Lawry’s The Prime Rib – Dine in Elegance and History

By Jessica Lewandowski

Stepping into the McCormick Mansion, I almost immediately forgot that I was there to dine. What is now Lawry’s The Prime Rib, the McCormick Mansion is still a regal and mysterious piece of history, elusively nestled next to the Magnificent Mile in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. Since the building’s construction in 1890, the supposedly haunted walls have seen delicate reconstruction and refurbishing to create the gorgeous dining rooms guests can now regularly have fabulous old-fashioned steak dinners. I had the opportunity to explore and dine with a couple friends in this mesmerizing slice of architecture.

My companions and I received a quick tour and history lesson of the mansion before we dined, and I can barely describe how breath-taking it truly was. Surprisingly, the domed-ceiling ballroom (now the Lawry’s Prime Rib main dining room) is only a small percentage of the well-preserved building. When sitting amongst crystal chandeliers and old English paintings, you are also dining above a closed off staging area, where puppet shows of the early 1900s took place, and beneath haunted bedrooms and living quarters. Even more mind blowing is that just above your dinner table lies untouched furniture and decorative pieces from the McCormick family, just begging to be displayed in a museum, but tucked away in an empty room is where they remain, among early-century puppets and playthings. Trust me when I say that when you dine at Lawry’s The Prime Rib, you are dining alongside real, tangible history.

Like I said, I forgot I was there for dinner. On to the food!

We began with cocktails, of course. I chose the Cool as a Cucumber, which contained Prairie Cucumber Vodka, Homemade Sour and a splash of 7-up. My friend picked from the extensive list of wines, and my other friend chose the Lawry’s classic cocktail: Meat and Potato Martini, which dons two olives stuffed with Lawry’s Signature Prime Rib and Horseradish.

When you go to Lawry’s The Prime Rib, expect to eat meat! Although there is a vegetarian option, the three of us went all in on the classics. I chose the Lawry Cut of Prime Rib with a side of Brandy Green Peppercorn Sauce (the peppercorns really stand out in flavor). Our table also chose the California Cut with Lobster Tail and the Atlantic Salmon; talk about fine dining! Not only did we have plates filled with Prime Rib and seafood, but our dinners were all accompanied by the famous Spinning Bowl Salad (yes, the salad spins), choice of Potato, Yorkshire Pudding and Whipped Horseradish. The Spinning Bowl Salad was prepared before us, and all the Prime Rib cuts were sliced table-side. Our dinners were nothing short of elegance (and deliciousness).

In perfect honesty, I was way too stuffed to have dessert. Please don’t follow my example, and save room for dessert! I would highly suggest ordering the Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Lawry’s The Prime Rib is open Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Click here for a “Mexican Bloody Mary!”