Hey old lady....here's the beef!

"Where’s the beef?" Remember that old lady? That makes me laugh for some reason. Oh well...

I will begin with an apology to my vegetarian friends; this post is about pure, unadulterated meat loving. I’m sure I’ll have a post about the Loving Hut soon enough. This is truly for all of you meatatarians out there. Yes, new word and you may feel free to use it.

Today we explore some of Chicago’s best steak houses. This is not, I repeat, not intended to be a comprehensive look at the best steak houses in the city but a few that I would consider among the very best. Feel free to add a comment about the places I don’t mention but don’t come at me talking about Sir you forgot the best place or how dare you not mention such and such. Just add it and I will probably go eat there just to make you happy. At least that’s what I’ll tell myself.

Gene and Georgetti

500 North Franklin Street

Chicago, IL 60654-4669

(312) 527-3718

http://www.geneandgeorgetti.com/

This is Chicago’s oldest steak house and has that old school look about it. I absolutely love the steaks here. Gene and Georgetti offers a full complement of seafood and Italian dishes in addition to the steaks and chops. They do everything well but don’t kid yourself, the steak reigns supreme!

The appetizers are a great start. Now, make sure you are ready to eat because the servings are generous. This is a great place for a family special occasion. The mussels marinara is classic and delicious. The marinara is simple and allows the tomato to shine. The sauce is the perfect compliment for the fresh, yummy mussels. The fried calamari will also leave a smile on your face. Now I know that this dish is pretty cliché but I still believe that if a kitchen can get the calamari just right, they have something good going on back there. This calamari has a very light batter and is cooked to perfection. It is tender and light with a great crunch.

The steaks are aged prime beef, nothing but the best. For my money, the bone-in rib eye is the way to go. The rib eye is the best flavored steak because of the heavy marbling and the bone-in option only adds another layer of greatness. They broil the steaks to perfection and to the temperature you request. I always order my steak medium rare and many times it will come medium or worse, rare. Not at Gene and Georgetti, they brought out a perfectly cooked rib eye that made me want to slap my momma!

Lawry’s

100 East Ontario Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611
(312) 787-5000

http://www.lawrysonline.com/theprimerib.asp

Want the most incredible slice of prime rib you can find? Then head on down to Lawry’s where they carve it tableside to your exact specifications. You get to select the size and temperature and the master carver will give you a perfect steak.

Don’t bring your friends who don’t like prime rib. While Lawry’s has a surprisingly tasty salad, also tossed and dressed (this dressing is memorable) tableside the menu is very straightforward: very large prime rib, large prime rib, and somewhat large prime rib (5 cuts in all). You can get the requisite side dishes, of course. And I think I recall that the server offered to describe the seafood special, if we were interested. We weren’t. We were, however, interested in the shrimp cocktail appetizer and for very good reason. I will keep it simple, it’s great! Classic and great, nothing “new” about this dish.

Not sure what to say about this prime rib. It is simply marvelous. It is smooth, tender, and succulent. Meat is handled with love at Lawry’s and it shines through on the plate. Do yourself a favor and get to Lawry’s immediately.

Smith & Wollensky’s

318 North State Street
(At Marina City)
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 670-9900

http://www.smithandwollensky.com/

This place has amazing crab cakes. They are made of lump crab meat and almost nothing else. They are delicately fried to perfection. There are times when I consider going here just for the crab cakes but then I see the steaks on the menu and I’m a goner.

I prefer the filet with Gorgonzola crust, medium rare. The Gorgonzola takes this steak to another level. The cheese compliments the perfectly dry-aged (28 days) prime cut of filet mignon. This steak is so tender and flavorful that I intentionally put my fork and knife down between bites so that I don’t just hog it down.

They offer all of the requisite salads, large sides, shellfish and seafood for a great steakhouse. And they execute with tremendous results.

Alert: I’m going off topic but with a purpose!

Now for the guys that plan to make reservations for a special occasion with that special someone, if the person in your life is up for this much beef, good for you! If not, at least you could add something new and snazzy to your wardrobe to impress. I would suggest a bow tie. I like the bow tie because you can dress it up or be pretty casual with it. There is a bow tie for every man’s wardrobe. But I’m not going to give you fashion advice, but I will lead you to THE place to get it. My friend, who makes awesome bow ties for me (hint hint) can tell you far more about it. Check her out at RandyFashion! What’s better than a new, fashionable piece that you can’t find in stores…yet!


And ladies, she has awesome stuff for you as well. Again, RandyFashion! Check her out, right now.