Daily Herald: Impressive Perry’s a Prime Experience in Oak Brook

The suburbs are hardly left wanting for steakhouses, though they now have another high-end contender: Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille, a masculine, modern — not to mention, expansive — option tucked within Oakbrook Center.

From its impressive wine wall to its dining room with kitchen views and outdoor patio off the swanky lounge, this one’s a looker, and it has a price point to match. Punctuated with cobalt glassware and swooping architectural details on the ceiling, it has several private dining rooms to ensure it caters to the suited-up set.

We started with a classic shrimp cocktail, its plump crustaceans a pitch-perfect companion for horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce. Equally, if not more, appealing was the cherry pepper-laced calamari and the paper-thin carpaccio, the latter mounded with arugula that’s dressed in sprightly vinaigrette.

Other options range from a seafood tower and Asian tuna tartare to fried asparagus topped with jumbo lump crab, house-made Polish sausage and applewood-smoked, bacon-wrapped scallops.

Meanwhile, soups and salads range from standard (lobster bisque, a classic wedge) to atypical (turtle soup).

Unlike some steakhouses, seafood doesn’t get equal play here, though you will find a steamed lobster tail and fried shrimp, plus Hong Kong-style sea bass with julienne veggies and sushi rice.

Steaks and chops really are the main thrust, and prime-aged beef is the obvious draw. Fortunately, it does not disappoint. We opted for the flavorful, well-marbled, bone-in rib-eye. Like all of Perry’s steaks, the rib-eye is simply seasoned with salt and pepper, but it gets a boost from a bath of herb-flecked garlic butter. Admittedly, however, the temptation to order the bacon-wrapped filet with corn-fig relish was there. And while you can get a classic bone-in or boneless strip steak, the version with peppercorn demi-glace is an appealing alternative. Surf and turf is an option as well.

But our second choice, the signature pork chop, is not to be missed. Cured and smoky, it’s a massive number that’s cooked until rosy-pink and juicy, carved tableside and served with applesauce. Actually, it may be the real reason to dine here.

If you’re looking to save some bills, be sure to come for lunch on Friday, when a downsized version of that aforementioned chop is a mere $11.95.

Sides are traditional, shareable and served a la carte. The caloric creamed spinach is as good as any version we’ve had. The same is true of the buttery, whipped potato purée. Alternately, you’ll find choices like au gratin or Lyonnaise potatoes, roasted creamed corn, and mac and cheese.

For dessert, you’d be remiss to skip the milk chocolate peanut butter candy bar, which sports a chocolate cookie crust and a shower of candied peanuts. That said, the butterscotch bread pudding, which is draped in caramel sauce and finished with candied walnuts and a toasted, house-made marshmallow, is quite decadent, too.

Don’t rule out coming just for happy hour, when the bar offers appetizer deals on everything from beef tenderloin sliders to escargot.

Not surprisingly, the large, global wine list has moderate options, house-label vinos and holds plenty of interest for aficionados, the most serious of whom take advantage of on-site wine lockers.

Service, while perhaps not as polished as at some competitors, proves professional, cheery and well-intentioned.

All in all, Perry’s offers an enjoyable, if largely familiar, dining experience, one that gives good reason to return if and whenever budget allows.

• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.

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