Other than that I’m far from an expert.
The particular brand of food twitter that’s always amazed me has been “steak twitter”.
People seriously care about fucking steak in this country.
Every year around this time, my friends and I get together for a “gentlemen’s dinner”.
This year I did our first gentlemen’s dinner at Tre Dita and it was outstanding.
Then for the second one, we did Bavette’s this past Tuesday night.
Here’s a brief rundown on Bavette’s for everybody.
They are arguably one of, if notthebest hospitality group in America currently.
Ever heard of ‘em?
Yah, all Hogsalt concepts.
It’s almost always gone the other way around.
I remember Gilt Bar opening back in 2010 and how cool it was.
Dimly lit, comfy seating encouraging you to cozy up next to each other.
With an even darker, candlelit bar in the basement.
It was theperfectdate spot.
After that Au Cheval opened in 2012.
It was the best “hidden gem” in Chicago for a few months.
A place pouring 8% IPA’s, and the best burgers you’ve ever put in your mouth.
Lights fuckin out on both of them.)
From that point on, it was impossible to get a table at Au Cheval without waiting 3+ hours.
I think they have like 15 of them, and they all absolutely crush.
They will probably open another 20-30 of them and sell to private equity for half a billion dollars.
Green St. Meats, their BBQ concept is top 3 BBQ joints in Chicago.
High Five Ramen is the best ramen.
In my opinion, the Armitage Alehouse smashburger version they do is the best I’ve had.
The setting is perfect, and you could sample pretty much everything all on one menu in one place.
Including their famous prime-rib sandwich from New York.
They know what the fuck they’re doing, and knock everything out of the park.
From food, to decor, to service, you will rarely if ever be disappointed.
And Bavette’s is their crown jewel.
If you have been lucky enough to get a reservation there than you already know.
And if you haven’t, I strongly encourage you to try.
It’s the hardest reservation to get in Chicago.
So we went on Tuesday at 5:30 pm, and were seated in the basement.
It was so fucking nice down there.
The most intimate setting.
Perfect music and background noise volume.
You couldn’t have tuned the acoustics in that room more perfect if you tried.
It was a nice touch to see they track things like that, but not surprising at all.
For the main course we shared an American wagyu porterhouse, and a dry aged, bone in ribeye.
We also got the fried chicken which they are famous for.
We added on like 5 different sides and feasted like kings.
It was one of the best meals I’ve had all year.
Chicago is the best steakhouse city in America in my opinion.
Every single aspect of the evening was perfect.
So I snapped a pic and through it up on twitter.
The response was mixed, but surprisingly polite and civil for the people who disagreed with my sentiments.
(I really should have started a food blog or account years ago but I’m a moron.)
I heard from a lot of people that I need to hit Bern’s in Tampa.
Funny story about Bern’s.
No matter what night I tried to get a reservation, everything was booked.
So I punted and opted for Lilac instead.
(Awesome restaurant.)
So I need to get to Bern’s.
Place screams my name.
Old school steakhouse with a ton of nostalgia andsupposedlythe largest, most impressive wine cellar in North America.
One of the other names that kept coming up was The Golden Steer out in Las Vegas.
I’ve been to Golden Steer and I completely agree.
It’s off the charts and I fucking love that it’s old school Vegas.
It’s not some stuffy spot you have to walk through a hotel-casino to get to.
It’s in a strip mall and transports you into the 1960s when you walk through the doors.
Impeccable service and top-notch steaks.
It was a Sinatra and Elvis staple for a reason.
Another name that was mentioned that I’ve been to and LOVED was Manny’s in Minneapolis.
Tremendous steakhouse from top to bottom.
Massive cuts of meat, perfectly prepared and shockingly good seafood for a landlocked state in the midwest.
100 people must have told me I’m crazy and that I need to try Jeff Ruby’s.
So much so that the man himself responded to me.
You will not be disappointed.
