Prairie Fire Review: A candle in the wind

215 N. Clinton street {Clinton + S. of Fulton}
(312) 382-8300

Ideal for the fifty to sixty-something crowd, this twenty-something felt very out of place at Prairie Fire. While the food for the most part was superb, the scene at the bar as well as the dining room was charting into unknown territory. Prairie Fire successfully managed to flirt with an unforeseen line between mocking nearby "hipster" Chicago restaurants with its dull and bizarre decor choices and just actually being dull and bizarre. They definitely did a good job of removing you from the West Loop as you sit amongst vacant vanilla-cream colored walls wondering who the hell wanted this place to look naked, but in a country-bumpkin way. The atmosphere is heightened by the focal point of the dining room, a 46" plasma flashing scenes from a nature slideshow. Everything exuded the sentiment, "I am a suburb joint and I don't care."
If you're looking for a consistent, no surprises or appealing aesthetics type of place, then Prairie Fire is where you would go for a night on the town- even though you'd probably rather be in Skokie.
On to what really matters, the cuisine. The dishes started exceptional and tapered off quickly, the food at Prairie Fire was its only saving grace.

{Baby Spinach Salad – Citrus Marinated Beets, Goat Cheese and Toasted Hazelnuts. The beets were incredible, I've gained a new deep admiration and appreciation for how these were married with wonderful herbs and citrus juices. Arguably the best of the dishes presented.}

{House-made “Maple Creek Farm” Italian sausage with “Three Sisters Garden” white polenta and shaved aged cheddar. Stegner did a wonderful job conceiving this appetizer. Also a standout, the succulent chorizo was warmed and cured to perfection. The rich, melting Parmesan incorporated with the light polenta allowed the encapsulated protein to absorb the gooey cheese while pulsating spices danced. That just came out a bit sexual, but hey, it is sausage}

{Market Fish of the day, Salmon– celery root puree & winter vegetable slaw. This was incredibly fresh and generously portioned, as you can see. The celery root puree threw my taste buds for a loop, they tasted more like the creamiest mashed potatoes. Also a plus was the addition of cooked brussel sprout leaves, it gave an undisputed warmth to the wintery seasonal vegetable}

{Ancho marinated skirt steak local beans & rainbow swiss chard ragout, potato wedges and grilled onions. The picture does not do the skirt steak justice, here it looks charred but in reality it was cooked exactly as requested, medium rare. For being such a lean cut and run of the mill meat, the skirt steak was surprisingly smooth. Undoubtedly marinated overnight the steak could have passed for a NY strip}

{Vanilla ice cream with rich double chocolate cookies (not pictured). Nothing light about this dessert, just a massive, moist cookie topped with the freshest vanilla ice cream. Warning: guilt will ensue. Extra gym time will be necessary for splurging on this one}

While the food was enjoyable, the atmosphere was so underwhelming that a second trip will not occur. Prairie Fire thoroughly lacked personality, romance, stimulation, decorative taste, noise, and well... most everything besides what was served on a big white plate. In order to pique the insatiable appetite our windy city characterizes itself as having and actually acknowledging that experience accompanies the food, Prairie Fire needs total a total re-conceptualization.