Picking the best steakhouse in Chicago has become a more deliciously confounding chore with the opening of Smith & Wollensky. The New York import has been open just six weeks but already has demonstrated that it belongs among the city’s elite.
That’s no idle statement in a town that already includes Morton’s, Gibsons, The Palm, Gene & Georgetti, Ruth’s Chris and Capital Grille, among others. But Smith & Wollensky, has the chops — and the steaks — to compete with such daunting competition.
I had perhaps the best sirloin of my life here — a massive strip steak, incredibly juicy and tender, with a mouth-filling, slightly earthy taste that comes only from the finest aged beef. The ribeye steak, even bigger, would have been more impressive had I not been tasting it side-by-side with the sirloin, but it too was excellent. A doorstop-sized filet mignon, rolled in cracked peppercorns and surrounded by a moat of peppercorn cream sauce, is another wonderful piece of meat.
Chef Hans Aeschbacher does a fine job with his non-steak entrees as well. The whimsically titled Angry Lobster is a hefty four-pounder, sliced lengthwise in half and dusted liberally with a paprika-cayenne seasoning mix; this is how I want my lobsters from now on. The crackling pork shank is a big seller; it’s a monstrous slab of bone-on meat, slow-cooked as a confit and finished with a quick dip in hot oil to render the exterior crusty. Placed over German-style sauerkraut and served with serrano-chile laced applesauce, this is hearty eating for people secure in their cholesterol levels.
As with most high-end steakhouses, vegetable and potatoes are not included with steaks but beckon enticingly from an a la carte list of side dishes. Whipped potatoes, served in an adorable, tiny Calphalon pot and dusted with black pepper and chile oil, are worth the splurge. Creamed spinach, a signature item, was a bit inconsistent in my experience; one night virtually flavorless and chopped to the consistency of toothpaste, a subsequent night a bit better but still on the bland side.
Starter courses include outstanding crabcakes, served very hot over mustard-honey slaw, and a red-pepper puree with a touch of basil oil. Pastrami salmon, a signature item over at S & W’s sister property, Park Avenue Cafe, consists of thin-sliced salmon, cured pastrami-style and pepper crusted, draped artfully on the plate alongside a mustard-dill sauce, mixed greens and thinly sliced sweet pickles.
The lobster cocktail is expensive — about $14 — but includes a whole lobster, about 1 1/4 pounds, served chilled with a tangy cocktail sauce and a sinfully good seasoned mayonnaise.
Salads include a Caesar salad, which includes very fresh greens and a light, bordering on timid, Caesar dressing; and the Wollensky salad, a hefty collection of romaine lettuce with roasted potatoes (cut to resemble croutons), mushrooms and bacon in a mustard-mayonnaise dressing. Chicken and andouille soup, featured one afternoon, is much too tame.
Desserts are by Michael Weinreb, formerly pastry chef at Park Avenue Cafe in Chicago; his creations for Smith & Wollensky lack the showiness of Park Avenue’s camera-ready desserts, but they’re solid traditional dishes, including a warm apple tart, dense and tasty pineapple cake and a signature carrot cake. A sense of whimsy pervades the Drunken Donuts, a trio of fresh-made doughnuts served with alcohol-laced preserves, including mango with spiced rum, orange marmalade with Grand Marnier and strawberry with cinnamon schnapps.
A great steakhouse needs a great wine list, and Smith & Wollensky doesn’t disappoint on that score, offering a wide range of styles, sizes and price points; particularly noteworthy are its selection of big bottles (magnums and larger) and half bottles.
Service is still in the getting-to-know-you stage, and teamwork is not as smooth as I suspect it will soon become.
Smith & Wollensky has a near-perfect location; it’s attached to the Marina City complex, its entrance just north of the State Street bridge. Windowside tables on two levels overlook the Chicago River, its gardenlike south bank and the majestic towers that line Wacker Drive to the south. Beyond the upper-level dining room is a wide concrete promenade that, once licensing requirements are met, will offer outdoor seating overlooking the water. It should be an immensely popular hangout.
The wood-trimmed dining rooms are appropriately clubby, but windows and French doors provide plenty of light. Owner Alan Stillman’s signature arty touches (he’s a big collector of Americana) are in evidence, including a collection of smoking stands — cutout wood characters bearing ashtrays — arrayed above the bar.
In addition to the upper and lower dining rooms, there is Wollensky’s Grill, a small space on the lower level that offers smaller-portioned steaks and chops and an excellent hamburger (also available upstairs at lunch). Advantages of the Grill include late serving hours (noon-1:30 a.m.) and first-come, first-served seating; those seated in the Grill also may order from the main menu.
Smith and Wollensky isn’t the city’s best steakhouse yet, but it seems headed in that direction.
Smith & Wollensky
(star) (star)
318 N. State St.
312-670-9900
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Sun.
Entree prices: $17.50-$35
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Strongly recommended
Other: Valet parking available; wheelchair accessible
Rating system
(star) (star) (star) (star) Outstanding
(star) (star) (star) Excellent
(star) (star) Very Good
(star) Good
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Reviews are based on no fewer than two visits. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
