Boeufhaus

Let Boeufhaus parade itself as a refined French brasserie with a German accent all it wants. This unassuming Humboldt Park spot is, at heart, a straight-up classic steakhouse. Opening their restaurant far from the downtown big-spender shrines, Brian Ahern and Jamie Finnegan took what could have been just another neighborhood joint and packed its menu full of well-calibrated comfort fare, like butter-slicked spaetzle and gooey cauliflower gratin.

Steaks, like the admirable ribeye, are aged to a pleasing funk, which pairs well with the by-the-glass biodynamic French wines on offer, their names scrawled charmingly on butcher paper hanging in the back of the restaurant. As for the clientele, it’s more tattoos than ties. Many are regulars who are in on Boeufhaus’s open secret: By day, the place is a deli turning out some of the best, beefiest sandwiches in the city.