FOOD BLOG: Bavette's Has To Be The Best Steakhouse In The Country Right? I Posed The Question Online And "Steak Twitter" Went Off

Over the last few years I've casually observed from the sidelines the special sect of twitter and social media that is essentially the wild wild west- food twitter. 

I've been cautious on throwing my hat into the ring, sticking only to what I know I know which is comprised of essentially two or three things- Italian food, pizza, and seafood. Other than that I'm far from an expert. I know what I like, and I feel like I know when something doesn't live up to the hype or is overblown. 

The particular brand of food twitter that's always amazed me has been "steak twitter". I'll see White Sox Dave throw up a picture of a steak that looks like he cooked it in a microwave, and watch it go lunar. 

People seriously care about fucking steak in this country. 

We all remember Robbie Foxx posting a simple picture of his favorite lunch item from Eataly in NYC, and the insanity that ensued- 

So I don't know why I was so surprised on Wednesday morning when I awoke to a barrage of twitter notifications in response to a throwaway tweet I posted the night prior. 

Every year around this time, my friends and I get together for a "gentlemen's dinner". Almost all of them have their lives together, are on the right path- have a family, wife, kids, house in the burbs- and arent't total fuck ups. So I don't get to see them very often, and they don't get nights out on the ton with the rest of the guys much, so it's a great tradition.  I have two big groups of guys I do this with- one mostly my friends from college, the other my friends I've made since college around Chicago. 

This year I did our first gentlemen's dinner at Tre Dita and it was outstanding. It cost us a mortgage payment, but I'll always maintain that treating yourself once in a while is a good thing. Life is short. 

Then for the second one, we did Bavette's this past Tuesday night. 

Here's a brief rundown on Bavette's for everybody. 

It's a swank French American Steakhouse in Chicago's River North Neighborhood, founded and operated by executive chef/owner Brendan Sodikoff and his hospitaly group Hogsalt. 

They are arguably one of, if not the best hospitality group in America currently. 

Au Cheval, 4 Charles Prime Rib, Green St Smoked Meats, Armitage Ale House, Lobster Bar NYC, Monkey Bar NYC, Trivoli Tavern, High Five Ramen. Ever heard of 'em? Yah, all Hogsalt concepts. 

They are the first group I know of off the top of my head that dominated the Chicago market, and then took their talents to New York City and now dominate there. It's almost always gone the other way around. It cracks me up how many times people from the Barstool New York office have insisted I need to try 4 Charles Prime or Au Cheval having zero clue that they are a Chicago group and spin-off of what we've had here for forever. 

I remember Gilt Bar opening back in 2010 and how cool it was. Dimly lit, comfy seating encouraging you to cozy up next to each other. With an even darker, candlelit bar in the basement. It was the perfect date spot. 

After that Au Cheval opened in 2012. Thanks to my friend John Walz, who is incredible at sniffing out the newest, best spots before the blow up and become too overcrowded, I got to visit early on before word got out about them. It was the best "hidden gem" in Chicago for a few months. A place pouring 8% IPA's, and the best burgers you've ever put in your mouth. 

(Real ones know that you also have to get the fried bologna sandwich and the fried chicken for the table when you go. Lights fuckin out on both of them.)

It was all going great until the Food Network came to town and named "the best burger in America" in 2015. 

From that point on, it was impossible to get a table at Au Cheval without waiting 3+ hours. No joke. 

Thank God one of the best bars in the city, Lone Wolf, opened up next door- enabling you to put your name in, and go next door and slam High Life's for a few hours before being called that your table was ready. 

The non-stop traffic inspired Sodikoff and Hogsalt to give the people what they wanted- and he spun off Au Cheval into the fast casual "Small Cheval", selling only burgers and fries and shots of whiskey, all to go. I think they have like 15 of them, and they all absolutely crush. They will probably open another 20-30 of them and sell to private equity for half a billion dollars. 

Green St. Meats, their BBQ concept is top 3 BBQ joints in Chicago. 

High Five Ramen is the best ramen. 

Armitage Alehouse is an English alehouse complete with the best pot pie you've ever had in your life, and even features some Indian/English items that will surprisingly impress.

At all their spots that serve burgers, 4 Charles Prime included, they have a version that is similar to the original Au Cheval burger, but has a slight variation of some sort to it. In my opinion, the Armitage Alehouse smashburger version they do is the best I've had. It's incredible. 

One of the coolest things they've done, is taken all of their "greatest hits" dishes from all their various concepts, and featured them all on one menu at their Wisconsin supper-club themed venue, "Trivoli Tavern" in the West Loop. The setting is perfect, and you can sample pretty much everything all on one menu in one place. Including their famous prime-rib sandwich from New York.

I could go on and on for another 2,000 words, but long story short, these guys are the best in the biz. They know what the fuck they're doing, and knock everything out of the park. From food, to decor, to service, you will rarely if ever be disappointed. 

And Bavette's is their crown jewel. 

If you have been lucky enough to get a reservation there than you already know. And if you haven't, I strongly encourage you to try. It's the hardest reservation to get in Chicago. Somehow Eddie has an in there that he won't tell me about, but I'm stuck waiting online at 9am 3 weeks from the date I'm trying to book, just like everybody else. I think I've been to Bavette's 5 or 6 times now and everytime I'm lucky enough to snag a reservation, I have to eat at like 5 or 10:30 because that's all that's left. 

So we went on Tuesday at 5:30 pm, and were seated in the basement. My first time. And I can honestly say that I don't think I will ever eat upstairs again without begging to be sat downstairs. 

It was so fucking nice down there. The most intimate setting. Perfectly lit. Perfect temperature. Perfect music and background noise volume. You couldn't have tuned the acoustics in that room more perfect if you tried. 

My friend Ryan was greeted by our server and told he's in the Hogsalt Hall of Fame because he's dined at their establishments more than 200 times. It was a nice touch to see they track things like that, but not surprising at all. 

We ordered half the menu between 6 of us and devoured the steak tar tar (out of this world), a seafood tower (the crab legs were primo), a couple wedge salads, the bone marrow, the skillet shrimp, and the crab cakes. 

For the main course we shared an American wagyu porterhouse, and a dry aged, bone in ribeye. We also got the fried chicken which they are famous for. We added on like 5 different sides and feasted like kings. It was one of the best meals I've had all year. 

We finished with a couple pieces of the chocolate cream pie, and for somebody who's not even a huge chocolate guy, I think I had an orgasm.

Chicago is the best steakhouse city in America in my opinion. Sure Kansas City, New York, and even Houston have some gems, but none of them have the amount of knock-outs that do steak like Chicago. 

Gibsons, Gibsons Italia, Chicago Cut, Maple and Ash, Boefhous, Gene & Georgetti's, El Che, RPM Steak, Tre Dita, and now this new spot Asador Bastian that opened and is supposedly Michelin level that I really need to try. 

Every single aspect of the evening was perfect. 

So I snapped a pic and through it up on twitter. 

The response was mixed, but surprisingly polite and civil for the people who disagreed with my sentiments. 

One of the best parts of my job is that I get to travel so much and see so many different parts of the world. My favorite thing to do is eat, and try new things, so I always go out of my way to scout out and hit the best places depending on where I am. (I really should have started a food blog or account years ago but I'm a moron.) 

I say all that because I got some awesome suggestions from people on where I need to visit, if I'm the kind of person who'd put Bavette's at the top of my list.  

I heard from a lot of people that I need to hit Bern's in Tampa. 

Funny story about Bern's. 

Last year when we opened our second bar in nearby St. Pete, and I was down there for a few weeks, I posted on twitter asking if anybody had a hookup at Bern's and could get me in. No matter what night I tried to get a reservation, everything was booked. I got laughed at by people- not for asking for help getting in, but because they said it was "a tourist spot" and extremely overrated. So I punted and opted for Lilac instead. (Awesome restaurant.) 

So I need to get to Bern's. Place screams my name. 

Old school steakhouse with a ton of nostalgia and supposedly the largest, most impressive wine cellar in North America. Yes please.

One of the other names that kept coming up was The Golden Steer out in Las Vegas. 

I've been to Golden Steer and I completely agree. It's off the charts and I fucking love that it's old school Vegas. It's not some stuffy spot you have to walk through a hotel-casino to get to. It's in a strip mall and transports you into the 1960s when you walk through the doors. Impeccable service and top-notch steaks. 

It was a Sinatra and Elvis staple for a reason. 

Another name that was mentioned that I've been to and LOVED was Manny's in Minneapolis. Tremendous steakhouse from top to bottom. Massive cuts of meat, perfectly prepared and shockingly good seafood for a landlocked state in the midwest. 

The last name that repeatedly came up was a surprise to me because I'd never heard of it before, and there's one sitting right under my nose this whole time in Columbus- Jeff Ruby's. 

100 people must have told me I'm crazy and that I need to try Jeff Ruby's. So much so that the man himself responded to me.

After looking over this guy's profile, he seems like the type of guy I need to make best friends with. 

They have locations in Cincinatti, Columbus, (where I also have a Good Night John Boy location), Nashville, and Lousiville. 

I seriously can't believe nobody in Columbus has taken me here or told me about this place before now. Major letdown. 

So I've added Bern's and Jeff Ruby's to my "must-visit" list. Where else needs to be added? Let me know in the comments or on social. 

And if you're planning a trip to Chicago in the near future, do yourself a favor and line up a reservation to Bavette's. You will not be disappointed.