The Perry Street Brasserie Restaurant

The Perry Street Brasserie Restaurant Winner of Open Table's Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S. 2013 and 2015.

The most wonderful news……..Many of you remember our son Matthew. He started out in the kitchen at 15 years old washing ...
07/29/2026

The most wonderful news……..

Many of you remember our son Matthew. He started out in the kitchen at 15 years old washing dishes. When he got older, he became a waiter. When our manager Mary left, Matthew took over managing the front of the house. He was the one who created all the wonderful unique cocktails that so many of you enjoyed.

After we closed the restaurant, Matthew moved to Colorado for a while but several years ago moved to SW Wisconsin, about a half hour from Galena.

Unfortunately he was born with the same genetic disease as my wife Renee, Polycystic Kidney Disease. He started dialysis almost 6 years ago. It is a very debilitating process, as I saw how Renee was affected when she was on dialysis for 2 1/2 years before receiving a second transplant 5 years ago. He was on the transplant list in Iowa City and Madison. Many, many people prayed for him over the years for the perfect kidney to appear.

In May of this year, he got the call from the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison that a kidney was waiting for him. Renee and I flew up the same day, arriving to the hospital at 1 o’clock in the morning. Matthew surprised the doctors and nurses with his determination to begin his life again, and to the amazement of everyone there, he left the hospital in 3 1/2 days. Within less than 2 weeks, he stopped all narcotic pain medication and was cleared to drive again. I was his official caretaker and stayed with him until he was well enough to drive.

It’s been 2 months since the transplant, and his labs and numbers are excellent. His visits back to Madison have been positive and the word that the surgeon has called him is “amazing.”

God has been good to give my wife and our younger son kidneys and we wanted to share the good news with our customers. 😊

01/04/2023

Hello Friends!

Happy 2023 from the Golden Isles in SE Georgia. Renee and I wish you a happy and healthy new year.

If you’ve eaten at the PSB, you met our son Matthew who was the front of the house manager. Matthew was diagnosed with the same genetic kidney disease that Renee had. He has been on dialysis for 2 1/2 years and is on the transplant list, but a matching kidney has not been found yet. Since we’ve been through it with Renee, we know what dialysis entails and the effects on the body. For a man in his 30’s, this is even harder since he still needs to work and carry on with his life, whereas Renee was at least retired.

If anyone feels moved to donate a kidney, our family would be very appreciative. With the advancement in medicine, your kidney doesn’t even have to be a match with Matthew. If it matches, the hospital stay for the donor is usually only 2-3 days. The surgery for the donor is done laparoscopically and the site is closed with a bandaid. If the kidney isn’t a match, it will be donated to someone on the transplant list, and Matthew would be moved to #1 on the list for the first kidney to match with him. All costs are paid for by Matt’s insurance, so the donor is not out of pocket. Renee’s first donor was a friend, and her life has continued normally with no side effects from the donation. It was 20 years ago and she has never had a problem with the surgery. As a matter of fact, 3 days after the first transplant, she was singing in the church choir and working in her garden.

The gift of life is the most precious thing anyone can do. If this is something that you or another family member is interested in, you can send a private message to Renee Dowe.

Thanks, and have a wonderful year.

Chef Steve and Renee

07/03/2022

Hello Friends!

I just wanted to keep you updated with our news. Renee and I sold our home in Galena (listed only 4 hours and got a contract!) The closing is on August 1st. We had a whirlwind trip to SE Georgia deciding on where to live. We wanted 1. beach and 2. warm weather.

Renee is from the NJ seashore and I grew up in Weymouth on the English Channel, so after living 27 years in Galena (where we moved up from Florida), we really missed the ocean.

First we looked in the Savannah area but it was too crowded and too much traffic and the only beach was at Hilton Head, of which we weren’t too fond. After a couple of days of driving around looking at the area, we headed south to Brunswick, GA. We fell in love with the area, and the beaches at Jekyll Island and St. Simon’s Island are beautiful. In a total of 3 days, we found a house we loved, put in an offer, and it was accepted. The closing is August 5th, so after our house closes in Galena on the 1st, we drive down to Brunswick.

Matthew has relocated from Colorado and now lives in Benton WI. He has several interviews in the Galena/Dubuque/Platteville area and is looking forward to being back where he still has lots of friends - and knowing he can go south for vacation in the cold winters here!

Chef Steve

04/24/2022

Hello PSB friends. I just wanted to mention to you that if you haven’t tried it, there is a fantastic restaurant in Galena called The Savory Kitchen. Renee and I discovered it last fall, and we go a few times a month. The food is delicious and the service is excellent.

There are only 6 tables. They serve lunch from Tuesday through Saturday. No reservations for lunch.

Dinner is Wednesday through Saturday and reservations are necessary because they are so tiny. Located on Main St. between Big Bill’s Cafe and Fritz and Frites.

It is about the only restaurant that we go to in Galena, and is definite worth it if you’ve enjoyed the PSB.

Chef Steve

11/30/2021

Chef Steve’s personal email was hacked. He sent no emails. If you received an email saying he needs assistance, please delete it and do not reply. We apologize for any inconvenience.

10/08/2021

To our Perry Street Friends:

It’s hard to believe that on New Year’s Eve, it will end our fifth year of retirement (last day was Dec. 31, 2016), with January beginning the start of year 6.

We have good news for you! Earlier this year, a new restaurant opened in Galena called The Savory Kitchen. With Covid and Renee’s kidney transplant in May, we haven’t gone out much. Renee is coming up on her sixth month post transplant, so she and I have tried The Savory Kitchen twice.

The first time was a couple of weeks ago for dinner. Everything was delicious. We started with mussels in a broth. Renee had salmon with pasta and I had steak with grilled asparagus. Both entrees came with a huge - and very good - salad. Renee kept joking that she was going to cover her mouth with her hand because she moaned every time she took a bite, everything was so good. We ended with a chocolate bomb dessert. We were going to share it. I took 2 bites and Renee devoured the rest (she wouldn’t want me to say that, but it was true).

Today we went for lunch. I had a grilled chicken breast over salad. It was huge! I couldn’t finish it. Renee had a salmon sandwich with fries. She said the salmon was so good that she had to have it again.

James is the chef and man, can he cook. Michael is the waiter and both men are so nice. If you miss the Perry Street Brasserie, run - don’t walk - to The Savory Kitchen. The quality is great, the men are great, and the food is delicious.

Important note: There are only 6 tables, so you need a reservation. The night we were there for dinner, there were 4 sets of people that tried to walk in but the restaurant was full for the evening.

I hope all of our friends/customers are keeping well. The one thing we miss most about Perry Street are the people.

Chef Steve

Matthew has moved from Colorado to Milwaukee where he has started his new position as a Salesman at the Lexus dealer. G...
08/01/2021

Matthew has moved from Colorado to Milwaukee where he has started his new position as a Salesman at the Lexus dealer. Give him a call if you are looking for a Lexus or another of the quality used cars on their lot.

05/22/2021

This is Renee here with an apology. To the lady who asked for the recipe for the drink that was like a rum punch. If you saw below, I had a kidney transplant and am taking 30 pills a day. I got a bit muddled and can’t find your post and I don’t remember who you are. I am so sorry.

In any case, Matthew is here now, so can you please post again on the PSB page and he will try to figure out what drink it is.

05/22/2021

2021 has become a wonderful year for us.

On May 2nd, Renee received a kidney transplant from a deceased donor at the University of Iowa Hospital. She has been home for 2 weeks and has a very slow healing process but the kidney is adjusting to her body and the surgeons feel that the surgery will be successful.

Thank you to our friends and customers for the prayers and thoughts sent through cyberspace to us. And we are doubly happy because Renee and I today are celebrating our 42nd wedding anniversary. And both our boys came home to celebrate with us. Life is good!

Address

N Commerce Street 124
Galena, IL
61036

Telephone

+18157773773

Website

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