s sophisticated a dining-out town as Chicago is–boasting some of the best French, Thai, Mexican and Italian restaurants in the nation, along with a virtual United Nations of other ethnic eateries–it’s clear that in the city of Big Shoulders, beef is king.
The city and suburbs abound with high-end steakhouses specializing in USDA prime or Certified Black Angus beef, and there are more steakhouses on the way. When the Drake Hotel recently revamped one of its restaurants, the result was Drake Bros.–a steakhouse. Michael Jordan’s Steak House, a concept that originated in New York, of all places, will open a Chicago branch (location unknown) sometime next year.
This despite the fact that beef prices have risen to historic highs during the last year. Grant DePorter, managing partner at Harry Caray’s, says that even though steak prices have never been higher, neither have his sales. “We’re up 20 percent over our best previous year,” he says.
Some suggest that the popularity of protein-rich diets has helped pack the nation’s steakhouses, but to Julio Dossantos, manager of Morton’s Steakhouse, the answer is more basic. “People love a good steak more than anything else,” he says. “And when they go out for a steak, they want the best.”
One could make a case that a prime steak is one of the best bargains on any restaurant’s menu. A $40 steak earns a restaurant less profit than does a $20 pasta dish, because the cost of the meat is so high. Yet steakhouses continue to proliferate, because the demand simply doesn’t go away.
For one glorious month, I consumed steak, steak and more steak, in a beefy effort to identify my favorite 12 steakhouses. It wasn’t easy, in the sense that there are lots of great steakhouses in the area. But it was a lot more fun than I expected, because, like many Chicagoans, my passion for a top-quality steak knows no bounds.
You’d think that palate burnout would set in quickly, but no. I was just as enthusiastic visiting the 15th steakhouse as I was the first.
I’ve rated my Top 12 with one, two or three stars, but I didn’t experience anything worthy of a fourth star. Most steakhouses have pretty limited menus; if I hang four stars on Morton’s for its New York strip steak, I’d also have to give four stars to Le Vichyssois’ salmon en croute, and so on.
And a steakhouse’s boisterous atmosphere, however enjoyable, is not on a par with the refined, reflective dining experience a true four-star restaurant provides.
Here are my picks, listed alphabetically but star-rated:
Capital Grille (star)(star)
633 N. St. Clair St., 312-337-9400
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Fri.
Notable feature: As clubby as it gets
The Chicago link of this Atlanta-based chain is a handsome space of soaring ceilings, dark wood and oil portraits, some depicting Chicago notables. Among the steak options is a beautiful 14-ounce hunk of filet mignon ($32.95), along with specials such as a terrific porcini-dusted ribeye ($35.95) in a puddle of rich demiglace. There’s also quite a bit of seafood on the menu, including an excellent appetizer of flash-fried calamari with spicy peppers. The roasted-mushrooms side dish is worth the splurge.
Gene & Georgetti (star)(star)(star)
500 N. Franklin St., 312-527-3718
Open: Dinner and lunch Mon.-Sat.
Notable feature: Frank dined here (and if you have to ask . . . ).
You either love this place or hate it. There’s an old-fashioned insider’s feel that can intimidate newcomers, but a smile and a little conversation go a long way here. Old-time waiters shake your hand in welcome but react joylessly to any order you might place–possibly because the menu is compact enough that they’ve heard it all before. Steaks are big and cut especially thick–I swear the 16-ounce filet ($36.50) could prop open an oak door–and the flavors, particularly with the New York strip ($37.75), are first rate. Side dishes are a bit pricey at $9, but the creamed spinach and Lyonnaise potatoes are fine. Me, I’m a sucker for the enormous garbage salad.
Gibsons (star)(star)(star)
1028 N. Rush St., 312-266-8999
Open: Dinner and lunch Mon.-Sun.
Notable feature: The menu includes London broil, a rare treat.
There’s plenty to catch your eye at this perpetually busy steakhouse. There’s the view of Rush and State Streets from the window, the eye candy at the bar and the steaks themselves, brought to you raw on a silver platter so you can check out just what you’ll be ordering. The bone-in sirloin ($40.75) is a 22-ounce beauty, done just the way I like it, with substantial charcoaling outside and pure medium-rare joy inside. The WR steak ($35.75) is another great cut, and not just because the bone-in ribeye is named for my former colleague William Rice. Steaks come with salad or soup; the salad is merely chopped lettuce, though the bleu cheese dressing is very good. For sides, the sauteed spinach-mushrooms combo is a good pick–get a half order. (A second location is at 5464 N. River Rd., Rosemont, 847-928-9900.)
Harry Caray’s (star)(star)(star)
33 W. Kinzie St., 312-828-0966
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Sat.
Notable feature: The spirit of Harry lives here.
A lot of people probably think of Harry’s as a sports bar, or an Italian-American restaurant, and with the profusion of sports memorabilia on the walls and arguably the city’s best chicken Vesuvio on the menu, there’s something to those views. But Harry’s also has a nice selection of prime steaks. Steaks can be ordered simply broiled, or, for a modest upcharge, done peppercorn or Vesuvio style. I tried the peppercorn treatment, which adds a nice peppercorn crust and bathes the meat in a bordelaise-type sauce, with the filet ($29.95), but the next time I’ll have it plain, thanks. Don’t even think of adding extraneous flavors to the New York strip ($33.95), which is a terrific, juicy cut that doesn’t need anything but a touch of salt. If you’re looking for a side dish, the creamed spinach here is pretty good. The award-winning wine list is terrific; you’re limited only by your budget. (A second location is at 10233 W. Higgins Rd., Rosemont, 847-699-1200.)
Magnum’s Prime Steakhouse (star)
777 E. Butterfield Rd., Lombard, 630-573-1010
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Fri.
Notable feature: One of the very few prime steakhouses in DuPage County.
The original downtown location of this steakhouse is closed for remodeling, but this suburban satellite (and its sibling in Rolling Meadows) are going strong. I’d like the Lombard location even better without the intrusive lounge act attached to the bar. But the steaks generally overshadow the atmosphere. The 12-ounce New York strip ($29.95) was a bit dry and disappointing, but I loved the bone-in ribeye ($39.95), which is excellent. Sides are only decent; opt instead for the $3.50 cup of lobster bisque, which boasts nice chunks of lobster meat in a better-than-average bisque. (An additional location is at 1701 W. Golf Rd., Rolling Meadows, 847-952-8555.)
Mike Ditka’s (star)(star)
100 E. Chestnut St., 312-587-8989
Open: Dinner and lunch Mon.-Sun.
Notable feature: Da Coach.
Summing up the hardnosed-playing, Grabowski-invoking, gum-throwing, Super Bowl-winning, TV-commentating, Levitra-hawking, Senate-candidate-contemplating personality that is Mike Ditka isn’t easy, but his restaurant gives it a shot with displays of memorabilia, press clippings, autographs from famous friends–“A mini-Ditka museum,” as one employee (reverentially) called it. The signature steak is the charmingly named “Kick Ass Paddle Steak;” I believe you actually swat things with a paddle, but no matter, as this huge, bone-in ribeye steak ($32.99) delivers plenty of meat with excellent texture and flavor. The bone-in filet ($36.99), another of our waiter’s touts, is decent but no match for the aforementioned star. Steaks come with choice of potato, and our waiter happily offered to substitute any of the menu’s side dishes instead; I’d go with the creamed spinach, notable for its relative lack of cream. By-the-glass wines are pricey but the pours are generous.
Morton’s of Chicago (star)(star)(star)
1050 N. State St., 312-266-4820
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun.
Notable feature: Terrific onion bread; adorable pewter-pig lamps.
Over the years, Morton’s has grown from its single basement location (this one) to one of the largest steakhouse chains in the nation. I’ve visited this place several times and never been disappointed. I’m particularly fond of the kitchen’s way of giving each steak a nice exterior char, which imparts the slight bitterness that to me is essential in the perfect steak. And there was perfect char on my melt-in-the-mouth New York strip ($42) as well as the butter-soft filet mignon ($39). Leave the sides alone, though if you like an aggressive dash of nutmeg in your creamed spinach, this is the place; instead, save room for one of the dessert souffles. (Other locations are in Rosemont, Schaumburg and Westchester, all of which serve lunch.)
The Palm (star)(star)
323 E. Wacker Drive, 312-616-1000
Open: Dinner and lunch Mon.-Sun.
Notable feature: Wall caricatures of famous and sorta-famous customers.
To those of us who remember the Palm’s first Chicago address, in the defunct Mayfair Regent Hotel, this will always be the “other” location. But it’s a nice one, a nice mix of clubby and airy, with tall ceilings and wood-wainscoted walls. And everywhere you look, those silly/charming caricatures. (They once offered to add me to the mix, though their motives may not have been pure.) Steaks include a big and slightly fatty ribeye ($36.50), and a first-rate New York strip ($35.50) with excellent flavor. Side dishes are worth trying, especially the half-and-half (onion strings and cottage fries mixed together) and the batter-fried asparagus in a lemony garlic sauce. (A second location is at 2000 Northbrook Court, Northbrook, 847-239-7256.)
Phil Stefani’s 437 Rush (star)(star)(star)
437 N. Rush St., 312-222-0101
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sat., lunch Mon.-Fri.
Notable feature: Large, comfy bar.
This restaurant, once a popular journalists’ watering hole called Riccardo’s, is another steakhouse with a strong Italian-American accent, and while the Italian fare is pretty good, the steaks are wonderful. The one-pound ribeye ($39.95), its bone “frenched” so it looks like something Fred Flintstone might order, is well-charcoaled outside and juicy inside, and darn near perfect. There was less charcoaling on my Kansas City steak ($35.95), but the flavor was still excellent. Creamed spinach with mushrooms is a fine side dish, with just the right amount of cream. The good wine list includes some very attractive by-the-glass options.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House (star)(star)(star)
431 N. Dearborn St., 312-321-2725
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Fri.
Notable feature: Hot plates!
This New Orleans-based chain serves its steaks on plates so hot that grabbing one might cost you a layer of skin; the butter (routinely placed on top of steaks unless you specify otherwise) actually sizzles on the plate. The butter actually helps a bit with very lean cuts such as the monstrous filet mignon ($29.95) but is wholly extraneous when applied to Ruth’s New York strip ($31.95), which was one of the best steaks of this survey. Side dishes are good, particularly the au gratin potatoes, and they’re only $4.95. (A second location is at 933 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook, 847-498-6889.)
Shula’s Steakhouse (star)(star)(star)
301 E. North Water St., 312-670-0788.
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun.
Notable feature: Background music is all-Sinatra, all the time.
If you didn’t know that Don Shula’s 1972-73 Dolphins are still the league’s only undefeated Super Bowl champion, you’d figure it out in about 30 seconds at this restaurant, a beef-laden paean to Shula’s career in general and that one magical season in particular. The menu is painted on a regulation NFL football and placed on the table with a kicking tee; the wine list is covered in pebble-grained leather and there are gilt-framed photos of the coach and his players throughout the dining room. But beyond the enough-already decor, there is beef, Certified Black Angus (as opposed to USDA prime) and above reproach. The porterhouse, a 24-ouncer ($39.95), is so juicy that I was sure I was going to stain my shirt at some point (but didn’t), and it’s terrific. For the true glutton there’s a 48-ounce porterhouse ($86.50) that, if you eat it all, earns you recognition on the chain’s Web site (which for all I know is linked to a cardiology practice). Still no lunch service, though it might happen next year. (A second location is at 400 Park Blvd., Itasca, and serves lunch: 630-775-1499.)
Smith & Wollensky (star)(star)
318 N. State St., 312-670-9900
Open: Dinner and lunch Mon.-Fri.
Notable feature: River view.
This New York import is one of my favorites, mostly for the little touches: the terrific bread basket that begins the meal, excellent wine options and a menu that includes excellent non-beef options. The bone-in sirloin ($38.50) arrived a trifle overcooked, but still was flavorful and tender. The Cajun steak ($29.50) is outstanding, a huge ribeye steeped judiciously in Cajun spices; it gets your attention, but the flavor of the meat still dominates. On Sunday afternoons the restaurant augments its steakhouse menu with an a la carte selection of brunch items, adding new breadth to the term “steak and eggs.”
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OUTSTANDING (star)(star)(star)(star)
EXCELLENT (star)(star)(star)
VERY GOOD (star)(star)
GOOD (star)
Reviews are based on no fewer than two visits. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
