Pete Miller's Finds Success In Naperville

NAPERVILLE, IL — Pete Miller's Steak and Seafood draws its crowd from nearby Naperville, Plainfield and Aurora neighborhoods. It's been open for not even two months and it's already thriving, said General Manager Fred Gore. Holiday reservations are booking quickly, and Christmas is full.

The location— off Route 59 and just south of 103 Street— used to be home to Tommy Nevin's Pub, which offered Irish fare and craft beers. Gore said the upscale, music-driven steakhouse is working better. "Overwhelmingly, the biggest feedback we're getting is that this area is absolutely perfect for this type of concept."

From a structural standpoint, it hasn't changed much since Nevin's closed in July. They've enhanced it with a wine wall in their foyer and clean modern lighting, and colorful music murals lining portions of the dining room. The private dining room has its own fireplace.

Gore moved to the area from Honolulu in 2007 with many years in the service industry under his belt.

"Knowing we were going to be drawing from the neighborhoods, we were very specific and spent a lot of time designing a wine list and signature cocktails and beer that we thought would be very conducive for people that live in the area to come in and have."

Sure, Miller's has the big reds and the oaky California whites, but its wine list is approachable, too. The majority of its 120 bottles cost $30 - $60. It differs from the list at the restaurant's original location in Evanston, which has been around for 24 years.

Pete Miller's Steak and Seafood also offers live jazz every evening.

"We try to go for standards [...] but any given night, some of them are a little more funk/soul jazz, some are more R&B jazz. It's unique," said Gore, who shared a story about a band that played disco the other night and brought people to their feet.

The person in charge of booking seeks everything from solo acts to six-piece bands. Every one of them is vocal-forward, and Gore is trying to cultivate more of an interactive vibe.

"Think back to post WWII steakhouses- swingin' live jazz, big steaks, big wines, big martinis, big personalities," he said.

But make no mistake about it: Pete Miller's is no jazz lounge. First and foremost, it's a classic American Steakhouse — one whose specialty is a 20-ounce bone-in ribeye.

"All of our beef is sources locally," Gore said. "This is really important to us. It's all raised in Illinios and Iowa, and a little bit of Indiana. Its all been given to us by Meats by Linz."

Linz is a Calumet City supplier that participates in an Angus heritage program. All of their meat comes from a lineage that delivers nicely marbled, consistent beef.

As far as appetizers, Gore said the firecracker shrimp is most popular because it's "got a little bit of heat in the front, but it dissipates really quickly."

They'll even throw in a slice of mascarpone cheesecake if it's your birthday. It's the little extra steps of service, Gore explains, that keep people coming back.

We're entering into a new era of reservations and how restaurant staff interact with customers," he said. "Peoples' preferences are saved through OpenTable, an online reservation platform. It allows the host to personalize guests' greeting if it's a special occasion, help them avoid foods they might be allergic to, and even tailor their cocktail. If Bob from Plainfield is celebrating his 20th anniversary with his wife and prefers a lemon in his gin and tonic, they're going to know about it.

"We ask our staff to fill out a little card that prints out with their reservation, and update it on a real-time basis."

On the subject of reservations, Pete Miller's has hit capacity for Christmas Eve in early December, but there might be openings for New Year's Eve. Gore is rolling out a happy hour menu late afternoons and, after the new year, a jazz brunch with a prix fixe menu.

Pete Miller's is located at 3032 English Rows Avenue. It's open Sundays from 4:30 - 10 p.m. and Monday - Saturday from 4:30 - 11 p.m.

Images courtesy of Pete Miller's Steak and Seafood in Naperville