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It is surprising the number of posts on LTH that somehow come to involve references to Myron's and Phil's, the old-time Jewish steakhouse in Lincolnwood. Myron and Phil is a point of comparison, and one gets an atmosphere that is barely available anywhere else. This is the time for recognizing M&P's value.

When M&P's food is on (skirt steak, burger, pickles, perch, carrot cake), it is on, and the service is always congenial. Our Evanston Lunch Group's visit was one of the high points of our group. It is not that the food is the best in Chicago (and it has its critics) - most dishes have a better rendition elsewhere, perhaps, but Myron and Phil's epitomizes what a Great Neighborhood Restaurant should be: the combination of food, service, place, and clientele. It is a part of Chicago history and tradition, and should it even be gone, we would mourn its closing.

Their burgers and skirt steaks can compete with anyone's, as can the servers.

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=3203&hilit=myron+phil

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=17186&hilit=myron+phil

Myron and Phil
3900 W Devon
Lincolnwood, IL
847-677-6663
http://www.myronandphils.com

I have to second.

-ramon

I'll...third, darn you Ramon! I like the idea of a GNR where I could enjoy my meal, along with my (anti-foodie) family, and not spend the evening wishing I could crawl under the table and escape unnoticed. Myron & Phils would be one such place - I'm sure they would handle my mother with aplomb even when she starts channelling Sally Albright.

I strongly agree with this nomination. i have been going to Myron & Phils for as long as I have had molars to assist me in eating their fantastic skirt steak. Myron & Phils is where my dad taught me to truly appreciate a nosh of chopped liver and pickled everything.

I always know when my mom is out of town because my phone will ring in the office ten minutes after she departs, my dad asking if i am up for meeting for dinner. I always ask where but I already know the answer...Myron & Phils's (It makes him feel young).

I always have two salads with my dinner because i can't resist the cole slaw or the green goddess dressing. Skirt Steak is my default dinner order but the calves liver is a close second when I need a change of pace and I consider both preparations to be my favorite in Chicago. Jewish Steakhouse is the perfect description. This nomination has me hoping my mom goes out of town without my dad soon. GNR designation would be well deserved.

Hell YES!!!!

P.S. They'll make any fish DeJohnge style. It's an accommodation I often ask for.

My parents took me to M&P's for 8th grade graduation in nineteen seventy-something, so it is near and dear to my heart. I've been going there ever since. I loved it then -- the fanciest restaurant I'd ever eaten in at the time -- and I love it now. They do what they do very well and it's virtually the same today as it was 30+ years ago.

I love this nomination and most definitely agree with it.

=R=

My mom & dad were there opening night at Myron & Phil in '72 or '73, as were most of their colleagues that knew them from the Freedman's cafeteria days on South Water Market in the 1940's through the 1960's.

And it turned into, like for others, the 'nice restaurant' place when we were growing up for special occasion times. After high school graduation. When I brought my fiancee home from college. When my future in-laws came to town. The place to be. It was the first restaurant I ever visited that had a parking valet.

Now...not so much. I moved farther away & found other steakhouses, but in the end they were pretenders. If I want a Roumanian skirt steak, if I want that Green Goddess dressing, especially if I want that Shrimp deJonghe, it's Myron & Phil or I eat something else.

One more thing, as Mhays has alluded to. I can bring my elderly parents to M&P, and there's less of a chance they'll act up (i.e. complain about everything under the sun) there than almost anyplace else, and if they do...I know they're in good company!

That counts for a lot.

A stray thought, not saying it decides anything... does anyone love Myron and Phil's who just started going there a couple of years ago?

If, by "just started going there a couple of years ago" you mean someone who had not grown up with M&P's and came to love it later in life, The Chow Poodle qualifies. Until we met, she had no idea Myron & Phil's even existed. In fact, the first time we went, she referred to the chopped liver as pate, never having encountered much Jewish culture before then. She instantly fell in love with the place and has happily returned ever since. Granted, this was longer than a couple of years ago, but it think it speaks to the point you were trying to make (unless you feel that the food/atmosphere literally changed two years ago).

First visit was the Evanston Lunch Group a this last year...

Evanston Lunch Group was my second visit to M&P. The first one had to have been in the early 1980s. I don't think it had changed a bit. Food is still good, but I think it's the consistency and ambiance that pushes it over the top as a GNR for me.

Yeah, I just thought it was funny that every post so far basically said "I've been going since I was two..."



Give them some time, Tom!

That's just an example of how universally loved Myron & Phil's is across all age demographics. There aren't many places that can make that claim.

I do. Who couldn't love a synagogue crossed with a Hackney's? I heartily endorse this nomination, even though I only go to M&P to show it off to people who don't believe that it exists as I say it does.

The burnt-onion patty melt (on pumpernickel, with cheddar) is, to date, one of the best and absolutely the heaviest cheeseburgers I've had in Chicago.

I finished yet another marathon GNR day at Myron and Phil's. In other marathons I have noticed that my judgements tend to become progressively harsher as the day progresses, probably because my tastebuds no longer have the enhancement and excitement of hunger. Not the case today.

Between meals, the Bride and I had driven around Rogers Park a little and then taken a walk on the beach at Morse Avenue. Both my Grandmother and Mother grew up in this neighborhood (by the time I was born the family had migrated far to the north and I was born in... Evanston), and I had lived just to the south in Uptown when I first moved into the city (a long time ago), so there were a lot of old haunts to see. This corner of the world seems to change pretty slowly. Quite enjoyable, and a perfect prelude to dinner at Myron and Phil's.

I am not the first to say that the place has a timeless feel to it, or at least that it feels a lot more 1970 than 21st century. Everyone knows everyone, the black naugahyde chairs with the giant metal studs on the seams, and the autographed pictures of all the dead celebrities - this place drips atmosphere.

Appetizers and wine were half price (such a deal!), the relish plate and chopped chicken liver spot on. The creamed spinach is one of the best versions around. The Romanian steak with burnt onions was excellent. The salad was a pile of mediocre chopped lettuce and okay tomatoes afloat in very good Green Goddess dressing (clearly made in house). There is a proper way to order this so as to enjoy the dressing in some moderation on some better greens or other vegetables, and I will work on that.

A very good meal, and I support this nomination. Someone needs to explain to me what is going on with the salad though. Everything else started with very good ingredients and was prepared well, but that salad was a mess.

Plus, would it be fair to have Sabatino's as a GNR but not M&P's? This nomination adds balance to the universe. If only for the chopped liver, black bread and relish tray.

By the way, any parents out there looking for a "fancy" place to take the kids? M&P does not just tolerate kids or humor kids in my experience. They dote over kids. Plus, the place is filled with grandparents whose own kids don't visit with the young ones nearly enough. You'll make friends.

M & P's is my 87-year-old uncle’s favorite restaurant, and we have eaten with him there many times over the years. The chopped liver and relish tray are still wonderful and really are my favorite part of a meal at M & P's. At the risk of going into the “I’ve been going there for more decades than you’ve been alive, you young whippersnapper” mode, I do recall taking my very non-Jewish in-laws there over 20 years ago and finding that they liked it because they could get things they would eat. When we met my uncle and other family there a couple of years ago, my husband commented that we were eating with the Mamet family: a father and son were screaming obscenities at each other under the canopy at the entrance. Quite the performance, right up there with Alec Baldwin’s in Glengarry Glen Ross. There’s something comforting about Myron and Phil’s continued existence, unchanging style—and level of good food served. A worthy GNR nomination.

EvA

For the record, yesterday was my first visit to M&P's. There is a slim possibility I went there as a callous youth in the early 70's, but I doubt it.

Gary,

Myron and Phil's is not a place I go often, though I always enjoy it when I do, but there is something about the Myron and Phil's that resonates for me. As you say, I would miss M & P's terribly if it were gone.

Solid nomination, solid nomination.

Myron and Phil's snappy outdoor dining area.



Enjoy,
Gary

I'm a M&P's "lifer" too. Both my wife and I are from north side Jewish families who went to M&P's for special occasions (and still do to this day). While I do have an emotional bias towards M&P (Cookie and I briefly considered naming our twin sons "Myron" and "Phil") and I do think the quality of the cooking has slipped a little in the past decade, I do think there are a ton of reasons that M&P's is a great GNR:

--The table noshes are "best of breed": relish trays, chopped liver with onions and egg, and breads.
--The whole restaurant is a neighborhood unto itself. Whenever we'd go for a special Sunday night dinner, my father, uncle, and grandfather would all have to stop at at least 4 tables on their way in or out of the dining room to talk to friends, neighbors, and business associates.
--The piano bar: It's one of my favorite places for a burger and a martini. It's fun and friendly. You'll commonly see people from three separate generations enjoying themselves on a weekend night at the bar.
--The owner/manager treats everyone like a regular, even if he's never met you before. Whatever you need, they'll make it happen.

Myron & Phil's GNR Status. It's not just a necessity, "It's an accommodation!".

There's really no other place like it in town.

Best,
Michael

We were so happy to see Myron & Phil nominated for GNR. Though we just found this gem a few years ago, it's become one of our favorite restaurants. We spent many nights this summer having dinner on their new patio. It was such a pleasure to dine al fresco without having to go in to the city.
The steaks are always cooked exactly the way we order them and the seafood is consistently good. We especially love the Oysters Rockefeller appetizer. This restaurant also knows how to pour a great drink. No skimping on portions.

The owner came to our table one night and sat down with us for a while. He made us feel as if we had been coming there for years. He's second generation owner and has really spruced up the place while keeping the retro feel. They have half off bottles of wine every Wednesday and that draws quite a crowd.

We just saw that M&P was voted #1 for 2008 on City Search. (Maybe that's whats bringing in the younger crowd.)

Overall, we'll take Myron & Phil any day!!

I get it, but I don't get it.

I have a lot of anecdotal LTH-associations with Myron & Phil's, and I guess there are a some other periodic mentions throughout. I appreciate eatchicago's and stevez's food-based defenses, but based on all the conversations I've had with people in person, I've never thought of Myron & Phil's as someplace I would ever send someone for a good meal. And I went once, and I have no desire to return. I (as a poster) do not support this nomination. Even the posts in this thread, while some like the food I know, to me, weight too heavily to atmosphere for my comfort.

That said, chopped liver doesn't do much for me, so maybe it's a genre thing.

There is a tricky line between atmosphere and food for a GNR, but the food at M & P's more often seems to me the butt of jokes, despite general affection for the place. That shouldn't be the case for a GNR. The Sabatino's comparison breaks down there to me.

But, I do recognize the affection from a lot of posters for this place. That affection is worthy of a GNR, I suppose, unless there are enough other members of the community who feel the food just isn't good enough.

I suppose it is possible that the food is not quite as consistently a high level at Myron & Phil as it was 30 years ago.

I suppose it is possible that many of the patrons have turned into caricatures of themselves in that time.

I suppose it is possible that the owners & offspring have done virtually nothing to change the decor since the '80's, with the exception of reconstructing the bar area.

I don't care.

As has been discussed here ad nauseum, a bad food is bad food, period. But when it's good to even approaching great at times, and the place develops a history or ambience or atmosphere, you cannot separate the bread from the circuses--especially when the M&P 'circus' is much more from the diners than from the workers.

And don't forget there's an added pressure from that history to discerning diners to keep the quality, service & presentation up to snuff. Last thing the owners want to hear secondhand is 'I had a pepper steak last Thursday and it was nowhere near the one I had in 1981.'

I'll second this nomination for the 50th time, it seems.

Judging by what was served at our table, it looks like the salad at Myron & Phil's has decreased in both size and quality from just last year. The proper way to order is dressing on the side, which I used to do until I discovered the house made cole slaw, which is now my order 8 times out of 10. It's a finely shredded, creamy style that isn't thick with mayo or too sweet.

Myron & Phil's Cole Slaw


As I mentioned earlier, I often get fish at Myron & Phil's and as an accommodation, I ask for it DeJonge style. They happily oblige without batting an eye. I'm not sure if this dish is everyone's cup of tea, but once in a while I'm looking for a big kick of garlic and butter.

Myron & Phil's Scrod DeJonge


I thought Myron & Phil's was holding its own at my dinner last week and deserves a visit if you haven't been lately.

It would appear that the person posting the comment about the decor not changing hasen't been at Myron & phil for the past year. The dining room was completely redone with all new contemporary etched glass light boxes, repainted and all of that old artwork was replaced by contemporary artwork. They've also added a killer outside patio with 3 fireplaces and a waterfall. I'm glad that they chose to keep some of that clubby feel to the dining room with the studded black leather chairs. We like the decor the way its been redone. Guess you can't please everyone.

Me. First visit two years ago, and since then it's been our go-to for special occasions, and in-law visits. My FIL was amused by the signed photo of Seka by the coatcheck!

My opinion is that this, sadly, is the case.

I have been going to M&P's for 20, if not 30, years, and I do think, just to pick one example, that the lamb chops used to be much better.

I think I might have written about the following when it happened, but on a recent visit, I had the famous Romanian skirt steak, and it was well-nigh unchewable. I mean, I think I was working on the first bite for about ten minutes. The second bite was no less a struggle.

Now, to our wonderful waitress's great credit, she must have noticed me struggling (or noticed that after twenty minutes, only two bites had been consumed), and asked if everything was all right (it wasn't one of those perfunctory "is everything all right"s, it was a genuinely concerned, is everything all right?), and I confessed it wasn't, and she promptly took the skirt steak away and substituted my next choice, which was the walleye (it seemed best to avoid the whole meat thing at M&P that night), which was delicious. I dined happily.

Maybe that was a one-off experience. And I would never not support a vote for M&P. I just also think (at the same time as loving M&P) that the cold hard truth is that it used to be better.

I can strongly vouch for this.

Hi there-

This is my first post, but for a restaurant as good as Myron & Phil, I thought I must quadruple (or more) the nomination.

I've been going there not often enough over the past ten years or so and love it each time.

Fantastico.

TC