Hugo Bar Rivers Casino

I've heard of restaurants with bells and whistles, but this is crazy.

Events Calendar for Hugo's Frog Bar and Chop House in Philadelphia. Find things to do in Philly and at Rivers Casino Philadelphia. Hugo’s Frog Bar & Chop House — Events & Entertainment — Rivers Casino Philadelphia Hugo’s Frog Bar & Chop House In compliance with the city of Philadelphia's 'Safer At Home' order, Hugo's Frog Bar & Chop House is temporarily closed. About Hugo’s Frog Bar & Chop House. HUGO'S FROG BAR & CHOP HOUSE The Best Steakhouse & Restaurant in Philadelphia Enjoy big flavor steaks and chops, fresh fish and top-notch seafood at Hugo’s Frog Bar & Chop House! This legendary steakhouse is open daily for lunch and dinner at Rivers Casino Philadelphia.

The casino offers seven distinctive restaurants and bars — among them are Hugo’s Frog Bar & Chop House, Mian and Geno’s Steaks — riverfront views, live performances in The Event Center, free.
All day menu for Hugo's Frog Bar & Chop House at Rivers Casino Des Plaines. All Day Menu — Hugo's Frog Bar & Chop House This app works best with JavaScript enabled.

Hugo's Frog Bar, already a fixture on Rush Street and in downtown Naperville, has opened a third location inside the brand-new Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.

Diners can tuck into the restaurant's famed frog legs while the incessant beep-boop-beeps of electronic slot machines, steps away from the restaurant's doorless entrance, chime along.

I figured it was just a matter of time before the Gibsons Restaurant Group was lured into a casino; principals Steve Lombardo and Hugo Ralli have been wooed by Las Vegas, Miami, Atlantic City and points in between, but have always resisted. But the Rivers Casino, which opened July 18, offered Lombardo and Ralli something the other locales could not: control.

'They're homegrown guys who like to stay where they're at,' says Patrick Houlihan, managing partner of the Des Plaines restaurant. 'It was a good fit from the beginning; the casino allows us complete control of the restaurant. We do things our way.'

Indeed, were it not for the gambling frenzy nearby, a frequent Hugo's customer could be plopped in the middle of the casino-location dining room and notice nothing amiss. Double-cloth-topped tables? Dark wood walls with oak and tile floors? Massive bar with piano lounge? Check, check and check.

One conspicuous difference is on the menu, where the number of steaks and chops is far greater than at other Frog Bar locations. The entire Gibsons steak lineup is on offer, including the W.R.'s Chicago Cut (named for former Tribune colleague William Rice), a bone-in rib-eye that's still one of the best steaks I've ever eaten.

And servers begin the meal not with a recitation of the day's fresh catch, but with a visual display of the featured beef — the massive Australian lobster tail being the only seafood tout.

Thus the restaurant, which is Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House at its other locations, is Hugo's Frog Bar & Chop House here. Why not just call it Gibsons? Because Gibsons' location in Rosemont is less than two miles away.

So call this Hugo's an undercover Gibsons, but because the two concepts are siblings, the menu tweakings aren't going to change the dining experience a bit.

Service, for example, is superb as always. Alert waiters flit about the room in white jackets and black ties; suit-clad managers chat up tables to ensure that everybody's happy.

And the prices here are the same as at any other Hugo's or Gibsons, and that is no small point. Casino restaurants are notorious for inflated prices, partially to create a larger sense of value for frequent gamblers who earn complimentary meals. It's worth noting that the Rivers' casino-operated eateries (there are five, give or take) are priced very fairly as well.

Beyond the steaks, staples of the Frog Bar menu are present and accounted for, including the superb lump-crab cake (as large as a hockey puck, only thicker), the bountiful frog legs (though my version lacked salt, which fortunately was at the table) and the planked whitefish that, accompanied by mashed potatoes and grilled beefsteak tomato slices, is a bargain at $19.75.

Shrimp de Jonghe, a dish that was born in Chicago, is just outstanding, the hefty shrimp bathed in garlic and white-wine sauce, topped with a judicious sprinkling of breadcrumbs and quickly broiled. Gummy, overcooked versions have driven this classic off most menus; it's nice to see this dish in the hands of a capable kitchen.

A menu section of 'local favorites' includes a number of lower-priced items, including a very good steak sandwich ($16.75) and the ever-reliable burger ($10.50), so the careful diner can fuel up at Hugo's for less than the price of the casino's dinner buffet ($26).

Among the side dishes, the sauteed mushrooms are good and plentiful, though the baked potato is hard to resist. The special mac and cheese features shelled crawfish gamboling amid the pasta, but the bland cheese sauce is unworthy of this dish.

Desserts are comically large; one will easily satisfy a table of four. Two of us tackled the Matterhorn-like turtle pie, a gooey expanse of vanilla ice cream, chocolate, caramel and macadamia nuts, and we surrendered less than halfway through.

Finally, it's worth noting that, because Hugo's is part of the casino, you have to be 21 to visit. Leave the young ones at home.

Watch Phil Vettel's reviews weekends on WGN-Ch. 9's 'News at Nine,' CLTV and at wgntv.com/vettel.

Hugo's Frog Bar & Chop House

Rivers Casino, 3000 S. River Road, Des Plaines; 847-768-5200
Open: Lunch and dinner Monday-Sunday
Entree prices: $19.50-$51.75
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Strongly recommended weekends
Noise: Conversation-challenged
Other: Free self-parking, valet available; wheelchair accessible; under 21 not admitted

Ratings key:
Four Stars: Outstanding
Three Stars: Excellent
Two Stars: Very good
One Star: Good
No stars: Unsatisfactory

Reviews are based on no fewer than two visits. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.

pvettel@tribune.com Twitter @philvettel