Don Hall's Commissary - Fort Wayne

90's Buster platter is the best. I like you can still smoke inside the bar area. Awesome

Delicious food, great American food. Love the steaks, fried chicken and chicken strips.

FYI, smoking is allowed in the barside dining area. Food is just OK, but a great place to drink and hang out with friends. Friday Karaoke is fun- some of the singers will surprise you with how good they are.

On our way home to Chicago from our week-long visit to Columbus, Ohio, my wife and I decided to stop in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for a lunch break. It's a 5 1/2-hour drive and Fort Wayne is at the midway point. Hence, a good place for a rest stop and refresher. I chose to stop at Don Hall's Gas House The Deck, the top-rated restaurant in town that is open for lunch. Located at 306 East Superior Street, the former 19th century gas plant on the banks of the Maumee River offers a sleek atmosphere for steaks and seafood with brick walls, wood floors, high ceiling, floor-to-ceiling windows, leather booths, a bar and a riverbank patio. Open from 11 to 10 Monday through Thursday, 11 to 11 on Friday and Saturday and 11 to 9 on Sunday, it is just what the doctor ordered. And who would have thought that something called The Chicago Burger would be the best-selling item on the menu? We started with bowls of New Orleans gumbo. My wife indulged in a Patty Melt on grilled rye bread with American and Swiss cheese, pickles, onion and 1,000 Island dressing. I couldn't resist The Chicago Burger on a toasted onion roll with grilled onions, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles. With French fries and coleslaw for the both of us. It pays to do research on restaurants and hotels while traveling. Or we might have missed Don Hall's Gas House.

I went with friends on a Saturday evening to the Gas House for dinner before a concert downtown. The waiter was excellent throughout the visit. Unfortunately, the food wasn't. The Gas House promotes its prime rib as their Famous Gas House Prime Rib. I ordered medium done. When it came to me. It was medium but it was also room temperature and chewy. The plate was warmed but it wasn't. It was also half fat. I know prime rib is a fattier cut of meat, but half fat is unacceptable. I also have a problem with a steak house that doesn't give you a bake potato as a choice. I did get the hash browns onions and a tossed salad. At least the hash browns onions were hot, and the salad was cold. I asked my friend about their prime rib, and she also said that her steak was barely warm. My mixed drink was good. I don't know what happened because my previous review rated them excellent.