I took my wife and kids here for Mother's Day brunch and we all had a very enjoyable time. My wife and I were greeted with Mimosas and the kids got freshly squeezed orange juice. The menu featured an entree selection of Halibut, Beef Wellington, Lamb Chops and Salmon. On top of this, there was a brunch buffet with an omelet bar, french toast, eggs, quiches, bacon, sausage, cereals, grits, oatmeal, fruit, veggies, roasted potatoes and a half dozen other things I just can't remember right now. They were also giving out paper chef's hats and aprons to the kids as they made their way through the do-it-yourself pancake station. This is where kids could "decorate" their own Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes and cover them with a literal candy store's worth of sugary candy toppings (and some fruit, I think). At our table, the entrees we ordered were the Halibut, the Beef Wellington and the Lamb Chops. The girls with the Halibut each took one bite and made the "OMG, this is the most incredible Halibut ever" face. The lamb chops were very perfectly prepared at a medium rare. They were both tender and juicy, and easily cut away from the bone. The beef wellington had a very good overall flavor to it, but the meat texture was slightly tough to cut through and the portion was somewhat small. The dessert buffet offered an incredible selection of cakes, tarts, amazingly decadent chocolate peanut-butter pops, mango mousses, key lime bars, ginger carrot cakes and more. My kids loaded up their plates with just about everything being offered there. After all the candy at the pancake bar, this was becoming more like Halloween than Mother's Day for them, but they loved it. Our server was very friendly, fun and attentive to all our needs throughout the experience. Our drinks were never empty and she was immediately all over every request we made to her. Suffice it to say that we were all very full and pleasantly satisfied upon finishing the meal. The final bill was rather hefty for the 5 of us, topping out at $190 (or $230 with tip). But what the heck...it was Mother's Day after all. Sometimes you just need to splurge when the moment calls for it. Just seeing my wife enjoying her special day was more than worth it.
(4)
Dan O.
Holy mackeral! One of the freshest, tastiest oysters on the halfshell in Chicago. The tiger shrimp, blue crab and king crab equally tasty. The ribeye was just above par, but I've had better elsewhere. Service was good except for the waiter giving me a double take for requesting a test of the wine before ordering a bottle. The test that I asked for was also available by the glass so shouldn't have been a waste a bottle.. just his time.
(4)
Barb C.
I was not sure what to expect after reading the reviews. Comments about the food and service varied. Our party of five had the Restaurant Week menu and enjoyed every course. Jose, our waiter, and the rest of the staff were attentive and friendly. We will definitely be going back!
(4)
Coach Jenn W.
Went for lunch during restaurant week and had a fixed price menu special. I enjoyed the meal but myy friend had to send his sandwich order back because it was not fresh. We also had to wait for quite some time before our server came over. Not a great start when you are on limited time with a business lunch and possibly trying to seal a deal. I had cripsy rock shrimp for the first course which was excellent- there was some spicy yummy wasabi sauce drizzled over the shrimp. The Baked French Onion soup was great and my friend enjoyed it. I thought my grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich tasted great; excellent combo of gorgonzola, horseradish and onions, the bread was soft but slightly challenging to bite into as a sandwich, perhaps it could be sliced thinner or layered? Not easy to eat with your hands or for making a great impression when you are at a business lunch to pull out a hunk of meat from your bun. The large stack of onion rings were too much, I just had one but they were good. My friend worked in a well known fish restaurant, so he may be pickier than most, but his Scottish Salmon BLT was not up to par and he sent it back. He had been looking forward to trying this so it was disappointing. Perhaps they ordered lots of extra for the week in the kitchen...? Maybe some people would not have found it unacceptable however this place seems pretty high end and should only be serving the best, freshest food for their clientele. One would think... Dessert was good, again my friend is a big fan of creme brulee and he said it was good but not fantastic. My milk chocolate mouse cake was very good. All in all the presentation of the food and decor of the restaurant was excellent, just some service and food quality issues to address. I would like to go back for dinner sometime, but want to be delighted with all my selections!
(3)
Peter S.
Well I could honestly give it a four star if it wasn't for the ridiculous prices. I went there for the Mother's Day on Sunday with my wife and kids. The experience was pleasant, the food was good, and the restaurant is quite impressive. The reason I am giving it only three stars is twofold - way too expensive, and underimpressive food selection for a fancy restaurant like this on a Mother's Day brunch. I expected a lot more choices and some more exotic and/or European breakfast selections. What I got was a typical american brunch. I go to Germany quite often and it seems to me that even an average inexpensive german hotel delivers way better breakfast that this fancy restaurant. You get great selection of susages, hams, cheeses, bakery, coffees, teas, and fruits. What we got here was good perhaps even great but... limited. I like for my breakfast a freshly baked roll or bread with a tasty smoked ham or exotic yellow cheese and - I couldn't find it. I was stuck with your typical sausage link, scrambled eggs, bagels and cream cheese, and omelette (made to your liking though). Not what I was looking for in a fancy, expensive hotel. Not going back there.
When it comes to high end steakhouses they tend to blend together with a few out shinning the others and it usually is because of the over the top service. For me, this place blends in well with the other steakhouses I've experienced. Service was very good and attentive, great explanation and recommendations with diners questions. Food looked great when it came out and was cooked the way I wanted it, even though I know mater chefs hate to overcook steaks. That is the way I like it so back off people who want me to eat it raw, eat your own steak and I'll eat mine OK buddy? Cool layout of the restaurant with the fish bowl private room in the middle but I'm sure some would be uncomfortable to sit in there. Terrible bathroom situation with having to walk out the restaurant and down the hallway. If you are deep in the restaurant it's weird to have to walk out of the restaurant and then back in front of the glass wall and your table to get to the bathrooms. How about some frosted glass or something on the front?
(3)
Carlito B.
Sorry not impressed with the food or the service. It just seems to me that this is there for the convention people and not the locals. I went there after reading Phil Vettels review on the place as he noted this is one of the best in the country. HAHA methinks not. And I love fine dining and good wines. This wasn't the experience I expected at all. Maybe it was a bad night. I'll try it again and come back to yelp. They deserve a second chance since the legend "Vettel" says this is legit. I don't see it from staff to the dinner plates. I will say the presentation of everything was SUPURB, sadly everything else seemed to flounder.
(1)
J I.
Went here for Valentine's Day and was delightfully impressed! I got Turbot stuffed with crab meat and oh my god was it delicious. My wife got a veal dish that included a filet and veal stuffed ravioli...once again it was outstanding. The waitress also recommended a great bottle of pinot noir that complimented our dinner perfectly. For appetizers we got fried calamari and lobster bisque... so good! Last of all was dessert and I would come here just for that. My wife got apple, caramel, fresh donuts and I got butter scotch, cheese cake, bread pudding... perfection. I would definately return for another Valentine's Day or special occassion.
(5)
Kiera D.
Very good for the suburbs!! Consistently great!
(4)
Ddd B.
Decent breakfast here this morning. The quality of the eggs were fabulous, you know the kind with the deep orange yolks? A bit spendy and the service was a tad unpolished. But overall, I'd recommend.
(4)
Mathew P.
Went here with my girlfriend for a nice romantic dinner. The server was very helpful, and it was very quiet. Moreover, the food was really tasty. The gf had a "cheesegasm" from the cheese platter. Where did this hotel and restaurant come from?
(4)
Tom D.
Three stars for one reason only and that is main course portion. The salad was great, hot seafood appetizers were great, but the walleye special was literally 1/8 of a fish. It was not much bigger than a mcdonalds chicken nugget, I kid you not. I was full but anyone that doesn't get a salad and split a small appetizer will be needing to eat again soon. Im trying to teach myself its quality and not quantity. If you are going for quantity then you will be sorely mistaken. Quality was fantastic.
(3)
Tommy M.
I was there last Saturday as part of a bachelor party. One of the guys with us is a chef and picked the place. There were 11 of us. We had a preset menu, which is fine with me, although I would have liked to see the full menu. We had a good deal, I think it was about $50/person for the preset menu. The food was great, the service was great, and I would definitely go back. If you want to hear a little about our personal experience, keep reading... To start I had the lobster bisque, which was amazing. For the entree, the options were a filet, chicken, or fish. Everyone had the filet, except me. It looked damn good and I kinda regretted it at first, but I opted for the Ruby Red Trout. Now, usually at nicer steakhouses, the portions aren't huge or incredibly filling. They gave me two monsterous pieces of fish (maybe because no one else ordered it and they had extra? shit I don't know, I didn't ask questions!). It was fantastic! Personally, if it swam once, raw or cooked I'll eat it. So I'll go for just about any seafood. But this was really good. A lot of the night is a bit hazy so I can't remember how the fish was prepared, but I enjoyed it. It came with some fancy artistic potato apparatus thing that looked difficult to prepare but it was outstanding. I sat next to the "chef" in the group, who actually knew some people that worked there, including the head chef who stopped by our table to say hello. We ordered a few bottles of Conn Creek Cabernet, it was awesome. I've been to nice places and once in a while I will order a bottle, but I have to say the bottle presentation was perfect, very professional. Our waiter did a great job. The second bottle that came out (inspected by Mr. Chef), actually turned out to be corked. When the waiter gave him the cork, you could see a red line down the side, which means air got into the bottle during storage. We tasted it, and it was certainly not as good as the first bottle. Personally, I would probably just keep it, but he sent it back. The waiter was understanding and mentioned it to his manager, which was fine. The manager came over to talk to us, we showed him the cork and he was very understanding about the situation and brought us a new bottle. Same thing happened, but this one tasted better so we kept it. I would definitely return, and I encourage you to check it out if you're in the area.
(5)
Andy M.
I was disappointed in this highly praised restaurant. While the service was reasonable the food was not what I would expect for the price. I ordered a medium cooked steak and at best it was very "chewy" (although it was cooked correctly). The soup (lobster bisque) was really salty. The sides were good as were the bread choices and the wine was also reasonable for the price. I was there for a business dinner and my companion, who was footing the bill, described it as MacDonalds-like...I won't be going there again.
(2)
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Address :1551 N. Thoreau Dr.
Schaumburg, IL, 60173
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : No Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Dressy Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Stefanie C.
We came here one night after an event at the convention center. To start I ordered the lobster bisque soup. I probably wouldn't order it again if I came here. It was more of a paste than soup and very much lacked in lobster. It had a brownish color to it and a thick texture that wasn't appetizing. For my meal I ordered the filet done medium rare, leaning more towards rare. It was done perfectly! Such a great flavor and so tender. Some of the people I was with had to send theirs back due to dry meat or it not being cooked well so I'd say I was the lucky one! We ordered the asparagus, grits, mashed potatoes and mushrooms as sides. The mashed potatoes and grits were pretty boring and flavorless. The mashed potatoes actually tasted like a powder mix, not creamy as most mashed potatoes seem to be. The asparagus and mushrooms however were amazing! I swear the mushrooms were soaked in butter but i didn't care. They still tasted amazing. For dessert I ordered the soufflé. I had it once before the last time I stayed in this hotel so I was looking forward to it. It was absolutely amazing once again! It was lightly crusted on top with a creamy center. It came with a raspberry sorbet on the side which added a nice tart kick to it. My only complaint is that the waitress kept trying to make me get up to see how it was made. She even pulled my chair back while I was sitting in it. I explained to her that I've had the soufflé before and I knew how they were made and I appreciated it but I wanted to stay sitting with my group. She kept hounding me practically making a scene. The person next to me told me to humor her and walk back to the kitchen with her. It was incredibly uncomfortable and I really disliked how she pulled me away from my group. Overall our waitress was a bit overwhelming with conversation and questions. Yet scarce when we needed drinks refreshed or plates removed. She recommended a few steaks to our table which turned out very dry and not to be the best of cut. She then went on the tell us it wasn't the "season" for that cut of steak. We were a bit confused why she would recommend it if she knew it wasn't "in season." This is an ok place to eat if staying at the hotel. Make sure to order the filet and you're sure to have a good meal.
(3)Patrick L.
Sam & Harry's is an excellent restaurant (this coming from a dude who ate there two nights in a row!) My first visit was with a party of four. I ordered salmon and it was perfect! Our waiter was excellent and we enjoyed a leisurely meal with excellent food and great service. My second night was with a party of eleven! I ordered a NY Strip steak and it was perfect! Our wait staff was flawless and we all enjoyed an outstanding dining experience. Sam & Harry's is the type of place you'd expect top-of-the-line ambiance, food, drink and service - we received it all both times. 5 stars - highly recommend.
(5)Wendy E.
Good food. Pricey, but expected that at a hotel restaurant. Split your plate of food for proper portions. Service was good but slow for a very large number of people at one table - with no other tables filled. Cashing out was a pain due to the need to split the check, shared meals, shared bottles of wine. Conference style lunches were okay food, but were certainly served well.
(4)Mandi A.
My husband and I had our wedding reception at Sam and Harry's on Saturday, August 8, 2015. We had the private room in the center of the restaurant. The manager, Lisa, was outstanding from the beginning to the end. She got back to me every time I emailed her and came through on everything that we discussed. The chef Robert was outstanding and very friendly. The food was amazing. The pastry chef Brandy did a fabulous job on our cake. It was beautiful and tasty. Kat was our waitress and she was very knowledgable and friendly. They decorated the room so nicely, and we had a blast. We are very happy with our experience at Sam and Harry's and would highly recommend having dinner there, or a special event.
(5)Rick R.
So I dined here on Tuesday night for a business dinner. The space was impressive and had very comfy banquettes albeit probably not the best for dining but better for lounging. The restaurant was relatively empty except for a large group of suits in the private dining section in the center. Service was good. Food was not. I ordered the Niman ranch ribeye with horseradish crust medium rare. The steak came out medium and it was dry and not very flavorful. Also got grilled asparagus with ham and it was super salty! Eck! It was also missing an egg on top which was described on the menu. Deserts were ok. Wine selection was excellent. I've been to the one in DC and this suburban outpost just doesn't cut it. For the cost, I'd rather go to Wildfire or even (should I say it?) Weber grill. So disappointing. I so wanted to love this place.
(2)Nicole W.
Let's talk about Sam & Harry's breakfast. Beyond good. Beyond hotel decent. Damn impressive, I tell ya. Not only is the service spectacular, but the menu is nicely edited, creative and delicious. While it's a little pricey, let me tell what you absolutely must order.... Corned. Beef. Hash. I was Harry Caray-ing it the whole time..."Holy Cow!" Imagine fresh chunks of tender brisket having a part with perfectly flavorful diced potatoes, a fluffy but not overly runny poached egg and a smattering of spices. It was perfection and beautifully done (not even remotely salty). I'm still salivating over it. I've also tried the blueberry pancakes and oatmeal, both of which are hearty and tasty. I can guarantee you that I'll crave that corned beef hash time and time again. Five stars for the corned beef hash and pleasant service, 3-4 stars for a fairly pricey hotel resto menu.
(4)Jill O.
Only had apps...Lobster bisque is creamy and chunky with lobster. Presentation is cool too. The bread plate is generous and the Parmesan crisp bread is delicious. The oyster and kimchi appetizer was rough because I didn't like the kimchi, even though I love traditional Asian foods. I only are the oysters and it was $16 plus tax and tip, so it was a terrible value for only 5 fried oysters. Otherwise, the service was excellent. Very attentive staff.
(4)M L.
Ate lunch here and had the Elk Sandwich. Note this was served "hot dog" style with the meat in link vs a pattie. The problem is the slaw that was added overwhelmed the sandwich. You could not get a sense of the true flavor of the meat. Served with side of fries that was soggy. Not very impressive !
(3)Nicole C.
I will start this review by letting everyone know I did not eat at this restaurant. This review is based solely on the service. My husband and I walked into the restaurant and were directed to the bar where we sat for 15 minutes without being helped. 5 workers stood a few feet away from us without asking if we needed anything. Luckily, Michael the bartender saved the day. Nice guy, great conversation, truly the only reason we would ever consider returning. We chose not to eat here because of the blatant disrespect. Instead, we left. The stars are for Michael!
(2)Michael V.
From LA to NYC, this is the best steak house I've ever had the privilege of experiencing in all my travels. Love them!
(5)Megan M.
I hosted NYE here 2013/2014. I booked the party room (center of the restaurant) with Christina, who was responsive and a pleasure. She was detail oriented, but left major decisions up to me. She confirmed reservation the day before, and took special instructions (I was treating my guests and didn't want them to know). The evening of, I arrived early and found the room prepped to my exact request, and we had a wonderful pair of servers that evening. We weren't rushed, nor were we waiting. The food- dear God I dream about that food! Ribeye was incredible, Lobster bisque was amazing and all of the sides are decadent. It was the best group experience I've had from any restaurant. Sam & Harry's made our NYE celebration from start to finish. Don't pass up an opportunity to eat here, ever. Phenomenal atmosphere, and equally amazing meal!
(5)christine k.
Valentine'a day 2014. All dolled up and ready to celebrate. Let's talk about how the night went... Walk in and the ambience is delightful. The live music was great, pleasant lighting, and modern decor. The night started great but went all downhill from there. We had 2 orders of short ribs, 2 steaks, Mac & cheese, and mushroom. Everyone took their first cut into their dish and disappointment was on everyone's face. FAT. I have never seen so much fat and gristle on a piece of meat before. Half of my steak was in a pile to the side of my plate because it was inedible. For real?! For 38 bucks that steak should have been much better quality. Midway thru eating our subpar dinners we realized one of the side dishes never came out. Super. Waitress probably came by us about 5-6 times during our 2 hour dinner. She disappeared like a ninja every time she left our table. She did comp desserts. Good thing they were free because I would have been even more annoyed if we had to pay for the crappy bland desserts too. The only thing that made this evening better was the awkward fight a couple had across from us that lasted about an hour. I would like to thank them for their entertainment. I'm not sure if I made it clear, but I will never be going back.
(1)Taylor M.
I went here with my boyfriend for NYE. I was a little turned off by the fact that people decided to bring their not so well behaved kids out, but I cannot fault the restaurant for that. We had a 6:30 pm reservation, since we were going to the city food as party after. We were seated promptly, and the restaurant was not that busy yet. I tried both the French onion soup and lobster bisque. Booth were good, but I preferred the bisque. I had the filet mignon with blue cheese on top. I thought it was really good!
(4)Larry C.
Awesome wine selection, great seafood, steak and greens. The exceptional service and decor made for a memorable dining experience.
(5)Jake S.
Stopped in here for an early lunch here this past weekend. First off, every new restaurant that is starting up should send their waitstaff here to see how it's done. The word "no" was not in the lexicon. We actually arrived during the period when they are closed between breakfast and lunch (in preparation for lunch), but the hostess quickly verified that the kitchen was ready to go and that a server was available. My sister inquired what they had to drink that would be low calorie and caffiene free - the server quickly checked and came back with her options in a minute. I had the Tuna Banh Mi (delicious!) and my sister had the Steak salad, with an order of sweet potatoes and tomato soup. The soup was good, but admittedly they could add a little roasted garlic or basil and it would make it exquisite. The sweet poatoes were roasted perfectly, and the Tuna on the sandwhich featured a great sear. Great meal and excellent service - I will have to return to try out the dinner fare at some point in the future.
(5)Eiei O.
Don't confuse S&H with a premium restaurant. The overall quality of food and service IMO is not the same. We were a group of 25 who booked the center room on a non busy night and had no less than 4 servers who covered this room. I had to chase one of them to order a $17 martini as for some reason my side of the table was overlooked for drink orders. If she had later checked on my empty drink, I would have ordered a second $17 martini to ease the disappointment from my cold, tough, unseasoned, undercooked steak. My wife's dinner was similar. With a check for 2 of $180 ( no wine 1 martini), the lousy food and spotty service is inexcusable. On a positive note, the onion soup is very good. I should have stopped there.
(2)Val H.
After waking up to an awesome view from my hotel suite at the Renaissance Hotel, myself and 4 of my family members decided the most appropriate way to start our day was to have breakfast at Sam & Harry's.. After being greeted by a very gracious hostess, my waiter, Amadeo,immediately offered my entire party samples of breakfast smoothies (Which were Awesome).. Playing it safe I ordered the buffet (WOW!) Danny prepared me the best! REPEAT the ABSOLUTE best cooked to order Omelette, with all of the "fixin's". I ate so much, I had to cancel and postpone previously planned afternoon outings.. I only had energy to return to my room and daydream about the wonderful sweet fresh fruit, rich tasting coffee, and perfectly chilled juice.. 5 stars!!!
(5)betty b.
Such a beautiful restaurant! This was our third visit and even though our previous two had some issues, we gave them another chance after a Convention Center show. Unfortunately it'll be our last. Worth a Trip: 1. Charming Ambiance - Tables nicely spaced with many romantic over-sized booths. 2. Stellar Begining - French onion soup perfect; bread basket extraordinary with crispy-cheesy flatbread and fresh & crusty bread. Deal Breakers: 1. Disappearing Server - sat too long with no drinks! 2. Temperature Fail - filet ordered medium plus served (past) well done. Steak re-fired but served bloody... another wait and finally it's as requested! 3. Chilled seafood appetizer so water-logged, bar napkins needed to squeeze shellfish dry! 4. Sloppy Ending - steak & seafood leftovers tossed ALL together in large Styrofoam container! Bottom Line: Every restaurant has a bad moment of two... how they correct it separates the great from good! And although they did comp our steak, a complimentary side or glass of wine would've gone a long way during the awkward 15-20 minute wait when everyone else was eating. So for too many reasons, we'll take our $200 elsewhere next time.
(2)Al G.
Went here for breakfast. the staff was wonderful. Started with a complementary smoothie delicious . Benjamin the manager was extremely friendly.
(5)Ashley B.
Great service, a beautiful restaurant and the steak was amazing. Also, be sure to order the macaroni and cheese. Sounds silly but you'll thank me later!
(5)Howard B.
Solid steakhouse, but a bit thin on sides and salads, which may not be an issue if you are focused on a big slab of fine meat well prepared! Good wine list and prices are reasonable. Service was attentive while avoiding too much interruption, a real good approach for a business dinner.
(3)Jon P.
I had lunch there during a conference, the restaurant was crowded, but I'm sure that had to do with the conference, The chicken sandwich with pesto was very good.
(4)Ray M.
Very nice employees and even at the hotel itself. Food was good breakfast was also good.
(5)Kevin S.
Expectations were high for this special event dinner. Have dined here a couple of times before and loved the cuisine. This time 9/23 was the dreaded exception. Service was deplorable and two plates had to be sent back. Steak was the saving grace. Filet oscar was great. Cocktails took 20 minutes to arrive. Server did not know difference between single barrel and single malt. Apps came out staggered and one was forgotten entirely. Then the 30 minute gap to be served dinner which was only average at best. Now I know why on a Saturday they only had 6 tables filled. I would recommend going to Chicago Prime or Morton's rather than this place. At least they get the service and quality done well. Terribly disappointed and would not recommend.
(1)Muhammad C.
Excellent brunch menu and buffet and lovely service service. My wife and I had breakfast here during a 3 day stay at the Renaissance hotel. The food was tasty, even if the eggs were over cooked and a bit dry. Stay away from the scrambled eggs in the buffet and ask the chef to make you a fresh omelet (included in the buffet). You can choose your ingredients and it they always came out wonderfully. There is a nice seating area outside (open in the evenings) which offers no view, but a nice breeze and good sun when it is warm outside.
(4)Brian K.
I TRIED: Delmonico (Bone In Ribeye) (3/10) Calamari (5/10) Wedge Salad (4/10) Creamed Spinach (5/10) Au Gratin Potatoes (6/10) Grilled Asparagus (5/10) The Renaissance Convention Center/Hotel is really quite amazing. I've been here for a couple wedding receptions and a conference, and the convention center part has been excellent! I never stayed at the hotel, but based on the decor and, just, the "newness" of the place, it's pretty awesome and luxurious. It sorta feels weird that it's in Schaumburg. Yes, Woodfield Mall makes us classy, but not much else does. So, having tried just about every steak joint in Schaumburg, I realized I never went to Sam & Harry's. So, for Father's Day, I took my parents here. The dining area is very chic and expensive looking. There's even a table in the wine cellar. It also, strangely, had a very "comfortable" feel to it, like I could spend all day here! But, then it hit me, duh, it's the hotel restaurant. With Schaumburg offering quite a few options (and Morton's down the road), should you get a steak here? DELMONICO Since I always get a bone in ribeye anyway, it pleased me to know that the waitress suggested this (second to the NY Strip -- no thank you). Everything's a la carte here, so the steak comes out alone, that is, except for the half head of roasted garlic, which is extremely tempting might I add. The steak had a nice crust to it that you can feel while cutting, but strangely, it didn't live long enough to actually feel the texture while chewing. Definitely no David Burke's. However, regardless of the outer texture, this was probably the most tender AND juicy ribeye I've ever had! Granted, it was a bit fatty, but hey, it was marbled very well and not in clumps, so kudos for picking the beef! And it wasn't just the first bite, it was the entire steak! So, why does this marblously (see what I did there?) textured steak get such low grades? ...Seasoning. Usually I give poor marks for meats that have too little seasoning, but this is one of those rare occurances where there was too much! The first bite of most ribeyes tends to be salty, because you end up getting a small chunk of fat. Same happened here, except the entire steak tasted like that! It was overly salty. It was so salty, I ate all of the asparagus to try to dilute it. It was a tough tradeoff because on one hand, the texture was so great but the saltiness was bordering painful! So, here's how I explain it. If you took 1 bite of the steak, you would say, "Wow, that's good. It's just a tad on the salty side," which is what I said, but after you finish 22 oz of that, the saltiness builds and builds, to the point where I'm not reaching for wine anymore, I'm chugging ice water! So, unfortunately, that great texture was wasted. CALIMARI Nothing special. Same ol' same ol'. However, that does kind of tell you how limited the rest of their appetizer menu was. Calamari doesn't vary that much from place to place, so it's my absolute last option of appetizer. Well, at Sam & Harry's, it came down to that! WEDGE SALAD I had them split it 3 ways, since we were also splitting an appetizer. It says there's supposed to be a tomato vinaigrette, but I didn't taste it. In fact, there was hardly any on my plate. Just a 1/3 wedge of lettuce, some blue cheese, bacon bits, and onion strings. I guess those adequately provided the salt to make it an effective salad, but it oh well. SIDES The asparagus had some sauteed onions on top, which is a little different. I don't like raw onions, and even though they were cooked, they were still very oniony. Other than that, very normal. Creamed spinach was the same as anywhere else. The Potatoes Au Gratin had a nice little thing though, which was a layer of sweet potatoes. SAM & HARRY = RENAISSANCE MEN? Nah. The saltiness of the steak really ruined the sides too, because anything that even had a hint of salt, just seemed to taste salty after the steak. The most satisfying thing with the steak was my glass of ice water that had to be refilled like 6 times. I read a few other reviews and didn't see anyone else mention saltiness, so I guess that means mine was a fluke, right? However, no one else mentioned texture either, so I don't know what it was. I don't want to go back, but I'm secretly hoping that somehow I'll be with a group that wants to go and try the steak (or I get gift card or some kind of reason to go). That texture was seriously new frontier for me, so I'm hoping that they can recreate that, but only put the right amount of salt next time. OTHER NOTES Oh, and they don't have a very extensive wine list. Their Cabernet Sauvignon selection is horrible. For a Father's Day at dinner time, I was also very surprised at how empty it was. Maybe 5 other tables at most around 6:15p. Wedge + Calamari + 2 Delmonicos + 1 Shrimp Pasta Dish + 3 Sides + 1 Sorbet Trio + Bottle of terrible Shiraz + Tax/Tip = $255.
(2)Carl C.
Awesome as usual. Bone Marrow aperizer, Caesar salad, ' bone out' Ribeye and Creme brûlée for desert. Rest of the family had the Prime Rib. Thanks guys!
(4)Tim E.
Went for dinner Thursday and some friends had indicated to me earlier that they were less than impressed. My experience was better. Service was fantastic (slow Thursday evening at 7 though could have an effect here) and I thought the menu was varied but concise enough not to confuse. Crab Cake appetizer was...OK But my KC strip was very good and done perfectly. I thought they did an excellent job of explaining their meaning of temperature to us before ordering (their medium is more like other house's med rare) and as all good steakhouses should do asked us to cut into the center before the waiter left the table....simple stuff but so important.... I would go again ....probably try some seafood next time One thing to know for sure...Really pricey...dinner for two with 2 drinks and 3 glasses of Merlot ran over 300 was a little surprised at that number ..Felt like 200.00 to 225.00 quality but ...it was good FYI They had a nice dining area for larger business group events that I will remember for upcoming opportunities.... It was in the center of the restaurant but done very cool....
(4)Karen G.
After staying away from Sam and Harry's for a couple of years due to a bad experience with a particular server (she spent way too much time flirting and talking with the men at our table on a regular basis) my boyfriend and I decided to revisit. I was surprised at how empty the restaurant was on a Friday evening (maybe four tables in the entire place). The host asked us to wait in the bar area so the server on duty could 'catch up'. We were given an attitude by the host because we did not want to sit in the open traffic area that he picked for us. With an empty restaurant, we figured we could get some alone time. The high priced rib eye was over cooked and the mushrooms were also overcooked and were taken off our bill. Probably not somewhere that I would go again - too many bad experiences........
(2)Andrea L.
This review is for Breakfast, only I needed to fill 6 hours of my day starting at 8am while my boyfriend attended a conference being held at the hotel where Sam and Harry's is. I decided to start passing the time with a leisurely breakfast. Whooda thunk it would make my morning? I was sat at a table with plush couches for chairs. My server Stephen was AMAZING! The perfect example of kind, friendly yet professional service. I told him I would be taking my time, and he was so accomodating; he had the perfect balance of fulfilling a need and leaving me contentedly reading my book. Really, one of the best servers I've ever had, and that's saying a lot. The food was also absolutely wonderful. I opted for the buffet, as it came with juice AND coffee (according to hotel prices, an$ 8 value). Expecting a typical hotel breakfast buffet, I was shocked to find made-to-order eggs (omlettes, over-however-you-pleased, even poached!), tender lox, waffles and french toast, even grits! The typical sausage, bacon and hashbrowns were also available, and they were all fresh. This buffet was worth the price even before I discovered what good quality it was. Yes, I got THAT excited about a hotel breakfast buffet.
(5)D.J. O.
Ate here because it's in the hotel I'm staying in. Sat on the bar area by myself. Was busy but not overly busy. Took a little while for bartender to come take my drink order but that's the usual when you eat in the bar area. Drinks came out quickly but there was lettuce or some kind of leafy stuff in my drink glass. Ordered ribeye med rare ceased salad and mushrooms. Cesar was nothing special. Ribeye came out and was flavorful but not the most tender. Mushrooms never came out. By the time bartender checked on me I was almost done with my steak and didn't want the mushrooms. Even though service was far from fast and efficient the bar tender was friendly once he wasn't so busy anymore. High prices, average food and slow service would not have me coming back again even though I'm staying in the hotel
(2)Marc Y.
Quiet, Elegant, Relaxed and Fabulous! Everything, from the asiago flatbread and olives to the salad and giant shrimp cocktail with homemade cocktail sauce to the amazing pistachio crusted lamb chops with garlic sauteed spinach to the homemade sorbet trio was wonderful! Our server was friendly and attentive - just right! Wonderful glass walled private room in the center of the restaurant for parties too.
(5)Negin Y.
Excellent food and service, I was so impressed. A special thank you to our waitress, Barb, who was seriously the sweetest. I like my food a certain way, and most of the time I have to send it back. She listened to my requests and got my order perfect the first time. She had to deal with our big group and she did it with so much patience and a smile! It was really a wonderful experience because of her. There needs to be more Barbs!! Thank you!!!
(5)Teddy M.
Took the family here for Mother's Day Brunch and the women in my family are no strangers to fine dining so I wanted to make sure this experience was amazing. Not s big fan on buffets and the crowd they bring, but the brunch was top of the line and offered the most decadent and flavorful meats, salmon and fruit we could have wanted out of a brunch. I even think Sixteen (which is in the trump towers can take note), because this definitely topped their last year Mother's Day brunch. I digress, so after the waiter was very attentive and entertaining he offered free mimosas and at the end of dinner brought the hospitality director to offer us 20% off dinner on our next visit. I will definitely recommend this amazing restaurant to my clients.
(5)Katie K.
This place is absolutely amazing! My husband and I have been here a few times, most recently last night, and it always lives up to our expectations.
(5)Insun M.
Should have known when the place was maybe 10% filled on a friday night. They had a simple wine list with decent prices by the glass or bottle. The oyster appetizer was delicious. I asked for tobasco sauce and the waitress came back with a few mini (the size of my pinkie nail) size bottles. Really? Does nobody there ask for tobasco sauce? Calamari appetizer was decent. Came with pretty good tarter sauce. The fish of the day was halibut one of my favorites so I had to order it. For the the portion (looked about 4 ounces) the price was pretty steep but I hoped that the taste would make up for the lack of size. Sadly it was sliiiiightly overcooked. The cajun sirloin was ordered med to medium well but it came rare, blood dripping. We asked for it to be cooked longer because it was more rare then what we asked for and the waitress took it back nicely but never apologized for the mistake. Unfortunately when it came back cooked at a medium, the cajun seasoning on the steak was either too bland or overly seasoned depending on the bite. The side of mushrooms was pretty good but then again you can't really ruin that dish. I liked how they used a variety of mushrooms instead of the usual button mushrooms. All in all, the ambiance is nice but the food does not justify the prices.
(2)Patrick E.
Lobster bisque: excellent! Chilean Sea Bass with cous cous and carrots (special on NYE) was amazing. Beautiful decor and excellent service. The prices are appropriate for this level of dining. Enjoy!
(5)iddells E.
I went here this past Saturday for my brother's graduation and we had such an elegant dining experience. Our group was in the glass room right smack in the middle of the whole restaurant and it was niiiiiice. We had sort of a pre-set menu consisting of 4 courses and within those courses were 2-3 choices. I ordered the crabcakes, the soup of the day (grilled tomato with shrimp bisque), the 12 ounce filet mignon, and for dessert, the chocolate dome. We also had an appetizer platter which had breaded calamari and oysters, and large cocktail shrimp. I was totally satisfied with everything I had. Everything was so delicious, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. The service was very friendly and there was always someone there to help you. I loved the room that we were in.....it had a cool ambience with glass walls and such a high ceiling. The only inconvenience was the washroom location since you have to exit the restaurant to use the hotel washrooms.....but they were very cool! I would love to come back here again!
(5)Darin S.
On a par with a Morton's or similar, certainly above average for a hotel. Everyone in our party was pleased with their selections. The wine list was extensive, the desert offerings were limited but excellent. The filet I had was certainly very good, although not spectacular. Seems to be a safe choice for a special date or business dinner.
(4)Xavier E.
Cheeseburger review: $12, comes with fries. The hamburger patty i would bet comes from costco. I buy those same patties and im familiar with it. They cooked it so dry that its almost carboard like. But im hungry and had limited lunch time so i finished it. Fries are okay. Their soup of the day is good though. Tomato bisque. The greeter julie seem cold and aloof but the waitress julie did a good job. Is nice and accomodating
(2)Von A.
Steakhouses seem to be a dime-a-dozen in Chicagoland, and in the burbs - this is probably one of the two best in the area. Came here at peak dinner hour on a Monday, and it was pretty empty. There is something to be said, that a packed restaurant always makes your food taste even better - and part of me wishes that were the case. Luckily I didnt pay with my own money (work did) otherwise i'd be underwhelmed with my meal. i got the dry aged Ribeye - which is my usual go-to steak cut - so i'd ascertain myself to be connoisseur when it comes to ribeye steaks. Overall - cooked well, however underseasoned, good char on the outside, and good marbeling. The side of roasted garlic was dry, and looked to be mass roasted and refrigerated the night before. I got it with the yukon gold mashed potatoes which were very good. The carrot cake donuts were delish! Overall, i'd come here again. The restaurant is decent, nothing too special though.
(3)Jessica P.
I've been here for Mother's Day brunch for 2 years in a row. They have a buffet brunch which provide you with many food options from carved beef to breakfast items and pretty dessert or just fruits! Costs: $45 for buffet adult $25 for buffet children The restaurant is connected/located inside a restaurant. Atmosphere: great for famiy, friends, dates. Attire can be business casual, no sweats please.. Parking - plenty of parking spots in the parking lot. I would definitely recommend this place for Mother's day brunch.
(4)Adam C.
I took my wife and kids here for Mother's Day brunch and we all had a very enjoyable time. My wife and I were greeted with Mimosas and the kids got freshly squeezed orange juice. The menu featured an entree selection of Halibut, Beef Wellington, Lamb Chops and Salmon. On top of this, there was a brunch buffet with an omelet bar, french toast, eggs, quiches, bacon, sausage, cereals, grits, oatmeal, fruit, veggies, roasted potatoes and a half dozen other things I just can't remember right now. They were also giving out paper chef's hats and aprons to the kids as they made their way through the do-it-yourself pancake station. This is where kids could "decorate" their own Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes and cover them with a literal candy store's worth of sugary candy toppings (and some fruit, I think). At our table, the entrees we ordered were the Halibut, the Beef Wellington and the Lamb Chops. The girls with the Halibut each took one bite and made the "OMG, this is the most incredible Halibut ever" face. The lamb chops were very perfectly prepared at a medium rare. They were both tender and juicy, and easily cut away from the bone. The beef wellington had a very good overall flavor to it, but the meat texture was slightly tough to cut through and the portion was somewhat small. The dessert buffet offered an incredible selection of cakes, tarts, amazingly decadent chocolate peanut-butter pops, mango mousses, key lime bars, ginger carrot cakes and more. My kids loaded up their plates with just about everything being offered there. After all the candy at the pancake bar, this was becoming more like Halloween than Mother's Day for them, but they loved it. Our server was very friendly, fun and attentive to all our needs throughout the experience. Our drinks were never empty and she was immediately all over every request we made to her. Suffice it to say that we were all very full and pleasantly satisfied upon finishing the meal. The final bill was rather hefty for the 5 of us, topping out at $190 (or $230 with tip). But what the heck...it was Mother's Day after all. Sometimes you just need to splurge when the moment calls for it. Just seeing my wife enjoying her special day was more than worth it.
(4)Dan O.
Holy mackeral! One of the freshest, tastiest oysters on the halfshell in Chicago. The tiger shrimp, blue crab and king crab equally tasty. The ribeye was just above par, but I've had better elsewhere. Service was good except for the waiter giving me a double take for requesting a test of the wine before ordering a bottle. The test that I asked for was also available by the glass so shouldn't have been a waste a bottle.. just his time.
(4)Barb C.
I was not sure what to expect after reading the reviews. Comments about the food and service varied. Our party of five had the Restaurant Week menu and enjoyed every course. Jose, our waiter, and the rest of the staff were attentive and friendly. We will definitely be going back!
(4)Coach Jenn W.
Went for lunch during restaurant week and had a fixed price menu special. I enjoyed the meal but myy friend had to send his sandwich order back because it was not fresh. We also had to wait for quite some time before our server came over. Not a great start when you are on limited time with a business lunch and possibly trying to seal a deal. I had cripsy rock shrimp for the first course which was excellent- there was some spicy yummy wasabi sauce drizzled over the shrimp. The Baked French Onion soup was great and my friend enjoyed it. I thought my grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich tasted great; excellent combo of gorgonzola, horseradish and onions, the bread was soft but slightly challenging to bite into as a sandwich, perhaps it could be sliced thinner or layered? Not easy to eat with your hands or for making a great impression when you are at a business lunch to pull out a hunk of meat from your bun. The large stack of onion rings were too much, I just had one but they were good. My friend worked in a well known fish restaurant, so he may be pickier than most, but his Scottish Salmon BLT was not up to par and he sent it back. He had been looking forward to trying this so it was disappointing. Perhaps they ordered lots of extra for the week in the kitchen...? Maybe some people would not have found it unacceptable however this place seems pretty high end and should only be serving the best, freshest food for their clientele. One would think... Dessert was good, again my friend is a big fan of creme brulee and he said it was good but not fantastic. My milk chocolate mouse cake was very good. All in all the presentation of the food and decor of the restaurant was excellent, just some service and food quality issues to address. I would like to go back for dinner sometime, but want to be delighted with all my selections!
(3)Peter S.
Well I could honestly give it a four star if it wasn't for the ridiculous prices. I went there for the Mother's Day on Sunday with my wife and kids. The experience was pleasant, the food was good, and the restaurant is quite impressive. The reason I am giving it only three stars is twofold - way too expensive, and underimpressive food selection for a fancy restaurant like this on a Mother's Day brunch. I expected a lot more choices and some more exotic and/or European breakfast selections. What I got was a typical american brunch. I go to Germany quite often and it seems to me that even an average inexpensive german hotel delivers way better breakfast that this fancy restaurant. You get great selection of susages, hams, cheeses, bakery, coffees, teas, and fruits. What we got here was good perhaps even great but... limited. I like for my breakfast a freshly baked roll or bread with a tasty smoked ham or exotic yellow cheese and - I couldn't find it. I was stuck with your typical sausage link, scrambled eggs, bagels and cream cheese, and omelette (made to your liking though). Not what I was looking for in a fancy, expensive hotel. Not going back there.
(3)Barbara H.
Excellent food and service, nice wine list.
(4)Michelle M.
I dined here this past Saturday as part of a mini-getaway. We were seated right away, in a booth style made of two mustard overstuffed couches, overflowing with throw pillows. I appreciated the seating arrangement, especially since most places only have couches/benches for one person, and the other person sits in a chair. This seating was very comfortable for both of us. Decorating the walls are copies of the menus signed by various celebrities. Nice touch, and not distracting to the overall décor. Better than having a bunch of signed headshots like most restaurants do. There's a private room in the middle of the floor, surrounded by wine. Very private, very fancy. Will try to dine there next time. We dined from a special menu in honor of Restaurant Week. The bread basket had crusty baguettes, and amazing Cheese & pepper crisps. Salty from the cheese, and a little spicy from the pepper - I always look forward to those. A small dish of green and black olives also came with the bread basket. A nice, little nibbling amount. My appetizer was a crab cake presented with shaved lemon, parsley and red onion. The flavors blended nicely and had a pretty presentation. Hubby had the lobster bisque. Nice presentation in that the waiter poured the bisque around a small mound of lobster chunks tableside. We each had a filet mignon, prepared Oscar-style. Each bite was flavorful, cooked to my liking (med-rare) and the accompaniments blended nicely. Maple ricotta donuts were okay, though. Not what I was expecting. Service was exceptional, as always, and should be for the price being paid. Thankfully, we dined from the special Restaurant Week menu. Otherwise, be prepared to pay $40-60/pp. Be sure to get on their email list for promo emails & specials. Great service, great food, comfy, relaxing atmosphere; well worth the price.
(4)Dan B.
When it comes to high end steakhouses they tend to blend together with a few out shinning the others and it usually is because of the over the top service. For me, this place blends in well with the other steakhouses I've experienced. Service was very good and attentive, great explanation and recommendations with diners questions. Food looked great when it came out and was cooked the way I wanted it, even though I know mater chefs hate to overcook steaks. That is the way I like it so back off people who want me to eat it raw, eat your own steak and I'll eat mine OK buddy? Cool layout of the restaurant with the fish bowl private room in the middle but I'm sure some would be uncomfortable to sit in there. Terrible bathroom situation with having to walk out the restaurant and down the hallway. If you are deep in the restaurant it's weird to have to walk out of the restaurant and then back in front of the glass wall and your table to get to the bathrooms. How about some frosted glass or something on the front?
(3)Carlito B.
Sorry not impressed with the food or the service. It just seems to me that this is there for the convention people and not the locals. I went there after reading Phil Vettels review on the place as he noted this is one of the best in the country. HAHA methinks not. And I love fine dining and good wines. This wasn't the experience I expected at all. Maybe it was a bad night. I'll try it again and come back to yelp. They deserve a second chance since the legend "Vettel" says this is legit. I don't see it from staff to the dinner plates. I will say the presentation of everything was SUPURB, sadly everything else seemed to flounder.
(1)J I.
Went here for Valentine's Day and was delightfully impressed! I got Turbot stuffed with crab meat and oh my god was it delicious. My wife got a veal dish that included a filet and veal stuffed ravioli...once again it was outstanding. The waitress also recommended a great bottle of pinot noir that complimented our dinner perfectly. For appetizers we got fried calamari and lobster bisque... so good! Last of all was dessert and I would come here just for that. My wife got apple, caramel, fresh donuts and I got butter scotch, cheese cake, bread pudding... perfection. I would definately return for another Valentine's Day or special occassion.
(5)Kiera D.
Very good for the suburbs!! Consistently great!
(4)Ddd B.
Decent breakfast here this morning. The quality of the eggs were fabulous, you know the kind with the deep orange yolks? A bit spendy and the service was a tad unpolished. But overall, I'd recommend.
(4)Mathew P.
Went here with my girlfriend for a nice romantic dinner. The server was very helpful, and it was very quiet. Moreover, the food was really tasty. The gf had a "cheesegasm" from the cheese platter. Where did this hotel and restaurant come from?
(4)Tom D.
Three stars for one reason only and that is main course portion. The salad was great, hot seafood appetizers were great, but the walleye special was literally 1/8 of a fish. It was not much bigger than a mcdonalds chicken nugget, I kid you not. I was full but anyone that doesn't get a salad and split a small appetizer will be needing to eat again soon. Im trying to teach myself its quality and not quantity. If you are going for quantity then you will be sorely mistaken. Quality was fantastic.
(3)Tommy M.
I was there last Saturday as part of a bachelor party. One of the guys with us is a chef and picked the place. There were 11 of us. We had a preset menu, which is fine with me, although I would have liked to see the full menu. We had a good deal, I think it was about $50/person for the preset menu. The food was great, the service was great, and I would definitely go back. If you want to hear a little about our personal experience, keep reading... To start I had the lobster bisque, which was amazing. For the entree, the options were a filet, chicken, or fish. Everyone had the filet, except me. It looked damn good and I kinda regretted it at first, but I opted for the Ruby Red Trout. Now, usually at nicer steakhouses, the portions aren't huge or incredibly filling. They gave me two monsterous pieces of fish (maybe because no one else ordered it and they had extra? shit I don't know, I didn't ask questions!). It was fantastic! Personally, if it swam once, raw or cooked I'll eat it. So I'll go for just about any seafood. But this was really good. A lot of the night is a bit hazy so I can't remember how the fish was prepared, but I enjoyed it. It came with some fancy artistic potato apparatus thing that looked difficult to prepare but it was outstanding. I sat next to the "chef" in the group, who actually knew some people that worked there, including the head chef who stopped by our table to say hello. We ordered a few bottles of Conn Creek Cabernet, it was awesome. I've been to nice places and once in a while I will order a bottle, but I have to say the bottle presentation was perfect, very professional. Our waiter did a great job. The second bottle that came out (inspected by Mr. Chef), actually turned out to be corked. When the waiter gave him the cork, you could see a red line down the side, which means air got into the bottle during storage. We tasted it, and it was certainly not as good as the first bottle. Personally, I would probably just keep it, but he sent it back. The waiter was understanding and mentioned it to his manager, which was fine. The manager came over to talk to us, we showed him the cork and he was very understanding about the situation and brought us a new bottle. Same thing happened, but this one tasted better so we kept it. I would definitely return, and I encourage you to check it out if you're in the area.
(5)Andy M.
I was disappointed in this highly praised restaurant. While the service was reasonable the food was not what I would expect for the price. I ordered a medium cooked steak and at best it was very "chewy" (although it was cooked correctly). The soup (lobster bisque) was really salty. The sides were good as were the bread choices and the wine was also reasonable for the price. I was there for a business dinner and my companion, who was footing the bill, described it as MacDonalds-like...I won't be going there again.
(2)