Chicago's Newest Steakhouse Dishes to Savor This Season
The changing of the seasons means menus all over the city are swapping out light, summery dishes for heartier options hinged on root vegetables, spicy flavors and meaty comfort food. From fried eggplant to autumnal apple salads, here’s what to eat in Chicago’s best steakhouses right now.
Tavern on Rush: While much of the menus at this Gold Coast fixture stay steady all year due to customer demand, Tavern on Rush maintains a menu section that’s rigorously seasonal. For fall, that means a lineup of brand new dishes that really run the gamut in terms of style and flavor. Try the fried eggplant caprese, a crispy riff on a summery classic, or the shaved Brussels sprouts salad bursting with Marcona almonds, applewood-smoked bacon, dried cranberries and honey-orange-ginger dressing. For something even heartier, duck confit comes with gnocchi, chanterelle mushrooms, escarole and Parmesan cream, or braised veal shank gets a bing cherry-bourbon glaze and a bed of butternut squash risotto.
Michael Jordan’s Steak House: Seasonal ingredients inspired a new lineup of vivid dishes at this Magnificent Mile mainstay. Courtesy of executive chef Craig Couper, fall fruits play a pivotal role in dishes like seared scallops wit apples, butternut squash, thyme and country ham, or a pork chop with agrodolce, roasted pears and arugula. Then there’s the local apple salad, which puts produce front-and-center on a plate with smoked pecans, goat cheese, cider reduction and sherry vinaigrette.
Mastro’s Steakhouse: Recently appointed chef Rida Ennassiri hasn’t wasted any time in jazzing up the menus at Mastro’s with a few seasonal additions. This includes bone marrow with toast, lobster mashed potatoes, and the star standout: bacon steak. It’s thick-cut slabs of bacon that gets dusted with brown sugar and cracked black pepper, roasted and then drizzled with bourbon-maple-cayenne sauce. At once sweet, smoky and spicy, it’s a killer way to kick off a fall meal at this sensational steak temple.
STK: In addition to the shaved Brussels sprouts salad with cranberries, apples and goat cheese, a dish so popular it stays on the menu throughout the seasons, STK is serving up fall flavors with the likes of an herb-crusted rack of lamb with spiced yogurt and heirloom carrots; braised short ribs with jalapeño-cheddar grits and red wine glaze; grilled lobster Rockefeller with leeks, spinach and king crab; and an apple crumb cake with caramel, spiced apple and dulce de leche ice cream.
Swift & Sons: From apples to celery root, things are definitely starting to taste a lot like fall at this Fulton Market bastion. Start with bluefin tuna crudo with apple ponzo and celery-apple gelee, and a crab cake with sauce Creole and celery root remoulade. Then amp things up with crispy skin striped bass with pumpkin seed salsa verde, grilled cornish game hen with corn pudding, or a Niman Ranch pork chop with honey-cider glaze.