Beef & Bourbon Elite Event @ Chicago Prime Steakhouse

Preferred the previous location (near Restaurant Row on Meacham) but liked this enough to review it… unfortunately gone pescetarian now, so can only say that the grilled (non-​breaded) calamari was very good… and the November happy hour specials are fantastic.
Nice Greek-​owned family restaurant, appreciated the friendlieness of the servers and son at the Unilocal event… a friend went there for Thanksgiving DInner — and the group had a great time taking pictures in front of the swanky City skyline.
More people need to take the extra 5 minutes to go north on Meacham and hang… the crowd is a lot younger than it used to be… which is a good thing.

Cosmos and oysters and mushrooms: OH MY!!!
What do you do when you’re in the neighborhood of a place like Chicago Prime and you want to have an elegant cocktail hour?
You stop in to the lounge, silly!
Oysters Rockefeller, Calamari, stuffed mushroom caps… It was all delicious and delightful and deee-​groovy right there at the cool marble bar. Frank and Dean were singing and even old Bing (but, really, no one likes to sing along with a child beater. so we just let him slip by…)
I LOVE the place – The ambiance is superb and the bartender was a blast: attentive and warm. It was a good place to sit and talk business with two colleagues while sipping expertly made cocktails (Can’t stand it when they put too much lime in a cosmo – mais, il a été parfait!) He gave us baskets of bread with that incredible Euro-​butter (that sounds like an electro band, doesn’t it?)
A great afternoon all around. Evidently they’re running a special: ½ price appetizers in the bar this month. I enjoyed this place at the Unilocal elite event and I’m glad I came back to try it again! Great job, guys!

Super excited that this was at a steakhouse near my house. I rsvp’d as soon as I could!
The atmosphere and the people were very entertaining! The music was fantastic! The bar area had a very chill aura about it and I felt extremely comfortable.
Of course the first thing my friend and I did was jump in line for food. The wide variety of options was amazing. My favorite was the slice steak, chicken wings, and the calamari, okay so just about everything! I wasn’t a big fan of the stuffed jalapeño peppers though, but overall the food was pretty good.
The waitress and the bartenders were extremely friendly and tentative. They patiently answer my questions about the different options that were available for the Unilocal event drinks and constantly asked me if I needed a refill before my drink hit the bottom!
Also one of the bartender was kind enough to change one of the TVs to the Blackhawks game so I can enjoy my food, drink, and watch it at the same time!
Only complaint was that it was a tight squeeze and finding a place to sit took some time. However, I do look forward to going back and trying their food!
Thanks for another great event Unilocal!!!

Love the idea for the event!
Great options for the Unilocal drink specials, loved the table wine (red).
The food was really good, but a bit too much fried stuff for my taste. The standouts were, obviously, the steak which was gone in a flash but it was SOOO GOOOD. The shrimp was really good too, luckily it was replenished for a while: D
Seating was really tight, but it was fun to share the booths with random people.
My +1 and I also realllyyyy enjoyed the live singer, that was a great touch!
Can’t wait for the next event!

Swanky, Swanky!
What a fabulously put together Suburban-​love event. As always, Jelena hits another one way out of the phenomenal party park!
My motto to live — and eat — by has eternally been: you can never have enough great steak and even better wine. Touché! Last night’s event gave us not only a taste of both but oh-​so-​much more. Lines were out the door and around the corner (literally) for samplings of Chicago Prime’s tasty goods that were served up in plenty in the form of crispy rings of calamari, spicy hot wings and gorgeously skewered hunks of steak. To accompany this savory and hearty scrumptiousness were overflowing glasses of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, refreshing Rain Vodka cocktails and a lovely Cabernet that utterly made my grape-​loving heart happier than a pig in poop. Deliciousness, squared!
Ambiance was sleek, sexy and everything a steakhouse should be. Our designated bar/​lounge area replete with dark wood, languid lines, a huge u-​shaped bar, plenty of candlelight and a velvety lounge singer (Purple Rain! Purple Rain!) made for quite the classy scene that I only wish would have been far more drawing room and much less cattle call. Not at all the fault of Chicago Prime and its consummate owner Andy John, he certainly set the swank scene for us to a tee, but I gotta say, Unilocalers can be an intensely greedy bunch. Whoa! The force behind our hungry crew is almost a scary sight to behold. Seriously, we’re not at a cafeteria. Mix, mingle, have a glass of vino… smile! The food *will* be there all night, let’s not scare the natives, eh?! ;-P
All in all, a wonderfully executed event and one at a locale so enticing I actually ended up ordering a full dinner (hellooooo you fabulous caprese salad, filet mignon and a loaded baked potato as big as my HEAD) just to get a taste of their signature steak experience. Lemme tell ya, it was GOOD!
Will definitely be back when tackling the suburban client lunch and, of course, when I’m hankering for another spud the size of Idaho. Way to go JZ, you’re nothin’ but Prime in my book.

Seriously who oinked all the shrimp? C’mon people no need to grab two plates full and leave all us other Unilocalers with none. You would have thought that we’ve never seen food before. I grabbed a back booth about 6:55 and by 7:01 there was already a line from the front of the bar to the back with people hitting the buffet. I must’ve miss the sign that read «Golden Corral» outside. Maybe, since it’s Halloween, Pod People took the usually friendly, outgoing Unilocalers and replaced them with hungry, vultures scarfing down platefuls of delicious food. My meat survival skills kicked in and I went in line too. I was looking to chill and instead it was a night of standing in line trying to get a taste of what the Chicago Prime Steakhouse had to offer and being left with the scraps.
Despite that, I had an excellent time, as always. I was so happy to be among the chosen and attend a meat lovers event. I even sang the meat song from Naperville to here (it’s strangely similar to the «charge» tune at your local sporting event.) The food that I did have not disappoint. The chicken wings were just enough spicy without bring tears to one’s eyes, the calamari was breaded and seasoned perfectly, the steak kabob was moist and tender and the jalapeño poppers… oh wow, what did they stuff them with because I could’ve ate a big ol’ plate of them. To top it off the Merlot was outstanding!
It was nice to meet the owner’s son, Andy John, and thanks for the complimentary dessert card for our next visit. He kept saying how they were a little overwhelmed by the amount of people that showed up and we’re doing their best to bring everything out. In the end, it all worked out.
A huge shout-​out to Jelena and Candice for once again hosting another ass-​kicking event and satisfying my steak cravings. Until next time…

Andy-​John and the staff at Chicago Prime sure know how to throw a party! What a fun, upbeat atmosphere! We sat right next to Ed Collins playing live music and singing better than some of the original artists. Before we were paying attention, we really thought that they had a nice «mix» CD playing. He was a great choice for the evening.
Rose was our favorite server and she seemed to show up at just the right time, every time. She kept the drinks coming from start to finish with a smile on her face the whole time. I think the Unilocalers kept everyone hopping, but the staff really held their own. Even the busboys were courteous and had a kind word as they came around. I appreciate that kind of service.
On to the food… It was absolutely, positively delicious! I tried the fresh/​fried calamari with ranch dressing, the spicy (maybe with an Asian flair) chicken wings, top of the line, as big as they get yummy shrimp and the marinated steak skewers. My Dad (my plus one) made sure to grab a few of the jalapeño poppers and marinated mushrooms, too. Every bite was better than the last!
It was a bit crowded for all of the Unilocalers, but that gave us an opportunity to meet some nice people along the way.
Andy-​John Kalkounos worked the room like a seasoned restaurateur. Honestly, I think we were most impressed when after talking with our table for only a couple minutes, he still remembered names 30 minutes later as we were leaving (without name tags!).
I did make a quick stop in the washroom and I was very pleased. Nice and clean. Stalls that go all the way to the floor with a nice wood door and individual garbage cans.
Thanks to Jelena & Co. for introducing me to yet another great establishment and for planning a fun evening!
Chicago Prime, I’m already looking forward to my next visit! Thanks again for a great time with top quality food!

If there’s one thing I know, it is beef. And this suburban elite event did it well. Fantastic job, Jelena and Candice for another lovely evening!
Chicago Prime Steakhouse is a long trek from the city, but has all the makings of a beautiful classic steakhouse. Dark woods, prominent bar area, lounge singer, and deep comfy booths to nuzzle with your honey.
My partner in crime and I arrived early and snagged two seats at the bar. We were just in time because there was a long line of Unilocalers waiting to get inside just a few moments later.
I can’t help but feel like there is not as much socializing at the suburban events. I was a little disappointed to see the long line of Unilocalers go from the long line outside to form another long line inside. Elite events are fun cocktail parties… go schmooze!
I loved the intimacy of these events because I get to sit down, have a beautiful Cabarnet and catch up with old friends and meet a few new ones. Come holiday parties, we’ll be back up making the Unilocal rounds again :)
Great job, JZ and CG!

Not too shabby. I’m a fan of beef and Jenny S. is a fan of bourbon, so it was only fitting that she be my hot date and we get our ‘burb on!
The atmosphere was intimate, the singer had a voice smooth as butter, the drinks flowed and the food was great. I loved the thick chunks of perfectly battered calamari. The beef skewers were alright, but the little steak bites stole the show!
Only complaint was the tight spacing. We didn’t have much room to maneuver, but it forced us to bump into old and new friends. We shared a table with some new Unilocalers and tracked down the Click Chick Rachel J. to snap some sweet shots of us.
Speaking of shots… Rain vodka. I love rain vodka. Can they be the forever sponsor of events? I was sad no Red Grape Hibiscus was present. However, they turned my frown upside down with Honey Mango and Cucumber Lime concoctions. Props to the sweet bartenders that made us feel so welcome.
Jelena, Colleen, Candice, thank you so much for this event! I definitely want to come back and try them for a full meal.
P. S. I told everyone that I’ll be having the singer at my wedding. Joanne W. asked whether he’ll be the entertainment or the groom. I’ll take either.

Thanks, Unilocal,for throwing a party for my wedding anniv…
wait, what? It wasn’t for us? Oh, well. Ooops.
Yes, it was our anniversary, and we chose to spend it with some fab Unilocalers, having tasty food and drinks… because Unilocal is awesome!
Okay, so the place was a smidge crowded and I didn’t get quite as much steak as I wanted, but. That’s okay. The food I tried was great, the chicken wings were crispy, spicy and very good, and the servers were excellent. I got to see/​talk to some old Unilocal friends and wave at a few more (see: little crowded, hard to maneuver) and we got to meet the owner, who was very friendly.
The décor is lovely, classy, dark and sleek and you totally forget that it’s adjacent to a strip mall and a Wendy’s. I loved the little curved booths even though it was hard to scope the place out from there. And the lounge singer dude was very good and covered a wide variety of the classics.
Thanks, Jelena and company for a great party!
*please note that I am in no way delusional enough to have thought this was for me/​us. It was a happy coincidence. :)

I got kinda lost on the way here, UGH… stupid GPS. Half the time Google Maps is right and the other half goes to GPS, just not this time. For those looking for this place, it’s between Meacham and the highway.
The bar area was pretty packed and I joined the food line about 15 people deep. I said Hello to the people around me but they didn’t seem to be in a chatty mood. I made sure my breath smelled ok. There were plenty of staff members cleaning, putting food out and taking drink orders. The waitresses were very nice and attentive. My bourbon on the rocks arrived just as I finished filling my plate with mushrooms, chicken wings and calamari.
As I was enjoying my sampler plate, Andy the owner came by our table to introduce himself. He was full of energy and seem to really enjoy having us in his restaurant. He told us his mom decorated the restaurant and what a great job she did. It was very well put together, classy and cozy. The live musician added to the intimate atmosphere. Andy went on to tell one of our fellow Unilocaler Vince Vaughn look-​a-​like he could get a gig as a photo double. What a fun job that would be!
My plus one was so impressed with the food he ordered an entire dinner. I was lucky enough to share his Tiramisu dessert and it was Ah-​MAZING! It was a huge serving of deliciousness.
Great food and great fun, thanks everyone!

Beef & Bourbon, Chicago Prime Steakhouse, Music by Ed Collins, Unilocal Friends, New Unilocal Friends… shake and stir for a truly fabulous evening! Thanks to our wonderful Unilocal CM crew for a wonderful event!
The space is amazing. Chocolate hues, gorgeous sleek lighting, comfy seating – and that’s just the dining area. The bar is just as beautiful – marble bar, dark wood throughout and the walls look like they’re lined with leather. And the bar – thank you designers for the nice step at the base of the bar that shorties like me need to use to help hop up on the bar stools sometimes!
The food was delicious – steaks, calamari, wings. The drinks were just as wonderful. The red wine bold but not too dry. The cucumber vodka tonic was refreshing – like an upscale cucumber water you’d get at a spa.
The service was stellar – the staff so friendly. The bartenders entertaining and hospitable. And if you happened to chat up Andy John K – he is one great guy. Very passionate about his restaurant, and so thoughtful of his staff and clients. He gave me and my husband a tour of the kitchen, prep fridges, liquor and wine rooms. I found it amazing and so informative. The seafood is fresh as it’s delivered daily. The beef and meat are also fresh delivered daily and butchered on site. I’ve only seen kitchens like this on TV so I was absolutely impressed with how Prime Steakhouse operates.
This was not part of the event, but the Hubs and I stayed afterward and had dessert – Amaretto Cheesecake! Light, creamy and delicious. We chatted with some of the regulars and danced to the vocal stylings of Ed Collins – truly a wonderful singer and entertainer.
I thought Prime Steakhouse has gone by the wayside since I had not seen it at its old location off Higgins Rd. Thank you Unilocal for lighting the way! The new digs are gorgeous. We already have dinner reservations for next week!

The venue kinda hinted that we were going to have quality servings, and it was sure enough true. We really enjoyed the jumbo shrimp, calamari, chicken wings, stuffed jalepenos, and finally the tasty medium rare steak strips (hard to come by, but finally got some on the third try). Actually pals Dan and Darcy got the steak for us as we decided to tag team the line. All were top notch, and really good with bourbon, which is all I ended up drinking. Buffalo Trace bourbon — why stop a good thing, and I’m a fan now.
Besides the food, and Unilocal talkin, it was a highlight and treat to meet and chat with Andy-​John Kalkounos, the owner’s son/​co-​owner. He was genuinely friendly and gregarious, passionate, and rightfully proud of his restaurant. He was also excited to host this Unilocal event, and took the wife and I on a personal tour of the premises and kitchen. Our leader Jelena later joined us in the kitchen, and thus the photo op. We hadn’t heard of CPS before, and look to come back for a regular meal at some opportunity.
OK, it was a bit tight in the bar area for the event, but then again, how many steakhouses are set up for a Unilocal event; the food/​drink and hospitality made up for it. The music is still too loud for mingling, but I’ll stop whining about this one of these days. Great job again Jelena, and Chicago Prime Steakhouse, and thanks.

What an absolute treat this evening was!
Jelena, it was a pleasure to finally meet you and what a great atmosphere to spend an evening with new friends. This was my FIRST Unilocal!event and I can’t wait to join the next.
We were greeted with a lovely host who offered us drinks and a smile to go along with it. I think it was a rough night on our servers and I was more than appreciative of their hard work.
We were lucky enough to get a table for our group and invited people to join us as they passed (even if only to set down their drinks or plates so they could eat.) The incredibly relaxed atmosphere pretty much eliminated the fact that we were a little cramped. The lighting was comfortably dim, the temperature– perfect, and the smiling faces and good conversation didn’t hurt either. The cozy booths with the groovy music performed by Ed Collins was such a delight.
The food was fan-​tab-​bu-​lous! Fresh fried Calamari… ooooooh that was so fresh and yummy! Calamari is one of my favorite apps and now that I found a new place-​oh baby baby… I can’t wait to go back soon for dinner. The skewers of steak were perfectly cooked and flavorful as all get out. We tried a shrimp and they were the size of my fist and delicious to boot! A bit spicy, but perfectly spicy in my book seeing as I’m such a sissy. The fresh veggies and cheese tray was refreshing and nice to have a little something lighter to mix in with all the other wonderfully scrumptious treats. The red wine they served was lovely and perfectly complimented the food we were served.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Andy-​John and he is more than kind. I know what an investment it is for a restaurant to host one of these events and how wonderful he and his father are for having us in for the evening. We truly enjoyed ourselves, Andy-​John, and look forward to seeing you again soon for dinner.
Rose really kept the spirit of the whole place up! She hustled her bustle :) and kept everyone’s glass full from what I could tell. I asked her if she serves in the dining room and it seems she is typically in the bar area, but works Monday through Saturday and you better believe we will be seeing her soon, too!
Thank you again, Jelena, for inviting us to join in the fun. We had such a lovely time with everyone we met and look forward to seeing everyone again soon. I hope we get more of a chance to visit at the next event and meet more of my fellow Unilocalers!

So, after a long day at work, I couldn’t wait for this event. Humpday’s usually drag, so this was the perfect event at the perfect time.
Awesome event. It was still cold and windy even after we survived the «Storm of the Century» that wasn’t as catostrophic as predicted. The Unilocal staff put together another awesome evening of great food, company and atmosphere. The owner was gracious and made it a point to greet and welcome every guest, which deserves props. Love the live music provided by Mr. Ed Collins — I was pleasantly surprised because I thought I was listening to Nat King Cole! What can I say that hasn’t already been said?
Great evening, nice meeting new people, enjoyed the food, especially the steak, portabella and wings. Enjoyed a burbon on the rocks. BTW, that is some seriously powerful stuff! It definitely had me smiling through the evening. Super classy place, totally love the décor. I can’t wait to come back here soon to enjoy the dining experience with my wife.
Major props go to Jelena and the Unilocal staff for putting together another wonderful event. Kudos to Andy for being gracious and accommodating owner. The staff and bartenders were top notch. A wonderful evening.

I really enjoyed this event, compliments of my friend Joanne W. All of the Unilocalers that I met were extremely nice and I enjoyed chatting them up. What wasn’t nice was the guy at the bar (not with the Unilocal event) who gave me the business for setting my plate down on the bar behind him or for recommending songs to the DJ – who was awesome by the way.
Every morsel of food I consumed was quite enjoyable. The bite of shrimp I had was tasty as were the poppers. The calamari was out of this world good and the chicken wings were amazing. I am a chicken wing fanatic and these were some of the best I’ve had in a long time.
Overall the event was crowded but good. In the future it might be worth considering only having people with the event in the room. I think some of them were getting testy about all of the activity since they had probably planned on a quiet night in the bar area of a classy restaurant. But then again it sounds like others were partaking in the fun so who knows what is best. If that guy had not tried to kick my chair out from under me I think it would have been fine.

I’m sucking down Gatorade right as I type this… so what does that tell ya? Did I have a little *too* much fun last night at the Beef & Bourbon Elite Event? Uhhhhhhh… yeah…
Let me also get this out of the way… yes, I was the jackass singing and dancing like a fool to Prince last night. I apologize… but I just can’t help myself, I really can’t. I blame my BFF Brooke H. for yelling out «Prince» when song requests were mentioned. Yeah, it’s all her fault… he he he…
But I digress… the event… was really, really great! Yeah, it was a little crowded, but you know what? Who cares?! I had a great time. The restaurant was beautifully decorated. I loved the dark tones and smooth lines. And I later found out from the owner himself (who awesomely came around and chatted with everyone) that his mother designed everything and bought a lot of the décor locally, which I think is great! When can she come do my house?
The food was good, the beef was tender, juicy and cooked just right. I loved the wings which were super juicy and tasty… the flavor was spot on. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Cabernet (and I love wine), but the cucumber lime vodka with tonic was to die for… it is officially one of my favorite drinks now! We got there early too, so I had the bartender whip me up a french martini to start the night. It was perfect… strong, not too sweet… yum! And speaking of bartenders… they all were awesome! They gave great service. were polite, funny, and fast. Just perfect. I loved that during the event there were cocktail waitresses going around too. You mean free drinks AND I don’t even have to get up to get it? Lucky me!
Décor/​ambiance? Awesome!
Food/​Drink? Yummy!
Service? Perfect!
What else… I have to say that the lounge singer was really great and of course all my fellow Unilocalers were lovely as usual. Thanks to the head honchos as always for putting together another great event. Thanks to those of you who chatted with me, drank with me, and whipped out your cameras to take embarrassing pictures of me during my Prince debacle… I wouldn’t have it any other way :)

Bravo Jelena! What a classy, fun, delicious event! It really is a shame that Chicago Prime Steakhouse is tucked away by a strip mall because it could hold its own in far more prestigious locations. Owner Andy Kalkounos went out of his way to meet and greet everyone and make us feel welcome. Singer Ed Collins blew my mind. Was Frank Sinatra in attendance? Could have been. The back-​lit Chicago skyline scenes were a neat touch. I felt like the owners of Shinto in Naperville decorated the place — a compliment.
Yes, it was crowded. I think any time you have an event in a non-​private space you’re going to get that though. It added to the party feel but made it a little hard to mingle/​eat. Fortunately my date snagged a spot at the bar, by the buffet. Unfortunately, we felt like we couldn’t leave it all night or we’d never be able to set our drinks down again. The non-​yelpers sitting next to me were fabulously fun so staying put wasn’t a bad thing :)
The steak skewers were cooked to perfection, if a bit more fatty than I prefer. The chicken wings were flavorful and served nice and warm (I hate cold wings!). The calamari was substantial, with a buttery breading. My date loved the jalapeño poppers but I didn’t brave them since I’m a baby when it comes to spice. The shrimp were my hands down favorite. YUM! They were huge and dripping with delicious marinade.
The Rain Vodka Melon drinks were delish, as usual. I enjoyed my cab, — a good pairing for the steak skewers. Two bartenders managed to serve the whole group, with the help of maybe one waitress. All the staff were friendly and working hard to keep us happy.
Another great success! Thanks for a fun fall evening!

When I was wait-​listed, I thought, NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I love steak! I must go! Thankfully, my suburban friend Lisa B. got in and brought me along as her +1! Yes!!! Bring it!
First off, Chicago Prime Steakhouse has a great atmosphere, classy décor, and the staff, phenomenal! Shout out to Rose! Thanks for being so sweet and keeping the pace with all the Unilocalers. Nice to meet you Mr. K. Great establishment. Awesome calamari and chicken wings, very sad that I didn’t get to try the steak especially since my friend said it was pretty good. Tasty drinks too! We’ll definitely be back to grab some grub since I didn’t get a chance to try out all the fabulous treats that were set out for us tonight.
Although the space was a little tight, I was still able to mingle and meet some new folks. Hello to all who kept the night interesting even after my buddy left (who by the way is leaving us for good and going all the way to North Carolina — hope the NC Unilocal crew is as wonderful as ours is, good luck Lisa!)
Thank you to the wonderful CMs for always putting on a fabulous event. I had a great time. Colleen, I swear, I sometimes think I have face recognition syndrome or something, sorry for drawing a blank; shout out to Ms. Detroit! Hope to see you all again real soon.

The Chicago Prime Steakhouse is a very nice place with good ambiance and a good vibe. They have live entertainment several nights per week.
We attended this Unilocal event and had a great time (as usual). Jelena and company put together a very nice evening for the Unilocal Elite, so thank you for that. Our hosts were very nice and even gave us seating in the dining room when the rest of the event area filled up. The owner’s son personally came over and talked to us and made us feel very welcome.
We sampled some steak, chicken wings and jalapeño poppers. All were delicious, though some of the steak was tough. I don’t know if it just that particualar cut or what. The rest of the food was awesome.
I sampled the house Merlot and it was some of the best I’ve had in a long time. I went back for seconds!
All in all it was a nice evening out, if a little crowded. Hopefully I can mingle some more next time and get to know some fellow Unilocalers.