Top Spots for Steak During Chicago Restaurant Week
Chicago Restaurant Week, a coveted two-week spree of prix fixe menus all over town, is upon us. Taking place January 22 through February 4, the series serves to showcase Chicago's multifaceted dining landscape, ideal for tourists and locals alike. And when it comes to showcasing Chicago cuisine, perhaps nothing is more indicative than the steakhouse, a template perfected in the Midwestern metropolis. With plenty of steakhouses participating in Chicago Restaurant Week, we rounded up some of our top picks:
Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse: Three-course lunch and dinner menus are both on hand at this Italian-accented fixture in River North. Harry Caray's starts with Italian meatballs and kale Caesar salad for lunch appetizers, followed by entrees like turkey burgers, fried chicken salad, and cavatappi with Italian sausage. Cappuccino chocolate chip ice cream or key lime pie are the dessert options. At dinner, menu items shift to grilled octopus, crab cakes, and truffled arancini for starters; filet mignon, pan-roasted whitefish oreganato, and pappardelle alla bolognese for entrees; and Grand Marnier creme brulee and apple tarts for dessert.
Tavern on Rush: There's never a wrong time to dine at Tavern on Rush, one of the crown jewels of the Gold Coast. But Restaurant Week is an especially apt experience considering the prix fixe options afforded to you at both lunch and dinner. At lunch, dine on dishes like tomato bisque, pear and Gorgonzola steak salad, and brownies with salted caramel gelato. For dinner, the restaurant offers two different menu options, one for $33 and another for $44. The former features Caesar salad, seared Hawaiian tuna, brownies, and carrot cake, while the latter has Caesar salad, a mixed grill of filet mignon and salmon, brownies, and carrot cake.
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse: Your Restaurant Week options at this stunner of a Gold Coast steakhouse are a two-course lunch menu or a three-course dinner affair, with optional entree enhancements. The lunch offerings, for $22, include starter options like a classic Caesar salad or soup of the day, followed by filet medallions, prime meatloaf, pan-seared salmon, and pan-roasted chicken for entrees. Come dinnertime, those same apps and entrees are adjoined by optional supplements or replacements like Danish blue cheese crumbles, port and foie gras butter, prime rib-eye, and prime strip. For dessert, choose between cheesecake with butterscotch sauce, warm banana bread pudding, and chocolate mousse.
Devon Seafood Grill: There's plenty to choose from at Devon Seafood Grill, which is serving up three-course lunch and dinner menus the duration of Restaurant Week. At lunch, choose from optional dishes like a wedge salad, Creole gumbo, lobster bisque, flat-iron steak, salmon panzanella, pretzel-crusted trout, carrot cake, and butterscotch tart. At dinner, the entree selections expand to include the likes of crab cakes, chicken picatta, maple plank salmon, lobster tail, and center-cut filet.
Gene & Georgetti: If you haven't yet experienced Gene & Georgetti, an iconic steakhouse in Chicago and one of the first, then Restaurant Week is an apt time to get a taste. The River North staple is participating with both lunch and dinner offerings, the former a three-course degustation for $22 and the latter a three-courser for $44. At lunch, start with options like a BLT salad or their signature "garbage" salad, followed by main courses like a prime rib sandwich, limon salmon, or chicken panzanella. Tiramusi, spumoni, and cheesecake are on deck for dessert. Come dinner, offerings expand exponentially for each course, starting with Italian sausage and crab cakes for appetizers. Broiled filet mignon, chicken alla Joe, and Chilean sea bass are your options for entrees, while desserts are the same as lunch.
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse: Another quintessential mainstay in Chicago's steak scene is Gibsons, one of the most popular and perpetually packed steakhouses in town. Give it a try for dinner during Restaurant Week and enjoy dishes like crabmeat-filled avocado, soup du jour, and bone-in filet medallions with king crab Bearnaise.
Prime & Provisions: If it's a hot new steakhouse you're hungry for, you'd be wise to pay a visit to Prime & Provisions, one of the best restaurant openings of the past year. The Loop newcomer is getting in on the Restaurant Week action with both lunch and dinner degustations, each boasting ample selections for each course. At lunch, it's clam chowder, chopped salad, tomato and sweet onion salad, or roasted beet salad to start. This is followed by fried chicken, lobster club, prime rib dip, or a dry-aged burger. At dinner, start with clam chowder, house-flared thick-cut bacon, or a killer wedge salad, then proceed to a petit filet, broiled wild salmon, or chicken Vesuvio. Banana cream pie or chocolate caramel cake are your dessert options.
Morton's The Steakhouse: Yet another classic steakhouse temple on the docket for Restaurant Week, Morton's The Steakhouse beefs up your dinner options with a $44 three-course prix fixe, along with entree accompaniment selections, which makes this one of your better bargain choices. Options are quite abundant too, starting with appetizers like an ahi tuna tower, chopped spinach salad, sliced beefsteak tomatoes, and baked five-onion soup. Choose between filet mignon, broiled salmon, shrimp Alexander, and chicken bianco for mains, accompanied by your choice of steamed broccoli, creamed corn, or sour cream mashed potatoes. For dessert, pick between double chocolate mousse, creme brulee, key lime pie, cheesecake, or souffle.
RPM Steak: One of the more inventive and unique steakhouse menus for Restaurant Week can be found at RPM Steak. With both lunch and dinner menus on deck, there's plenty to choose from at this River North gem. For lunch appetizers, there's cauliflower veloute with fried oyster, big-eye tuna tartare with black olive aioli, and mushroom toast with Taleggio. Entrees are a lamb burger, chicken medallions with mushroom vinaigrette, and grilled salmon with apple-celeriac salad. Warm doughnuts with Bostom cream are for dessert. Come dinner, your starter options are smoked trout and celery-apple salad, poached egg with Taleggio fondue, and grilled squid with smoked paprika and potato. Short rib steak, roasted sea scallops, and wild mushroom risotto are your entree picks, followed by doughnuts or coffee custard for dessert.
STK: This hot new downtown spot is jumping into its first Restaurant Week with a three-course dinner menu chock full of offerings. Appetizers include tuna tartare with avocado and soy-honey emulsion; Brussels sprouts salad with apple, cranberry, aged goat cheese, and Marcona almond; and chipotle-glazed pork belly with fennel-apple salad. For entrees, pick from grilled chicken breast with bok choy, snap peas, and shiso; 10 oz. loin strip with fried onions and your choice of sauce; or pan-roasted branzino with truffled dashi. Finish with sorbet, banana cream pie, or Meyer lemon cheesecake.