Dry Aged Steak

Hi all,

forgive me if this has been discussed before - I couldn't find a thread about it...

On our visit to chicago we want to go to a great steakhouse - preferably one that serves dry aged beef, since numerous people I trust swear on dry aged beef.

Let me also say that in germany it is virtually impossible to get a really great (in terms of taste and tenderness) steak - so we are really "hungry" for it...

Originally we thought about Keefers - but they don't serve dry aged.
Primhouse does - but the mixed-to-negative reviews keep us away.

Where would you guys suggest we should go for first-rate dry aged steak?

Thanks
greetings
kai

Primehouse seems to worked out many of it early kinks and serves some seriously dry aged steak (up to 75 days). The Saloon Steakhouse isn't often mentioned among the great steakhouses in Chicago (except here). But, the Saloon's dry aged Kansas City Strip is one of the better steaks in Chicago, IMO. I laso highly recommend Smith and Wollensky for both great dry aged beef and great service.

kai-m wrote:Primhouse does - but the mixed-to-negative reviews keep us away.

Where would you guys suggest we should go for first-rate dry aged steak?

Avoid DB's Primehouse at your own risk. They serve the best dry aged steaks, period.

I agree that DB serves the best dry aged beef in Chicago, as long as you don't mind paying a premium price (even compared to other great steakhouses).

Thank you!

Re: Primehouse - they serve the best dry aged beef, alright. But what's the use if at the same time you get "less than stellar service" and are being "rushed through the meal" (which I hate more than everything else and which, to be honest, is the cliché europeans have of US-restaurants) etc, as I have read more than once?

I prefer an exeprience that is great *overall* - because there are factors that can ruin even the best dish, whereas a great atmosphere and service can elevate a not 100% perfect dish to being a wonderful experience.

And with a restaurant being located in a hotel, I think there is always the risk of the server thinking that they won't see you again anyways - so why make a fuss?

Regarding the price: At least the regular "red meat" menu at Primehouse doesn't look more expensive than at other Steakhouses. And I suppose those are dry aged, too.

On a general note: on all the steakhouse menus they never mention sides with the steaks - do I have to order and pay these extra? Or, in other words: are those 40-50$ price tags always for a piece of meat alone??

I found this list with dry aged Steakhouses, some don't list prices (Capital Grille and S&W for example), but I guess they are more or less the same everywhere. Many chains in there - is that a bad sign?
The Capital Grille (C,S) - www.thecapitalgrille.com
Custom House ( C) - www.customhouse.cc
David Burke's Primehouse ( C) - www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/primehouse
Drake Bros.' Steakhouse ( C)-www.drakebros.com
Jury's Food & Drink ( C) - www.jurysrestaurant.com (choice grade)
Kinzie Chophouse ( C) - www.kinziechophouse.com
Krapil's the Great Steak (S) - 708/448-2012, 6600 W. 111th St., Worth
Saloon ( C) - www.saloonsteakhouse.com
Smith and Wollensky ( C) - www.smithandwollensky.com
Stetson's Steak & Chop House ( C) - www.stetsonschophouse.com
Tramonto's Steak and Seafood (S) - www.cenitare.com
Weber Grill Restaurant (C,S) - www.webergrillrestaurant.com (choice grade)

What do you think?

Thanks!
kai

YourPalWill wrote:Primehouse seems to worked out many of it early kinks and serves some seriously dry aged steak (up to 75 days). The Saloon Steakhouse isn't often mentioned among the great steakhouses in Chicago (except here). But, the Saloon's dry aged Kansas City Strip is one of the better steaks in Chicago, IMO. I laso highly recommend Smith and Wollensky for both great dry aged beef and great service.

I agree with the rec. for the dry aged K.C. strip @ Saloon, it was the best steak I had last year, and possibly ever.

In terms of the overall quality of the steak and ambiance, I'd rank the places in your list as follows:

1. David Burke's
1a. Smith & Wollensky
3. Saloon
4. Most of the rest

I have not been to Drake Bros, but that place along with Stetson's are hotel restaurants and can be variable (David Burke's and Tramonto's, although in a hotel, are not operated by the hotel). In addition, Tramonto's is very far from the city in the Northwest Suburbs and not easily reachable unless you have a car. The steaks there, while reasonable good, don't justify the drive when choices 1 and 1a are available to you.

To answer your question about side dishes, yes, you have to order them and pay separately. Generally a side dish is large enough to feed 2 - 4 people.

kai-m wrote:Re: Primehouse - they serve the best dry aged beef, alright. But what's the use if at the same time you get "less than stellar service" and are being "rushed through the meal" (which I hate more than everything else and which, to be honest, is the cliché europeans have of US-restaurants) etc, as I have read more than once?

I've read that too in some of the posts, but I have been there countless times and never received anything less than excellent service - never inattentive . . . and never rushed, even on the busiest Saturday nights.

Alright, thank you all, so far!

Seems like Smith & Wollensky might be a good choice for us, since it is pretty close to our hotel, which is on N Wabash (Monaco). (Reviews on citysearch etc are horrible, though, especially regarding service)

Four Steakhouses, casual attire is alright, I guess? Even though, with side dish and sauce going extra, a Steak dinner seems to cost almost as much (if not more...) as dinner at upscale fine dining restaurants...

greetings
kai

A tour of Smith and Wollensky, including beautiful photos of the dry aging process, can be found here

Best,
Michael

kai-m wrote:Four Seakhouses, casual attire is alright, I guess? Even though, with side dish and sauce going extra, a Steak dinner seems to cost almost as much (if not more...) as dinner at upscale fine dining restaurants...

Casual yes, but not sloppy or beach attire. I wouldn't, for example wear jeans and a t-shirt. Both David Burke's and Smith & Wollensky are nice places and most people will be reasonable well dressed. I nearly always wear nice slacks and a sport coat, although I usually see people dressed a bit more casual than that. They seem to stick out a bit, though. I have nothing scientific to prove this, but I always feel that I get better service if I am dressed a bit nicer.

kai-m wrote:I found this list with dry aged Steakhouses
~snip~
What do you think?

Kai-m,

I've been to all on the list with the exception of Drake Bros and my strong suggestion is David Burke's Primehouse. The David Burke's Primehouse thread is pages long with widely varying opinions, and makes for interesting reading, though in multiple visits with varying groups of people I have not experienced mentioned service issues and quality of dry-age beef has been consistently top notch.

David Burke's Primehouse is the Chicago Reader's Choice Best Steakhouse 2008, which I had the pleasure of writing.

Enjoy,
Gary

David Burke’s Primehouse
606 North Rush
Chicago, IL
312-660-6000

Okay, hmm, the decision making gets more 'n more difficult...

Please don't get me wrong, Gary, but isn't it clear that a food critic from the Reader gets top notch service? That is not to say that service is per se not good there - but being a critic reduces the risk, doesn't it? (And I speak from personal experience here... ).

Also, on a more general note, there seem to be huge differences in size: from 7 oz , which (if my math is correct) I would consider a regular size steak, to a stunning 20-22 oz, which seems insane - I mean: who eats 600 gramm of steak? (14 oz already sounds pretty "crazy" to me)

Or do I get something wrong here?

kai-m wrote:Alright, thank you all, so far!

Seems like Smith & Wollensky might be a good choice for us, since it is pretty close to our hotel, which is on N Wabash (Monaco). (Reviews on citysearch etc are horrible, tough, especially regarding service)

Four Seakhouses, casual attire is alright, I guess? Even though, with side dish and sauce going extra, a Steak dinner seems to cost almost as much (if not more...) as dinner at upscale fine dining restaurants...

greetings
kai

a typical dinner at one of Chicago's finer steakhouses for myself and my wife usually costs around $300. That is for drinks(top shelf tequila and beer), an appetizer(crab legs, stone crab claws, or bisque) a big steak, and a couple of sides.

kai-m wrote:Please don't get me wrong, Gary, but isn't it clear that a food critic from the Reader gets top notch service? That is not to say that service is per se not good there - but being a critic reduces the risk, doesn't it? (And I speak from personal experience here... ).

Kai-m,

Not sure how it works in Germany, but here restaurant critics in general, Chicago Reader in particular, dine anonymously. Smith and Wollensky is a fine choice for dry-age beef and is my number two choice for dry-age beef in Chicago. Over the years I have had the occasional service issue at Smith and Wollensky, though nothing serious enough to prevent me from returning.

Enjoy,
Gary

Sure, in germany criticy dine anonymously, too.

Nevertheless some are known in the restaurant scene, especially "local" critics - even if they themselves might not be aware of it.

Anyway: Primehouse is my number 1 choice right now. Saloon, which looks nicely "neighourhood"-like, and S&W coming in at no. 2.

thanks again!
kai

Fortunately, like Denholm Elliot*, Gary (G Wiv) has the uncanny ability to blend into any culinary or cultural setting. I'm sure he has avoided detection.

Elsa: It's perfectly obvious where the pages are. He's given them to Marcus Brody.
Professor Henry Jones: Marcus? You didn't drag poor Marcus along did you? He's not up to the challenge.
Walter Donovan: He sticks out like a sore thumb. We'll find him.
Indiana Jones: The hell you will. He's got a two day head start on you, which is more than he needs. Brody's got friends in every town and village from here to the Sudan, he speaks a dozen languages, knows every local custom, he'll blend in, disappear, you'll never see him again. With any luck, he's got the grail already.

kai-m wrote:Please don't get me wrong, Gary, but isn't it clear that a food critic from the Reader gets top notch service? That is not to say that service is per se not good there - but being a critic reduces the risk, doesn't it? (And I speak from personal experience here... ).

I have been to David Burke's on numerous occasions both with and without Gary. Service has always been excellent and I have not noticed any difference whether Gary is there or not. You won't be sorry you went. Just be prepared (no matter which steakhouse you choose) for what you will consider to be giant sized portions. Just enjoy the meal!

Just in case there might have been some kind of misunderstadning: I didn't mean to imply in any way that Gary takes any kind of advantage or something of his being a critic, let alone getting influenced by anything. If I gave that impression, I hereby apologize.

I only had the impression that he is well known guy (you know, like Roger Ebert is known in every moviehouse) and therefore doesn't have to worry about service issues. (I don't believe that the food gets any better for critics - a chef cooks well or he doesn't).

Anyway, back to topic. Iam extremely curious about those restaurants now.
And yes, over here a, say, 10 oz steak is considered very large...so I guess I will skip starters...

greetings
kai

kai-m wrote:I only had the impression that he is a well known guy...

FWIW, my guess is that your impression is right...that in many situations, even if most of the personnel in a restaurant don't know who Gary is, someone in the restaurant will, and will clue in the others. Depending on how Gary makes his reservations, they may also recognize the name Wiviott before his arrival. I could be wrong about that, but I'd be surprised if I were. Not exactly on topic, but since you asked...

Not, as stevez says, that this necessarily results in the experience being any different than if Gary weren't known. I had excellent service both times I was at DB's, too, and I'm nobody!

I think Gary gets excellent service (and got, before he started as one of the many, many reviewers for the Reader) largely because he's a very friendly guy who treats the staff well and asks lots of relevant, intelligent questions. He just manages to make everyone he meets his friend.

kai-m wrote:And yes, over here a, say, 10 oz steak is considered very large...so I guess I will skip starters...

I too prefer smaller portions of meat than steakhouses here really offer. I usually would share a porterhouse or strip steak with my dining companion and still order whatever sides (or given my sweet tooth, dessert) I wanted, and still end up taking some meat home.

-Dan

FWIW, I am not a published restaurant reviewer of any sort and I have always considered the service I have received at Primehouse to be outstanding. If anything, I found the service to be a bit too friendly (read: slightly intrusive in an innocent way) there.

I think that Smith and Wollensky may suffer in this marketplace because it is an outpost of a New York restaurant. In New York, especially in high end steakhouses in New York, gruff service is part of the "charm" that goes along with the experience. That did not translate well here where folks could care less how its done in New York and care more that they receive great service if the spend $150 to $200 per person on a meal. The worst experience that I have had at Wollensky here is to have my wine glass left empty for a few minutes. It was certainly nothing earth shattering.

Wherever you choose, you've been given a nice list. If you choose Wollensky, you have a group of three or more, and you don't care for big portions, consider the 48 oz porterhouse served at your table sliced. It's a great steak and should make for more moderate portions if you're not used to the gargantuan sized steak portions that American Steakhouses serve.

My husband and I went to DB's Primehouse for dinner last Thursday. The service was great, and I am a service diva. He ordered the delmonico, and I had a special with the bone-in filet. My filet was awesome. I went for the filet b/c it was one of the smaller cuts - it's not generally my steak of choice b/c I prefer more robust flavor, but my filet was actually "beefier" than my husband's steak. Anyways, we both ordered the steaks done medium rare. Mine hit the mark, his was definitely medium. We pointed it out to the waiter - just kind of an observation b/c he asked, and instead of comping a dessert, they actually took the whole steak off of the menu. I think that is going above and beyond. The pace was good, they were very attentive with the wine, all in all, a very enjoyable meal in terms of food and service.

kai-m wrote:I only had the impression that he is well known guy (you know, like Roger Ebert is known in every moviehouse) and therefore doesn't have to worry about service issues. (I don't believe that the food gets any better for critics - a chef cooks well or he doesn't).

Kai-m,

Rodger Ebert, you making a fat joke from three continents away?

Frankly, you are over thinking, and this comes from a guy who thinks constantly about food, your dry-age steak dinner and, unfortunately, overestimating my Q Score. David Burke's Primehouse is a big city top tier steakhouse and the odds are excellent you will have a delicious and memorable meal.

While I occasionally do restaurant reviews for the Chicago Reader I am, as Gleam mentioned, one of a number of supplementary reviewers, Mike Sula is the main, and very talented, Lead Sled Dog in matters culinary. Far as Riddlemay's always interesting musings, I typically make reservations for professional reviews, when necessary, under my wife's maiden name. Though my most recent Reader review, Wolfy's hot dog stand, did not require reservations.

Enjoy,
Gary 'LTHer' Wiviott

If you go to Smith and Wollensky's, you might consider Wollensky's grill, the more casual bar/dining room. I say that because I really like the views of the river from this room. You can get all the regular menu items here and the service is polished and professional.

BTW, Harry Caray's also has a dry-aged bone-in ribeye.

You are probably right, Gary, about my overthinking it...(Given the pretty low steakhouse-quality in germany I guess I can't go wrong with any of the above restaurants... )

Anyway, there is one general question left regarding preparation: I often see pictures where the steak is really dark ("charred"). This kind of preparation is totally, completely unknown over here - in fact, every diner here would send a steak back that looked like this, because it would be considered "burned".

So I would like to know: Is a charred steak something to try out? Doesn't it taste "burned"?
And is it the "common" preparation for steak, meaning: do I have to tell the server if I do *not* want my steak charred? Or vice versa?

Thanks
greetings
kai

The "char" insures a good sear on the meat resulting in a very juicy and flavorful steak. The Steakhouses mentioned herein cook their steaks under a 1500(farenheit) degree broiler that produces the sear you mention. When in Rome...

Alright, thanks Will! (I always try to do as...that's why I ask so much...)

greetings
kai

kai-m wrote:Anyway, there is one general question left regarding preparation: I often see pictures where the steak is really dark ("charred"). This kind of preparation is totally, completely unknown over here - in fact, every diner here would send a steak back that looked like this, because it would be considered "burned".

So I would like to know: Is a charred steak something to try out? Doesn't it taste "burned"?
And is it the "common" preparation for steak, meaning: do I have to tell the server if I do *not* want my steak charred? Or vice versa?

Thanks
greetings
kai

You will not get that same level of char if you are ordering dry aged beef. That method of preparation (heavy charring) is common with steakhouses serving wet aged beef, and in Chicago, Gene & Georgetti has mastered the wet aged, heavy char, in my opinion.