Warm, clubby elegance is not the decor one would expect at a Cheap Eats restaurant, but that’s just what you’ll find at Lawry’s, the downtown spot known for its expense-account dinners and its location in the old McCormick mansion.
At lunch, walk in the door, climb the few stairs and head left instead of right (where the main dining room is closed at lunch). You’ll cross through the elegant carpeted lounge/bar area with its upholstered and leather chairs, low coffee tables and chandeliers. At the end of the bar, a small counter partly obscures two chefs wielding dangerous-looking knives, but don’t worry. They only attack the rounds of prime beef or roasted turkey breasts in front of them, slicing them generously for the huge sandwiches that are the specialty here.
For beef lovers, it’s a definite destination.
Sure, you can get a dinner-cut prime beef rib plate for $17.95, but the roast prime rib of beef sandwich is almost as good for $8.95. Mounds of slices top the bread or roll of your choice. Ask for it rare, medium or well done. Flavorful and tender, the meat remains juicy even after slicing.
Equally generous, the fresh roast turkey sandwich ($6.95) layers thick slices of real, not processed, breast meat. Take your choice of condiments, from three kinds of mustard to mayo, ketchup and horseradish. Like most roasted turkey breast, though, it tends to be dry.
The BBQ beef sandwich ($5.95) combines a delicious sweet-tangy sauce with shreds of well-cooked beef that fall out of the roll, but they are so delicious they don’t get left on the plate for long. Other sandwiches listed on a blackboard include tuna ($5.95) or ham, corned beef and pastrami ($6.95 each).
Potato chips are fried in-house to the darker side of cooked, but are still crunchily addictive. Every table in the dining area has a tempting bowl of them, much to the detriment of a serious diet. At the counter, a choice of side dishes awaits you: a typical pasta salad with scattered veggies in a light vinaigrette dressing or a crunchy coleslaw with a tart vinegar dressing that is pleasant in its simplicity.
Lawry’s Cobb salad ($7.95) is not prepared in the classic style–with composed rows of ingredients. Instead the kitchen tosses it with a light but still tangy Italian dressing and mounds it on a dinner plate. On one visit, it disappointed us with iceberg lettuce that was crisp, but brown-edged in spots. We also had to search diligently for the avocado and turkey pieces. But we liked the crispy bacon and the small chunks of blue cheese.
Beyond sandwiches and salad, Lawry’s cooks up soups that change daily ($2.95) such as a recent tomato-basil as well as sides of mashed potatoes or creamed spinach ($2.25). For dessert, try the double fudge brownies ($2.25), rich enough and large enough to feed three.
Peak lunchtime lines can mean a 15- to 20-minute wait, so it’s best to go early or late. The chefs try to keep up, though.
Once you’ve got your soda or other drink (there is a full bar) and paid the friendly bartender for your meal, you have your choice of three dining areas: the lounge area, a small TV room with high tables and stools, or a quiet dining room complete with paneling, parquet floors and muted lighting.
Cheap Eats diners never had it so good.
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Lawry’s The Prime Rib Ale & Sandwich Bar
(3 forks)
100 E. Ontario St.
312-787-5000
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Credit cards: A, D, DC, M, V’
Noise level: Hushed
Wheelchair accessible
Ratings key:
4 forks: Don’t miss it
3 forks: One of the best
2 forks: Very good
1 fork: Good
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members. The meals are paid for by the Tribune.
