Steakhouse to move into former Flame restaurant site in Countryside

COUNTRYSIDE – It won’t be quite like old times, but steak will still be served at the corner of Joliet Road and Brainard Avenue.

Since the ‘50s, The Flame Steak House served up steaks and swank at 803 Joliet Road, its unique character turning it into an area icon. The restaurant closed in early 2012, leaving a void at the site, as well as in in the hearts and bellies of its fans.

Before the end of the year, though, Outriggers Steak & Seafood Restaurant is scheduled to open at the location. On July 10, Countryside’s Economic Development Committee considered offering a $50,000 incentive to Dimitri Mikroulis, the owner of the new restaurant, to defray the estimated $600,000 in construction costs Mikroulis is undertaking to renovate the property. The committee voted to send the incentive proposal to the City Council, which will consider it at its July 24 meeting.

"We were really pleased to see that a higher-end, [steak] and seafood establishment came into town,” Ward 3 Alderman Sean McDermott said. "That was something we heard continually from residents, that they wanted additional dining options."

The incentive would waive a building permit fee and other fees, and would also include some tax incentives, McDermott said.

"It's kind of a unique piece of property … We thought a small incentive to get him into town was [appropriate],” McDermott said.