David Burke's Primehouse

PRIME

Meet Prime. A native of Creekstone Farms in Campbellsburg, Kentucky, this happy fellow is 2,500 pounds of pasture-grazed, corn-fed, purebred Black Angus, and according to his owners, he ranks nationally in the top 2% of the active 14,000+ Black Angus bulls in terms of the quality of meat produced from his offspring. Black Angus is the most popular type of cattle in the US, but only the most marbled, flavorful and finely-textured meat is certified U.S. Prime by the USDA (a socialist organization if ever there was one). The DB website likes to joke about how "cocky" their prized steer Prime is, and indeed, this senior herd sire is long on responsibility. The finely marbled steaks served at all five David Burke's restaurants across the country go directly from his gene pool to your plate -- after a long period of dry aging in an Himalayan salt-lined cooler, that is.

Dry Aging is a process by which an entire side or smaller cuts of beef are set out to dry in a cooler for a period of time. At Primehouse, this period of time ranges from what they call "lite aging" on their South Side Filet Mignon all the way up to a $69, 75-day aged 20-oz. Ribeye. The process enhances beef by two means. First, moisture is evaporated from the muscle, creating a greater concentration of beef flavor. Second, the beef’s natural enzymes break down the connective tissue in the muscle, which leads to more tender beef. Dry aging is not a very common process because it causes a considerable loss of weight, so it is difficult to find dry aged beef outside of a fancy steakhouse like Primehouse. But flavor + tenderness = dry aged beef nirvana, and I promise that even the least experienced carnivore can taste the difference between a steak that has been aged and one that has not.

Chalone Pinot Noir - Monterey 2007 - $55. One of the cheaper bottles on the wine list, this unusually bold pinot was bright and full with a buttery finish that paired beautifully with the aged steak. This was brought at the same time as the bread course, which was fresh asiago popovers served with butter and the fancy sea salt that they use in so many applications. We were especially glad for the fancy salt later when the spinach arrived, and it also made us realize how few restaurants will bring you sea salt for your table. The eggy popovers were light and crispy, covered in toasted cheese. They didn't come to the table hot enough, as we missed the familiar puff of steam that should escape upon cracking into one, but they were still good.

You'll notice as we blog more that we're not much concerned with the aspects of a dining experience outside the food. Restaurant designs can be very nice or very bad, but that's not why we eat out. A great bar can entice me to visit a place more often, but it rarely influences my opinion of it. A really horrible server can ruin a meal, but we both spent many years working in the service industry so we're willing to give a server A LOT of slack. That said, Primehouse is the closest to a 'hip & trendy' steakhouse that Chicago has to offer, so if you go you'll see lots of pretty people in a pretty room, probably pay way too much for a bottle of wine and likely be treated rudely by a member of the staff at least once during your visit. But we're here for the beef, so let's bring on the beef!!

Kobe Beef Sashimi on Himalayan Sea Salt with Mushroom Chips and Truffle Mayo

For the first course we decided on a surf-and-turf combo by ordering the Kobe Beef Sashimi and the East Meets West Oyster plate. The sashimi was amazing. LITERALLY paper-thin slices of raw beef atop a brick of salt, served with toasts and a cup of truffle mayo. The presentation was very cool, a heavy brick of salt with translucent slices of beef fanned out over it. The meat was rich and velvety with a clean flavor, and since it hasn't even touched a grill the only seasoning was the essence of salt coming from the brick. We started by building tiny sandwiches, but by the end we were just peeling the meat off the brick and eating it plain. I love truffles, but the strongly-flavored mayo just got in the way for me, I only wanted the beef. I was also unsure of why they were featuring a Japanese beef when Prime and his American offspring are the pride of the establishment, but we loved it all the same.

East Meets West: 2 East Coast and 2 West Coast Oysters with Fennel Granita, Cocktail Sauce and Mignonette

The oyster plate came out in the classic serving on a bed of ice and seaweed. Oysters can be a bit tricky here in the center of the country, but these were right on the mark with their fresh brine and mild flavor. I wasn't given the tour when the oysters arrived, so I'm just assuming the smooth-shelled oysters (bottom of pic) were east coast. They were sweeter and slightly firmer than the west coasters which were more salty and very meaty for their size. The sauces were super, mignonette was vinegary and bold, cocktail sauce was extra spicy with a large dollop of horseradish added to it, and we will be stealing the fennel granita (we'll post a recipe for it once we figure it out, because it was PERFECT with the oysters and would make a very interesting cocktail, as well).

And now for the main event, the raison d'etre, The Steak. In no mood to try something more adventurous and miss out, we both decided on the 28-day aged Delmonico. Shhhhhh.... No talking now. Only eating.

28-day Aged 7 oz. Delmonico

MUH-GAW. So tender. So freaking tender. Beautifully grilled, deep ruby red color without an overwhelming amount of blood, the robust juice that runs out is almost clear. And that FLAVOR. It starts and ends with that pure buttery richness that would make you swear that they covered this steak in extra fat before grilling it, but it's what happens IN BETWEEN all that richness that makes it worth it. The aging produces such complexity of taste in the meat that it is possible to forget you're eating beef. It is in no way gamey or heavy, in fact it is exactly the opposite. Every ribbon of marbling seems to hold another nuance, and the free-range raising of the cattle comes through in the flavor via a fresh, almost floral quality. If happy cows come from California, then it must rain pure serotonin in Kentucky because these cows are fucking ecstatic.

As part of the Restaurant Week special, our steaks were served with shared sides of basil-whipped potatoes, pan roasted mushrooms, creamed spinach and sauteed asparagus & shallots. Just for good measure, we also ordered a side of the lobster fried rice. The rice had big chunks of lobster and it was spicy with thai peppers and ginger. It was a surprisingly good side dish for the steak (after Erin picked out all the peas, of course). The spinach was badly in need of some extra salt, but once we added that it was sweet and creamy and our favorite "complimentary" side dish. The asparagus was good, the potatoes were a fine classic. The mushrooms, on the other hand, were lousy. They were improperly seasoned and included thick, woody stems that had to be eaten around. We may have just gotten a bad batch, but they are not recommended.


Apple-Cheddar Pie with Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Slice of Prime Chocolate Cake with S'Mores Ice Cream

Dessert was fine. The Apple Pie was more like an apple wonton with a scoop of ice cream, and it reminded us of an upscale version of McDonald's apple pie -- for better and worse. The caramel ice cream was delicious but the super crispy "pie" was a little greasy and tasted like something you'd eat at the State Fair. The chocolate mousse cake was very standard, but nothing to blog about. On the whole I think we would agree that if you're looking for a place in the neighborhood for drinks and dessert, you can probably do better than DBs.

But dessert isn't why we went. We went for beef. And even with all the choices in Chicago, we went to David Burke's for beef. Before eating, I would have scoffed at the idea of paying $70 for a steak, especially since the best steak I've ever had (at the Irma Hotel in Cody, WY) couldn't have cost more than $20. But now... I think maybe I'll pinch my pennies and plan a return trip to try one of the "Reserve Cuts" (35 days or more aging in the salt vault), maybe even the extra-decadent 75-day aged ribeye. I mean, how good could it be? It can't possibly be worth the price, CAN IT? But the thing is, it will be at least on par with the steak I had Tuesday, and for a steak like that I'm willing to pay top dollar. How much better is a $70 steak than a $32 steak? I must research and will report back on any findings. Meanwhile, if anyone is interested in making that report happen sooner rather than later, please send a very large check payable to me, because this place is DAMN expensive.




Oh, and Brandon: socialist.

NAHA

We’ve been kind of ...obsessed with Naha for a few years. APPARENTLY, they have one of the best burgers in the city. We once played hooky from our jobs to experience this burger, but we missed their lunch window, and, frankly, their dinner menu is crazy expensive, so it hasn’t really been an option for us. Until Restaurant Week.

A little history on the group we had dinner with…last year, our friend Lauren organized a RW dinner to Aria with a few of her friends. We all knew Lauren, but not necessarily each other. We ended up having a ridiculous amount of fun, and 50 desserts, thanks to a friend that worked at the bar. We decided that this RW dinner group had to continue. This year, our visit was Naha.

Their RW menu was an excellent representation of their full menu. As a bonus, Naha had added a RW wine list, paired to go with the menu selections, and also at reduced prices. Lauren did all the wine selection, and boy was she good at it. I drank a RIESLING and enjoyed the hell out of it. I am not covering the wine in this, because I have no idea what it was. Lauren, feel free to refresh me in the comments. All I know, is that they were GOOD. And whatever red I was having during course two was a perfect match.



ANYWAY,

First course was the winter cauliflower soup for me and the gem lettuce, tangerine and blue cheese salad for Dave. The soup was constructed at the table. The waiter came out with a large soup bowl, with thick, fatty pieces of wild boar bacon, caramelized cauliflower and cracked hazelnuts in the bottom. He then poured the thick creamy broth over the bacon/cauliflower/hazelnut mixture in the bowl. The texture and flavor of the silky soup, crunchy hazelnuts, soft cauliflower and thick bacon was a perfect blend of salty and sweet.

I so rarely order salad at pre-fixe meals. I feel like I'm getting short changed or something. Well, this was no short changed salad. First of all, blue cheese is the bacon of the cheese world. It makes everything complete. Paired with a tender lettuce, a pomegranate vinaigrette and tangerines, it was a delightful salad.

For the second course, Dave ordered cannelloni of melted leeks, roasted sunchokes and housemade ricotta cheese with Door County whitefish caviar and Jerusalem artichoke broth. I have no idea what it was. Not a stew or a soup...it was like a pasta, but not really. It was truly its own definition, and boy was it GOOD. The textures together were more about the flavor than the actual flavors, if that makes any sense. The ricotta with the artichoke sauce was delicate but full of flavor. I'm sure it was full of butter, which is awesome.

I ordered the roast quail with pork belly, roasted potatoes, swiss chard, glazed cipollini onions and tarragon. It was even better than it sounds. The quail skin was perfectly seasoned and crisp and the meat was tender with a tug. Ended up just picking up the leg and eating it that way, as did everyone else who ordered it. We didn't want to miss a bit. The porkbelly was so delicious, I saved one small piece for my last bite. It was slightly caramelized with butter and maybe some brown sugar. If you've never had pork belly (where bacon comes from) get thee to a butcher! If you think bacon is good? Wow.

For the third course, I ordered the pear torte. It was...fine. Nothing too spectacular. The cake was a smidgen dry, but the demi-sec slice of pear on the top was killer good.

Dave ordered the cheesecake scented with pineapple, rum and toasted coconut custard. I am not much of a fan of cheesecake, but the smear of coconut custard really made this dessert.

Personally, I think the dessert award goes to the smart folks that ordered the chocolate delice with cara cara oranges and hazelnut cream. It was milk chocolate that was so rich, it almost tasted like a dark chocolate. The orange flavor was really delicate and lovely. So lesson learned, when all else fails, order chocolate.

To cap it off, the waiter brought out some delicious truffles to nosh on while we worked out the bill. The sugar coated apple jelly truffle was smooth and soft. Lovely. The big winner was the chocolate passion fruit piece. The sour passion fruit barreled like a train through the rich chocolate. It was a perfect finish.

Naha was awesome. Service was great, and the atmosphere was soft and subtle but still vibrant. I love restaurants in which the decor doesn't distract from the food. Sounds simple, but is hard to find.



I WILL have the burger some day....

Restaurant Week is Here!

David Burke's Primehouse 40-Day Dry Aged Beef "Burker". A half-pound of Prime beef on a toasted potato roll, it's schmeared with smoky bacon mayo & topped with garlic spinach and fried onions. Served on the side are truffle-asiago potato skins. The meat was outstanding; firm and fresh with a rich, buttery flavor. The accouterments were delicious as well, but the sum of the Burker wasn't as good as its parts . As a more unforseen negative, Erin nearly kicked me out of bed that night, if ya know what I mean.


Driven by local tourism bureaus and www.OpenTable.com, Restaurant Weeks are gaining in popularity across the country. For one week in February (a typically slow month for the restaurant industry), restaurants in markets across the country team up to offer special menus at special prices in an attempt to lure diners. First page results of a Google search show R.W.s in Washington D.C., San Diego, Philadelphia, Baltimore, NYC and Boston.

During Chicago's 2nd Annual Restaurant Week from February 20-27, over 130 local eateries are offering a 3-course menu priced at $22 for lunch and $32 for dinner (excluding beverages, tax and gratuity), and Erin and I are taking advantage. It provides a great opportunity for us to check out new places that we otherwise might not be able to afford.

We scheduled a dinner with friends at Naha which we enjoyed last night and a dinner at David Burke's Primehouse on Tuesday evening. As an added bonus, I went to lunch at DBurke's Friday afternoon with some co-workers and ordered the burger you see above as part of my meal. Stay tuned for the full stories!

Bakin' and Bacon

We talk often about how much we hate the word "foodie". The most obvious reason is the cutesy nature of it, the impression that it is more akin to baby talk than actual English, but the larger issue is the definition of the term and the people to which it applies. I bristle anytime someone refers to me as a foodie, because it conjures up the image of someone with a freshly poured glass of wine who spends the next 10 minutes swirling and sniffing and sniffing and swirling. "Hm, yes, the lovely overtones of a lavender field with a hint of smoked sea salt and deep ruby characteristics of a --" and my head just exploded. I've rolled my eyes through a sitcom-length analysis and they can't even tell me if they like it or not.

I think of a foodie as someone who spends their life on a quest for that one great flavor, that one perfect ingredient, that ultimate sip of wine. People like Erin and me (and, I'm suspecting, most of you) are more interested in sampling everything -- from the very good to the unfortunately bad -- in a mission to find the perfect flavor for right now. This may seem like a small distinction, but I feel it is an important one, nonetheless. So I ask you: What should we call ourselves? We've considered "food nerds", "flavor savers" and even simply "eaters", but none of them seem quite right...

We have created this blog as a forum for others and as a service to ourselves. We cook like mad but we rarely write our recipes down. Maybe if we had a little outside pressure, we'd be more diligent about documenting our creations. We also have the great fortune of living in Chicago, one of the greatest food cities in the nation, and we enjoy eating out fairly regularly. This forum gives us a place to post our adventures. Hope you all enjoy reading, and please don't hesitate to leave comments!