04/20/08

The ribs may be famous but oh what a burger.

by megawatts

Millers Pum is apparently known for its ribs but I happened in off the street and wanted a burger and what a burger it turned out to be. I would definently rate the hamburger at Millers as the best I have ever had. I can't wait to try the ribs on my next trip to Chicago. Oh, the service should also get a mention as being nothing less than sensational as one should expect from an establishment of this caliber.

04/02/08

Good Ribs, but nothing "famous" about them

by vegitoboi

I'm trying to figure out why all these restaurants have a claim to have "Famous Award Winning..." food to their names. Obviously, one of them is ribs. So after seeing this place being a former Citysearch "Best of..." winner, I had to come and try for myself to see if their 'Famous" ribs were the real deal. Walking in I can tell that the place was spacious, equiped with a long bar and an upstairs area. The place is surrounded with attractive vintage stained glass and with pictures with famous local and national celebrities on their wall. Their menu is pretty basic, mainly showcasing thier BBQ (which was the reason i was there). I ordered the Ribs & Chicken which was a 1/2 slab of wet rubbed ribs with a chicken leg and thigh and a portion of corn on the cob and a plate of fries. But after the first bite of the ribs, I thought to myself, "What's so famous about this?" Yes, they were good, but not to the extent I'd call them 'Famous". It's like I can cook my own ribs at home and brush on some store bought sauce on them. Good and not too dry, but nothing that I personally would give an award to. The chicken was nice and moist which I enjoyed. Actually, I expected fried chicken or chicken wings, but I enjoyed the surprise. The fries were surprisingly my favorite. Not too salty thick cut fries that were fried just right. Of course who could turn down the corn. I just wished they served a whole ear of corn and not some small portion that was boiled and not grilled. It's not a bad place to have lunch at. But personally I think it's becoming more touristy (hense the big cabinets of t-shirts and caps you see when you walk in) and I've had better ribs elsewhere. Come for lunch, but don't expect the ribs to be anything "Famous".

• Pros: Ribs, food is good, plenty of seats at the bar, close to the adams and wabash Brown line stop or the Monroe Red line, decor
• Cons: parking, failed to see the "famous" part

08/03/07

Late-night sit-down dinner with a pub.

by mojopo

The first time I came to Miller's, I had been out for a late night at The Art Institute with friends. We couldn't get the bartender's attention because he was avoiding eye contact with anything that could be mistaken for humanity. It was 10:00 and my girlfriend and I wanted a decent meal that involved martinis, so we hung in there and waited for a table. The hostess eventually took up upstairs. Nice tablecloths, small tables.

The food was OK. Sure, I liked the Canadian ribs, but I've had better. I think the salad was good - it seemed fresh and they went nuts with crumbled bleu cheese, something I can admire, as my body consists of 40% bleu cheese.

Service was very good, but I keep thinking about their menu. Miller's has somehow merged a chophouse menu with a Greek menu. The Sous Chef must have four arms, and a multiple personality disorder to manage this trick. I'm not saying it's bad...I am saying it's... um, *special*. Shine on, you crazy diamonds. Now I know where to go for French Onion Soup and Mousaka. Props for the creme brulee. From me, that's not saying much because I've never met one I truly despised.

I probably should give them a second try. The place was jam-packed when I visited and maybe not all of their customers feel like a component on an assembly line.

Maybe if we were buzzed, my dining companions and me would have thought Miller's seemed homey in a pub-ish sot of way? I could try that next time. I'll get my buzz on if someone can tell the bartender that we could use some lube. If I have to track him down with a Geiger counter, I'm outta there.

• Pros: Open late, good for the blue cheese, chophouse/Greek dining crowd.
• Cons: Noisy, rushed a bit, the server forgot some helpful things (eating utensils, the wine we ordered, napkins)...