St. Patrick’s Steakhouse brings fine dining experience to south suburbs

When asked to describe St. Patrick’s Steakhouse in Dolton, Nick Todd rattled off three words without a hint of exaggeration: “Beautiful, stunning, breathtaking.”

Earnest and proud, the assistant general manager showed off the six-floor facility during a recent tour. He pointed out the multilevel, open dining area, where loads of natural light illuminated the white tablecloths and red velvet chairs. He motioned near the electric fireplace, where singers, saxophonists and comedians often perform.

When asked about the menu, he made a “chef’s kiss” gesture, talking up the California-style, braised short ribs, the 8-ounce salmon dish named for “Nina Simone,” and the “Trio of the Sea,” featuring catfish, crab and shrimp.

People are delighted to find such a gem in the south suburbs, he said.

“It’s probably the fanciest restaurant around.”

The eatery, 15022 Lincoln Ave., is among the participants in this year’s Chicago Black Restaurant Week, which runs Feb. 8-22.

Open since April, the steakhouse is named for both Patrick Kamara, a co-owner, and James “Ghost” St. Patrick, the criminal-turned-entrepreneur protagonist of the Starz TV show “Power.” The layout pays homage to the character’s nightclub, “Truth,” which also has an upper level overlooking the main floor. On Valentine’s Day, the restaurant will host a meet-and-greet with actress Naturi Naughton, who portrays Ghost’s wife, Tasha, on the show.

“Power” inspiration aside, Kamara said his goal was to bring a Downtown-Chicago dining experience to Dolton, while giving back by hiring people from the predominantly Black neighborhood — especially teenage boys.

“Watching their growth from boys to men is what's been fulfilling to me,” said Kamara, 46, of Lynwood, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Tiffany Kamara. The couple previously owned a beverage depot in the area.

He even insisted that his employees pose for photos for this article in his stead.

“I'm not here without the staff,” he said.

The business also includes a wine and spirits shop on the first floor, an event space and a rooftop bar. The Kamaras built the structure from the ground up on the site of a former animal hospital. But the journey to opening was arduous. Tiffany Kamara sued former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard, alleging she was withholding their liquor licenses. A Cook County judge found that Henyard was in “indirect criminal contempt” and forced her to approve the licenses in January 2025.

Henyard did not immediately respond to the Sun-Times’ requests for comment.

By providing an elegant atmosphere with ample free parking, Kamara said the restaurant fills a need for community members who would otherwise have to drive to Downtown Chicago, Orland Park, Tinley Park or Indiana for a similar experience.

The fine dining menu was created by Chef Andrew “Drew” Criswell, who is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. One of his popular dishes is the 18-ounce, bone-in rib-eye, accentuated with a Creole sauce that his grandmother taught him to make. A standout among the dessert menu is the strawberry cheesecake, which is flambéed with Grand Marnier liqueur.

“A lot of my inspiration comes from French chefs,” Criswell said. “We have the creativity to make beautiful things here.”

The cocktail menu features “Power”-themed drinks named after characters, including the “Queenpin Margarita,” “The Ghost” sidecar and the “Kanan Sunrise.”

Despite its high standards, the quality of the restaurant is still questioned by people — online reviewers and customers — because it is Black-owned, Kamara said. He also said that more grace is given to white establishments when they make mistakes.

“[People] have been programmed a certain way,” he said. “So, [they] will excuse a restaurant Downtown because, ‘They know what they're doing; they're just having a bad day.’ If they come here, ‘It's Dolton, so there has to be something wrong.’”

Prior to receiving a loan from the Black-owned Optus Bank in South Carolina, Kamara said other financial institutions did not want to support the restaurant because it was located in Dolton. Having experienced the struggle to gain financing firsthand, Kamara said he feels pressure to succeed to pave the way for other Black-owned restaurants.

“There aren’t that many Black steakhouses out here,” he said. “So, the need for our survival is super important, because if we fail, the bank that took a chance on this will not put another Black person in that position again. It's hard for us to get access to capital anyway. Our small businesses are not getting funding from the government, especially this government.”

And survival means more opportunities to give back, Kamara said.

“We really want to show this young generation that this is a space that not a whole lot of us are in, and you don't have to be running the streets,” he said. “You can work hard and actually build something that you dream about.”

For a full list of restaurants participating in Chicago Black Restaurant Week, go to http://chicago.suntimes.com/cbrw2026list.