Bavette's Chicago: The Best $26 You'll Ever Spend

You know that restaurant where everything is incredible from the ambiance, to the food and service? That's Bavette's. The River North French-inspired steakhouse is another hit from Brendan Sodikoff's Hogsalt group. While not new, it's become my new favorite go-to. I thought I'd combine two visits into one post to show the wide variety of options you can order.

First off, I have to mention the vibe at Bavette's. It's not a stuffy, pretentious steakhouse, but rather a swanky, speakeasy atmosphere with exposed brick, and flickering candlelight. There is a great cocktail and wine menu, and I have to mention their BYOB "policy." It's not really a policy at all. Essentially, you're allowed to bring in your own bottle of wine, the only price is that you have to share one glass with someone in the restaurant. That could be a person of your choosing, or your server will pick someone (usually someone celebrating a special occasion). That's it! (I tried this and it was great!)

The restaurant features a nice variety of starters, salads, and seafood that are a great way to kick off your meal. The baked crab cake is wonderfully loaded with blue crab and accompanied with a side of remoulade. They certainly don't skimp on the seafood with this dish.

Baked Crab Cake

There is also a selection of East Coast and West Coast oysters, as well as seafood towers featuring crab, shrimp, or lobster.

Fresh Oysters

My favorite starter has to be the smoked trout Caesar. Instead of anchovies, the salad gets its smokey, salty flavor from bits of smoked trout that are fantastic. This salad is loaded with flavor and is a modern take on the classic.

Smoked Trout Caesar

Another starter I tried on my first visit to Bavette's was the baked goat cheese. This really is a no-brainer if you love baked cheese and red sauce. The garlic bread is soft and buttery, and makes for a great dipping vessel. It's pretty hard to screw up a dish like this.

Baked Goat Cheese

As you can see, there are quite a few starter options at Bavette's. But the real star of the menu in my opinion, is the steak frites. For $26 you get a 10 ounce USDA prime flat iron steak with Bearnaise sauce and handcut fries. Obviously I always order steak at Bavette's and this has become my go-to (as well as everyone else's). I think it's the best steak frites in the city, and you certainly can't beat the price. The meat is delicately seasoned, allowing the true flavor of the steak to shine through. It's also served with a side of steak salt if you want to add a little extra kick of seasoning. I barely use any of that Bearnaise sauce because the meat itself has so much flavor. And then there are the fries. They can't be beat.

There are other steak varieties available including several filet mignon options (petite, traditional, bone-in), and a 22 ounce bone-in dry aged ribeye if you're super hungry. Non-steak options include roasted bone marrow, broiled salmon, fried chicken, and shortrib stroganoff. There's really something for all taste buds. Unfortunately, I don't have photos of any of those items because we always have our heart set on the steak frites! Next time I should try something new...maybe.

Steak Frites

Lastly, I can't forget about one of the most delicious pies in Chicago, Bavette's chocolate cream pie. It may be difficult to save room for dessert but I promise you it's worth it. The filling is silky smooth and rich, but the crust is my favorite part. One bite and you know exactly what it is. Oreo! The giant dollop of freshly whipped cream on top also doesn't hurt. Just get the pie!

Chocolate Cream Pie

If you couldn't tell already, I'm a huge fan of Bavette's. It's a great place to gather with friends or family, or even just grab a drink and meal at the bar. The staff is friendly and helpful, and everything I've tried on the menu has been fantastic. It may be hard to snag a reservation at Bavette's, but I have one bit of advice. Follow Dishable Chicago on Twitter. They tweet available reservations at Chicago's top restaurants and that's how I scored my first reservation at Bavette's.

I'm giving Bavette's...wait for it...a perfect 5 ghosts out of 5!

Bavette's
www.bavetteschicago.com
218 W. Kinzie St.
Chicago, IL 60654
312.624.8154