They didn’t raise the SteakBar very high
For the July edition of Steaks & Cigars, I decided to venture out to a recent addition to the Steak scene – SteakBar in Old Town. It is the brainchild of a group of veteran restaurateurs that opened with quite a bit of hype, so I assumed we were in for a good evening. It was a humid, warm summer night. Arriving slightly after 7, the host was quick to point out that there are 3 bars in the restaurant and I was welcome to go find my group. Fortunately, I was greeted by BRay who was holding down the end of the bar on the first level so my hunt was over. He was quick to let me know he had already admonished the bar tender on their pitiful brown liquor selection. I was equally unimpressed and took Reeshard’s cue on the SteakBar old fashioned. They use some Fireball in their version which should have been a sign, but unlike the Ace of Base I did not see it. Much like the old fashioned, SteakBar is trying to be something with flash and panache, but falls dreadfully short. Clearly they paid alot for the location but then put up a pretty shoddy building in my opinion. They try to distract your vision of the black painted exposed floor structure and ductwork with little pieces of flair sprinkled throughout, but in the end it is really just a jumble of different small rooms stacked on top of each other in a haphazard fashion that doesn’t lend the restaurant space to a good flow. The attention to detail and craftsmanship is at the bottom of whats acceptable if you are trying to be upscale and charge the prices they do. Luckily Glick was remiss in his duties as a participant in our illustrious club so the drinks were flowing freely and my contentious attitude was eased by the time our table was ready.
We were escorted 10 feet from the bar to our booth which was situated at the back of the first level and was generally unfit for gentlemen of our stature. Our waiter opened his service with asking if we would like a round of shots. Are you serious? Early conversation revolved around the OJ miniseries, the GnR show at Soldier Field, rounds of golf, jev & char’s upcoming addition to their family as well as home plans, and my lack of judgement in undertaking a construction project within 2 months of Sarah’s due date. The apps were adequate. Shrimp cocktail is hard to pass up and also hard to mess up. Creamed spinach fondue was a revelation and the tuna poke was on par as well. SteakBar cuts it very close to being ineligible with their 4 cuts of steak, especially since one of those features a pineapple soy glaze. We generally all went for the Ribeye, which then turned out to be oversold. I was one of the few that had to switch to the NY strip, which I was actually quite happy with in terms of flavor and preparation. The thick cut bacon really should be on the apps menu, not the sides but was delicious. Again, hard one to mess up. The wine selection was akin to the steak options in it limitations but was decently priced and suited our needs. Nothing outstanding or note worthy. As the one who selected this destination perhaps I was overly excited by the hype and was hoping for alot more but overall I am having writers block on what more to say. Oh, I almost forgot, Don decided to RSVP the day before and actually showed up too.
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“Do you even steak bro?”
SteakBar. It’s not you it’s me. And trust me, I invented it’s not you it’s me. If it’s anyone, it’s me. But seriously it’s you. After my first experience, you remind me of Burton Place with good food. (Rick Ray is pissed I just shit on Burton Place.) The whole place just felt very average and unfinished. With the resume of the owners, we expected much more.
Rick and I arrived in 90 degree weather with 10,000% humidity to find the barestaurant with the doors and windows open. It was like being in the jungle with a worse liquor selection. No Oban is a deficiency but it happens occasionally. But running out of steak is sort of a bigger problem considering your name is SteakBar. After being informed there were only three ribeye steaks left, I took one for the team and downgraded to the NY Strip, sans ketchup glaze as the chef normally prepares it. Okay I lied. It was a soy glaze. Listen I get it. This isn’t a place that’s going to bring in the standard downtown steak house crowd. No expense accounts will come here. No native gold coasters who have frequented Gibson’s for 25 years will come here. This is basically a place for the bro-heavy old town crowd to come for a decent meal. It’s also a place for a guy to take a girl on a really unimpressive first date.
The sides sounded great at first, until I figured out they were basically multiple versions of chips and salsa. Creamed spinach fondue? How about creamed spinach fondon’t? It was nachos and spinach dip. Tuna poke? Nachos and avocado with a cube or two of tuna thrown in. The shrimp cocktail was pretty good but most times it is. Nothing to see here. The steak was actually decent. Top 20? No. But I wouldn’t kick it out of bed.
There is one item that deserves its own paragraph though. All hail the truffle mac and cheese. This was far and away my favorite mac and cheese dish I’ve had in the city. It had a perfect consistency to the cheese sauce, and the exact right amount of truffle oil. Sometimes truffle oil can be overwhelming. These guys have the level figured out. It was so good that we ordered a second round. Also we had to because Hans ate all of the first serving. He thought they were individual orders that he just happened to receive first.
That’s pretty much all that needs to be said about SteakBar. It was a very average restaurant. But maybe after six hours of drinking on Wells Street it’s a great restaurant? Context can make a big difference I guess.
Oh, and who was that guy that ate with us that’s voting for Donald Trump? Was his name Dan? Not sure I’ve seen him before but we’d love to have him back sometime.
4/10 for steak night.
8/10 for bro night.
Given my recent generosity – I need to make sure to get this up quick.
Given our experience at Steak Bar – it felt like the 4 Corners guys tried to get it up quick too.
Hard to feel good about a steak place when our waiter tells us his favorite two items on the menu are the hamburger and the skirt steak.
Split the Rib eye with BRay – it was serviceable. Unfortunately we seem to have gotten the last one in the kitchen.
Truffle Mac & Cheese was off the charts.
Points to the management for comping us a bottle of porto – I definitely felt it the next day.
Dinner conversation was great – and i really appreciated having Don and Jevon there to hear their perspectives on the 2 things troubling me most these days: The impact of a Trump Candidacy and the crazy NBA television contract. Lunacy on all fronts, it was great to hear their thoughts.
Afterwards we went to Hampton to celebrate my wife’s birthday (first time I’ve said that) and was much appreciated that everyone trecked to River Northn.
Steak Bar: 7 for Food, 9 for service
Overall Night: 8.5, 10 for our favorite “The Donald”‘s presence
Summer Thursday’s call for a bit of a change up. Past evenings have included the likes of Grassfed, aka, my stomach hurts from grey matter called meat. Still I was excited about a break from the traditional. Steak Bar was certainly that. A fun vibe, great people watching and decent food. Our corner table made for a great anchor to take in the room and the collection of Chicago’s finest made for terrific banter. I found the food on all levels to be at a 7 range. Nothing so great or so bad. My NY Strip was perfectly adequate and much cheaper than our more fancy establishments. The truffle mac stole the show. For the first time in a long time, we did not do a dessert or birthday cake.
It was good to be out with the boys on Hans’ last Steak Night not being a father.
Looking forward to August
Steak Bar….Meh.
I arrived first and after wiping down my fat sweaty head settled in at the bar. This was after I walked all around the place to find the group because I was late – alas, it was just me. I settled into a Macallan 12 (no Oban is always a rough start) and tried to take in the atmosphere. In the end, there really is no atmosphere or ambiance to take in so I just sat there and drank; which was fine I suppose. Hansy, Fransy Pudding Pants showed up and he and I discussed his impending parenthood and dusty house in the middle of construction. One thing newborns love in their fresh lungs and sinuses….is dust.
The group finally came in and we were seated at a hi-top in the corner. We had a lot of chips and dip for appetizers. Cizzle really hit the nail on the head here for the review – no need to repeat. I split the rib-eye with Glick. That is kind of our thing now and a bit ghey, yes, but works out well. It was good. Not great but has some decent taste. I concur with the rave reviews of the mac and cheese. It is so good I am going to order a few sides to go in the future for pick up.
I could say I knew this would be the result of Steak Bar – and I knew it would be the result – but I won’t go into a huge Rick Ray-esq. rant about it. But, people; let’s stick to the traditional places lest we find ourselves back at Tango Sur.
It’s tough to compare Steakbar to other places we’ve been for steak night because it is not really a restaurant. It’s a bar that happens to serve steak so it is appropriately named. I like both the groups that are behind this place but I’m not really sure what they are going for with this concept. It doesn’t work as a steak place because the service, atmosphere and even the steak inventory fall short. It just feels like a bar which is fine but not if you are having steak, it just felt out of place having steak here.
I rather enjoyed their signature old fashions which adds a splash of fireball to the mix and creates an interesting and enjoyable take on an old fashion. This guy Don joined us, I think I met him before but it was a long time ago so I introduced myself again. Drinks were on Glick for posting infractions, thanks for the drinks Glick.
I don’t really remember any specific apps but they seemed to be upgraded versions of bar staples like nachos. They didn’t stand out. I got the ribeye and it was ok. The highlight was clearly the mac and cheese which was excellent, better than many steak houses. The waiter was in over his head and he seemed to realize it. Clearly more comfortable answering questions about Miller Lite and giving suggestions on shots instead of answering questions about the food. Just an odd pairing when having steak.
Dinner conversations included the OJ 30 for 30, the Guns N Roses show at Soldier Field, construction with a pregnant wife and politics. Glick won at credit card roulette and walked free.
Post dinner we headed to Hampton Social. Steakbar is the wrong venue for steak night, I wouldn’t really recommend going there if you are looking for a steak. However I’d like to go back and order from the more bar oriented portion of the menu, I kind of liked the venue as a bar. Let’s not forget that the first Thursday of every month is steak night and next month we need to go back to a steak house. None the less it was still a great evening.
After a bit of a hiatus (they never told me where to meet out of embarrassment), someone slipped and spilled the beans. Well, the beans is exactly what it was!
Although many in the group appreciated the club-like atmosphere – Vegas!?! – I, myself, did not. What ever happened to simple, well-seasoned red meat and great service? Well, the bar gets great grades for the meat but the service not so much!
Apparently the belief that all of their guests would be young 20-somethings fully enthralled by the eye-candy got the better of them. Sorry, seasoned vets require a little bit more than 22 year olds reading the menu verbatim back to me when they want to “tell me a little about the menu.” Strange indeed.
In any event, loved seeing the gents, and happy to be back in the fold!