David Burke’s Primehouse: a newer kid on the block offering a hip, contemporary spin on Chicago’s steakhouse tradition

David Burke’s Primehouse
616 N. Rush St., Chicago
(312) 660-6000
http://www.davidburkesprimehouse.com/

Hours:
Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Mon.-Sat.
Sunset: 3-5 p.m., daily
Dinner: 5:30-9:30 p.m., Mon.-Thurs.; 5:30-10:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat.; 5:30-9 p.m., Sun.
Brunch: 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Sun.

By Cindy Kurman and Lee Barrie

It always amazes us at the number of steakhouse offerings there are in Chicago. Judging by the numbers, we are clearly the steakhouse capital. Chicagoans love their meat and potatoes.

One relative newcomer to the steakhouse scene is David Burke’s Primehouse, located in the chic James Hotel in River North. Primehouse is a hip, contemporary version with non-traditional selections alongside old favorites.

Having just left the adjacent JBar, where yours truly (Cindy) was honored as a Media Maven, we were still hungry and so we went next door, where the staff graciously welcomed us even without a reservation. The room is contemporary, comfortable and warmly appointed.

Our meal began with a delicious fresh-from-the-oven popover—a real treat. Primehouse makes a killer Caesar salad, which they prepared for us tableside (we added a topping of white anchovies). We even had complimentary Surf & Turf Dumplings (angry lobster, lemon, chives, crispy basil braised short rib, horseradish cheddar), thanks to an iPhone promotion on Foursquare. Yum.

We try not to overdo our portions and Primehouse had no problem letting us share a 20-oz. bone-in Filet Mignon, which was plenty, considering the ala carte accompaniments we ordered. The waiter even sliced it for us tableside and exec chef Rick Gresh sent out a variety of toppers including Béarnaise and three mousses: horseradish, blue cheese and truffle. All are excellent accompaniments to the perfectly prepared medium-rare dry aged steak. We loved the easily shareable roasted mushrooms, the asparagus and shallot side dish and the basil mashed potatoes. And, yes, we brought the bone home to our dog, Truffle, who was immediately in canine heaven.

We particularly like Filet Mignon, which is so tender it doesn’t need a lot of aging. But for those of you who like your Ribeye, Kansas City, Delmonico, Sirloin and other cuts, Primehouse dry ages them from 28-75 days in their own dry aging cellar, tiled with organic Himalayan salt blocks to absorb moisture. The waiter proudly explained how Primehouse grows its own meat. They own their own prime bull, “Prime,” who lives on Creekstone Farms in Kentucky. “Prime” happily sires all the prime beef sold at the restaurant.

Although prime dry aged beef is the headliner here, there are several other seriously good contemporary choices for those who prefer something else. Appetizer choices include Miso Glazed Scallops with lobster fried rice and Thai peppers; Lobster Pasta with arugula, cherry tomatoes, chanterelle mushrooms, strozzapreti pasta and truffle butter; Pan Roasted Baby Octopus with roasted peppers, chickpeas, grilled onions, charred tomatoes and black olives; Pan Roasted Veal Sweetbreads with roasted fennel, polenta and warm coriander vinaigrette.

For entrées, there are several poultry, lamb, fish and seafood selections, such as Seawater Brined Half Chicken, semi boneless, with basil whipped potatoes, asparagus and roasted garlic jus; Roasted Lamb Rack, with cavetelli “mac n cheese,” and almond mint pesto. Fish lovers will enjoy the Seared Alaskan King Salmon, with bok choy, shrimp and pork dumplings, wonton broth, and the Pan Roasted Red Snapper, with dry aged kobe paprika sausage, clams, garlic & grilled artichokes.

For dessert, we enjoyed a sampling of cheeses from the generous selection (Chef Gresh is a cheese aficionado and clearly knows what he’s doing) and the amazing homemade doughnut holes, accompanied by three small squeeze bottles of fillings (fill your own doughnuts—a fun touch.)

Keep in mind that prime beef can be pricy, so expect to pay around $50 or more per person for dinner. It’s a bit expensive, but rest assured that Primehouse’s pricing is in keeping with other prime steakhouses in Chicago. For your dollar, you get a very creative and contemporary experience and excellent service in an atmosphere that works for business as well as that special date.
Note: DineWise is a weekly column appearing in StreetWise magazine. Lee Barrie is on the StreetWise board of directors and he and his wife Cindy own Kurman Communications, a Chicago-based public relations agency specializing in lifestyle, restaurant and hospitality strategic branding, marketing promotions, media relations and social networking. If you'd like your restaurant to be featured on the DineWise blog and in StreetWise magazine, please contact mailto: dinewise@kurman.com. If you enjoy reading DineWise, perhaps you'd enjoy reading our other blog Got Buzz. Please check it out.

Venus Greek-Cypriot Cuisine is a Greektown gem worthy of its accolades

Venus Greek-Cypriot Cuisine
820 W. Jackson, Chicago
312.714.1001
http://www.venuschicago.com/

Hours:
4 p.m.-11 p.m., Mon.-Thurs.
4 p.m.-midnight, Fri.-Sat
noon-10 p.m., Sun.
Entrée price range: $10.95 - $27.95

Greektown. This iconic neighborhood brings visions of festive food and drink to the minds of Chicagoans. Although most people tend to think of Greektown as a strip of restaurants on Halsted, there are some interesting things to see on the side streets as well. Most noticeably, in our minds, is Venus Greek Cypriot Cuisine, an exceptional restaurant tucked just around the corner from Halsted, on West Jackson. This popular mainstay has received consistently good reviews, for good reason. The restaurant serves up food that’s not your typical Greek fare, although it’s close enough to justify its Greektown location.

The difference is that Venus Greek-Cypriot Cuisine features the food of Cyprus. This Mediterranean island state has been a cultural crossroads for thousands of years, and the food reflects it. Cyprus was as influenced by Middle Eastern nations such as Lebanon as much as it was by Greece. While the food is similar to Greek food, the spices and ingredients are noticeably different. To our palate, Cypriot food is slightly more refined and the flavors are a bit more subtle and complex. All this translates into delicious food that sets Venus apart from its Greek counterparts.

The décor is clearly Mediterranean and casual. Bright pastel colors dominate the walls and compliment the tile floors. To one side is the bar area. The bar is designed to replicate the shape of a Greek sailing ship and there is a sizeable collection of regulars who stop by for a cocktail after work and during the evening hours. The main dining room is large and divided into smaller sections through the use of recessed and raised floors. Although there is no separate private dining room, it is easy to use one of these dining spaces as a semi-private group dining area.

The menu offers a very generous selection of freshly prepared, made from scratch items. One could easily enjoy a wonderful feast by combining a variety of hot and cold appetizers, but that would take away the comforting enjoyment of some of the signature entrees. So, don’t rush. We recommend savoring your meal slowly for maximum pleasure and sharing the food with your dinner companions. Start with a few appetizers and a glass of wine, then enjoy a salad or two, and then indulge in a robust main course. Be sure to save room for dessert, for they are a treat.

There are fourteen cold appetizers on the menu. We love the dips, which go perfectly with pita. Our favorites are the Talatouri (a Cypriot version of Tzatziki) which is a yogurt spread with cucumber and mint and the Taramosalata, a creamy fish roe spread blended with olive oil, lemon and bread. Another excellent cold app is the Octapodi Salata with diced octopus, onions, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

There are 21 hot appetizers on the menu. You can order the traditional Saganaki (flaming Greek cheese) but we recommend that you instead go with the delicious Sakagani Halloumi, which is baked imported Cypriot cheese with a smooth texture and a wonderful subtle flavor. If you like stuffed grape leaves, you’re in for a pleasant surprise with the Koupepia, a Cypriot version stuffed with ground pork and rice, served with yogurt. Amazing.

Among the other hot apps we like are the simple but delicious Octopadi Sti Schara, grilled baby octopus on a bed of lettuce with vinegar, the Marides (breaded smelts), and the Triopitakia, phyllo dough filled with a cheese mixture.

In the soups and salads department, you will enjoy the traditional Avgolemono (egg lemon rice soup) and there are several small salads, including Kipriaki, a traditional Cypriot salad with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh green onions, capers and cilantro in a house dressing. Another nice salad choice is the Aphrodite, with mixed greens, tomatoes, pine nuts, roasted peppers, boiled egg, kefalotiri cheese in a balsamic wine dressing.

On to the main courses. You’ll have no trouble finding something for everyone in your group; there are 46 entrees, which run the gamut from grilled meats, to slow cooked roasted meats, poultry delights, seafood specialties, pastas, vegetarian dishes and some American entrées. If we were to choose a single signature entrée, we would pick the Kleftiko, a Cypriot lamb dish. The lamb is slow cooked in foil for six hours. We also love the hearty Pastitsio Tsoukas, layers of ground beef and pasta topped with a homemade béchamel sauce. But there are so many excellent dishes that you can feel quite comfortable ordering whatever fits your mood.

Desserts are a special treat. The delicious Baklavas is prepared with a Cypriot touch, where walnuts add a subtle twist. The Galaktoboureko is a sumptuous homemade egg custard in phyllo dough.

With all of the food being so shareable, Venus is a terrific spot for a party or dinner celebration. Tell them you want a family style event and they will prepare a feast that will have your guests begging for more.

Note: DineWise is a weekly column appearing in StreetWise magazine. Lee Barrie is on the StreetWise board of directors and he and his wife Cindy own Kurman Communications, a Chicago-based public relations agency specializing in lifestyle, restaurant and hospitality strategic branding, marketing promotions, media relations and social networking. If you'd like your restaurant to be featured on the DineWise blog and in StreetWise magazine, please contact mailto: dinewise@kurman.com.  If you enjoy reading DineWise, perhaps you'd enjoy reading our other blog Got Buzz.  Please check it out.

Indie Café: Edgewater glows with the taste of impressive Thai and Sushi

Indie Café

5951 N. Broadway, Chicago

(773) 561-5577
http://www.indiecafe.us/

Hours:
11:30 a.m.-10 pm., Mon.-Thurs.;
11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.,
Fri.-Sat.; noon-10 p.m., Sun.
Price ranges::

Thai noodle dishes, $7.75-$9.25;
Thai curries, $7.75-$15; Maki, $8-$19

By Lee Barrie and Cindy Kurman
We have a fabulous cousin, Harriet, who recently graduated from Carnegie Mellon’s prestigious theater administration program and now has embarked on a promising career at Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre. To celebrate her jubilant entry into the real world, we decided to take her out for dinner. We picked her up in the car and, while we were going through the various options, she said, “I know a place, you’ll love it—the Indie Café.” Cindy and I looked at each other and smiled. A place we haven’t been to before. Perfect.

So off we drove to Edgewater, where we were thrilled to discover this upbeat and chic BYOB café that offers an excellent selection of both Thai and Japanese dishes. Cindy will always go for sushi, which she loves, but it was a cold day and so Harriet and I chose the Thai menu. We ended up sharing everything anyway, as you’d expect.
What sets the Indie Café menu apart from most menus is that it includes good descriptions of the dishes along with some photos. The Thai offering is wide ranging, with a nice selection of appetizers, soups, salads, noodle dishes, rice dishes, fried rice and curries and seafood. Dishes are labeled according to the level of spiciness and you can request more or less heat, depending on your liking. On the Japanese side, there are some creative maki, accompanied by a good choice of nigiri, appetizers, salads, soups and teriyakis. Portions are large, but not overly so. The dishes are consistently fresh tasting and attractively presented.

Among the Thai standouts was the Crab Rangoon, a Thai appetizer made with crab meat, cream cheese, water chestnut, carrot, and celery wontons. We also enjoyed the Andaman Salad, a multi-textured treat incorporating steamed shrimp, scallop, crab meat and calamari in lime juice, smoked chili paste, onion, carrot, lemon grass and mixed greens.

To try a noodle dish, we ordered Pad Thai, the ubiquitous dish that compared very well with other Thai restaurant versions. Other good noodle choices include Drunken Noodles, with fresh basil, hot chili, broccoli, peas, carrots and tomatoes, bamboo shoots, green beans and bean sprouts, and the Drunken Udon, which features wide wheat noodles stir fried with spiced seafood.

There are some creative Thai curries on the menu. We tried the Indie Signature curry which features classic Mussamun beef curry with cashews, potatoes, spices and herbs. There are several other curry selections that sound delicious.

For my entrée, I ordered the Ginger Fish (I chose tilapia, but you can also order salmon or snapper). This simple dish, steamed in soy with ginger and scallion, was perfectly balanced and even more delicious than I expected. There are numerous other fish and seafood choices, including Stir-Fried Paradise, which includes crispy fish fillet with ginger, red and green pepper, onion, scallion, cashews, and shitake mushrooms in a black bean herb sauce.

Moving to the Japanese menu, there are several tasty salad offerings, such as the signature Indie Salad, a seaweed salad with spicy mayo, crab stick and masago. Teriyakis can be made with beef, chicken, salmon, scallop or tofu. Maki choices are plentiful. Cindy ordered the very fresh tasting White Scorpion, featuring tempura crusted soft shell crab, cucumber, spicy mayo, masago (capelin roe), topped with super white tuna and avocado.

Other interesting maki include the Devil, with crispy salmon skin, cilantro, avocado, cucumber, habanero masago, chili paste, srirachi (spicy Thai sauce) and BBQ sauce; the Crocodile, with a whole piece of eel and stuffed with spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado, tempura crump, habanero masago and BBQ sauce, and the Butter Ocean, with asparagus tempura, cream cheese, smoked salmon and masago, wrapped with shrimp and avocado and topped with spicy butter. If you prefer a more traditional maki, you can order a Dragon or Rainbow, to mention a couple of options.

We were pleased with the service, the upbeat music and the colorful décor. Harriet was thrilled that she could actually take us to a place we hadn’t been to before and that it was such a winner. We’ll have to make dinner with Harriet a regular part of our routine.


Note: DineWise is a weekly column appearing in StreetWise magazine. Lee Barrie is on the StreetWise board of directors and he and his wife Cindy own Kurman Communications, a Chicago-based public relations agency specializing in lifestyle, restaurant and hospitality strategic branding, marketing promotions, media relations and social networking. If you'd like your restaurant to be featured on the DineWise blog and in StreetWise magazine, please contact mailto: dinewise@kurman.com.  If you enjoy reading DineWise, you may enjoy our other blog Got Buzz.  Please check it out.