Off-cut Steaks Reign Supreme at Community Tavern

When it comes to steaks, especially in a steak-happy city like Chicago, everyone is familiar with prominent cuts like NY strip and bone-in rib-eyes. But there’s lots more to steak than the most elite meats. Portage Park’s French-accented boutique steakhouse, Community Tavern, is out to prove the merits of off-cut steaks that may not get the spotlight, but are chock full of flavor (and value!). 

 

At Community Tavern, chef Joey Beato is all about the off-cut steaks. Not only is it a great way to maximize flavor at a much lower cost than prime cuts, but it’s an apt way to get crafty in the kitchen and deliver something unique and uncommon to diners. Here are a few ways the chef is serving up off-cut steaks in offbeat ways:

In lieu of the typical steak frites, Beato opts for a CDK Denver steak to pair with the crispy potatoes and housemade steak sauce. Not only do customers love it, but the steak is something they’d be able to replicate at home, should they get the craving. Beato is also utilizing the CDK Flat Iron with regularity, including a combo of seasonal vegetables, bordelaise sauce and bone marrow. And he’s also a fan of the rib-eye cap, a cut that he says captures the full scope of flavor and tender succulence at a more affordable cost. 

Additionally for the home cook, Beato recommends working directly with butchers to discover new cuts to try at a value. The butchers will be able to gauge what you’re looking to try, how best to cook things, and what is the best fit for your budget. 

- Matt Kirouac