Maple and Ash
February brought us to another new kid on the block, Maple and Ash. Expectations were high. After over pricing himself right out of the bid for construction, Hans was still invited to have dinner with the owners and their cut rate choice. Due to his rave reviews coupled with a few other opinions we were excited to say the least. Not as excited to pound drinks on Brad Rays tab but excited nonetheless. We waited an hour to be seated but that was partly our own doing as we wanted to wait for a bigger table.
Apps were of the seafood variety with oysters and shrimp. Both were delightful.
Standard order of the bone in ribeye for me. It was excellent.
Sides were onion rings (Hans tried to hoard them all again) Yukon gold gratin potatoes which was out of site, broccolini, and Brussels sprouts. All were excellent.
All in all a great night. Rick Ray walked for free by winning the NFL pool, and we followed up the night with beers at Butch Mcguires. On to March.
Filed under: General
Maple & Ash burst on the scene with great fanfare, which is why expectations were perhaps too high.
Cizzle and I were the first ones there and made our way to the upstairs bar. The upstairs bar had a good crowd, but we found a nice area on the side for our group. A nice leather top bar with an excellent scotch selection was appreciated. So much so that we delayed sitting at a sub par table so we could continue to beat Mr. Ray’s tab unmerciful. After Mr. Ray’s bank examiners shed a few more tears, we were escorted to our table.
The good about Maple & Ash is that it has a social ambiance, but it’s not excessively clubby like STK. However, the issue is that it’s a big place with gulag grey walls. It looks like the room where Apple’s 1984 ad was filmed, so didn’t love that despite the festivity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axSnW-ygU5g
I had the 12 oz. bone-in filet. It was really a high quality cut. Not a complaint but a preference, they did not put a enough salt on it, I like salt on a steak like the salty smell of the ocean.
The brussel sprout sides were especially nice as well. The kind of brussel sprouts where you can pretend they are healthy but deep in the cockles of your heart in the sub-cockle area, you know they are not.
There was great conversation and the wine really flowed at a full boat night. We went to Butch McGuire’s after which was great, believe my parents met there, so always a pleasure to go back with a nice group of folks.
Not the fanciest writeup, but considering that we waited over an hour to be seated and the trendiest place in the VT I guess we should feel fortunate. I have to thank Brad Ray for the libations as they were well enjoyed and put me at a fine speed for dinner. Loved the shrimp app, and split the ‘steak for two’ with my date for the night, Mr. Thoresen. The steak came out beautiful and was a little on the unseasoned side as noted above. Loved the potatoes side dish, from what I can remember of it.
Service was tightly on point and there was once again a Sean Marion sighting. Guy told me he reads steaksandcigars.com. Invited him to next gathering but am still waiting to hear back..
Walter Sobchak said it best….
“Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules? Mark it zero!”….or in my case, mark it $400. I get it. I broke the rules, so I must pay – I can live with that. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t call you all a bunch of assholes and issue a hearty Go Fuck Yourself to the entire group (save; Jevon). I think this was the first time in steak night history where the group elected to defer being seated on time in order to pound (extraordinarily over-priced) scotch on the delinquent poster’s tab. Now, I realize the delay in seating wasn’t overtly about denting my back account (small dent, as I am wildly successful), but the fact the bar was open to the tune of $400 didn’t exactly create a sense of urgency. I deserve it, I broke the rules. However since it was a full house, no one can escape my wrath. Next time drinks are free – buyer beware.
Onto the meal. The restaurant is interesting in that you have to take an elevator (and a slow one at that) to the second floor – no stairs to speak of, or at least I was too drunk to find them. Once in the bar area I quite liked it. Lots of activity and some good space to lounge and enjoy some drinks. We all huddled in the corner before brought to our table, which was sufficient to seat such a large group.
Apps were good. I always dig me some fresh oysters. My steak however should remain the focus – quite amazing. It was one of the more tender rib-eyes I have ever had. The meat was simply pure quality and it was cooked to perfection. Sides were good. I echo Mr. Conway on the sprouts. I didn’t have a ton of it but what I did taste of the mac and cheese I liked. Wine selection by Cizzle was a grand and I overdrank, as usual. F’ing pounding headache the next day…
I would be a repeat diner for certain. My pick next month. Somebody please forget to post.
The place looks like some enthusiastic Latin-grad inherited a Gold Coast six-flat and just said: “I know Grandpa bought this is in 1939 for $10,000 and nursed it along lovingly until it became the family milk cow. But fuck it! Let’s turn it into a steakhouse!!” And it worked. The elevator situation and downstairs bar remain an architectural mystery. But oh my god…..the food.
This was the best steakhouse meal I’ve had in Chicago. The meat was perfect, each app had careful complexity, and the sides delivered. The potatoes au gratin would be worthy of ordering as a main. The long wait was well-compensated for by the attentive bartender and Brad’s credit card, and the well-named waiter carried the large table with ease and enthusiasm.
10 of 10.
Given the group’s proclivity to despising all things new on the scene, am not surprised by the tempered enthusiasm for maple & ash.
I, however, concur with mr. phelps that it is the best new entrant on the scene. Even better was that unlike Mastro’s who’s table could not handle the full house – the tables at maple and ash seemed to allow everyone to talk to each other.
Rick got the party started, like he always does with an orange and blue ensemble to mark the super bowl. I hadn’t seen the neck scarf carried off with as much flair since Tom Brady in last year’s Super Bowl, but Rick clearly took notice.
I split the tomahawk with Hans and DC. I may be getting old, but my 1/3rd was more than enough for me. Sides were ok, I liked the ceasar salad I ordered the most.
Dessert I forget, but that’s because I was doing too much talking to the group.
Overall: 9 out of 10. A bit East German judge here, I’ll admit.
Maple & Ash, I would have loved to have you pay for this dinner tab and a whole host of others had I not been far too competent and inclusive in my bid for your work. Unlike the competition that relies on the change orders and exclusions, I went for up front competency. Opening about 7 months late I assume I was correct in my approach, but you have redeemed yourself with quality. The bar area is a collection of cougars unlike any other. It i literally a slay ground for anyone with the preference of the 20 yr age discrepancy. Brad, my old fashioneds were delicious, partly because they were free and partly because of the High West Double Rye. It was a tad crowded but we elbowed our way to a nice circle.
Our table was adjacent to the interior courtyard but somehow wasnt overly noisy compared to the pop jams they were playing. Music at M&A is not quite as bad as Mastros lounge crooners but gives it a good effort at atrocious. The service was top notch and the wait staff was attentive without being obnoxious. The starters were all spot on as described and a much needed break from bourbon. I split the cow with the gents as JG mentioned. It was a much better experience than the slab I split with Scooter at Mastros that came out mooing. I still think there is no point in these behemoth cuts, they always have the same problem of hot and cold spots with a cost that doesnt compute. I was happy with it but there is no chance its making it into the broom closet of food romance. Sides were on par with the best we have had, side note fuck you cizzle, I did not over subscribe the onion rings.
Despite the late table start and still the early jitters of a new steakhouse in Chicago’s overly competitive market, M&A made a good show of it and I would return. On to Butch’s or a few cold ones then off to a good nights sleep full of meat sweats and hot flashes. 8/10
The second month in a row that the group would be popping cherries at a new place. Swift & Sons delivered in January, how would Maple & Ash do in February? I think it is safe to say we approached the “virgin” with reckless abandon or to borrow a line from the legendary Kool G Rap “If you’re a virgin I’ll make it fit, because my dick will pop the cherry and spit out the fucking pit”. I think it is safe to say all parties were satisfied.
The upstairs bar was hopping, clearly a new hot spot for drinks. Having all 10 members in tow only added to the festive happy hour, while drinking compliments of Brad makes any cocktail taste a little better. I believe it was a record tab for pre-dinner drinks, having all members and extra time surely adding to the carnage. Luckily as I’m sure Brad has told all of you on more than one occasion he is “wildly successful” so he didn’t need to take out a loan.
The dining room has a different vibe then many steak places, for starters you are on the second floor so it offers more of a view of the city which was a nice change of pace. I also couldn’t help but notice tables of just women which rarely happens at a steak place. The dining room had a social feel to it but wasn’t overdone by blasting terrible EDM. Our server was on point and easily handled the table of 10. The one negative is I thought we were kind of crammed and there could have been some more room.
The food was fantastic. The shrimp and oysters were both great. My bone in ribeye had everything I want in a steak: perfectly cooked, quality piece of meat, the right amount of seasoning and flavor. The Yukon Gold Au Gratin potatoes, which felt almost like a casserole was a top tier side dish. The mac & chees with bacon also receives high marks. I can’t remember the dessert so I can’t comment. Overall a wonderful meal.
I walked free thanks to my football picking prowess. After dinner drinks were at Butch McGuire’s. Maple & Ash gives us yet another great steak house in the city that starts with a C ends with an O and in the middle has a Hicaga.
* make that Higag. not sure how that A got in there.
“Who’ll remember that they’ve been waiting around for an hour past their reservations to be seated when you have some of the hottest clientele in an overly crowded bar, with the occasional throw in of a recently retired professional alien-like jump shooting basketball player, ugh, I meant Shawn Marion? It’s gold baby!” Said the general manager of a steakhouse set up within 500 yards of 3 other top notch steakhouses.
Well, I remember (and from the looks of the other posts, so do many of my brothers). I remember the steak being great, as was the appetizers, but everything else fades to black on me. Maple & Ash will go down as the place that changed my perspective on many aspects of my life. Oh yeah, some of the most legit conversations were had with people than I ca remember happening in a long time.
I’ll go again, but will give it a moment to let the hype men die down a bit.
6/10
Posting at 11:09 here on the West Coast, just ahead of the deadline, Maple and Ash felt like something out of LA. Meeting on the upper floor of this grand structure, Chicago’s finest men were enveloped by quite the scene. Shawn Marion wants in on Steaks and Cigars and is now following us around his hometown.
The hour wait was bullshit for a table that was still small. That said, the food was incredible. SM and I split the porterhouse and I for one think it was a top 5 steak of all-time. The potato dish they do with short rib and mash is out of this world.
I wish the table was a bit more fitting for a large group dialogue, but any time we have a full boat it is hard.
I am sad to miss march, but look forward to a great April.
9/10
I would also add that I had tried to make a reservation here for the month prior and they never called me back – that said, the meal made up for their shortcomings.
That is all from the LA office of Steaks and Cigars