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It has been a couple of years since I wrote about Eddie Merlot’s Prime Aged Beef and Seafood, so let’s stop in and see how they’re doing.

The menu has been updated once or twice since my last post, so I’ll include copies at the end of this report. Many of the classic steakhouse selections remain, but some of the appetizers, sides, and non-steak dishes have been swapped out or updated. 

Most of their house cocktails are the same and they still have an extensive list of wines by the glass. I think the wine selection has improved over time, although I can’t honestly say I remember older lists well enough to do a detailed comparison.

I started with their Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned while Valeria chose a glass of the generally reliable Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay.

There are a variety of styles and techniques used to make an Old Fashioned cocktail (which is nothing more than a couple ounces of whiskey, a teaspoon or so of sugar, and a few dashes of bitters). This one was made with techniques that were popular in the 50s, but not so much today, and definitely not popular with me. Back in the day, the sugar, the bitters, a cherry and a slice of orange were put in the glass and all smashed together to dissolve the sugar, then the whiskey and ice were added and everything was stirred together. This approach has largely fallen out of favor for several reasons, including all the little bits of fruit that cloud the drink and plug up the straw, and the bitterness extracted from the orange peel. The drink also tasted a little diluted, which could mean it was over-stirred or that a cardinal sin—adding soda water—was committed. 

I am sure there are those who still prefer the drink to be made this way and I certainly cannot say they are wrong. You can make your cocktail however you want—it’s your cocktail! However, I think most mixologists today would agree that a better approach is to dissolve the sugar in a few dashes of bitters (or just use simple syrup), add the bourbon (or rye) and stir with ice, then squeeze/twist a long strip of orange zest over the cocktail, dropping the zest in (after rubbing it around the rim of the glass) so it doesn’t quite submerge in the liquid. A cherry garnish can be added if you like, but I generally do not.

The drink by no means tasted bad, I just think it could have tasted better.

That aside, while we were enjoying our drinks, a loaf of warm bread appeared. 

The bread here is consistently good and always brought out warm from the oven. The top of the bread is sprinkled with some kind of seasoning that reminds me of Old Bay. I keep meaning to ask what it is, but never do. Anyway, the bread has a nice, crunchy crust on the outside and is warm and fluffy on the inside. I tell myself that I am just going to eat only one piece just before I eat two—or three if Valeria stops at one.

We always order the Sweet and Spicy Shrimp to share as an appetizer.

Eddie Merlot’s does this dish as well as any place and better than most. The shrimp have a light tempura crust. The sauce is just spicy enough and just sweet enough to hit all the right tastebuds. Each shrimp comes out perfectly coated in sauce without any excess pooling in the bottom of the bowl. The formula has been tweaked a few times over the years we have been going here, and both Valeria and I said this was the most perfect batch ever.

Next, we ordered a Wedge Salad, but asked them to chop it up and split it for us in the kitchen. They happily complied.

When I was a kid, iceberg lettuce was about the only choice in the grocery store. As more varieties became available, it became fashionable to dismiss iceberg as somehow less interesting, but I really don’t agree. It has a great crunch and a mild sweetness that works well as part of any salad or on a BLT. However, it does need to be part of an ensemble; it’s not a solo act. For a wedge salad to work, the blue cheese, blue cheese dressing, bacon, and tomatoes need to shine. The lettuce is really just something to carry all the components to your mouth, like a cupcake carries frosting. 

Alas, the lettuce did not get the support it needed on this plate. The house made blue cheese dressing was truly excellent, but there was not much of it. There was a nice amount of blue cheese and bacon, but the bacon pieces should have been 2-3 times bigger. The tomato was, sadly, a typical mid-winter tomato in the Midwest: flavorless, with a mealy texture. Cherry or grape tomatoes would probably have worked better. 

Overall, if I had gotten this salad in a diner or cafeteria, it would have met expectations, but I expect more in a high-end restaurant, and Eddie Merlot’s has delivered more in the past.

The steaks and sides all came out next. I ordered the Prime Bourbon Ribeye.

I had skipped over this before for two reason: NY Strip is my preferred cut, and I was afraid the bourbon, brown sugar, and spices might overwhelm the flavor of the steak. Our waitress assured me that the flavor was subtle, so I decided to take a chance. Happily, she was right. The bourbon, sugar, and spices seasoned the meat, but the flavor of the prime beef dominated. I have a weakness for onion strings, so they were a big plus for me here.

I also learned that, if I planned two days ahead, I could request that a NY Strip be prepared this way. Most of the time I like my steak plain, but I am sure I will take advantage of this one day, if only to get the onion strings. Excellent customer service on this point.

Valeria went with the prime NY Strip, also ordering the optional bacon and gorgonzola crust.

To my taste, both bacon and blue cheese can complement a good steak. Again, I will most often order it plain, but jazzing things up occasionally works for me. If you like blue cheese and bacon with your steak, this is a great crust. If you don’t, well, don’t order it!

I should also mention that both steaks came out a perfect medium, as ordered. My biggest pet peeve at steak places is when they don’t get the temperature right in this age of instant read thermometers.

On the side, let’s start with some Parmesan Truffle Fries.

It has been pointed out that almost none of the truffle oil on the market has ever seen a real truffle. While that is likely true, whatever they use here tastes good, is applied in a reasonable amount, and plays very well with the shaved Parmesan. I’ve had these quite a few times and have only been disappointed once or twice.

Veggies are important, so how about some Spring asparagus?

Valeria and I disagreed on these. She thought they were perfect. I thought they were underdone and that too much of the tough, fibrous end was included and should have been snapped off or peeled. That’s a perfect illustration of why food reviews are always an opinion and not a revealed truth.

We rounded out the sides with a Corn Casserole, something we had not tried previously.

Here, Valeria was expecting corn mixed with some bacon and jalapeño and some cheese melted on top. It was actually corn baked in a corn meal batter (similar to a sweet cornbread) with bacon and jalapeño, all topped with Cheddar cheese. I thought it was very tasty. Once Valeria recalibrated her expectations, she thought it was good, too.

We had a glass of 2016 Walt “Blue Jay” Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Valley in California to wash down our steaks, and we talked for a while as the staff boxed up the leftovers for us and we finished the wine.

We didn’t think we wanted dessert, but we made the mistake of looking at the dessert menu. A Vanilla Cognac Brownie, flamed table side for two, called to us. Here’s a short video of the process.

We ate all the ice cream, but only about half of the brownie and toppings, taking the rest home for dessert the next day.

At the end of it all, we enjoyed the meal very much. Our waitress was very pleasant and the food came out at a reasonable pace. If my cocktail and the salad were a bit below my standards, everything else was excellent. 

Eddie Merlot’s—Lincolnshire
Address: 185 Milwaukee Ave, Ste 100, Lincolnshire, IL 60069
Phone: (847) 276-2000
Reservations: opentable.com
Website: https://www.eddiemerlots.com/locations/lincolnshire/
Dress Code: Business Casual
Price Range: $31 to $50
Hours: Dinner: Monday-Thursday: 5:00pm – 9:00pm
                       Friday-Saturday: 5:00pm – 10:00pm
                       Sunday: 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Credit Cards: AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

The author has no affiliation with any of the businesses or products described in this article.

 All images were taken with a Sony a6600 camera using a Sony E 16-55 f/2.8 G lens and ambient light. Post-processing in Adobe Lightroom^® and Adobe Photoshop^® with Nik/Google plugins. The video was shot on an Apple iPhone X and edited with Adobe Premier Pro^®.