David Burke's Primehouse - Miss Chicago Steakhouse for April

Rush street at 5 p.m.  David Burke's Primehouse.

Hello, gentle reader, and welcome to the fifth in my series of monthly reviews of Chicago Steakhouses.  I have been continually amazed by how many people comment on these reviews when they see me.  Hell, last month a stranger from Boston commented.  Mind-boggling.  I'm glad people seem to take an interest in this, and I am truly grateful for each and every pageview I get. 

Previously, I've written about Joe's, Keefer's, Gibsons, and Morton's The Steakhouse.  Each and every place has had something special about it, and this month's place continues that trend.  Amy and I visited David Burke's Primehouse on March 19th.  I first heard of this restaurant on the Travel Channel's hour long special "Steak Paradise 2:  A Second Helping."  It looked like a cool place, and it lived up to that hype. 

The usual primer.  Click on the links.  They are part of the writing.  (One of these months, I will stop saying that...)

Where to begin?  Ah.  At the beginning.   Last Christmas, my mother in law gave her children and their spouses a c-note apiece with the instructions that we were to buy our own Christmas presents, wrap them, then open them in front of her.  Amy chose to buy tickets to the Lookingglass Theatre with her money (somehow I got half her present...), and a night of babysitting thrown in for good measure.  We had tickets to the matinee performance of "Ethan Frome."  It was a well acted play that I'm not sure needs to exist.  I'm drifting.  Steak.  Get to the steak. 



Just teasing us.  We had to wait for our seats...



Anyway, I made 5:30 reservations, which gave us an hour to travel from the Water Tower down to Rush & Ontario.  We were there by 5:05.  Located in the James Hotel, Primehouse is one block north of Rush and Grand, sharing the block with Joe's.  Walking up to the door, it didn't feel like a restaurant.  It felt like a hotel.  A very swanky hotel.  The red-lettered "Primehouse" above the door was all that advertised the place.  We entered, and I went to the host's station.  I was instructed that the staff was being briefed, and that they would be seating starting at 5:30.  Hmmmmph.  Turns out I had the earliest reservation one could make.  There was a small bar right there, and there were a number of people in it, so it was obvious we weren't the only "early bird" diners.  Amy and I chose to pass on any sort of libation, so we just found a seat in the hotel lobby and waited for 5:30 to arrive.  The restaurant had placed wine list booklets and dessert/appetizer menus in the lobby of the hotel.  It appeared as if a few people ordered some appetizers, but Amy and I chose to wait until seated.  We had a babysitter.  We weren't in a huge rush to get home. 

Finally, the moment arrived.  I checked in again, and we were led through the restaurant to our table.  Right next to the kitchen.  The place was starting to fill up....but not that fast.  Bah.  They filled up quickly.  The restaurant is a chic place with lots of leather (some of which is deteriorating).  The tablecloths are leather.  The seats are leather.  The menu has a leather cover.  I was sensing a trend. 

The place was obviously vegan. 

Upon seating, we were met by our server for the evening, Scott.  Scott was a delight.  Funny, detail oriented, and obviously a veteran of many, many years of the food service industry, Scott made us feel at home and made sure that we were comfortable.  He told us that he had "all the steaks on the menu this evening."  This is important.  If you've seen the Travel Channel show, skip the next paragraph.

David Burke's Primehouse has a few unique things about it.  1.  They dry age their steaks.  No, that's not really that unique, but in Chicago, wet aging is the norm.  2.  They dry age their steaks in a room lined with blocks of million plus year old Himalayan salt.  3.  They feature on their menu two steaks which go beyond normal: a 55 day aged bone in ribeye, and the truly adventurous 75 day aged bone in ribeye.  Before we went to the restaurant, I scoured the interwebs looking for a review of the 75 day steak.  I wanted to try it, simply for the experience, but I wanted to know what I was getting myself into when I did.  Know what?  There are like NO reviews (until now...?) of the 75 day steak.  Almost every Google search came back with something like "the 75 day steak was not available the day we went...."   Well, it was the day we went. 

I digress.  Back to the food....

The beginning of one of the most fun nights of fooding I've ever had.

After Scott announced that every steak was available, I said confidently, "Then you should know what I'm getting."  He said, "The crab?"  I kid.  He knew I was gonna be one of those who had to try the bordering on rotting piece of meat.  He said he'd be back to talk appetizers, and as he left the table, a couple of small vessels brimming with an Asiago Cheese Bread were placed in front of us.  I'm generally not that big a fan of any cheese that has any sort of...."tanginess" to it, but the bread was delicious.  It was served with a plate of butter with some coarsely ground....Himalayan salt on it.  Yummy. 

As we perused our menus, I was trying to decide on an appetizer.  It is at this point that something else must be noted.  The place is called David Burke's Primehouse.  The chef's name is on the door.  So, while it was obvious that great steak was going to be part of the evening, it was becoming apparent that tonight was going to be about a total food experience, and that Amy and I would be eating things that perhaps we hadn't eaten before.  Getting a little wrapped up in that thought....I decided to go for broke.  Lots of things looked appetizing on the appetizer menu.  Kobe Corn Dogs on a Stick, Bacon on a Stick, Pretzel Crusted Crab Cakes....but there was one thing I wanted to try.  Dad, if you're reading this, turn away now. 

We ordered the Wagyu Beef Sashimi.  For those who don't know, Kobe beef is from Japan.  Exclusively.  Like champagne only comes from France.  Wagyu is the American version of Kobe beef.  Sashimi?  Yeah.  That means raw.  Raw slices of steak, served on a block of salt.  I've never tried sushi.  I've never tried any raw meat.  Insert filthy joke of your own here.  Something about the place made me want to try it.  Scott promised me we'd like it, then took the balance of our dinner order.  I ordered the 75 day ribeye medium rare, Amy ordered the 40 day, also medium rare.  We asked for a Baked Potato, only to be told it wasn't available.  Huh?  Turned out that was fine, because we ordered Basil Whipped Potatoes instead.   We also ordered the Spicy Asparagus.  We had what appeared to be the makings of a unique kind of meal on its way. 

It is here that the real fun started.  Apparently, Scott sensed that maybe we might want to experience more of the restaurant.  So, he informed us that after dinner, he'd send someone around to take us to the AGING ROOM!  HUH?!  I think it was because of my general good mood, or perhaps the camera...but for some reason he knew that was something I wanted to do.  I was beside myself.  This was great.  Here I have this blog, with loyal readers, and I'm going to get to go and see one of the things that makes the place special.  I felt special.  It should be noted that I never have once mentioned this blog to any server at any of the places we've visited.  1.  400 readers a month ain't that big a deal.  2.  I really don't think this is that unique.  3.  Who the hell wants to think that someone is going to review them online?  So.  The invite to the aging room was unsolicited. 

Who'da thought raw meat could be so damned tasty?  And yes,
that is an entire block of salt there...

It wasn't much longer before our appetizer arrived. 

My brothers.  I am not often swayed into new food experiences.  I like what I like, and I don't often travel outside my comfort zone.  I'm here to give you my testimony.   I have been reborn.  Kinda.  The paper thin slices of raw meat that arrived at our table were something I'm glad I decided to try.  The saltiness, I assume infused by the block, the tart taste of the meat, and the way it just about melted in my mouth gave me an experience I never would have imagined.  To say I was delighted cheapens the word delighted.  It was simply delicious.  I heartily recommend it to anyone.  I was really starting to get into the evening.  Amy didn't care for the Sashimi as much as I did, but I could tell she was enjoying the overall experience also.  Scott came around to check on us while we ate our appetizer, and was very, very attentive.  After the Sashimi was finished (I ate 2/3 of it...), Scott brought us each what amounted to about a spoonful of lemon sorbet, to "cleanse the palate."  It did.  It was a nice touch, and one that further proved tonight was about flavors. 

This is my face when I ate the first bite of my steak.  I would
describe that look as quizzical.

It was time for the main event.  Our steaks, potatoes, and asparagus all arrived at once.  And, Scott brought us an order of the tempura fried green beans "with his compliments."  Now, we hadn't ordered the beans, but Amy had been wanting them as well.  The evening was really shaping up nicely.  Scott placed my steak down in front of me, Amy's in front of her, and told us to enjoy.  I was sure I would.  This is where the night got funky.  Sort of.  The bottom line, as best I can say it, is I'm not sure I actually liked my steak.  It didn't taste like anything I'd ever had before.  Dry aging is a process that we in Chicago don't experience often.  It lends a certain "gamey" quality to any cut of meat.  I had never been able to identify until after the meal at Primehouse why a steak I had in San Francisco tasted a little off to me.  Simple.  It was dry aged.  Now.  Take that gamey quality and almost double the normal aging time.  You are going to get a very unique taste.  And that's what my steak was.  Unique tasting.  It didn't taste like steak.  But....it was good.  Very good.  It just wasn't "steak."  At least not steak as I'm used to it.  And I think that was good.  I think.  It's been three weeks and I still can't decide.  Amy had a similar reaction to my steak.  Hers, on the other hand, we both agreed, was excellent.  It tasted like what we're used to steak tasting like, and it was cooked to perfection.  Amy really enjoyed it. 



This is my steak.  Aged 75 days.  Tasty.  I think.  I can't decide.



Also worth mentioning are the potatoes and the green beans.  They were delicious in their own right, but the thing I found most pleasing of the side dishes was the asparagus.  I hate to keep using this word, but the flavor was so....unique.  And tasty.  Just a hint of heat to them, the sauce served only to enhance the natural flavor of the vegetable.  I enjoyed them.  In fact, I think we finished all of them, if memory serves.  I'm pretty sure it was the only one of the sides we finished. 

Dessert SHOULD be fun, dammit!

It was time for dessert.  The evening had been so fun, and we had so thoroughly enjoyed Scott's service, that we ordered what appeared to be the most fun dessert.  We ordered the Lollipop Cheesecakes.  Yup.  You read that correctly.  Balls of cheesecake, dipped in various sauces, then served on a stick in a lovely sort of tree.  It was garnished with a strawberry whipped cream for dipping.  What a fun, fun dessert.  The cheesecakes were exquisite.  I'm not a big strawberry guy, but the night had been about stepping out of my comfort zone, so I went for it.  All it did was make the already great dessert that much better.  I enjoyed a delicious cup of decaf with dessert, and we talked and talked about how much fun we had eating our meal that evening. 

Shortly after dessert the check came, along with yet more food, a small chocolate caramel and a small square of yellow cake, not unlike a Twinkie.  Just the perfect little "now you're done" moment.  Scott also informed us that someone would be there momentarily to take us to the aging room.  I paid the check.  I've listed the amounts before, so I'll do it again....our dinner set us back $250.  It was an expensive, expensive meal.  Take that for whatever you take that to mean. 

Helen, one of the managers, showed up at our table to take us to the aging room.  We were led through the kitchen, then down the stairs into a much smaller than I anticipated room where racks and racks of steaks were breaking down, crusting over, and generally becoming more tender.  We were shown the salt blocks on the wall, then explained how the air circulated in there to keep the atmosphere fresh.  It was chilly in there, but not freezing.  While there, I asked her how people got to come down there, and she replied, "anyone who asks."  Well.  I hadn't asked.  Ah, yes.  The big time.  Ha.  We conversed for a while about other places in town, about dry aging, about all kinds of steak stuff.  I took pictures.  We were shown a piece of meat that had been in the room since the place opened.  In 2006.  Yeah.  That wasn't appetizing looking.  Helen asked where we were from, and asked what brought us down.  It was then that I revealed for the first time that I had this blog.  She seemed interested, asked what other places we were going to visit, and talked about her own history with a couple of places on my list where she had been previously employed.  Fantastic lady, and if you're reading this Helen - thanks for the tour. 

Nuts and bolts time:

Primehouse is expensive.  Expensive.

Atmosphere is great.  It's super fun, people are loud, and the place is alive.

You will enjoy flavors you haven't before.  

Take the tour.   

So, that's it.  I was going to try and be more brief this month, but there were too many stories.  Maybe next month.  Thanks for reading, and I'll be back with another one of these in May.

NEXT MONTH:  Rosebud Steakhouse (next month we're bringing guests.....)

We never take vacation - so what the hell.  This is our treat this year. 
Notice the salt blocks on the wall behind us.  Oh.  And the MEAT.