Fulton's on the River Review

A year after our wedding we returned to Fulton's for our anniversary dinner. This was an event we had been looking forward to mostly because we had been anticipating their maine lobster tails. Their menu had changed a bit, and for the most part the change was an upgrade. In any case, this latest visit recemented Fulton's into our top 5.

Fulton's is known for their great steaks, seafood, and oysters. They have the most robust oyster bar in the city. I've never been that partial to oysters as it's a taste I never quite acquired. But I've decided that if you want to learn to eat oysters you should start by eating good ones. Fulton's oysters are flown in from the East and West coasts daily and are incredibly fresh. We decided to indulge in a few. Our oyster sampler platter was a half dozen of kumamoto, kushi, and eastpoint oysters. It's hard to determine which were which since apparently our first platter was a bit messed up. We received seven oysters and couldn't figure out what we were eating. The server was gracious enough to offer a new platter, but we didn't want to be too weighed down by oysters so instead we got a complimentary second order of just the kumamoto and kushi oysters. I don't think we actually had any of the kushi on the first platter, but they were distinctly flavored and finished clean. The kumamoto were our favorite with a light saltiness and a slightly sweet finish.

Our other appetizer was the firecracker shrimp. This seems to have replaced the coconut shrimp and are similarly fried but smothered in a sweet and spicy firecracker sauce. I daresay this is actually an upgrade over the original coconut shrimp.

We always know what we're going to have when we go to Fulton's. I waited for the meats to make their rotation and was predisposed to the filet before I had taken a look at it. My wife had been craving the twin lobster tails for at least a solid week. I added a wild mushroom truffle crust to my bone in filet and ordered it rare knowing Fulton's tends to overcook a bit. When it came, my steak was thick and almost well done on one end and very rare next to the bone. I don't think there were any mistakes in cooking it, I just think the way the bone covers one side of the meat leads to uneven redness. I've had sirloins and strip steaks in the past, and I think I actually prefer their sirloins and porterhouse to the filets. That being said the crust was fantastic. I'm not incredibly partial to crusts, but I will always be adding this crust to my steaks at Fulton's. I don't actually recall the wild mushroom truffle crust existing in our previous visits. The lobster tails met my wife's expectations. 'Nuff said.

Fulton's classic steakhouse sides are family sized. A couple sides usually lead to leftovers, but this time they had a new option of a flight of sides. For about the same price, you can choose three sides to sample. We went with the garlic sauteed spinach, wild mushrooms, and truffle fries. The spinach was infused with so much lemon that became overpowered and almost difficult to eat. Their creamed spinach has been pretty good in the past and is probably a better option. The wild mushrooms are fantastic, but the star of our flight were the truffle fries. It's hard to describe what makes these fries so good. Let's just say, normally if you start getting full, you leave the fries for last. This time my wife had to tell me to stop eating the fries so I could finish the lobster, but I ate them anyway.

We went with the flight so we could also order an additional side of the maine lobster mac n cheese. We were a bit apprehensive about this dish. The server told us it was as good as it sounded. I decided we had to try it. When it came we found that it was more creamy than cheesy and the generous chucks of lobster blended in perfectly. The lobster mac n cheese is seriously good. You can't not have it.

Now for the bad part. The blondie at Fulton's is so good that we have never not had it. A year ago, we had a blondie station at our wedding that we unfortunately missed due to wedding responsibilities. A year later, this goddamn blondie was overdue. Alas, the server informed us it had been taken off the menu. We asked him to inquire to the chef if it'll ever be back...it won't. This is where my wife mimicked me blogging, "I saw a tiny tear at the corner of my wife's eye." You have to understand, this blondie is ridiculous.

We replaced our blondie desires with their chocolate paradise, a chocolate cake that manages to be decadent without being too rich. Order it a la mode and it's coupled with amazing vanilla bean ice cream. The chocolate paradise is really really good. It has a caramel Heath crust and filling that fits in perfectly with the chocolate cake.

But it's no blondie. Seriously we need to figure out a way to bring the blondie back. I can start a petition or maybe order fifty from their catering service. Our lack of blondie is too unsatisfying. If we never have the blondie again, we'll be on our deathbeds just muttering, "blondie...blondie..." I'm going to get some friends together and ask Fulton's to make a load of blondies at a price they can't refuse.

Blondies aside, Fulton's is a Chicago staple. It probably lacks some hype since it's a bit out of the way, but the riverside seating is classy and the food is remarkable. We'll be sure to return to Fulton's at least once a year for our anniversary dinner. I just hope the menu changes don't interfere with our lifelong desires in the future. Sure win choices we've made in the past: lobster bisque, rack of lamb, and vanilla bean crusted tilapia.