Vegans and vegetarians might want to fast-forward just about now. Card-carrying carnivores? Come on down. The subject is great steakhouses, and the city is Chicago.
The Windy City is rife with good places to eat, and most of them know how to treat a good slab of beef. It’s when you get to the upper echelons of the art that the competition starts to sizzle. Here’s a handful of Chicago heavyweights:
- Keefer’s signature dishes include a 22-ounce T-bone and a 17-ounce New York Strip. They’re served with nicely-executed béarnaise, bordelaise and peppercorn sauces. Still got room for dessert? Split a New York Cheese Cake with a friend. The creation is dense and delicious.
- Benny’s Chop House bills itself as “a modern version of traditional Midwestern dining.” And so it is. Chef Jonathan Lane oversees a consummately competent kitchen staff. These folks do things right. If you’re dining with a friend, start off with the lobster bisque, split a 32-ounce dry-aged Porterhouse and pair it with a cabernet selected from a wine list that runs 1,000-labels-plus. The ambiance is elegant.
- The Chicago Chop House is one of those places packed with photos on the wall. That’s a dead giveaway it’s got to be good. In this case the photographs tell the tale of Old Chicago, of the days when meat-packers, politicians and gangsters fought for control of the city. This restaurant refers to itself as “Where the City that Works Eats.” The 24-ounce prime rib is a jewel, especially medium rare. All steaks are hand cut on-site and the wine list is ample: more than 650 selections, including a healthy 30 wines-by-the-glass.
- Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse too is festooned by photographs of the high and the mighty: rock stars, athletes, pols and movie stars. Locals love to congregate here. Start with an appetizer of home-cured salmon. Make the main course a nicely sized 10-ounce filet mignon. That will enable you to finish off the meal all by yourself with a serving of Macadamia Turtle Pie.
(Image: abidavis)
