Bavette's Bar & Boeuf

Chicago has a steakhouse problem. Or maybe it’s just all the tourists clamoring for one when they visit? There are certainly more popular ones (Gibson’s, Chicago Cut) but for my money - and you’re going to be spending like a drunken sailor no matter which steakhouse you choose as the cost of beef has reached the stratosphere - I’ll go to Bavette’s. It’s a dark, sexy boudoir of a steak palace, with plenty of other dishes to choose from if you don’t feel like being a carnivore. Special attention is paid to the side dishes, which go well beyond the usual/boring broccoli, asparagus and mashed potatoes found elsewhere.