About Us
Our Story
The Barn Steakhouse tucked away in an alley in the middle of downtown Evanston, is a modern-throw back to days gone by. The Barn Steakhouse is an homage to owner Amy Morton's father, esteemed restaurateur and steakhouse king, Arnold J. Morton. Amy has been in the business most of her life, knowing always she would tip her hat to her "dear old dad" one day. The Barn Steakhouse, the North Shore's premiere stop for steak, is just that, a fabulous tribute. Tagged a "modern-meatery", this meat-centric hide-a-way boasts the finest of ingredients with Heritage Black Angus Beef leading the way on the well-rounded menu. The Grand Central Caviar Sandwich is a hidden gem, along with the signature salad The Little Gem; both items are hard to resist. The old brick stable that houses The Barn Steakhouse was built in 1883 and was first operated by the Borden Milk Company to house the horses for its horse and buggy milk delivery service. Originally, the brick structure stood on its own with a tin shed attached for the milk storage. Milk arrived directly from the area dairy farms, the closest is believed to be just west on Church Street. The small window cutouts along the west wall were for the horses, most likely to watch the sunset, though we may have made that up... certainly they were the windows to each of the horses stalls. In 1910 the adjacent building along Church Street became the local offices for the Borden Milk Company. Around 1915, as the automobile was becoming more widely used and, according to the City of Evanston records, the "barn" had become a garage. Since the 1920's, it is believed that the garage was abandoned and the space hadn't been in use for over a hundred years until Morton brought it back to life with all the bells and whistles for her "ode to Arnie".
Ambiance
Ambiance is something Amy Morton knows a thing of two about and The Barn Steakhouse shows this off like no other restaurant in the Chicago area. Warm, intimate, and timeless the room gives one the sense of drama and approachable modernity at the same. The seemingly gritty alley entrance to the simple century old brick structure is the perfect dichotomy to what one finds once inside the velvet curtain. Soaring 20-foot ceilings and a stunning chandelier with a thousand twinkling lights set the stage for what is to come. The bar, spanning an entire wall, so tall a ladder must be used to reach the well-aged and perfectly curated wines from the list, is as inviting as one could imagine with a zinc top and gorgeous stained oak backdrop. The loft, perched above, accessible by a hidden set of stairs is right out of a 1950's film, with rich red leather banquettes and tables overlooking the dining room below it is a place to be and be seen. And this is all set amidst a backdrop of century-old crumbling brick, the most important aspect of the interior; maintaining the integrity of the original space was paramount to Morton's design.
Our Mission
Our fundamental mission at Arnie Morton’s Daughter’s Place Restaurants is to make the world a better place, even if it happens one bite at a time.
Our commitment to giving back encompasses being good stewards to the planet as well as our communities. One way we do this is by making the restaurants available one night each month for not for profits to use at cost. We have all been to fund raisers for important organizations that wind up spending the majority of the ticket price on the venue and event as opposed to generating these funds for the organization itself. First Mondays (The Barn Steakhouse) and First Tuesdays (LeTour Restaurant and Private Events) are our answer to this and our commitment to supporting our local community and it’s organizations. Sustainability, environmental consciousness, and our commitment to being as waste free as possible are huge to us as well. Our of courses are: of course we recycle, of course we compost, of course any edible, food safe left over product is found a home as opposed to a trash can. Finally, hiring from a marginalized population is our responsibility; it is also one of the most complicated things we have done. If you are aware of an organization that has a job readiness program, especially if it is in food service please have them reach out us directly.
Thank you for spending your precious, and oh so fleeting free time with us.
Amy Morton