G Wiv wrote:

teatpuller wrote:I'm still floored they couldn't figure out how to make a Manhattan. I wonder if they could manage a gin and tonic.

It wasn't a standard Manhattan, but a leather infused Manhattan which I'd guess requires special ingredients to be on hand.

like leather.

G Wiv wrote:Possibly I'm lucky, but I have been to David Burke a number of times and not experienced uneven service issues. In fact, on couple of occasions I found the service exemplary.

I only have two data points, but after my first visit, I was impressed. I couldn't see myself wanting to go to another steakhouse whenever I craved a big hunk of beef.

Jazzfood wrote:For the lucky that haven't succumbed to DB's erratic service and cooking abilities, consider yourself fortunate. When you're on the receiving end of the DB hammer, it's most irritating... and expensive.

We were definitely a "nail" on this visit to DB. What's strange is that we got both exemplary service (our interaction with the Manager, which could not be any more professional and responsive than it was) and what I consider unacceptable service (some of the interactions with the waiter) -- this is of course assuming that the appearance of the Mojito and Cake charge on the bill was the responsibility of the waiter.

I felt motivated to post such a long and detailed story regarding my experience in part due to some of the controversy that DB has been generating on this forum. I think that in the few hours I was there I experienced a concentrated heaping of all that is good and bad of the place. Our table and experience was a microcosm of much that has been discussed in this thread.

I planned on spending a lot of money at DB. The truth is that at their price-point you don't expect to deal with all of this...take-this-off-the-bill-add-this-to-the-bill-uncomfortable-interaction funny business.

I'm sad. I would have loved to keep loving DB. Cheers to those that have managed to keep the love alive.

My point exactly. For $250 a meal, I want what I want, exactly as ordered, not taken back while the other food cools and someone is without their dinner in front of them. It should be served seamlessly without mistakes or glitches that compromise the deservedly expected experience. The worst part is, they're fully aware of it and have declined to fix it in any way ie. ignored emails and telephone calls.

I agree the food's great when it's on and have no doubt that the majority get it that way. That has not been my experience though. Twice.

r2g wrote:He was much less friendly than he was earlier, but certainly not inappropriate or rude. I tell my wife that he is probably mistakenly thinking that we will not think to tip him on the total bill with the steak included...

i'm definetly not sure...but maybe this was your servers doing. from what you wrote, the manager seemed very adept at her job. perhaps the server, fearing a low tip, just re-added the drink and put on the cake after she executed the comp. he might have thought beefing up the tab (pretty insignificantly...cake and a drink?) might ratchet the tip up bit? most servers i know, including myself, know this is dumb dumb dumb...padding the bill by 15.00 more dollars will result in maybe 3 extra dollars in tip...but there are short-sighted ppl everywhere. or maybe he was just miffed because he got lectured by the manager for not checking with you a couple of minutes after you tried the steak (vs. at the end of the meal) . Again, i may be totally off...your server may be totally innocent...but in any case, you're not at fault...and pretty warranted to feel a little confused/upset.

also charging for the bday cake or whatever is pretty tacky. for the restaurants i worked at, we always just told the chef, or put it through the pos and got it comped later. it seems a little calculating and insincere to leave it on the check.

ps happy belated bday :]

My wife & I had dinner at Primehouse with 2 other couples on Saturday night. We got there at 8pm and ordered drinks at the bar. With the cocktail issues upthread I wasn't sure I should order the Negroni that I had been craving, so I told the server a back up just in case. But they delivered the goods with a solid Negroni, so things started off great!

Once at the table, service was definitely slow to start off. It took a while before we finally were able to get our orders in and wine poured, etc. But, to be fair, it was 8:30 on Saturday night. Once we did get going, I thought service was on point.

I had the 40 day aged bone-in ribeye. So so good. I had high expectations and this steak delivered. Perfect medium rare and the taste was so - for a lack of a better word - beefy. I had no problems devouring this. I was also tempted to gnaw on the bone but thought better of it in such a setting. We had oysters to start. They were good. The tableside caesar salad was top-notch.

The restaurant is a little scene-y but the steaks are top-notch. Delicious.

viaChgo wrote:My wife & I had dinner at Primehouse with 2 other couples on Saturday night. We got there at 8pm and ordered drinks at the bar. With the cocktail issues upthread I wasn't sure I should order the Negroni that I had been craving, so I told the server a back up just in case. But they delivered the goods with a solid Negroni, so things started off great!
.

As an aside- if you like the Negroni you should consider drinking an Americano as an alternate appertif from time to time- campari + sweet vermouth + soda + orange garnish.

Finally got to David Burke's last night with mostly good but mixed results. We had a great server. Thanks to all the good info from this site, we ordered the crab cake and the oyster for apps. Both were quite good, especially the crab cake which was like a fried crab egg roll with a sweet quince jellee underneath to contrast with a mustard dipping sauce. YUM. The food server couldn't tell us the names of the oysters just that one was from Washington and one from Maine, I think. But they were fresh and tasty. Both of us had the Arugula salad and it was downright FANTASTIC. I loved the goat cheese dressing and the smoked tomatoes. For entrees, we had the angry lobster and the 35 day aged, bone-in Kansas City Sirloin. I was only OK with the lobster, the sauce wasn't that outstanding. My husband's steak was great however. We also had garlic spinach and onion rings. The onion rings were not salted and because of that, not good. If our server had come back soon enough, we would have sent them back. We had the chocolate cake and the chocolate beignet with banana and we were pleased with both. I plan to eat what is left of the cake tonight. I liked all the choices by the glass for sparkling wine - that always makes me happy. Dear husband was hoping for better beer choices but loved the cab he had with his steak. All in all, it was a fun night without any major disappointments. I don't think I'll be running back, but I wouldn't have any bad words to say if someone told me they were going there. STill for the money, I think I like Joe's better - mostly because of the better seafood options (i.e. stone crab)

tonirogerspark wrote:The onion rings were not salted and because of that, not good. If our server had come back soon enough, we would have sent them back.

Glad to hear that aside from this it was a good meal. But this piques my curiosity. If the onion rings suffered from lack of salt, would not salting them yourself have made them satisfactory? And if so, would that not have been a better solution (even if not perfect) than sending them back? There's probably something I'm not getting here.

riddlemay wrote:

tonirogerspark wrote:The onion rings were not salted and because of that, not good. If our server had come back soon enough, we would have sent them back.

Glad to hear that aside from this it was a good meal. But this piques my curiosity. If the onion rings suffered from lack of salt, would not salting them yourself have made them satisfactory? And if so, would that not have been a better solution (even if not perfect) than sending them back? There's probably something I'm not getting here.

You need to salt deep fried food immediately after it comes out of the fryer otherwise it doesn't really stick. We tried salting them at the table but it just isn't the same. The only lapse in service occurred when she didn't come back to check on us after the food arrived.

tonirogerspark wrote:You need to salt deep fried food immediately after it comes out of the fryer otherwise it doesn't really stick. We tried salting them at the table but it just isn't the same.

OK, didn't know that. (I knew there was something I wasn't getting.) Thanks.

LTH,

In today's Tribune Mr. Vettel announces Primehouse has begun serving American Dim Sum on Sundays. Having enjoyed David Burke's American dim sum when he was chef at the late Park Avenue Cafe I am quite enthused by this nugget of info. Shanghai Terrace has begun Dim Sum as well, which Vettel is quite keen on, though I imagine it's a bit more expensive than the $35 keep em coming price at Primehouse.

In a side bar article Monica Eng lists "classic" dim sum in Chicago, though I was more than a little surprised to see Shui Wah left off the list. She does, however, include Won Kow which is, to my mind, a solid dim sum choice when one wishes to avoid the Sunday crowds of the Phoenix and Shui Wah.

Enjoy,
Gary

I organized a Chateau Montelena Estate wine dinner here and I could not have been happier. The service was outstanding, and the steaks were great. The pretzel crab cake is to die for. I highly recommend this place to any steak lover.

stevez wrote:The last time I decided to try the newest steakhouse in town, I made a trip to the recently opened Custom House for a heaping helping of mediocre food and sub-standard service. You would think I would have learned my lesson, but NO…I’m a glutton for punishment. So last night I found myself at the newly opened David Burke’s Primehouse in the also newly opened James Hotel (in the space that was formerly occupied by the Lennox House Coffee Shop and a Houston’s). Boy, am I glad I got back on the horse. Although being open a mere 3 days, this place was hitting on all cylinders. Our party of 4 (GWiv, MsWiv, The Chow Poodle and I) was treated to one of the best steakhouse meals I have had in recent memory.

My wife and I had a great meal at Primehouse Monday night. We braved an early reservation even with the hordes of Reataurant show folks in town. It was our third time dining there and we have always enjoyed it. We started with a glass of Kava rose and I had a mojito which was great! A bottle of rose as well.Taking the recomendation from previous posts we started off with the pretzel crabcake and we had to have Foie gras since they have already added to the menu. They were both awesome! The foie was seared over a hazelnut french toast and strawberry rhubarb compote. The crabcake has japanese thin pretzels in the cake and then it is tempura fried!! The sauce was a kumquat poppy seed marmalade and a mango aioli. I also love the tableside caesar here and also added the white anchovies, this was garlicky fresh and awesome! I had the 35 day age bone in sirloin and the wife had the 28 day petite delmonico. Both were cooked to our required temps. We added the truffle mousse to accompany steaks. Our server who was fun brought us one of each sauce on the house! Bearnaise, chimichurri, Horeradish mousse as well as blue cheese. Truffle hands down our favorite! The chorizo mash is also great! We finished with Chocolate Beignet with a warm center and banana compote and vanilla ice cream. This was good but nothing to scream about. Overall our meal was great and maybe we have always been lucky. Just as we were leaving to dinner our neighbor told us he had a bad experience. We have fun there and love some of the fun and whimsical presentations they do. We will be back!!

Finally was able to order the 75 day dry-aged bone-in ribeye last night (it has not been available on other evenings I've been there). It was everything I dreamed it would be -- a more intense beef flavor, cooked perfectly to medium rare . . . all in all, a perfect beef evening. Unfortunately, it's a little like having sat in first class . . . can I ever go back to sitting in coach (or eating the less than 75 day aged beef)? Maybe, but it will be tough. And service was outstanding in every respect, as I have come to expect with David Burke's.

BR wrote:...it's a little like having sat in first class . . . can I ever go back to sitting in coach (or eating the less than 75 day aged beef?)...

This sort of (but not exactly) describes what has inhibited me from trying Burke's for dinner. (I was there once for lunch.) It's not that I think I'll be unable to "go back" to ordinary beef, but it does seem there is no point in going to Burke's unless one is going all the way and ordering the 75-day aged beef--yet the price of it feels like wretched excess. I can afford a $65 entree (or whatever it is), but I don't feel right about it. Yet going to Burke's and ordering "merely" a $45 entree misses the point of going there at all. I solve this by not going.

G Wiv wrote:a leather infused Manhattan

What, was Chris Berman at the bar?

I'd like to try Primehouse, but I have not eaten enough dry-aged beef to know if I really like it. I'd hate to drop $75+ on a meal and realize that I didn't really like the premise!

riddlemay wrote:

BR wrote:...it's a little like having sat in first class . . . can I ever go back to sitting in coach (or eating the less than 75 day aged beef?)...

This sort of (but not exactly) describes what has inhibited me from trying Burke's for dinner. (I was there once for lunch.) It's not that I think I'll be unable to "go back" to ordinary beef, but it does seem there is no point in going to Burke's unless one is going all the way and ordering the 75-day aged beef--yet the price of it feels like wretched excess. I can afford a $65 entree (or whatever it is), but I don't feel right about it. Yet going to Burke's and ordering "merely" a $45 entree misses the point of going there at all. I solve this by not going.

I think you're reading my post too literally -- I was having a little fun with the post. I have had the 28-day aged ribeye ($43) and the 40-day aged ribeye ($49) at DB's and I have found both to be outstanding . . . better than ribeyes offered at any other Chicago steakhouse.

DB's is my favorite steak house in the city for the past year. I've been 3 times and each time ordered a more-progressively aged ribeye, most recently indulging in the 77 day aged variety.

You could certainly tell it was aged that long as the typical "bleu-cheese"hints of aging were more powerful than any other aged steak i've ever eaten. However, I found that the tanginess of the aging process tended to override the quality of the beef on the plate. For that reason, I highly recommend the 40-day aged ribeye.

BR wrote:I think you're reading my post too literally -- I was having a little fun with the post. I have had the 28-day aged ribeye ($43) and the 40-day aged ribeye ($49) at DB's and I have found both to be outstanding . . . better than ribeyes offered at any other Chicago steakhouse.

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the "lesser-priced entrees," but my thought processes would run something like this: "I've never had a 75-day aged steak...I really should find out what that's all about...But it's $65...I think I'll just have the 40-day aged one instead...Oh, heck, what am I at this place for, if I'm not going to find out what they do best...But $65 for a steak..." All of which is too much thinking for me.

It's not really the money. I just got back from London, where I'm pretty sure I paid $65 for a ham sandwich.

I have tried the 28 and 40 day aged steak. Both are good, and you can tell the difference. I actually prefer the 28 day. The 40 day is a little too dense for my liking. I normally order a steak rare and enjoy the moist, almost floppy interior. I think it brings me back to my caveman roots. My first time at DB I ordered the 40 day strip, the oldest offered that day. I took the knife and hacked off an oversized bite, and found it difficult to consume like that. It took a while to chew the concentrated meat. It wasn't bad, really very beefy, with the good aged tang, but not a steak to wolf down. The 28 day is a good happy medium between wet aged and uber dry aged, with the advantage of the increased flavor and tenderness that the dry aging offers, without the loss of too much moisture, creating that density.

So there problem solved, the 75 day steak is overkill, go try the 28 day.

MelT wrote:So there problem solved, the 75 day steak is overkill, go try the 28 day.

Thanks!

Enjoyed my first dinnertime visit to David Burke’s.

Went with a friend. He was dressed (in my opinion) inappropriately for the venue—wearing shorts, and an unbuttoned shirt over a t-shirt. Thankfully, they seated us anyway, although—not to my surprise, and not that I blamed them—the table to which they showed us was in Siberia. As we approached it, I asked if there might be something a little further forward in the restaurant, and the host without comment turned and led us to a prime table in the front section of the place. So, points for not saying, “I’m sorry, all those tables are already reserved,” as some other place might have (quite forgivably) done.

I had the 40-day dry-aged bone-in 20 oz. “reserve cut” ribeye, and liked it a lot. (Dare I say I liked it even more for breakfast, cold, on two mornings in a row, the second of which was this morning.) Once again, the peculiarity of DB’s doneness-vocabulary was evident. Forewarned by LTH, when the waiter asked how I’d like my steak done, I responded by asking, “first, tell me what you mean by medium-rare?” He said, “cool red center,” which is not my (or anybody else’s) definition of medium-rare, but so be it. A warm red (not pink) center is called, by DB, “medium.” I said, “I’ll have it medium, then,” and he said, “what if I make it medium rare plus?” (halfway between medium rare and medium), and I said OK. The steak that resulted was what I and the rest of the world would call just plain “rare,” but that was fine. As I say, no complaints about the eating experience. Just wondering how wise it is for DB to employ a vocabulary that is not in congruence with that in general use.

The puffy Yorkshire-pudding-like bread thing was great, the Caesar salad (while not up to the gold standard, that being the version from the late, lamented Chesapeake Restaurant in Baltimore) was very good, sides (basil mashed potatoes, asparagus and shallots) tasty. We split a mille-feuille for dessert, and as a lagniappe, the waiter also brought over a basket of the beignet-Dunkin-Donut-hole-like thingies with the injectable syrups, which we loved. During the meal, the GM (as if to underscore the point that we weren’t pariahs just because of my friend’s attire) came over to chat us up. So, a very positive experience over all, one which inclines me to return.

At a recent dinner, we tasted the 40-day and the 55-day-aged ribeyes against each other. Both were fabulous, and you could definitely taste differences. Four steaks each came out cooked perfectly to order, although my friend who ordered the 55-day steak medium rare said she'd get it rare the next time.

It occurred to me that, if you're not used to dry-aged beef, you might expect something juicier, which might cause you to think your steak was overcooked.

I started with shrimp benedict, a kind of deconstructed eggs benedict with grilled shrimp. It was well-executed (although I'd have liked more lemon in the hollandaise), but a bit too heavy an appetizer for this kind of meal. I loved the house-made sorbets for dessert and my friend from California had a delightful time playing with the fill-your-own doughnut holes.

Service was top-notch, attentive and friendly without being hovering.



Shrimp benedict

LAZ wrote:Shrimp benedict

LAZ,

Shrimp benedict looks terrific, I wonder if that is on the Sunday American dim sum menu?

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Shrimp benedict looks terrific, I wonder if that is on the Sunday American dim sum menu?

I don't know, but it would certainly be suitable, more so, I think, than as a starter before a big hunk of beef.

I forgot to mention that on Friday afternoons this summer, Primehouse is doing a "butcher shop" where you can buy raw steaks to cook at home. I don't know any further details.

Just to chime in here...if anyone wants to know any details that can be legaly talked about here on the board about DB's you can send me a message and I can try to get back to you on it. I happen to know at least 4 employees of this great restaurant ranging from the front of the house, to the J bar, and back to the kitchen and pastries department. They're usually more than happy to answers questions about the job they love.

My review...I love the place, and not just because I'm very biased based on friends and what not.

Anyone try the American dim sum yet?

Pucca wrote:Anyone try the American dim sum yet?

My friends and I tried the American dim sum today. I had really high hopes as everything I read online were positive. Here is the link to their menu online. I am not sure if they just do a subset of the entire menu b/c there were several items that we never saw. We were not given the option of either salads, lobster spring rolls, Tuna & Salmon Tartar, Kobe Corn Dogs, grilled cheese, Cheese Burkers, mushroom risotto, polenta, mini prime, or donuts. I kind of wish I had printed the online menu ahead of time b/c I was really interested in the kobe corn dogs, but I forgot about asking. Toward the end of our meal, I did see a cheese burker at another table, so I am not sure if they were not ready when we were eating that course. I turned down a couple of (basic brunch: pancakes, eggs benedict, ham & cheese strudel) items b/c I wanted to dedicate my appeitite to the more "unconventional" items. The Asian inspired items were not very good. The short rib dumpling and mini crab cake bit were mushy. The "steamed bbq pork bun" seemed baked and dry to me - nothing compared to what you'd get in a Chinese bakery. I think they should do away w/the ice cream sundaes. The toppings were not very exciting, and the ice cream was really melted. I don't understand why they prescoop so many bowls and leave them out on the cart. I probably liked the oatmeal creme brulee and the mini key lime tart the best. It was a lot of food, and it was decent, but nothing really knocked our socks off. Sadly, I can't really say that I ate anything that would make me return for it.

The servers try to pace their arrival at our table so that we were able to dine our way through the various courses. There were a couple of times when two of them arrived at the same time, but they simply agreed that one of them would return later. The servers delivering the food were very good.

All in all, I'm glad we tried it, but I wouldn't do it again. They also offer a small a la carte menu of items. Based on what I saw being delivered to the tables nearby, the portions are enormous! I haven't been here for dinner yet, but hopefully it will surpass my brunch experience.

We did the Dim Sim yesterday. We had the Kobe Corn Dogs, Cheese Burkers, mushroom risotto. We saw other people getting the Cheese Burkers and it was a little weird as our server asked us if we wanted them. Of course we did! I feel that you should get a menu with the Dim Sum items listed. Also, they need to explain what you are going to experience better. For example, Can the carts come back? Do you get to eat as much as you want? Probably the worst was just the sheer onslaught of food. There were several times when we had six or more different food items on our table. You don't have time to finish one thing before moving onto the next before food gets cold. Then our server explained that we were "lucky" because since they weren't that busy, they were spreading the courses out, allowing us time to enjoy the food. Uh, no, not really. I mean we were starving when we got there, we were eating as fast as we could and still couldn't keep up. Pancakes were delicious as was the eggs benedict and ham & cheese strudel. Loved the dumpling, crab cake was ok. The "steamed bbq pork bun" was a little dry with not much bbq pork. The Cheese Burkers were delicious. Mac and Cheese was good. Risotto. Fried Chicken, Short Ribs were ok. But then, again, those items sat on the table while we tried to finish other dishes. Other winners were the French Toast, Smoked Pastrami Salmon, and Fruit Granola. Looking at the menu now, there were more than a few missing items. We weren't offered Oysters yet I'm pretty sure I saw a table getting them shortly before we left. Also missing was a drink list. The on-line menu had all these great juice drinks and teas listed. They were never mentioned by our server. Lastly, our bill was $106, yet the charge slip was for $150...before tip. Not sure what happened and it was straightened out quickly, but....
I would go back with menu in hand and I would beg the staff to slow things down some.

hoppy2468 wrote:We did the Dim Sim yesterday. We had the Kobe Corn Dogs, Cheese Burkers, mushroom risotto. We saw other people getting the Cheese Burkers and it was a little weird as our server asked us if we wanted them. Of course we did! I feel that you should get a menu with the Dim Sum items listed. Also, they need to explain what you are going to experience better. For example, Can the carts come back? Do you get to eat as much as you want? Probably the worst was just the sheer onslaught of food. There were several times when we had six or more different food items on our table. You don't have time to finish one thing before moving onto the next before food gets cold. Then our server explained that we were "lucky" because since they weren't that busy, they were spreading the courses out, allowing us time to enjoy the food. Uh, no, not really. I mean we were starving when we got there, we were eating as fast as we could and still couldn't keep up. Pancakes were delicious as was the eggs benedict and ham & cheese strudel. Loved the dumpling, crab cake was ok. The "steamed bbq pork bun" was a little dry with not much bbq pork. The Cheese Burkers were delicious. Mac and Cheese was good. Risotto. Fried Chicken, Short Ribs were ok. But then, again, those items sat on the table while we tried to finish other dishes. Other winners were the French Toast, Smoked Pastrami Salmon, and Fruit Granola. Looking at the menu now, there were more than a few missing items. We weren't offered Oysters yet I'm pretty sure I saw a table getting them shortly before we left. Also missing was a drink list. The on-line menu had all these great juice drinks and teas listed. They were never mentioned by our server. Lastly, our bill was $106, yet the charge slip was for $150...before tip. Not sure what happened and it was straightened out quickly, but....
I would go back with menu in hand and I would beg the staff to slow things down some.

I'm so jealous that you got the kobe corn dogs, cheese burkers, risotto and short ribs. I was most looking forward to those. We did get the oysters. I totally agree - I wish they did a better job of explaining some of the questions that you raised. One of the servers stamped our list of courses similar to how it is done in traditional dim sum. I didn't understand why only one server cared to do it.