David Burke Primehouse

[adamru]

Has anyone been here yet? I'm staying at the hotel this weekend and my stay comes with a dinner for two but I can't find any review of the restaurant or hotel other than their official websites.

[Alex]

Has anyone been here yet? I'm staying at the hotel this weekend and my stay comes with a dinner for two but I can't find any review of the restaurant or hotel other than their official websites.

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Try here.

[smorris291]

I was there with two friends on Saturday night, and the place was packed. My friends are true steak lovers, and one of them has been to davidburke & donatella in NYC, so we decided we had to try it. Plus, they dry age their steaks, which we prefer in contrast to the usual wet-aging use see here in Chicago. Anyway...

The room is pretty small and not quite as bright as I would've expected, but not so dark that you needed a flashlight to read the menu. Tables were closely spaced, but not like Gibson's (another Chicago area steakhouse), where you feel like you could reach to the next table and eat off someone's plate. On the walls there were signs showing some of the specials/menu items, and they looked, well...scholcky. They weren't blackboards, but instead flat black boards with lettering placed on them. The problem was that the letters weren't lined up, causing them to look like the refridgerator of someone with small children--you know, when they have those magnetic letters spelling something out? Might look cute at home on the fridge, but not here.

The wine list was not great. Smallish, especially in the Bordeaux/Cab areas, which seems odd for a steak place. Average bottle prices (as well as markups) are high...there are a few deals, but it requires some effort.

Luckily, we liked the food better than the room or wine list. We split the surf & turf dumplings--the surf with a lobster mixture and the turf with oxtail and foie gras (while we still can eat it legally here...) with a bit of a sweet soy reduction below. Fantastic. Of course we all had steaks for entrees--one bone-in filet, one NY strip and I had the special 40 day aged ribeye. My steak was excellent--not much moisture left due to the long aging time, but very tender, with a nice char and great seasoning (from the salt cave?). My friends are quite picky about their steaks and liked them as well, especially the filet.

We shared two sides, the hash browns (crispy and salty) and garlic spinach (wilted but fresh). For dessert, we had 2--the donuts (basically freshly made donut holes with three bottles of filling--vanilla, chocolate & grape jelly) and the chocolate cake, both of which were both very good.

Service overall was attentive, and good for a place that hasn't been open that long. So, to wrap up, the food was very good, making up for the slightly picky comments about the room and wine list...I'd go back. I do have a question--adamru--are you limited in what you can order ($ amount or items)? If not, good for you, as it's not cheap...

[adamru]

I'm going to call the hotel to check on the value of the dinner for two as it only seems worth it if it includes everything but alcohol, tax and gratuity. I'm not greedy but I hope it includes two appetizers, entrees, sides and desserts. the room is cheap and the hotel is new and with the meal it seems like a good deal but if the certificate is very limiting I'd just as easily stay at the park hyatt - their rooms come with free breakfast and $100 food credit - and have dinner somewhere else. it seemed worth trying come monday night mostly because many great chicago restaurants close on monday for some reason.

UPDATE: and I checked. it's $100 food credit or the choice of a prix-fixe menu. might not be worth it after all.

Edited May 9, 2006 by adamru (log)

[molto e]

Has anyone been here yet? I'm staying at the hotel this weekend and my stay comes with a dinner for two but I can't find any review of the restaurant or hotel other than their official websites.

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I tried Primehouse last week and went in expecting just another steakhouse, but that is not what I found. Chef David Burke succeeds in his spin on the steakhouse by providing his own riffs on steakhouse dishes and offering many original dishes as well. The restaurant serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner as it is the restaurant for the hotel. Chef Burke's creativity is showcased throughout the menus of the various meals. I had dinner at the restaurant so that is what I will report on.

The James Hotel is on Ontario and Rush with the entrance of the restaurant on the Rush St. side. You can pull up to the front of the hotel on Ontario and the valet will come from the restaurant to take your car.

When you walk thru the door on the Rush St side the "J" bar is front and center with the restaurant to your left.

The restaurant decor is tasteful with mellow tones. The tables are covered with red leather instead of a tablecloth.

Warm popovers are presented instead of bread.

We started the meal with the Surf and Turf Dumplings and the Oysters.

Surf & Turf Dumplings- Foie Gras-Oxtail, Lobster Lemon

The presentation was very nice with the lobster handles. The dumplings were tasty.

Oysters "East Meets West"- 3 East Coast, 3 West Coast, Spicy Cocktail Sauce, Mignonette, Tomato Horseradish Granite

I like a little lemon on Oysters so the only sauce I tried was the granite. I thought the granite was ok.

Some friends of mine dined at the Primehouse after I did and raved about the Kobe Beef Sashimi and the Caesar Salad with Crab Cake Croutons.

The caesar salad is prepared tableside on a cart. The pictures of the salad cart were taken in shadows so excuse the quality.

The components of the dressing can be modified as to your preference.

Two kinds of steak sauce are brought to the table before the meat arrives.

The 207L is described as being smokey compared to the classic. I did not try either of them.

We ordered the Ribeye and the NY Sirloin as our entrees. The side dishes we picked were the Twice Baked Potato, Corn, Bacon and Grilled Organic Mushrooms.

"Kentucky" Rib Eye- Bone in, Dry Aged, 20 oz $36.00

N.Y. Sirloin- Dry Aged, 14 oz

The steaks were flavorful and tender. I dined with my Father, who commented that the meat was better than his favorite local steakhouse. This admission was surprising to me. The meat is aged "in house", downstairs in the salt cave. The aging room's back wall has blocks of Himalayan rock salt in it to remove moisture from the room.

Twice Baked Potato, Bacon and Corn

Chef Burke's spin on this dish was the potato was hollowed out and corn flan was put in the middle of it.

Roasted Organic Mushrooms

For dessert we ordered the Kickin Doughnuts and the Lollipop Tree.

Kickin Doughnuts- Vanilla, Concord Grape and Chocolate

I loved this dessert! The doughnuts are made to order and you can fill them with what ever filling that you like. I thought the grape filling was too runny. The chocolate and vanilla were great. When you fill them, keep squeezing them until some of the filling squirts out of the doughnut.

LolliPop Tree- Cheesecake lollipops (cherry pistachio, peanut butter cup and chocolate toffee) served with raspberry cream

This was a great dessert. Chef Burke's presentation was novel with the various lollipops hanging like a tree. There was a bowl of raspberry cream that accompanied the tree to dip the lollipops in.

I would recommend David Burke's Primehouse. The food and service was excellent. The non-steak entrees are also good choices as the lobster steak is highly recommended. Chef Burke expresses his creativity and skill in the steakhouse format. I will note that for a "steakhouse", there were a high proportion of tables of female diners. The 'J" bar is also a great place for drinks.

Good Eating,

Molto E

[docsconz]

Nice report as usual, Eliot. The prices actually look fairly inexpensive for a top steakhouse. It actually looks to be almost affordable!

I must say, you are one for the doughnuts! That is not a dessert that I am particularly fond of myself as you know

The question for me would be with the limited time I get to spend in Chicago and the other incredible dining options available there, is this restaurant worth it? I love a great steak, but is it sufficiently different or better than other steakhouses in Chicago or elsewhere?

[molto e]

Nice report as usual, Eliot. The prices actually look fairly inexpensive for a top steakhouse. It actually looks to be almost affordable!

I must say, you are one for the doughnuts! That is not a dessert that I am particularly fond of myself as you know

The question for me would be with the limited time I get to spend in Chicago and the other incredible dining options available there, is this restaurant worth it? I love a great steak, but is it sufficiently different or better than other steakhouses in Chicago or elsewhere?

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Doc,

When I go out to dinner a steakhouse would not be my first choice. I was dining with my Father and this type of restaurant was an easy sell. If I wanted to eat at a steakhouse and I was in Chicago then I would pick Primehouse. I have eaten at all the other Chicago landmark steakhouses dozens of times so this is something different. I listed the prices on the steaks because I felt them to be reasonable in comparison.

If you are asking me if this would break into the top three meals in the city that YOU would enjoy the most, then the answer is no. But that is based on the fact that this genre is not your favorite, not on the quality of the fare.

Molto E

[docsconz]

Nice report as usual, Eliot. The prices actually look fairly inexpensive for a top steakhouse. It actually looks to be almost affordable!

I must say, you are one for the doughnuts! That is not a dessert that I am particularly fond of myself as you know

The question for me would be with the limited time I get to spend in Chicago and the other incredible dining options available there, is this restaurant worth it? I love a great steak, but is it sufficiently different or better than other steakhouses in Chicago or elsewhere?

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Doc,

When I go out to dinner a steakhouse would not be my first choice. I was dining with my Father and this type of restaurant was an easy sell. If I wanted to eat at a steakhouse and I was in Chicago then I would pick Primehouse. I have eaten at all the other Chicago landmark steakhouses dozens of times so this is something different. I listed the prices on the steaks because I felt them to be reasonable in comparison.

If you are asking me if this would break into the top three meals in the city that YOU would enjoy the most, then the answer is no. But that is based on the fact that this genre is not your favorite, not on the quality of the fare.

Molto E

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Eliot, you are right. The genre is not my favorite, but that is because it is so hard for steakhouses to really differnetiate themselves from one another once they reach a certain level. I enjoy a great steak as much as anybody, and if it is truly exceptional for its genre and not something that I can get a reasonable facsimile of someplace else then I would probably try to fit it in at some point when in Chicago. If it is just a very good steakhouse that is maybe a little different than others, but not particularly superior where it counts than I would probably pass unless I had the good fortune to be in Chicago for a longer period than I generally get to be there for.

[molto e]

Doc,

Primehouse would be my top choice if you were in the mood for a steak in Chicago. But if you are looking for something ethereal like this...

This is only served at Molto E's Primehouse, let me know when you are going to be in town so I can reserve you a seat.

Molto E

[docsconz]

Doc,

        Primehouse would be my top choice if you were in the mood for a steak in Chicago. But if you are looking for something ethereal like this...

This is only served at Molto E's Primehouse, let me know when you are going to be in town so I can reserve you a seat.

Molto E

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I'm checking the flight schedules now...

[yellow truffle]

After reading the title, it sounded like another steak house and I did not want to click on this tread. But after reading the posts, I find it interesting, for a steakhouse. A nice alternative.

BTW, I love the special at Molto E's Primehouse.

[ducphat30]

Careful, with beautifully marbled steaks like that, they may be "outlawed" soon, at least in chicago!?!?!!

[Ling]

I love the idea of having the diner fill their own doughnuts at the table, and the lollipop tree is too cute! I'm surprised by the relatively low prices for the steaks as well. Thanks for the photo report!

(Perhaps if I grease the maitre'd's palm at Molto E's Steakhouse, I can get a seat too!!! )

[gmi3804]

Am I the only one who thinks that David Burke Primehouse is a Custom House knock-off? The "concepts" seem very similar, with DBP being the more "whimsical" of the two. If I'm way off base here, I'll offer a Litellaesque, "Never mind!" in advance.

[molto e]

Am I the only one who thinks that David Burke Primehouse is a Custom House knock-off?  The "concepts" seem very similar, with DBP being the more "whimsical" of the two.  If I'm way off base here, I'll offer a Litellaesque, "Never mind!" in advance.

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George,

I am not sure that I see the similarity. I thought the execution was better at Primehouse.

Molto E

[yellow truffle]

Looking at the DBP's menu, I would note be surprised that many of the items there now, will be there 6 months from now. The daily specials may be where the chef can introduce new flavors. CH on the other hand seems to treat their menu a little more lively. Things change fairly often (weather it be primary/secondary ingredient/garnish or whatever), to the point where the menu on the web does not match pdf download and what is actually being served at the restaurant (as what happened on one occasion I had lunch there).

I still look at the way DBP does steak, i.e. get a good piece of meat, age it in house and throw it on the grill (lettuce let our diners choose the how it's cooked and what sauce to drown it with). Whereas the meats at CH are really a product of the restaurant, the chef and his ideas.

On a note of similarity, both places are open for breakfast.

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David Burke's Primehouse (owned by the B.R. Guest Restaurants group)

616 North Rush at Ontario

Chicago, IL 60611

312 660 6000

David Burke's personal website.

[gmi3804]

Am I the only one who thinks that David Burke Primehouse is a Custom House knock-off?  The "concepts" seem very similar, with DBP being the more "whimsical" of the two.  If I'm way off base here, I'll offer a Litellaesque, "Never mind!" in advance.

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George,

I am not sure that I see the similarity. I thought the execution was better at Primehouse.

Molto E

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Fair enough - it just seemed that DBP was going for the Steakhouse Plus concept that Custom House already did. But it seems as if DBP is more of a meat-and-potatoes place than Custom House, not that there's anything wrong with that.

[sapient]

I'm curious as to what to expect. I'm just there for breakfast and I wondered if anyone knew what to think about what to expect. I would also like to know what the experiences are with dinner. Has anyone stayed at The James? It's near to where I work and I'm asked often to recommend places to stay and eat. I think with its proximity to Michigan Ave. I would suggest it but with a glut of whatever food around there I'd like to know if it was worth it.

[ronnie_suburban]

After looking forward to it for days, I had dinner last night Primehouse and I just wasn't that impressed. I guess part of it is that I have a great, Prime butcher and prefer charcoal-cooked steak to any other. That's not to say that the steaks at Primehouse aren't great. They are. But they are no better than what you would typically be served at any other high-end steak house in town (or at my house, or molto e's house, etc.).

So, let's take a step back. The room has a clubby feel. The tables are clad in custom fitted red leather tablecloths. We ended up in a 4-top by the kitchen. I suppose this would be a 'loser' table for most folks, but of course, I like sitting by the kitchen, since that's where the action is.

I more or less knew going in that the experience at Primehouse would ultimately be distinguished by the service, the appetizers and the side dishes. Service was pretty thorough but a bit condescending. I suppose I invited this by wearing shorts (although, it was 100 degrees F) and bringing my 9-year-old son along. We were provided with all sorts of information, some of it useful, some it incorrect. It was good to know, for example, that the ribeyes were aged for 28 days. OTOH, Wondra is a coarse flour, not a super-fine flour as we were told. Our server was pushing a particular wine very hard but the sommelier informed us that it had never arrived to the restaurant. Not that the misinformation mattered because we never really wanted for anything and our server was timely with all his deliveries to the table.

Appetizers were so-so, IMO. We too, tried the surf and turf dumplings but neither variety really did it for me. Of the 2, I preferred the BBQ short rib version. The lobster version was bland and had some textural problems. Seeing the little claw as the handle for the unit prompts the expectation that there will be a nice piece of crustacean within the dumpling. This was not the case. Instead it was a too-soft (i.e. mushy) puree or mousse which did not come together well at all.

Another appetizer, the sashimi of Kobe beef served on block of Himalayan salt, was perhaps my favorite dish of the entire meal. It was tasty and tender and the accompanying truffle aioli was a nice accent. This was fresh-tasting with nice, clean and unmuddled flavors.

We also shared a made-at-the-table caesar salad. This was also very good and delivered on my expectations. Fresh, crispy romaine, nice balance between the elements and the "show" aspect was cool too.

Again, I can't complain about the steaks, which completely met our expectations. Not only was the beef very good but the steaks were cooked as ordered and happily, we were not asked to cut into them the moment they were served to confirm that they were cooked properly. The last few times I've been to Gibsons, they've asked me to check the grill cook's work, which I find completely out of line. At a prime steakhouse the customer should not bear this burden. The kitchen should confidently know how to properly cook the steaks. Primehouse got this right.

Side dishes really underwhelmed me. And I guess this was my biggest disappointment of the meal. Even the delectable-looking twice baked potato (pictured above in molto e's post) was lackluster. I'm not sure why, but the separate elements just didn't come together. Perhaps it was merely a case of the corn being so sweet that it overwhelmed the potato, bacon and fried onions served with it. 4 of us failed to finish one twice-baked potato. The sauteed mushrooms, while nicely cooked, were bland. The tempura onion rings also suffered from too-sweet syndrome. My son is an onion ring fiend and again, neither he nor the other 3 of us bothered to finish the one order of rings. It wasn't that the onion was too sweet, it was that the batter was too sweet. Our fourth side, the asparagus, was slightly undercooked and somehow, managed to taste like celery. We ended up leaving all 4 side dishes we ordered unfinished, which, as far as I can remember, was an all-time first for us.

Desserts were better. The cheesecake lollipops were very good . . . not as good as a nicely-produced piece of actual cheesecake but good. My son loved the interactivity of the inject-your-own donuts, even though I thought they paled greatly compared to the ones I'd eaten earlier in the week at Hot Chocolate. The rack of cookies was just okay, with no particular stand-outs. The 'slice of prime' chocolate layer cake was the best of the lot. It was tasty, moist and fudgy.

In the end, I felt over-gimmicked by Primehouse. Upthread someone compared it to Custom House. I would, without hestitation, choose Custom House over Primehouse any day of the week because the food there is far tastier and also truly more original. It felt as if, in the interest of putting on a show and taking some superficial visual risks with the presentation, the food suffered a bit at Primehouse. I'm not sure that this is how it always is with David Burke or if what he normally does has been "dumbed down" to meet his expectation of the Chicago audience. However, steak is the one high-end food that is easy to find in Chicago and Primehouse's beef offerings did not surpass any of the incumbents. As for the rest of it, a little more substance and a little less "style" could only improve the overall experience at Primehouse.

=R=

[LAZ]

That's not to say that the steaks at Primehouse aren't great.  They are.  But they are no better than what you would typically be served at any other high-end steak house in town (or at my house, or molto e's house, etc.)....  However, steak is the one high-end food that is easy to find in Chicago and Primehouse's beef offerings did not surpass any of the incumbents. 

I can't judge what kind of steaks you eat at home, but I've certainly not had dry-aged steaks like Primehouse's anywhere else in Chicago. Even the few other places that serve dry-aged aren't as good as these. What places do you find equivalent? Certainly not Gibsons!

I agree on the side dishes, though.

OTOH, Wondra is a coarse flour, not a super-fine flour as we were told.

Wondra is fast-dissolving, low protein cake flour. See here and here.

[ronnie_suburban]

Thanks, LAZ, for the info on Wondra. It's actually used at Primehouse on the Angry Lobster, which we did not order.

I think Smith and Wollensky stacks up pretty well with Primehouse, meat-wise. I wouldn't argue that Gibson's is quite at that level but it's effectively close enough because for me, the main difference in the finished product -- provided that both are prime and aged in some form -- is a function of the cooking method. Again, I greatly prefer wood-fired. I guess that's why I found the steak at Primehouse so anti-climactic.

Again, I can't argue the quality of the meat at Primehouse, only that it and the way the steak was cooked, were not enough to really distinguish it for me.

=R=

[molto e]

Ronnie S.,

I do not seek out a steakhouse when I go out to eat, but if I had the choice of only steakhouses then I would pick Primehouse based on my meal there. If you were to put Custom House in a catagory, would it be in the steakhouse? I would not characterize Custom House as a steakhouse. I have dined at the usual suspects of the Chicago steakhouse scene far too many times over the years to get excited about eating at one of them. If I was judging steak against steak then Primehouse, IMO, serves the best cut of meat out of the steakhouse bunch. Though if I were to include all types of restaurants then the porterhouse at Gioco is pretty damn good. The next time that I find myself at Primehouse, I need to try the crabcake and the lobster steak that I have heard good things about. I had no complaints with the service during my meal at Primehouse but you know how that goes. I can not believe that Mr. Suburban JR. was the cause of your service woes so hopefully that was an aberation.

Molto E

[ronnie_suburban]

Ronnie S.,

                I do not seek out a steakhouse when I go out to eat, but if I had the choice of only steakhouses then I would pick Primehouse based on my meal there.

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Eliot, if you're buying, I'm right there with you.

Otherwise, I'm probably going to choose S&W because their meat is fantastic or Gibson's because when their sides are on, it's the best overall steak house meal, IMO. I might even put Joe's Prime Steaks and Stone Crab on my short list, ahead of Primehouse.

=R=

[ulterior epicure]

Ohmygosh - Eliot - that looks like an absolute calorie fest worth having!

Thanks for the pictures and the report. Have you been to Custom House? If so, how would you compare the two (sorry if this has been covered somewhere above).

u.e.

[ronnie_suburban]

Eliot,

Again, I wouldn't necessarily compare Custom House to Primehouse but someone did upthread, so I thought I'd take a stab at it.

I just liked Custom House a lot more than Primehouse. Their meat was fantastic -- although I had short rib, not steak -- and their apps, sides and desserts were much tastier, more original and almost as much fun. But I wouldn't ultimately categorize Custom House as a steakhouse.

=R=