Steakhouses are sheer firmly of late in Chicago . Now before you could say " all the right way , good to know for the next time my uncle ’s in town , I guess , " know that we ’re not talking about cavernous , floor - to - ceiling wood paneling , tabular array - side Caesar salad steakhouses . It ’s the new batch of worldly , decidedly unstuffy steak restaurants looking to crack into the ranks of the classic like Gene & Georgetti and Gibson ’s that ’s making things truly interesting .
Some of these nouveau concepts ride out deep rooted in old - school sensibility while others deviate from tradition to create a sassy and different chophouse experience , but they all have one thing in uncouth : collectively , they ’re looking to remold the Chicago dining scene via the very eccentric of restaurant most resistant to reshape .
Chicago has always welcomed and support steakhouses , but up until a few years ago , opening and operate a chophouse was undeniably formulaic .
Marcin Cymmer
To better empathize how and why this boom happen , we decided to take a closer look at potential accelerator , talk to the kinsfolk behind some of these novel steakhouses , and research the infinite nuances of dining trends .
But first , lease ’s consider what a classic steakhouse experience imply versus what a new steakhouse experience entails :
The classic steakhouse experience
A night out at a definitive steakhouse is often limited to one or two neighborhoods adjacent to Mag Mile and involve plenty of pomp and consideration : salads prepared and do mesa side , hulking cuts of prime boeuf , starchy , bowel - break sides , and jazz medicine lilting in the backcloth . The shot is unremarkably dark , as if to to comfort you into the dinner party facing pages , and purpose elements almost always ask Sir Henry Joseph Wood , banquette booth , and white tablecloth . Everything orb around the centre , and appetiser are mean to be consumed by one mortal instead of shared .
The new steakhouse experience
An evening at a newfangled chophouse , on the other bridge player , will likely take trendy music , chic interior decoration , and locales that stretch beyond Downtown Chicago . The cocktails , veg , and sweet are prepare with as much thought and fear as the steak , and are often inspired by the cuisines of other countries . Many smasher are designed for communion , make for a more inclusive and communal overall experience .
Meet the new major players
Community TavernPortage Park … the dress shop - y one with sane price in a developing neighborhood .
BoeufhausHumboldt Park … Gallic - meets - German with a welcoming , no - frills standard pressure .
Rural SocietyStreeterville … the Argentinean chophouse backed by anIron Chef .
Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf
fleet & SonsWest Loop … the chic launching from Boka Restaurant Group and B. Hospitality .
RPM SteakRiver North … the glamorous spot for escort and being meet .
Maple & AshGold Coast … the classically inspired restaurant that poke fun at classic chophouse
Kailley Lindman/Thrillist
STKRiver North … the clubby , DJ - fueled spot with New York ascendent and a penchant for lighter option .
Bavette ’s Bar & BoeufRiver North … the Euro - inhale steakhouse that break the rules before it was coolheaded to break in the chophouse rules .
How they’re breaking the mold
chophouse are no longer bind to Mag MileWhile most of these new steakhouses have preserved chemical element of the traditional steakhouse experience , perhaps the most notable is where they ’re prune up . It was n’t all that long ago that dining out at a steakhouse mean throttle yourself to the River North and Gold Coast neighborhoods .
West Loop , which now lays call to Swift & Sons , was a raw next footfall ; it ’s currently Chicago ’s culinary epicenter , and given the neighborhood ’s obvious want of steakhouses , it was only a matter of clock time before that void was strategically sate .
Other neighbourhood , like Humboldt Park ( Boeufhaus ) and Portage Park ( Community Tavern ) , are less obvious alternative , and yet , that ’s exactly what ’s so groovy about them . In regards to his plans for opening Community Tavern , owner Quay Tao says , “ I began think about steakhouses in general . Why are n’t there small steakhouse locate outside of Downtown ? Why do all the steakhouses fit into the same traditional mold ? Why ca n’t we do a chophouse in a new fashion in a less - saturated neighborhood ? The result is we can . ”
Boeufhaus
Indeed . Community Tavern is a informal dining haven in a neck of the woods not yet gnaw from a undulation of gentrification , and while it ’s remained one of the North Side ’s best - keep secrets since open about a yr ago , its intellectual nourishment is too good – and steaks too reasonably priced – to stay a mystery for long . Similarly , Boeufhaus is fix on a stretch of Humboldt Park that ’s changing rapidly , yet still bears small resemblance to the calendered , mellow - ending city block of River North . Depending on where you live , it may not be as logistically convenient as a business district chophouse , but it ’s arguably more accessible given its inviting , neighborhood - y appeal .
They ’re taking on globular influencesRural Society , for model , may be situated Downtown , but it is not the classic , all - American chophouse . The wholesale meat department store specializes in traditional Argentinian portion out collection plate likemorrones(roasted reddened peppers , whipped eggplant , and anchovies ) and braised Wagyu beef belly - stuffed empanadas , house - made sausages , and Sir Henry Joseph Wood - grill cuts of beef source from South America . Sure , you may still score a dry - cured New York strip here , but that means skirting the experience of a bife de chorizo ( ribeye ) from Uruguay .
Brendan Sodikoff ’s Bavette ’s pulls more than a small influence from France ; here , Caesar salad and meatloaf share the spotlight with Lyonnaise Salad , steak frites , and ivory - in fish filet drape in béarnaise and steak salt . Community Tavern ’s menu flourish some Gallic flair of its own with dishes like a foie gras BLT , snail , and prize beef tartare . Boeufhaus goes one step further , with its unequalled fusion of French and German cuisines alluded to in its name lead to combinations like little rib beignets and rye whisky spaetzle .
Jeff Marini
The steakhouse scene bourgeons with more conventional culturally beat back spots , too , like plentiful Brazilian churrascarias and Japanese - list Roka Akor , which turns the age - old “ steak and Solanum tuberosum ” meal on its head thanks to a robatayaki - style grill that time in at over 1,9000 level and seals meat juices in while creating a smoky , caramelized char freshness .
Vegetables, desserts, and drink programs don’t take a back seat to steak
In addition to celebrating global cuisines , this shift away from the classic steakhouse epitome has led to a more balanced dining experience overall . Steak will always stay on the pièce de résistance of a repast ; however , restaurants are also protrude to come in great importance on other aspects of the serve , such as thoroughgoing beverage programs , more originative and impactful veggie and fish offerings , and desserts that are far more than an afterthought .
No steakhouse better represent this care to equalizer and point than RPM Steak . The potable political platform includes an astounding collection of wines , a handful of expertly executed classical cocktail , and a beer list that ranges from the familiar to exceedingly rare thick swing . Instead of the stock handful of steak options , the computer menu is made up of 15 different cut of sum , include a petite bison filet , a 42 oz Mishima tomahawk , and just about everything plumbable in between .
“ We took a dissimilar approach than other restaurant ; we really wanted a full spectrum of pith , " says Executive Chef Doug Psaltis . " chophouse in the past might have only had six steaks on their bill of fare that are all very exchangeable in term of flavor profile . We chose to have a form so that [ guests ] can experience a range of flavors . ” As for the veggies ? Cooked to grade to fill up out said flavors . “ When we open RPM Steak , one of our biggest goals was to pass a healthy restaurant . We do n’t disguise the flavors of our steaks with butter , so you could get that majuscule protein fix that you ’re looking for . We approach our veg the same elbow room . ”
Courtesy of Anthony Tahlier
Healthy eating is all well and good , but when it comes to desserts , the new child on the block are going several step further than the basic sundaes and overly impenetrable flourless chocolate cake one could easy associate with first wave steakhouses . RPM Steak ’s program include mesa - side flame baked Alaska – a cheeky nod to the board - side Caesar salad of the past – and an radical - decadent gold leaf - blob coffee cake .
Swift & Sons pastry chef Meg Galus was recently named a James Beard Award semifinalist for her outstanding pastry work , let in her whimsical take on a cracker diddly-shit with peanut butter mousse , salt caramel , caramelized sugar corn whisky , and Zea mays everta sherbert , her made - from - scratch shabu creams , and an otherworldly chocolate platter .
They have a new look
A long time coming , these steakhouses also break from custom through aesthetic . If you close your middle and bring up up an epitome of a chophouse , what does it count like ? If word like “ colored , ” “ supper clubby , ” “ Ellen Price Wood paneled , ” “ opulent , ” and “ banquette seats ” come to mind , you ’ve just envisioned the ostensibly ubiquitous figure elements found in classic steakhouses . While some of these finishes make an appearance in the design of tidings fleck , they ’re comparatively few and far between .
Boeufhaus and Community Tavern dump the floor - to - cap wood and livid tablecloth in favor of exposed brick emphasise with rustic light secureness and tablecloth - free wooden tables . Maple and Ash and RPM Steak strategically avoid the “ cavernous ” smell by allowing soft natural light to spill into their several dining room through windows ; RPM Steak ’s white seats make the infinite feel even light and Laputan . STK , Chicago ’s ego - proclaimed sexiest steakhouse , flaunt intimate curved cubicle seating , a marble bar , and textural walls and focal points . And Swift & Sons entertains the eye in all directions with playful tiled flooring , industrial chic metallic element piping , and a pastoral mural near the bar .
Driving forces behind the steakhouse boom
Chicago ’s steakhouse roar has n’t stem from a single accelerator , but rather , from a assortment of factors . Maple & Ash Director of Wine and Service Belinda Chang capture the center of the movement in one very touching statement : “ [ The steakhouse ] is a classic form – an archetype for Chicago . Classic course are constantly ripe for finish and organic evolution . ”
It ’s straight – Chicago has always welcome and supported steakhouses , but up until a few year ago , opening and operating a steakhouse was undeniably formulaic . Sure , one place may do béarnaise better than the rest , or another shines with its paying attention service , but when it occur down to it , part of the appeal of classic chophouse is that they ’ve build a business off a cleared set of diner ’ expectations . Perhaps , then , the 2nd - undulation steakhouses are a way of repackaging a familiar dining experience in new and inventive ways ?
“ I suppose people have been very welcoming to the idea of redoing the steakhouse experience . multitude do n’t needfully require to dine at a place where all the vegetables , salads , and desserts are an afterthought … chophouse needed a refresh , ” Psaltis says . Other chefs , restaurateurs , and industry experts echo the sentiment , admit Chang , who pronounce that steakhouses “ embrace something unambiguously Chicago . It ’s a definitive form where the focal point is on the Cartesian product and the Edgar Albert Guest , not the chef ’s egotism . ”
Chef - driven concepts prevail Chicago ’s greater food scene , and while the gift and ingenuity of these chefs is undeniable , there is something to be order for steakhouses ’ collective tendency to value the reachable and ease facial expression of the food above the chef ’s self-importance and influence . Each of these new steakhouses come equipped with gravid chefs who allow their food , however strange - leaning or conversant , speak louder than their own personal styles .
We ’d be derelict if we did n’t acknowledge the economical divisor of the steakhouse boom , too . After the economic downswing in ’ 08 , the luxury and sumptuousness of the chophouse experience fell out of favor , both out of requirement to exercise restraint and out of the whim that to cosset at that level would n’t be prudent . Now , the country has reached greater economic stableness than it has in class , and as a outcome , mass see dining out as a way to treat themselves and become a part of the land ’s ever - growing food - obsess culture . steakhouse are a fomite for checking those box , at the same time embodying where Chicago ’s dining landscape painting has been , and where it is going .
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