A Review of J. Alexander's Restaurant in Oakbrook, Illinois

Contemporary décor. Elegant romantic atmosphere. Maple woods. Silver fixtures. And the smell of grade A Angus beef wafting through the air. No, you are not in Heaven, you have just entered J. Alexander's restaurant located in Oakbrook, Illinois.

J. Alexander's has locations in the Chicagoland area as well as several states like: Georgia, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Michigan and Tennessee just to name a few. And in fact, J. Alexander's was founded in Nashville, Tennessee by three local businessmen. One of whom also purchased the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise from Colonel Sanders himself back in 1962.

J. Alexander's features sensational starters like oversized onion rings, fresh calamari and my favorite, Mexico City Spinach Con Queso dip which is a splendid warm and bubbly mixture of spinach and rich, tangy cheese served with crunchy tortilla chips. Appetizers at J. Alexander's are priced at $9 and up. J. Alexander's also features soups made from scratch and salads like Caesar, grilled chicken, Thai and Asian all tossed in homemade dressings and priced between $9 and $11.

J. Alexander's offers some great casual fare such as: burgers, clubs, French dips and fried fish all served with fries and priced under $14. And their extensive menu also advertises rotisserie chicken, pastas and ribs. They pride themselves in serving only the freshest seafood dishes including Ahi tuna fillets, cilantro shrimp and Carolina crab cakes.

But J. Alexander's is really famous for their succulent steaks and melt in your mouth prime rib. Steaks range in price from $19 to $27 and include New York strip and filet mignon with Béarnaise. A luscious 8 ounce prime rib sandwich is served with fries for $16 while the slow roasted prime rib entrée costs $21 and is served with signature "smashed potatoes."

The night we visited J. Alexander's, I ordered the prime rib sandwich and then was embarrassed because I was pregnant at the time and not allowed to eat rare meats. I explained my delicate situation to the waitress and she promised to have my prime rib cooked thoroughly and if I didn't like it I could order something else. Well, even cooked all the way through, my prime rib sandwich was deliciously moist and flavorful. I savored each and every bite!

All of the desserts at J. Alexander's are made on site. They feature carrot cake, chocolate cake and key lime pie. And the bar at J. Alexander's offers only top shelf liquor in their extravagant $10 martinis. Some martini options are: mandarin blossom, martini au chocolate, pomegranate martini and the pinnacle cosmo, to name just a few.

J. Alexander's is located at 1401 16th street in Oakbrook, Illinois on the outskirts of the outdoor Oakbrook Center Mall. For reservations call 630-573-8180 and for menus and more log onto www.jalexanders.com.