Strolling as much as the Gold Coast’s hovering One Chicago constructing, which homes the good-looking new steakhouse The Alston, I caught the aroma of charring beef. I used to be shocked to seek out not one however two steakhouses in the identical constructing. The scrumptious smells emanated from suburban import Sophia Steak, which opened on the bottom ground in March. I headed to The Alston on Ground 3, the place I had plans for a rib eye.
Open since Might, The Alston is a French nouvelle-inspired steakhouse from chef Jenner Tomaska of the Michelin-starred Esmé and the Fifty/50 Group’s Scott Weiner and Greg Mohr. We veered previous the 350-seat eating room to the gold-accented bar edged in plush inexperienced cubicles. Whereas we noshed on overcooked prawns with two nice sauces, we watched diners of their finery saunter previous our desk, en path to the personal members’ membership and terrace behind a door marked with a keyhole-embellished “A.”
The fatty, 24-ounce, bone-in American rib eye ($125) sported a young, barely shaggy inside and a mild nuttiness, due to 30 days of dry getting old. Grilled over cherry wooden coals till charred, its floor glistened from a swipe of charcoal-clarified butter. One other $10 received us a small crock of server-recommended home Peppercorn Mélange sauce, a veal inventory -and cognac discount that hinted of posh A1 with too few peppercorns. Although cooked effectively sufficient, the steak didn’t really feel price its steep worth, particularly understanding one other steakhouse with a $71 rib eye sat two flooring beneath.
Regardless of that beef costs maintain climbing: Contemporary waves of (more and more huge) steakhouses wash over the town each few years like peppered cognac sauce on singed beef. Other than One Chicago’s meaty new residents, the previous 12 months introduced us the easygoing British import Hawksmoor; opulent, Italian-style Tre Dita; Perilla Korean American Steakhouse; European steakhouse and supper membership Divan; and New York brasserie import La Grande Boucherie.
Simply final week, prolific restaurateur Richard Sandoval debuted Latin steakhouse Trino within the West Loop, simply over 1 / 4 of a mile from “Prime Chef” alum Soo Ahn’s imminent 370-seat, “globally impressed” steakhouse, Adalina Prime.
“I don’t suppose steakhouse openings are available waves,” stated Stephen Lombardo III, CEO of the stalwart Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse, correcting me. “I believe they’re simply fixed.”
When Lombardo’s father Steve debuted Gibson’s along with his accomplice Hugo Ralli in 1989, Chicago housed simply six steakhouses, Lombardo instructed me. As of 2019, Lombardo counted round 60. But the newest crush of newcomers hasn’t noticeably impacted Gibson’s numbers. Gross sales for the 12 months are up in any respect three areas — “a little bit stunning, given the general state of the economic system,” Lombardo stated. He attributed this partly to Gibson’s worth proposition, claiming it hasn’t raised costs as dramatically as its rivals. Extra importantly, although, “Individuals love beef,” he stated.
The U.S. leads world beef consumption, averaging 58 kilos per particular person annually, in response to USDA information. A 2023 research revealed that simply 12% of Individuals account for half of that: males and folks between the ages of fifty and 65. Would possibly we begin getting old out of the class, as local weather researchers implore given its environmental affect, or will temples to beef maintain coming?
Some notable steakhouse closures marked the previous few years, due largely to the pandemic. Decade-old III Forks cited misplaced earnings as a consequence of COVID-19 when it closed in 2021, as did Lawry’s The Prime Rib when it shuttered its Chicago location in 2020 after 46 years. (It additionally blamed civil unrest and an expiring lease.) GT Prime closed final 12 months when chef-partner Giuseppe Tentori left Boka Restaurant Group; so did the ingenious Asian steakhouse Holu close to Chinatown early this 12 months, although Holu didn’t give an official purpose.
Older Individuals love beef, however additionally they worth real hospitality, an rising rarity in an period of QR-code menus and counter service. Survival within the crowded steakhouse class all however calls for it: “Service is a very powerful factor,” stated John Manion, government chef and proprietor of the 88-seat El Che Steakhouse & Bar within the West Loop. “You’ve gotta be actually f – – – ing good at it to outlive.”
However that’s at all times been the case for this big-ticket mannequin with its sky-high meals prices. “You enter a contract that this wedge salad is gonna value an excessive amount of, however I’m going to be handled like a king,” Manion stated.
Che represents a distinct segment, as a South American and Midwestern restaurant whose non secular and literal focus is a big, glowing asado grill. I’ve gravitated right here as a lot for grilled prawns and charred broccolini with romesco as I’ve for hangar steak frites. Likewise, I like bellying as much as the bar for lemony scallops, toothsome pasta e ceci and Kansas Metropolis strip on the decade-old Boeufhaus in West City, a diminutive 34-seater that vibes like a European restaurant — which occurs to serve mind-bogglingly good beef.
As spots like these show, artistic stretching past the steakhouse’s carnivorous nexus is certainly potential, however “you’ve received to have a perspective,” Manion stated. “It’s received to be private.”
From the get-go, Chicagoans cherished Hawksmoor’s Sunday roast, a Sunday afternoon meat-and-potatoes feast ($42 per particular person) homaging the centuries-old British custom. Even so, it took the beloved London model’s Chicago outpost a number of months to lean extra into its Britishness, which, seems, is a compelling differentiator for a metropolis awash in steakhouses.
“Each time we open a restaurant, we actually need it to really feel like it’s of and for the town it’s in,” Hawksmoor’s co-founder Huw Gott stated. “Looking back, by doing that in Chicago, we moved ourselves a little bit away from a few of the Britishness we’ve at all times had, as a result of that’s our heritage. And from speaking to individuals, we sort of discovered that that was the bit that they actually favored. So, now we have been leaning into that facet of issues extra.”
Additions like prime rib roast, uncooked oysters topped with Caruso Provisions giardiniera and mini Yorkshire pudding sloppy joes with wine- and Worcestershire-spiked beef mince playfully marry U.Okay. and Midwestern nostalgia.
Just like the pleasant burger with its infinite interpretations, the steakhouse affords an on-ramp to much less acquainted cuisines — all the higher in case you’re in a traditionally touristy space like The Loop. Thomas Oh and chef Andrew Lim, co-founders of the West Loop’s trendy Korean grill Perilla, sought to achieve a special clientele after they spun off Perilla Korean American Steakhouse final summer season.
“The steakhouse was extra of a automobile for us than a vacation spot level,” stated Oh, Perilla Steakhouse’s co-founder and basic supervisor. “The truth is that as Korean Individuals, our objective is to proceed to introduce this meals and get individuals to see how scrumptious it’s. The steakhouse framework will get individuals to really feel a little bit extra snug.”
Living proof: Perilla’s well-liked steakhouse units, single parts of prime and Wagyu beef from much less conventional cuts (picanha and rib eye cap) enable for sampling, accompanied by crisp ssam (lettuce wraps) and Korean banchan. “It’s one of many highlights and foundations of our menu,” Oh stated.
However with extra steakhouse openings on the horizon, government chef and co-founder Andrew Lim wonders if the town is teetering on saturation.
“I fear for the eating places,” he stated. “Are there sufficient individuals to fill all these seats? With the state of the economic system proper now, it’s a tricky sport for eating places on the whole.”
Lombardo instructed me that barring a conference on the town, locals are those who maintain Gibson’s throughout the week, some coming as typically as 3 times per week for a burger and beer.
To date, memberships at The Alston are exceeding preliminary targets, and there are plans so as to add sliding-scale pricing choices. Certainly, once I peeked within the eating room on my method out, it was practically full — spectacular for a Monday night time in sticky midsummer. Again downstairs, Sophia Steak’s patio hummed too, the scent of beef nonetheless thick within the air, as the town was poised to interrupt one other file for days above 90.
Maggie Hennessy is a Chicago-based foods and drinks author whose work has appeared in The New York Occasions, Bon Appetit and Meals & Wine. Observe her on Instagram.
