Steak In The City

Bavette's Bar et Boeuf

The man behind trendy local diner Au Cheval and Parisian hotspot Maude’s Liquor Bar, restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff has kept Chicago’s foodies happy with the opening of no less than five restaurants in the last two years alone. Now he has waved that famous culinary wand yet again and produced River North’s magical meaty eatery, Bavette’s Bar et Boeuf.

A European-style steakhouse with Sodikoff’s trademark tufted leather couches and sepia-tinted ambience, there is a whole list of menu must-tries, from succulent beef tongue with horseradish, celery and carrots, to the signature 24-ounce prime ribeye dry-aged in house. But remember to surf as well as turf; order the on-ice Seafood Tower appetizer of king crab, lobster and oyster, before loosening the belt buckle and indulging in one of pastry chef Caitlin Rockey’s delightfully diet-ruining Chocolate Cream Pies. Then sidle down to the basement where faux animal heads will peer down from the walls as you sip on one of the specialty brown liquors (whisky or bourbon) or enjoy a sparkling cocktail to a sultry jazz soundtrack. Despite the vast competition of steak spots in the Windy City, Bavette’s sure enters the race a prime cut above the rest.