Ruth’s Chris Steak House 431 N. Dearborn St. 312-321-2725 Website This chain’s New Orleans–influenced kitchen never met a dish it couldn’t jazz up. Diced red and green peppers spark its supercrabby Sizzlin Blue Crab Cakes; a kicky rémoulade sauce makes you want to dive in for the exceptionally succulent shrimp—or at least surreptitiously dip … Read more
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse 1028 N. Rush St. 312-266-8999 Website Gibsons is not a steak house. It’s a force of nature, a cash cow, pure manna to conventioneers and tan people and athletes and aldermen. Unfortunately, being all things to so many people for 24 years means that certain elements have slipped. There’s nothing … Read more
Mastro’s Steakhouse 520 N. Dearborn St. 312-521-5100 Website Looking at the Hummers idling outside this Scottsdale, Arizona–based meat market, you may forget that you are, in fact, in the humble Midwest. Even more so when you feast your eyes on the glitzy clientele and hear the sounds of Bruno Mars blasting from the jam-packed … Read more
Erie Cafe 536 W. Erie St. 312-266-2300 Website You don’t see many places these days with mahogany leather chairs and a framed painting of a clipper ship, unless they’re being ironic. But there’s nothing ironic about this old-school spot. A spirit of excess colors everything, from the ridiculous heaps of blue cheese melting onto … Read more
Chicago Cut Steakhouse 300 N. LaSalle St. 312-329-1800 Website What a lively bar to hang out at while waiting for a table! What a wonderfully executed old fashioned made with Templeton Rye! What a view of the river and skyline from the dining room! What fresh shellfish in the crab cocktail and in the … Read more
Sullivan’s Steakhouse 415 N. Dearborn St. 312-527-3510 Website It’s undoubtedly a sleeper, right? A chain steak house in River North flanked by big-deal competitors—Ruth’s Chris, Harry Caray’s, Keefer’s—that serves up a familiar roster of meat, seafood, and martinis. Surprise! Sully’s delivers some of the juiciest steaks around. First things first, though. Why not pause … Read more
Fulton’s on the River 315 N. LaSalle St. 312-822-0100 Website (Editor's note: Since this story was first published, this restaurant has closed.) Unless they’re planning a reception or some similar event, Chicagoans rarely think about Fulton’s. Maybe it’s because the place resembles a conference room more than a steak house. But like the view … Read more
Wildfire 159 W. Erie St. 312-787-9000 Website Lettuce Entertain You’s first steak venture is far more modest than the typical Chicago steak house (and the company’s forthcoming sure-to-be-glam RPM Steak). The chain’s River North flagship manages to be utterly approachable yet not lowbrow. This is a place where 20-something couples can afford the perfectly … Read more
Mike Ditka’s Tremont Hotel, 100 E. Chestnut St. 312-587-8989 Website Kitsch on the Gold Coast? Only if you consider a museum-caliber collection of photos of the former Bears coach and players covering every bit of wall space kitschy. The gift shop, too, crosses over into Tackyville. But here’s the thing: Eating at Ditka’s is … Read more
Roasted tomatoes Bursting blackened tomatoes saturated with thick salt crystals Bavette’s Photos: Anna Knott Lobster Mac ’N’ Cheese Tender lobster chunks and chewy capellini coated in gobs of melted Havarti, Grana Padano, and mascarpone: food porn starts here The Capital Grille Garlic Horseradish Mashed Potatoes A homey classic that has gotten a zesty makeover Sullivan’s … Read more
