Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf — Believe The Hype
Given the credibility of Chicago Magazines top Steak House list, I thought I was going to be quoting Public Enemy after this one….”Don’t Believe the Hype”. I could not have been more wrong. It is rare these days we find an establishment we have not dined. With December presenting light numbers for the group, Bavette’s was in play. You see, Bavette’s doesn’t take reservations for more than 6, which has always made it difficult for our party to bring it in the fold. While this group initially perceived that rule as a bit high-brow, when you are in Bavette’s and take in the floor plan it makes perfect sense.
I arrived late after multiple work holiday parties and well in stride. I was greeted by the Drunk Idiot, Zee German and Cizzle at the bar. Glick showed just after me and an Oban later we were taking to our corner booth in the downstairs parlor. Wreaking of rich mahogany – Bavettes has a great atmosphere and we were all ready to go.
Our server, Johnny, was on point and eager to please. He was forthcoming with his recommendations and personable, took to the vibe of the group and helped set a nice tone for the evening.
The group started with shrimp cocktail, garlic shrimp de jonghe and foi gras terrine which were all spot on. The steak selection was technically 3 cuts, which could draw some questions from the group, even if there were multiple variations – bone in and bone out or dry/wet aged. I prefer dry all day long and that is what I went with – dry aged rib-eye with roasted bone marrow. Sides selected were creamed spinach, elote style corn and of course, thick cut bacon.
My steak was simply outstanding. Outstanding. It was cooked to perfection and the half cut bone with the roasted marrow didnt over power the steak. In fact, the marrow was largely separate from the steak which I thought was perfect. The sides also killed. The creamed spinach with blue cheese and caramelized onions I think tops Del Frisco’s for best creamed spinach in the city. The corn, while a nice dish and tasted great, was just not my style. The bacon was excellent as well – I would argue we should have gotten that as an appetizer and not side – but enjoyed it none the less.
Overall, Bavette’s lived up to the hype. This is going to be a staple place for me to go for a long time to come. The best steak dinner and service we have had in a long time and was a great way to close the year. Sorry to those who missed!
9.5
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5 Responses to “Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf — Believe The Hype”
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9.5? Russian judge? Wow, sorry to miss this event. From getting peed on and cleaning up puke daily at 5am, one could understand why I found it difficult to swing it. Looks like things are back up to par with a couple good runs and it makes January’s pick even more important. One that I am happy to say I pal to attend.
One quick note; being a Frenchie, if we are talking about beef, that is spelled “boeuf” whereas is “boef” is a rhinoceros testicle. Just wanted to make that distinction or wonder if you guys ate both.
Bavette’s is the only steak place of note in the city that I have not been. The white whale to my Captain Ahab. In fact it was a cherry popping experience for many in the group and I know we were excited to lose our Bavette’s V Card.
I arrived at 7:45 with Cizzle to find Hans at the bar drinking Cognac Sazerac. I decided to put the vodka goblets on hold for tonight and join him on the Cognac Sazerac train, a tasty drink and appropriate choice for the evening. The atmosphere is great, a lively crowd in the bar but not overcrowded or overwhelming. Bavette’s is not just a steak place but a popular destination for drinks after work and it balances the two wonderfully. Brad showed up well lubricated after a four hour head start. Glick arrived and we were brought downstairs to our table.
There was some talk that Bavette’s only has 3 cuts on the menu and thus does not fit the requirements of the “must have 4 cuts on the menu” rule. However the point of this rule was to make sure we were going to legit steak places. There is often a debate in society on how do you define pornography or what does pornography look like. A popular answer is “I will know it when I see it”. The same is true for Bavette’s, when you walk in you know it’s a steak house. It feels like a steak house, looks like a steak house. It may not technically fit our criteria but you know it’s a steak place when your there, thus ok in my book. For those scoring at home I just compared a steak place to pornography, perhaps another steak night first.
I went with the dry aged bone in rib eye medium rare, it was just a touch over cooked but excellent. The mashy p’s and elote corn both welcome additions to the meal. The thick cut bacon a homerun. The only thing better then bacon is thick cut bacon. I loved the entire Bavette’s experience. From the atmosphere, to the service, to the vibe and the food. If you have a group of 5 or less it is a must and I look forward to a return visit in the near future.
After dinner drinks were at Bull & Bear which disappointed Glick greatly as he was touting the Shamrock Club. On to 2014.
Bavette’s. Long on my list for not just for a steak joint, but for any restaurant in the city. And when Chicago magazine rated it the top steak joint in the city, suffice to say I was going to find my way there with or without the steak crew. Being that we had a small group for December, it worked out perfectly as Bavette’s does not take reservations for more than 6. And after being inside you can see why. It’s much more intimate than your typical Chicago steak joint.
The Crew:
Sir Rick and I met Has at the bar and began consumption of a variety of liquors. Brad and Glick showed up soon after and away we were sweet to our corner booth downstairs.
The Scene:
Dark, casual, brick walls, leather booths, River North crowd and lively. Great bar set up, and as mentioned before perfectly intimate seating options.
The Waiter:
Johnny. Good guy. Melded himself to the attitude of the group, cut some jokes, made some recommendations, and generally added a positive vibe to the evening.
The Apps:
Shrimp, cocktail was great, Mustard sauce was GREAT. Garlic shrimp de jonghe was outstanding and foi gras terrine was my personal favorite.
The Sides:
Thick cut bacon rivaled only by Mr. Lugar himself. I think I said this same things last month? I’m saying it again. The creamed spinach was hands down the best I’ve had. You could go there just for that. The corn side was actually good too but it was totally overshadowed by the other options.
The Steak:
Dry aged bone-in ribeye. Actually a tad overcooked but even overcooked it was better than 99% of other steaks I’ve had. The topping was marrow in the bone placed on top of the steak. This is how a marrow topping should be done. You could dish out as much or little as you wanted on your steak and it really enhanced the meat more than I imagined. But even without the marrow the steak can stand up to anywhere in the city.
The Dessert:
No idea what we had. I’m sure it was outstanding too.
The Verdict:
My favorite restaurant, steak or otherwise in the city. Period. For those that couldn’t make I’d be glad to meet you any day, any time for an off-cycle steak endeavor.
Given that Chicago Chop House was # 7 on the list I was skeptical on whether Chicago magazine was still printed in Chicago or if that too had been outsourced to India. Well like a broken calendar, Chicago magazine was right once this year.
Given we’ve been doing this for 6 years, finding untapped places is nearly impossible. Where Shula’s got points for being untapped, Bavette’s gets points for being amongst the best. This was a fun night.
Rick was dressed for the occasion, supporting a nice “combover” to accent his camelwool jacket which he wore over a black mock turtleneck.
Service was spot on. Johnny got the game, got our vibe and got the orders right. Extra points for nailing the desert call, we were so excited we forgot to mention it was Rick’s bday.
Apps were ok, shrimp cocktail is tough to give points for but there’s was solid.
Steak great, sides phenomenal. I went with the aged ribeye and was a huge fan.
Ambience, mood, etc was great. Intimate crews demand an intimate place.
After dinner we fumbled by going to bull and bear over the hole in the wall that seemed to have more charachter. Just like Cutler sometimes the group likes to force the action instead of taking the easy pass in front of them. Bull and Bear was clearly the overthrow on what was basically a two point coversion.
9.5
Just because it was a late reservation, didn’t mean it needed to be a late start. Arriving early, I found the last spot at the end of the bar and proceeded to lock down the corner while waiting for reinforcements. The cognac sazarac jumped out at me from the craft cocktail list. Bavettes clearly prides itself on cocktails and this was no exception. Shortly after my second one was mixed up Cizzle and Reeshard Joelle sauntered in to join the evening. Brad Ray found his way out of a series of work parties to arrive shortly thereafter. Glick was on Glicktime, nuff said.
The basement table in the deepest corner seemed like a bad setup at first glance. Johnny turned that all around by serving up as much attitude as quality. When i asked him if he had requested the menus back due to a shortage he promptly tore them up and threw them back at me. Classic Johnny.
Apps went on the shrimp heavy side in my opinion, but again Bavettes nailed it. The terrine was a stretch for me and the first time I had tried it, wont be the last.
Being a bleu cheese fan, I figured the creamed spinach would be a homerun. I actually give it middle of the road marks. It had a bit too much going on and the cheese gummed it up. Otherwise the sides were quite outstanding as described.
Dry aged steak: I had one of the best first bites ever. It was downhill from there. Still an incredible steak compared to some, but definitely overcooked to a medium despite my order. The sear on the steak was perfect, a bit salty, and the temperature was spot on.
Dessert involved something sweet, not memorable. Could have been the sazarac.
Bull and Bear can officially suck my “Boef”, thanks for the foreign language clarifications Scotty.
9