I don't think Gary could just walk in to a restaurant and be recognized as a food guy. He keeps a very low profile.

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

greetings
kai

My impression is that the kitchens at the steakhouses here are geared for cooking thick cuts of beef, and a thin cut would probably not turn out that well. The only way to get a "small" steak that is still thick is to get a Filet Mignon, which has a smaller area than the other typical cuts.

Kai,

I really hope that you'll report back because I'm eager to read about your experience . . . if you like the aged beef, if you like the charring, etc.

Have a great time!

=R=

I suggest Burke's Primehouse over S&W. One of the main differences is atmosphere. S&W has a more rvierfront, old pictures, wood and brass feel, while Primhouse has a leather tablecloth, dark lighting, hip club type feel. Both say "steakhouse" but lean to either ends of the spectrum when pushing that genre.

I am especially interested in hearing what you think about the portion sizes. And, to answer the OP's question, I have been known to polish off a 24 oz steak.

Also, it bears mentioning that dry aged steak is not really a Chicago tradition. These places do it, and well, but our old time steakhouses do wet aged prime beef. I mention, but do not necessarily recomend, Gibson's and Morton's as examples. . . .the already mentioned Gene and Georgetti's is perhaps the most consistant and well done of that style, and it is good, but the service can be surly.

That all said, if I had one more steak to eat in my life, it would be at the Primehouse.

I'm a big fan of Capital Grill when I want dry aged steak and don't want to make it myself. I've never had a bad experience, either with food or service.

I will also chime in on the benefits of a heavy char. It gives the steak a great mouth feel when the center is relatively undercooked. I typically order my rib eye (my cut of choice) as "walk it through a warm room, but give me a heavy char". Without the char, a rare piece of meat would have a bit of a mealy mouth feel, IMHO.

Have a great time while you're here. Please let us know your experiences.

LTH,

Parents and brother are in town, when the folks asked where we wanted to go for an anniversary dinner David Burke's popped into my head as if by magic. Our meal was spot-on, 55-day dry-age bone-in rib-eye a marvel of flavor with the perfect balance of meaty mineral beefiness coupled with a light aging funk that upped the flavor ante. Compliments to my brother for the notion to top prepared table side Caesar salads with white anchovy. Service flawless, even given the fact the Travel Channel was there filming.

We were given a dry aging room tour* by a personable and very enthusiastic Pedro Avila, Executive Sous Chef. My brother commented here's a man who loves his job.

Pedro Avila, Executive Sous Chef, Wiv senior in foreground







An enjoyable evening and a perfect way to spend a milestone celebration with family.

Enjoy,
Gary

*Tours of the dry ageing room are available for the asking, though if early in the dinner rush or they are exceptionally busy the request may be politely denied

G Wiv wrote:We were given a dry aging room tour* by a personable and very enthusiastic Pedro Avila, Executive Sous Chef.

Wiv,

I thought that Burke's steaks were dry-aged in a cave lined with Himalayan salt, or some such thing. But I don't see any salt in your pictures.

aschie30 wrote:I thought that Burke's steaks were dry-aged in a cave lined with Himalayan salt, or some such thing. But I don't see any salt in your pictures.

Wendy,

Good eye, one wall of the dry aging room is covered in Himalayan salt.

Dry aging room, David Burke's Primehouse Chicago



Enjoy,
Gary

OK, those pictures sold me on DB. That's my next big steak stop. That ageing room looked fantastic!

IT'S GREAT TO BE A CARNIVORE!

Oh, I didn't know dry aged beef wasn't a "Chicago thing"...hmmm...

But I guess I can have very good wet aged meat in the others citys of our trip as well...(that is: San Diego, L.A., Las Vegas).

John Danza wrote:I will also chime in on the benefits of a heavy char. It gives the steak a great mouth feel when the center is relatively undercooked. I typically order my rib eye (my cut of choice) as "walk it through a warm room, but give me a heavy char". Without the char, a rare piece of meat would have a bit of a mealy mouth feel, IMHO

Okay, now I've got to ask one more thing: is charring recommended only or foremost for "rare" steaks? Because I don't like that at all ("rare" steak is another thing that is virtually unknown in germany) - I always order medium/medium-rare.

By the way: does "medium-rare" really mean that the center point of the meat is completely "rare"? The way I love it is when the center-point is just beyound "rare" but still really pink/juicy.

Regarding the atmosphere of S&W/Saloon/Capitale Grille vs Primehouse: my old man of almost 70 is joining us - but seeing that Gary was at Primehouse with his dad and family, as well, I suppose that the place is not "hip" in a "yuppie"/"fashion victim" kind of way.

Thanks
kai

kai-m wrote:By the way: does "medium-rare" really mean that the center point of the meat is completely "rare"? The way I love it is when the center-point is just beyound "rare" but still really pink/juicy.

Medium-rare, to me at least, means the center is still red, but warm. Medium is when the center starts becoming pink and the texture starts changing (where the meat starts to "tighten," for lack of better expression.) Medium-well is where the center is still a little pink, but has the fully cooked well-done texture. For me, medium-rare is the perfect balance of textures and flavors.

Binko wrote:Medium-rare, to me at least, means the center is still red, but warm. Medium is when the center starts becoming pink and the texture starts changing (where the meat starts to "tighten," for lack of better expression.) Medium-well is where the center is still a little pink, but has the fully cooked well-done texture. For me, medium-rare is the perfect balance of textures and flavors.

I agree on this description. However, my experience has been that big steak houses like we're discussing almost always deliver a steak that's actually "rare" when you order "medium rare". I don't think I've ever gotten a warm red center from the likes of Gibson's, Morton's, S&W, or Capital Grill, and have had to send it back for another minute or two.

My recommendation is that, instead of relying on the terms "medium rare", "medium", etc, that you describe to the server exactly the way you expect the steak to look and feel when you cut into it. Then there's no subjective interpretation.

kai-m wrote:Okay, now I've got to ask one more thing: is charring recommended only or foremost for "rare" steaks? Because I don't like that at all ("rare" steak is another thing that is virtually unknown in germany) - I always order medium/medium-rare.

By the way: does "medium-rare" really mean that the center point of the meat is completely "rare"? The way I love it is when the center-point is just beyound "rare" but still really pink/juicy.

In the specific case of David Burke's Primehouse, it's been my experience that they tend to under cook their steaks (which is better than overcooking them). I have standardized on ordering my steak "medium rare plus" and getting one delivered that I consider to be perfectly medium rare. I think that John Danza's advice of explaining to the waiter exactly how you want the steak to look is a good idea. That's how I learned that the term "medium rare plus" will get me the temperature I like.

We haven't yet been to DB's Primehouse, but we've found that Chicago--despite being the capital of the Midwest, doesn't have world class steakhouses (hence, the caveat about not having been to Primehouse), much to our surprise. No equivalent to Peter Luger's, Sparks, etc. Its surprising because everyone knows the best beef comes from the midwest, so Chicago should by all rights rule. We've pleaded with the S&W Group to consider a Quality Meats here (its among the top ones in NYC, we think) and also Tom C's folks to consider a Craftsteak here ("Sure, find the investors").

Don't get me wrong--I love Gibson's, the Chop House, etc., but they just don't rise to the heights of a Luger's or Quality Meats.

Maybe Primehouse is our answer?

I've been to almost every steakhouse of note in New York and, with the exception of Peter Luger, have not had a steak any better than the best steaks I've had in Chicago. In fact, I prefer Primehouse to any New York steakhouse not named Peter Luger.

DutchMuse wrote:We haven't yet been to DB's Primehouse, but we've found that Chicago--despite being the capital of the Midwest, doesn't have world class steakhouses (hence, the caveat about not having been to Primehouse), much to our surprise. No equivalent to Peter Luger's, Sparks, etc. Its surprising because everyone knows the best beef comes from the midwest, so Chicago should by all rights rule. We've pleaded with the S&W Group to consider a Quality Meats here (its among the top ones in NYC, we think) and also Tom C's folks to consider a Craftsteak here ("Sure, find the investors").

Don't get me wrong--I love Gibson's, the Chop House, etc., but they just don't rise to the heights of a Luger's or Quality Meats.

Maybe Primehouse is our answer?

DB's Primehouse is excellent.

As a side note I dont consider Gibson's, S & W, or Chop House to be among the best steaks Chicago has to offer.

jimswside wrote:As a side note I dont consider Gibson's, S & W, or Chop House to be among the best steaks Chicago has to offer.

Agreed. While I like the ambiance of Gibson's and Chop House, I think the quality of meat at places like Captial Grill and Morton's is better.

How would you compare DB Primehouse with Capital Grill and Morton's?

DutchMuse wrote:How would you compare DB Primehouse with Capital Grill and Morton's?

Unfortunately, I haven't been to DB, so I can't make the comparison. I hope to soon however!

John Danza wrote:

jimswside wrote:As a side note I dont consider Gibson's, S & W, or Chop House to be among the best steaks Chicago has to offer.

Agreed. While I like the ambiance of Gibson's and Chop House, I think the quality of meat at places like Captial Grill and Morton's is better.

Interesting, in my experiences, I have to put Capital Grill down at the bottom of list of steaks I have had in Chicago, I have also had better steaks @ Mortons than @ Gibson's consistantly(plus I hate the whole "scene" of Gibsons).

For me, I now go with Primehouse, Saloon, Keefers, or Joe's if I am going to drive the 75 miles into Chicago for a great steak.

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

They sure do, and as I found out last night, it is damn good . . . outstanding even. Great beef flavor, well marbled and just the perfect amount of fat. It was cooked perfectly to medium rare and seasoned with simply salt and pepper. No, it wasn't as good as the steaks I've had at David Burke's Primehouse, but it was an outstanding piece of meat and better than any wet aged beef I've had. And yes, I gave up on dignity and gnawed right from the bone. Don't judge me - if you're a dry aged beef fan, you would have been doing the same. Note that it's the only dry aged item served at Harry Caray's.

My fiancee and I dined at the Chicago Chop House last night and were underwhelmed, especially given the prices.

While the Oysters Rockefeller appetizer, broccolini and au gratin potato side dishes were fine, the entrees and lemon mousse pie were distinctly mediocre. She ordered the standard (wet-aged) fillet Oscar and the scallops were a bit rubbery. I had the dry-aged Kope "tomahawk" ribeye. First, the server brought me a plain fillet - when I pointed out that I had ordered the ribeye, she took both meals away.

We got our food fifteen minutes later (which may or may not be understandable - I really don't know). My fiancee's meal probably spent the intervening time under a heat lamp because it was obvioius they did not prepare a whole new entree (again, this may or may not be reasonable). However, my ribeye was a bit tough and not evenly done - while I ordered it medium rare, a good portion of it was medium, and it was a bit tough to boot - not at all "melt-in-your-mouth" buttery, as had been touted by the server. I didn't say anything because I wanted to eat and did not want to have to wait again for another entree. After I paid, I told one of the servers that my meat wasn't especially good, given the cost. They gave us an additional dessert to take home, which was fine by me - I didn't complain earlier so I was was willing to write-off the entire experience. Live and learn (or, should I say, "dine and learn").

ld111134 wrote:Live and learn (or, should I say, "dine and learn").

Around here, they're one and the same.

Earlier this week someone mentioned to me that they were thinking about taking a business associate to the Chop House. I haven't been in years and it's totally off my radar, so I tried to steer her (pun completely intended) to a couple other steakhouses that I've been hitting lately, where aged beef is available.

Thanks, for the report.

=R=

I have to agree that the Chop House is living on past laurels. The atmosphere is excellent, but the food is sub-par for the price.

John Danza wrote:I have to agree that the Chop House is living on past laurels. The atmosphere is excellent, but the food is sub-par for the price.

Yes, my Kobe ribeye alone was $109!

ld111134 wrote:

John Danza wrote:I have to agree that the Chop House is living on past laurels. The atmosphere is excellent, but the food is sub-par for the price.

Yes, my Kobe ribeye alone was $109!

A Kobe ribeye was tough?? I would think you would have to cook it for three days to make Kobe tough. Wow, you definitely should have sent it back.

John Danza wrote:

ld111134 wrote:

John Danza wrote:I have to agree that the Chop House is living on past laurels. The atmosphere is excellent, but the food is sub-par for the price.

Yes, my Kobe ribeye alone was $109!

A Kobe ribeye was tough?? I would think you would have to cook it for three days to make Kobe tough. Wow, you definitely should have sent it back.

1) It was not Kobe beef.
2) If it were Kobe beef, it would be ridiculous to serve it in the style of an American "Tomahawk Chop"

Kennyz wrote:
1) It was not Kobe beef.
2) If it were Kobe beef, it would be ridiculous to serve it in the style of an American "Tomahawk Chop"

Kenny and John,

Both good points - however, given that it took such a long time for them to get me the correct entree in the first place (and in the meantime simply placed my fiancee's dinner under a heat lamp), I thought that it would take them and equally long time to get me another dry-aged Kobe ribeye. Neither my fiancee nor me were in any mood to wait any longer.

If the beef wasn't true Kobe, then what they are doing is very, very wrong.

ld111134 wrote:If the beef wasn't true Kobe, then what they are doing is very, very wrong.

Oh, it definitely wasn't. They get away with it because there is a company that uses American Wagyu cattle and brands itself KBA or "Kobe Beef America". So when restaurants say they are serving Kobe beef, they can argue that they weren't lying. At all but the very highest end places where the chefs are smuggling real Kobe in for special guests who pay much higher prices than you paid, this is what you're getting when you buy "Kobe". It's a scam that's really not worth the money.

I wonder if they get their beef from Allen Brothers. I know Allen Brothers sells the Wagyu Tomahawk . . . how Chop House managed to get it tough is beyond me too. I would have asked them to taste it and I then would have asked for a refund given the price. But I probably would have been smacking the waiter over the head repeatedly while holding it by the bone . . . just me though.