GT Prime!
Oh, Mr. Tentori, is that a 12 oz Bison Tenderloin, or are you just happy to see me?
After seemingly thumbing its nose at Steakhouse tradition, GT has come back around strong and in fine order! First, two claps for those amazing mashed potatoes. In a past life I may have simply smacked JG’s hand away with the serving spoon for getting too close to something so delicious, but the mature me will simply write this review to let the world know just what a buttery delicious and updated starch dish this was.
I went with the Bison Tenderloin – GT Cut – and can honestly state that I was a happy camper for my choice. Forget about the temperature for a moment – which was wonderful – but the size was really helped bring this dish around the bend to the finish line for me. I walked away feeling perfectly content with my dinner options and nowhere near overstuffed.
Unfortunately, for all of the goodwill brought on by the starters, sides and main course, the dessert offerings need a serious makeover. Perhaps the re-working of the menu has its limitations, but for all of the hard work put into cleaning up its menu (that is clearly on display), the desserts were simply lacking any star power. It would be amazing if these great restaurants would stop treating the best part of the meal for the kids (and for kids at heart) as if it was an after thought or a filler.
7/10 with a strong trend upwards in light of the fantastic cocktails also being offered up.
Filed under: General
When GT Prime came out as the choice – I was less than thrilled – but hearing it was DC’s favorite spot in Chicago made me want to revisit. The good news is the revamp of the menu changed it for the better.
The old GT of small splittable steaks is gone – replaced with the ability to order decent sized steaks. However the old GT Prime seating which is more strip club than steak joint stayed. Mason BRay and I split a love seat.
Moving to outfits – Rick fresh from headlining in Vegas – broke out his red run dmc tracksuit to celebrate the occasion of DC’s re-commitment to excellence.
Apps were solid – bone marrow was great and not having Hans meant we all got a piece. Split the KC with (now 40yr old) Kid Ray and it was solid. Desserts were subpar – but the rest of the meal more than made up for it.
Went out for drinks after to celebrate the anticipated arrival of Master Federkke and the conclusion of project 6 Pack. Great times all around
Overall 7.5
GT Prime continues to send a siren call from Wells St with its sexy facade and stylish interior, and continues to disappoint.
To begin, they manage to gin up the sought after “empty restaurant” vibe in their bar area, with big tables spread far apart and a bar in the corner that feels like a giant serving station. The waiter’s bungled attempt to split the bill resulted in us being asked to pay 150% of the proper tab, and I walked into the dining room on a down note.
The menu is interesting and I applaud their return to reasonably sized portions on their “steak variety pack” offering. Apps were fine. The furniture is ill-suited to dining, with Glick’s reference to strip club seating being most apt. The waiter made an attempt, but was not ready to carry a table of steaked out gentlemen of our ilk.
And all of these irritants could have been mollified with the presentation of a decent steak for my $62. The bone-in filet looked luxurious, but smelled of gym sock and wet dog. I actually went to my phone looking for a way to describe it and it’s faults, but ended up making the poor choice of just suffering through.
Desserts completed the disappointment dance.
3/10 The worst steakhouse experience I have had for the money.
Would Don Cole’s favorite steak house be anything other than GT Prime? It is pure lunacy for someone to say GT Prime is their favorite steak house in Chicago, yet so apropos coming from DA Cole. This place upped class a little bit from the last time I visited. To be clear, for my last visit, it was 95 degrees outside and the AC wasn’t working. Thus, creating for a man of my fattiness, the worst dining situation ever. Low bar for GT to step over for this go around and they barely made it.
For starters, they don’t have Oban. This huge wall of whisky and spirits and they don’t have Oban – total banana land. I also don’t care for the deliberate wood fire bouquet of the entire place either. For the dining experience, I sat at a table that was nipple high while reclining in some sort of love seat that was upholstered with dead animals – less than desirable to say the least.
The stand out for me was the Foie Gras – that was truly legit. JG and I split the 45 -dry age. There was risk going into that as I don’t care for that much aging. We went in eyes wide open and it ended up just being ok, as expected. Not sure this place holds on much longer…..
The company on the other hand was splendid. Good times and great oldies, as they say.
Restaurant: 5/10
Evening: 8/10
I have been to this place enough to confidently say I just don’t like it. It might be my least favorite steak place in the city and at a minimum it is in the running for the title. It’s like a steak place for people that don’t like steak places. So I was not thrilled with the choice this month not only based on past experience but also by the fact that we were just here in March. You probably don’t want to go to good places that close together, let alone places that suck. Of course Don was the host and he once made a reservation at Morton’s the month after we went to Morton’s so it’s not shocking. Apparently this place is a Cole favorite so more power to him for wanting to go back but I just don’t understand how this place could be a favorite but to each his own.
The bar area layout is weird. There is that big open fire that makes the place a million degrees and you leave smelling like a camp fire. You might as well be making S’mores while you sip your drink. I will say our server in the bar area was attentive and on top of it, at least until he bungled the bill. The old fashions were solid. Drinks were compliments of Mason and Don for posting violations but I believe the damage was minimal all things considered. This year has got to be a steak night record for the number of comped pre dinner drinks, none of which have come from me so I am fine with this trend.
They revamped the menu a bit and I decided I was getting my own steak. I got the KC strip and the steak was good, much better than getting a couple ounces of meat from that stupid sampler platter. The mashed potatoes were a buttery delight but fairly standard. The shishito & corn was an interesting side that didn’t really work, felt like separate flavors rather then the combination of two flavors working together to enhance the dish. The apps were too bone marrow, Foie Gras intensive for me. I honestly don’t remember dessert but it doesn’t sound like it was very memorable.
Dinner conversation focused on the Bears return to relevancy and the increased interest in ordering Zombie Dust for many in the group. Post drinks were at the Brehon Pub (the birth place of Joe Predicto). There is no reason to go back to GT Prime, it just misses on so many levels. Shot out to Cole for his recent run and recommitment to excellence. On to December.