David Burke's Primehouse
Categories: American (New), Steakhouses [Edit]
Neighborhood: Near North Side616 N Rush Street
(between Ohio St & Ontario St)
Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 660-6000
- Nearest Transit:
Grand (Red)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 7:00 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat 7:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
Sun 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
93 reviews
Neighborhood: Near North Side
"Great martinis, fun atmosphere, and fantastic people watching. Watching 40-year old-bleach blondes compete with 22 year old bleach blondes…" read more »
119 Reviews for David Burke's Primehouse
I had breakfast at David Burke's this weekend, and it is by far one of the best breakfasts in the city. I had the banana pancakes with pecans and cinamon butter. They were the best pancakes I have ever had before...they were so fluffy and light but crisp on the outside. My husband had the James Omelot with mushrooms, onions, filet tips and asiago cheese. He loved it. I will definitely be adding this to my short rotation of breakfasts worth going to in the city....and there are not many worth the calories! But, this one definitely is.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/24/2006
I like this steak house because it has a hip vibe that other steakhouses in Chicago don't have. If… Read more »
This review is only for brunch. I had been anticipating my brunch at David Burke's with Robin T. for weeks and weeks. Unfortunately I had decided to stay out drinking until 3am the night before so was a little hung over when I arrived to say the least.
We both got the dim sum style menu. Its just great...nice people walking around with carts of delicious small plates. There is a little bit of everything for everybody here. Oysters, pancakes, lox, dumplings, a bunch of healthy stuff we just skipped, and much much more. We probably had about 20 items and we skipped the ice cream sundae dessert. Its a fancy brunch and its going to cost you $40. But for a special occasion its great.
The service was friendly and professional and the atmosphere was relaxed. There was a drink flight option that looked delicious but since i was probably still legally drunk from the night before I didnt partake.
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This place is delicious. I was meeting up with friends at DBP for dinner on a Thursday night. Since I don't eat meat, I checked the menu and was happy to see there was a selection of entrees to choose from.
We ate...and I kid you not...2 popovers each, Tuna and Salmon Tartare, East Meets West oysters, Caesar salad w/anchovies (the best Caesar of all time and they make it table side!!!!), crab cake, 3 steaks, I chose the ahi tuna (I had mine cooked rare and it tasted like butter---it was so delicious), creamed spinach, truffle fries, twice baked potatoes, mushrooms then for dessert the lollipop tree, sorbets and ice creams.
I would have given the restaurant 5 stars but:
-Even though we had a 8 pm reservation, we were not seated until 845 pm (there was not even an offer to get our first round on the house)
-Sides were not up to par to the entrees
-The waiter was giving us sh!t for taking pictures during dinner
All in all a very pleasant dining experience. The service was exceptional, friendly and attentive without hovering. I had the 22oz dry aged porterhouse. Very flavorful, but it was a slightly thinner cut than I would have expected, compared to that at other steakhouses in this class. That said, the preparation was spot on. The others in my party had other cuts including the South Side filet and classic filet - all were prepared to instruction and much enjoyed. The sides were slightly lacking however, but were certainly secondary to the meat (creamed spinach, tempura green beans, and truffle Asiago fries).
The real highlight of the evening for me however, was the Caesar salad with white anchovies. The table side preparation I can take or leave, but it was quite possibly the best Caesar salad I've had. The dressing ingredients were expertly balanced and the anchovies were a perfect accompaniment, delicate and flavorful.
There are obviously several great options for steak in Chicago and I would put Primehouse on par with its peers. But I will definitely return for the Caesar salad. Yes, I realize that sounds odd...
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My group for Zurich came here for dinner one night with clients and had a wonderful time! They really enjoyed the meal and especially the wine list. Price was great and the waiter was perfect according to my gang.
A+!
Very good steak at this NYC Chain. Enjoy the bar at the James Hotel prior to dining at this good rush street addition.
I like the steaks at David Burke's compared to other places that I have tried such as Morton's, Gibson's, Keefer's etc. The modern decor is definitely more my taste than compared to the traditional stuffy steakhouse feel. We were celebrating a special event so my husband and I went all out with the menu ordering the chilled seafood platter for appetizer, the ceasar salad prepared tableside, the ribeye steaks, and a nice bottle of wine plus many more drinks after dinner ... The food was good but the service I felt was a little rushed and our server was a bit pushy (trying to get us to order a more expensive bottle). Good experience overall.
Hands down, five star experience. My boyfriend and I went here for his birthday and we were totally impressed.
The popovers-- I've been dreaming of them since going here. They were gigantic, buttery, and flaky, and just melted in my mouth. I would have filled my purse with them if they had brought out a basket. (Sadly, this is not Red Lobster)
The meat-- this is clearly what we were here for. My boyfriend splurged with the 75 day aged ribeye, and I swear, after every bite he took he said "this is so good." I managed to steal a couple of bites, and he wasn't lying. It was like butter.
The mojitos-- These were the strongest mojitos I've ever had. I had two and was nearly falling off my chair.
The only thing I didn't love was the "Slice of Prime" chocolate cake. It was large, but nothing really special. If I go back, I'm having the cheesecake lollipop tree! It looked incredible!
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First of all, it was worth it to go here for the Cheesecake Lollipops if nothing else. Overall it is not one of my favorite spots in the city. We probably made the mistake of trying it on Valentine's Day. The leather decor makes the place seem very cold. I like a warm, welcoming steakhouse - and while the food was overall very good - I just think there are better options in Chicago for Steak. Also - the bar is much too small, though I understand that it is in keeping with the boutique hotel flavor.
Breakfast at a steak joint? Yeah, so! I got the filet and eggs. Good stuff! The End
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Dim Sum Sunday Brunch - very detailed!!
We arrived at about 12:10 PM for our Noon reservation, the hostess was cute and friendly, she greeted us right away, asked if we had a reservation and promptly seated us. I found her to be casual but appropriately dressed for a Sunday.
After we were seated, we immediately noticed the carts but were confused and didn't know what to do. Do we approach the carts? Do the carts come to us? We didn't have a server approach us and it took nine minutes before I pulled a bus boy over and asked what we were supposed to do. He asked if we had a server and I said "no". The busser went to get someone right away.
Rory approached our table shortly after the busser went to get someone, apologized and made us laugh. He didn't make excuses for why no one had approached the table, Rory simply made an effort to correct the situation - I thought he handled it professionally and I appreciated his honesty. Rory asked if we were doing the dim sum brunch, I said "yes" but he assumed we knew what was going to occur. I asked him to please take us through the process and he did.
Brunch and Crunch
Everything was very uniquely presented with very small portions. The portions sizes were perfect for me and my friend (who was male) also thought the portions were appropriate. We both liked that seconds were available if we so desired. The staff made sure that we were aware that we could have as much as we liked but they also made the point that there was a lot of food on the way. Smoked Pastrami Salmon was delicious (Rory brought this out ASAP because we had been waiting). Oatmeal in egg was adorable but too sweet and kind of thick. I was not a fan of the pancakes but this dish may make sense for kids. Eggs Benedict were delicious, the staff was kind enough to make me one without meat. Friend had the western omelet and really liked it.
The Asian Cart
This was my favorite cart, I was happy with the selection. The server pushing the Asian Cart on this particular day/time was great. Very friendly, she had brown hair and blonde bangs. The tempura green beans were not my favorite but my friend enjoyed them. I thought sauce was too thick. Dumplings: all tasty, my friend thought they were the correct temperature, however, for me, they were slightly cool. My friend reported that The BBQ pork had more bread than meat. The soup was pretty much one would expect. I liked most of the cold items: I had 3 oysters and the shrimp was a unique combo w/ seaweed. My friend who does not eat seaweed liked the shrimp too. Neither my friend nor I liked the tartar. I did not like the thick layer of cream cheese on top or digging out the fish.
Comfort Bites
This cart came along the same time as the Ribstickers. For me, the brunch was moving along too quickly. I would have asked for things to move more slowly but my friend was very happy with the pace so perhaps it was the right speed? We both liked cheese burgers with lobster fries. Kobe corn dogs, I thought the presentation was great, so fun and cute! But we both thought that they tasted like plain hot dogs but liked them regardless. Mac & Cheese with Ham Hocks, my friend thought this course was very good. (I don't eat ham) I thought the presentation was adorable. Mushroom risotto was one of my favorite dishes, you could really taste the truffle oil and I like it when something claims to have truffle oil and you can actually taste the truffle oil. Southern Fried chicken drumstick was good. Chinese BBQ spare rib - my friend liked it.
Ribstickers
Polenta with braised short rib. I love polenta so this dish was great for me. I think short rib can be overwhelming so the small bite was the perfect amount of short rib. My friend loved this dish too. We both thought the Salmon was Salmon, nothing too special, it was light so that is good for people who are watching what they eat. Beef sticks were my favorite dish. I thought the sirloin was very tender and easy to eat. It was served hot (off the rock) and very tasty. Steak au Poivre, was good, creamed spinach was delicious.
Sweet Treats
We tried everything, including the sundae. I particularly liked the caramel Dessert Shooter. We both loved the doughnuts with the fortune, especially the (at Primehouse) part, we thought it was so funny.
Overall, the food was very good. I think most of the items are very flavorful and delicious and other items were less flavorful. I think that everyone would be pleased with the selection, there are SO MANY dishes that I cannot imagine anyone being left without something to eat.
Our bill came to about $100 ($35/person + coffee) inclusive of tax & tip and we both felt that it was worth it for all the food that we received. Although we both agreed that this would not be what we would spend on a typical brunch, for a special brunch, or once in a while for a craving, we would be happy to splurge.
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After all this hype and Ellen M promising me a delicious dinner at David Burke's - did it live up to its hype? Yes and it's probably my new favorite steakhouse here in the city. (We're still Pete Miller fans through and through)
We did come for Restaurant Week and we felt like we had a steal! Our popovers came in the tin and were flaky and cheesy and melt in your mouth good. The husband started off with the Lobster bisque with green apple essence and lobster spring roll. It was pretty neat how the apple was in the center of the bowl and then, the poured the bisque on top of it. I stole a couple bites of his lobster spring roll, which was pretty good. I, on the other hand, went for the baby arugula salad with truffle-smoked tomatoes, pine nuts, goat cheese fondue and white balsamic vinaigrette, and that was a delicious mouthful. The tomatoes were smoked to perfection.
As for our entrees, I definitely preferred mine over the husband's. I ordered the petite southside bone-in filet with basil-whipped potatoes and tempura green beans. My filet was probably twice the size of his and really tasty. You have to thank the bone for maintaining the flavor. My husband had ordered the baby delmonico steak with truffle asiago skins, asparagus and shallots which was a little stringy, but the truffle asiago skins were yummy.
After all that food washed down with glasses of Syrah, we had the dessert sampler plate which had a mini chocolate milkshake, a slice of their heavenly chocolate cake and a cheesecake lollipop - I had a chocolate covered raspberry one while the hubby had a chocolate covered vanilla one.
Overall, a wonderful experience, delicious food, attentive service (we also arrived a little early - 5:30pm so I did see that we got better service than those arrived after us), and a wonderful deal for Restaurant Week! On a side note, there is a specific garage that you can get your parking validated for so make sure that you read the signs. We ended parking in the wrong garage and couldn't get parking validation.
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I love this place. My favorite steakhouse in Chicago.
The steak I had was amazing. Aged, rare, and as others have mentioned I probably could have cut it with my fork. The popovers were awesome, and the drinks were.... interesting. Worth every penny.
There are alot of steakhouses in Chicago. And this one, is just okay in my book.
Located in the James Hotel, David Burke's Primehouse has a dark, masculine feeling from the moment you walk in -yet not in a clubby or lodge type way which might of helped. It falls somewhere between contemporary and masculine which didn't work for me. Neither did the Naugahyde table covers which just felt and looked weird. It is also loud in the place- the sound echoing off the barren walls.
We ordered three appetizers to share- the mussels, raw oysters and a salmon and tuna tartar. The salmon and tuna tartar was the clear winner. Very tasty and a lovely presentation. The ginger mussels were a bit flavorless and many of the shells were empty, and the mix of east and west coast oysters? Well, let's just say for that price, I was expecting more.
For our entrees we went with the New York Sirloin and the Kansas City bone in sirloin which was dry aged 35 days. Both pieces of meat were delicious and perfectly prepared. The best part of the dinner. But at $45 and $47 respectively for just the steak, I expected nothing short of perfection!
The sides were merely okay and we tried three: the creamed spinach (not good at all) the mac and cheese with porcini mushrooms (sounds great but wasn't creamy more like noodles and bread crumbs) and finally the fries with truffle oil and asiago- the best of the bunch! Each of the sides ran $7 and you also pay to have sauces for your steak. I chose Bearnaise and it was an additional $4. Felt a little like I was being "nickel and dimed" to death. Again, for that price- I felt that they could have thrown in the sauce.
We had a couple of bottles of wine with dinner (an Etude Pinot Noir which was very good) and for dessert we split a selection of cheeses.
All in all- I'd suggest it for a business dinner but it's not a place to go celebrate a special occasion or to spend time with a loved one. It's just not that kind of a place. If you go- go for the steak only. As the rest of the selections and the price that you pay will leave you wondering why you came here in the first place.
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I went here to celebrate my birthday recently, and was a bit underwhelmed.
For starters, we weren't sat for our 8:15 reservation until about 9:30. When we checked in, we were told we'd be "seated shortly" by an older gentleman with an English accent. Later, another hostess admitted that their 6pm and 7pm reservations were running behind due to traffic and the weather. I understand s*it happens, by why lie to people? Why not immediately offer to buy the party a drink and tell them there will be a wait with a realistic time frame. My family is in the restaurant business, so we all understand this. But I really hate being lied to! They brought us a round of champagne only after we had complained and let it be known we were irritated.
The bar area is very cool - however, I was celebrating with family who do not drink, nor care for a "scene". I've been to this lobby bar before and had a great time during the work week. However, on this particular evening there seemed to be quite a few Sugar Daddy's with their lip injected and overly bleached and tanned girlfriends in tow. Not DB's fault, but it turned me off nevertheless.
The decor was just another Chicago steak house dining room. The odd thing, is there is a bright "EXIT" sign hanging right in the middle of the dining room. Kind of an eye sore.
The food was good, but nothing totally unique and mind blowing. We had the crab cakes, steak sashimi for appetizers, corn chowder and the rhubarb and chocolate desserts. I will say that my steak was excellent (had the filet with bone), and my Mom had the veal chops which were also really good. Other entrees ordered at our table were the Salmon which was just okay. We ordered four sides which were all very good too. And the portions are enormous. When we asked for our entrees and side dishes to be wrapped, the bus boy gave us a look as if we'd asked for something illegal.
Sorry, David Burke, but if I'm paying upwards of $50 bucks for a steak and I don't finish half - I'm taking it with me. Be prepared!
I probably won't go back.
This place is totally overrated! The food is average at best! The ambience is terrible--starting with their bright, tacky hotel bar! The only thing I liked about this place is the service. If you want good food and ambience, go to Capital Grille instead!
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I have had David Burke's through room service while staying at the James. However, I finally came here for dinner with a dear friend from NYC, and it was fantastic!!
We started with rounds of dirty vodka martini's with blue cheese olives. They were great, but not the best I've ever had (go get the blue cheese olives at Sepia... they will rock your socks off).
We got the table-side ceasar salad, and it was probably the best ceasar salad I've ever had. It had a lot of black pepper, which gave it a great kick. Frankly, I could have made a meal out of the salad and awesome asiago cheese popover. yum!
We had no idea what to order, so we told our server to choose whatever he wanted for us. We ended up with the porterhouse and ribeye, cooked medium rare (of course!), with sides of chorizo mashed potatoes and asparagus. The beef was very flavorful and well prepared. I'm usually a tenderloin type of girl (FYI, it's the leanest and most tender cut of beef), but the ribeye was right on.
For dessert, we had the cherry cheesecake pops and some blueberry thingamabobber. After another round of martinis, I didn't know what I was eating, but it was damn tasty.
Service was impeccable. When we first got to the restaurant, we were seated at a regular table, but Peter went back and managed to get us into a booth. The decor is really boring, but the food was wonderful so it didn't matter. I'm actually really craving that salad right now.
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I took my boy here for his birthday and it was nothing short of AMAZING!
We were there on a Tuesday night so it was pretty quiet, mostly business men discussing their golf game. Our waiter was excellent, attentive but laid-back and the bubbly sommelier was able to recommend a delicious syrah that didn't break the bank (good thing since I was paying). Excellent service through out the night, capped off with a free slice of prime chocolate cake to celebrate the happy occasion.
The food was amazing! To start, we had the kobe beef sashimi, tableside caesar, and the corn and sea scallop chowder. The sashimi came on a beautiful block of pink himalayan salt with a to-die-for truffle mayo and the hot chowder was poured over slices of sea scallop, instantly cooking them to the perfect tenderness. The caesar...ehhh.
Onto the meat, my boy had the 35 day aged KC sirloin and I had the 28 day aged rib-eye; both cooked to perfection and delicious. He declared it the best steak he ever had and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my rib-eye the next day. Not sure if the taste was due to the grass-fed free range or to the aging, but it was outstanding.
We ended with coffee and the lollipop tree. I was hesitant to order it since it seemed gimmicky, plus the boy is a chocolate FIEND. But in the end, we just had to see what the thing was and we were not disappointed. The cheesecake is creamy, covered in different kinds of chocolate with a seriously sinful raspberry mousse. GET IT! Great coffee too, btw. A true treat for the steak lover, even I had a great time :)
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The mojitos here are amazing! I just had one, but it had my ears ringing haha... strong but good flavor.
I didn't order the steak (because I'm lame) but the salmon was delicious. Tempura green beans and mashed potatoes were pure excellence.
Topping everything off with the cheesecake tree was great. I can't say whether it's better than other steak houses in Chicago, but I loved my dinner.
Our waiter was very nice and knowledgeable on the menu. Always a plus! I liked that the staff wasn't snooty.
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I went here with a large party (business dinner). I will say the mussels were DELICIOUS but it did not make up for our truly horrible service. Our service was so bad that half of our table walked out before the check was even delivered to us....they tried to make it up to us with free dessert but at that point we were ready to just get out of there already. The desserts were nothing spectacular anyhow...and all that did was prolong the waiter from bringing our check! I would like to go back...just for those mussels. If I do go back, it will not be with a large party because staff seems to not be able to handle that.
As you know, I love a bargain, so when I heard that David Burke's Primehouse was running a "we love our neighbors" promotion for those who live or work in the 60611 or 60610 zip codes (the hubby's office qualifies) I knew we had to check it out. Even at the full price, this was a very good meal, but taking 50 percent off the food bill made it an amazing value.
The room is large and handsome, with fun artsy murals on the walls and leather coverings on the tables and chairs. If you're going to kill the cow, use the whole thing, I guess. Of course I had to check out the powder room, which was so elegant -- the stall doors went from floor to ceiling, and the sink was this cool, table-like trough.
We were pretty much the only people in the place, which I guess is why they're running promotions like this. The meal started with a warm, cheese-filled popover that came with sweet butter, but you really didn't need to use it. Hubby ordered a ribeye sandwich and I got steak frites. Both came with a pile of tasty fries, and mine added a huge honkin' onion ring for good measure. Hubby's sandwich came on a delicious artisan roll, and my meat was aged and cooked to near perfection. We ordered the garlic spinach as a side, which was plenty to share but was perhaps a little heavily salted.
The service was just impeccable. No sneers for not ordering wine, no grimace for asking to take our extra frites home to the kids. He even threw in a fresh popover for them. Of course we tipped on what the meal would have actually cost -- just because you're a bargain hunter doesn't mean you have to be cheap, silly.
The half-price food offer runs through the end of March 2008 and is good for lunch, Monday through Friday only. Bring a business card or proof of residence.
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The food, atmosphere, and service at David Burke's is pretty incredible. I suggest going earlier in the evening and then sitting at the bar for an after-dinner drink. The restaurant houses business dinners, European tourists, and neighborhood locals. The servers are very attentive and the dinner is not rushed in any way. Try David Burke's on a weeknight when the restaurant is a little less crowded.
Disclaimer: Based on Chicago's Restaurant Week
I dined here mid-week after a few friends raved that even during Restaurant Week, DB's menu was fantastic.
We both started with the lobster bisque. The bisque itself was just ok but there was definitely a good amount of lobster pieces in the bisque and I thought the spring roll was fantastic. We also ordered the pretzel crabcakes off the regular menu and it was tasty. The popovers were delicious. They seem gigantic but you tear off a piece and realize it's an airy roll which is perfect for giving your stomach a teaser but not making yourselves beyond full.
We got the Del Monaco and Petite Bone-in Fillet, both medium. This is the part of the meal I became disappointed in. And I'm sure it had to do moreso with the quantity of people they were serving that night ordering the same cuts. The doneness of my steak varied from rare to well done and they were barely warm. The mashed potatoes and tempura green beans that accompanied my fillet were just ok, nothing out this world, but still good.
My favorite part of our meal had to be the dessert trio, especially the cheesecake lollipop, YUM!
The ambiance is low-key trendy with just the right amount of lighting. I like how the tables are spaced apart nicely so you don't feel like you're bumping into everyone.
Overall, I definitely want to come back and give them a fair chance. Service was above and beyond. The manager came by after our meal and asked how we enjoyed ourselves. She also offered to show us their aging room. I definitely want to try their Cesar salad on my next visit!
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Exceptional food. I have stayed at the James many times for business before I moved to Chicago.
I've had breakfast many times here, the chicken sausage is AWESOME. Pricey but awesome; I wasn't paying so it didn't matter.
I went here for lunch with my two friends when shopping on Michigan avenue this Saturday. The sandwiches with fries cost about $13.00. Totally worth it for the quality of food and service.
They serve fresh brioche for their bread basket. Pink Salted butter accompanies.
Warning, if you order a side like the tempura greenbeans, it will take at least 5 people to eat them. The portion was huge.
The sandwiches are far more manageable. i had the steak sandwich, it was on a french roll. The asiago and truffle fries are pretty tasty.
My friend had sweet potato chips with her turkey club and she LOVED them.
All in all it's a very elegant space, with very little wait time for lunch. The amazing thing was that we walked past the Grand Lux, whose prices are on par with the Primehouse and the wait was probably over an hour long! Why wait when this fantastic steakhouse with amazing service, atmosphere and wine list are right down the street.
It just didn't make sense to me!
I would definitely recommend. It's got a very focused menu and great service.. GO!
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Impressive all-around dining experience! Very modern, classy decor. Attentive, professional service. Sooo many tempting options on the menu- from the dry aged meat options to the dover sole daily special. Popovers were buttery and melt-in-your-mouth good. Caesar salad prepared tableside was excellent. Dry aged bone-in filet was the best that I've sampled anywhere. Reserve, dry aged bone-in ribeye was mouth-watering. Had the fresh-baked red velvet cake for dessert. Was a nice touch to serve the beaters before the actual cake to lick the batter like a kid in mom's kitchen. Cake itself and cream cheese frosting were decadently good. Overall, can't ask for a better dining experience.
Pros: Great Meat
Great Meat
Great Meat
My appetiser was awesome
Porterhouse was great
Service was excellent
Decor business swish
Cons: Creamed Spinach tasted of flour - very poor
$7 for a side, c'mon who are you kidding
$280 for 2
$80 for an inexpensive red, way over priced but delicious
This is an expense account place
Main course came with nothing not even a vegetable
If you are not paying for it then this is a nice place to go. It's basically corporate, we had some loud mouth behind us talking about someone puking, he was probably some business man out with his golf buddies. The ambience was nothing special but the service was great. Personally though I wouldn't pay $280 for 2 at a steak house, Trotters maybe, but as it was our anniversary I was already far too ungrateful for my own liking.
The food is good but skip any appetizers and just go straight in for the kill. The steaks are good so don't ruin your appetite by being stupid and ordering $60 worth of appetizers.
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This review is for the dim sum-style brunch on Sundays. Overall, the experience rates 2.5 stars.
4.5 to 5 stars for the presentation, especially the staff pushing around the carts. They were super friendly and funny, and did their best to describe and pitch whatever items were on their cart.
2.5-3 stars for the service. I know in the restaurant hierarchy of things, servers and chefs aren't rushing to work brunch. It's not sexy, it doesn't get the big headlines like dinner does. But at a restaurant as vaunted as this one, I don't think you should have to ask your server for water. Staffing wasn't the key--the restaurant is ridiculously overstaffed, with at least 2-3 people per table. Our main server was absent for long stretches of time, and although we didn't feel neglected (the busboys came by frequently to pick up our used dishes), as I said, you shouldn't have to ask for a refill, they should notice these things and bring the H20 by in regular intervals. That having been said, our main server was perfectly nice and as a plus, he forgot to charge me for my $8 pot of tea. (This reminds me to bitch about something else--had I actually ended up paying for my pot of fancy "Secret Orchid Oolong," it would have been nice to be asked if I wanted another pot of hot water.) In other words, the service at brunch should be as good as at dinner. The service as we experienced it today was pleasant but pretty inconsistent and at times vexingly absent-minded.
Lastly, another reviewer noted that their server made a point of telling them they could have seconds of whatever they wanted. Our tablestaff did no such thing. The tacit impression was that we got one shot/one pass at each serving/course/cart. In normal dim sum, the same food items come by again and again. In Primehouse dim sum, you see the carts several times, but after they hit your table, you're metaphorically dead to them. For $35 a person, I should be able to have seconds--nay, thirds--of whatever miniscule portion I want to. This leads me to point # 3. . .
2.5 stars for the food. Much of the food was OK; much was very, very good, especially the desserts. However, given the reputation of the restaurant and the fact that it's $35 a head, I expect the food to be better than the $20 a head breakfast buffet at the Hilton. Many of the items were of the same (middling) caliber. The crab balls were good, the smaller-than-silver-dollar size pancakes were average-to-mediocre. I'm gauche enough to admit that I'm more magnanimous when I know I can have all I can eat. But if you're left with the impression that you get one serving of your oatmeal creme brulee and that's it, the aforementioned creme brulee better be off the chain. This one was not. Lastly, we never were never served the infamous fortune doughnuts much talked about in the other Yelp reviews, nor were we offered the cheeseburkers, which isn't a very attractive name for a dish let me say. Shame on you, Primehouse. Shame on you.
In sum [no pun intended, because it's a dim sum review, ha ha], if you're from out of town like we are and have a gift certificate from OpenTable to mitigate some of the expense, AND your server forgets to charge you for that $8 pot of tea, then by all means, eat here for the experience once. Otherwise, leave dim sum to the experts (the Cantonese), who do it perfectly fine, thank you very much, and don't feel a need to charge you $35 a person for the privilege.
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Since I was in Chicago, I needed to try the one of the many steakhouses that this city offered. I noticed that David Burke was doing something for Restaurant Week and upon confirmation of what the menu was going to be, I had a reservation made. My steak-crazed buddy accompanied me and off we went to Primehouse.
We both chose the 3-course dinner menu but added an addtional appetizer. I had the crab cake because I was craving some crab and he had the kobe beef carpaccio. I kinda wished I had ordered that because it was slices of kobe beef on a block of salt. But my crab cake, though not containing jumbo lump crabmeat, still was tasty and full of crab. Though that kobe beef still looked mighty good.
For the appetizers on the Restaurant Week menu, I chose the lobster bisque and my buddy chose the seafood taster. He quickly inhaled both oysters and shrimp while I was still enjoying the smooth and richness of the bisque. Maximum lobster flavor with small chunks of lobster meat as well. We were both pleased with our selections. Him definitely more with the sustained enjoyment and glazed look of wonderment even after they had cleared the plate.
We both had the Baby Delmonico steak which was a nice cut of meat. The server said it was a ribeye cut which I thought would have more fat marbling and therefore a more tender and flavorful piece of meat than the other choice. Still great but expected it to be more tender and flavorful.
Perfect end to the meal was the chocolate milkshake, cheesecake lollipop, and the slice of chocolate cake. Classic David Burke desserts. I thought even with the extra appetizer this was a superb deal to be had. We both left full and he still with the glazed look of wonderment.
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What do I love most about David Burke's Primehouse? Their sides and appetizers. They're all pretty creative, and most of the time pretty good. Service has always been pretty good, and it should be for the amount of money you're going to spend. Sometimes the sommelier visits you, sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he makes a fantastic suggestion, most of the time he doesn't and he either pushes something on you or criticizes your taste. The steaks are good, but not so out of this world that I'll crave them.
Hands down, I have not had a better steak. That includes NYC, Dallas, Houston, and Tulsa. Blows a mainstay like Chop House out of the water, both in preparation and delivery. Service is top notch with good explanation of dishes and a clear understanding of wine pairings. The meat is cooked as described, with just enough seasoning to let the aged beef shine.
Really, my mouth waters just thinking about another steak from PH. I've been for a romantic dinner, a business lunch, and NYE...all were 10-point experiences in my book.
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Stop in last night for the Restaurant Week pre fixe dinner. Pre fixe was offering a petite bone-in fillet, which was good, but a touch salty. I'm not sure if it's due to some sort of rub or the fact that the steaks are dry-aged at Burke's. It was more than adequate. Soup consisted of lobster bisque. It was pretty creamy and made with Granny Smith apples, not bad. In addition to the pre fixe, I ordered a Cesar salad. It was made table side and it was excellent! In fact, it was probably among the best I've ever had. The mojito was fresh and effervescent. All in all 4 stars, but mostly because of the Caesar.
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I honestly believe, if you're going to have steak in Chicago, you have to go to David Burke's. I love their 40 day or 55 day old steaks. I'm not a wine connoisseur, so I usually ask them for a recommendation and they've been consistently great. As for appetizers, if you love seafood, I would recommend the shellfish maison. As for side dishes, I love the tempura green beans. I've had the Mac & Cheese with porcini, which was pretty good, but it definitely did not taste like your usual Mac & Cheese. You can definitely taste the porcini mushrooms. Overall, I've always had a great dining experience at David Burke's. Service has always been consistently great. It's definitely my favorite steakhouse in Chicago.
Sometimes you just want a ridiculously good (and absurdly priced) piece of meat. After living here for almost three years, and not having been to a steakhouse, I decided to fix that on my birthday. Let me say, David Burke's dry-aged 20 oz. bone-in "Southside" filet met, nay, exceeded all my expectations. It was perfectly tender, flavorful, and suprisingly slightly marbleized. It was one of the best steaks I've ever had.
The service was attentive and knowledgeable, without being overbearing. The popovers were sinfully delicious, the table-side caesar exquisite. The only real miss was the side of mac and cheese, which was bland and uninspired. However, the rest of the meal more than made up for it.
But that steak... wow - that's why I'll be back to Burke's!
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Really good. Really, really good. Made me poor for a while but they have a salt wall in the basement. Really.
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I absolutely love this place! You need to get yourself there right away! I didn't have anything with fancy aging, just a regular filet but it was so delish! I started with the baby arugula salad and they also brought us this delcious mini calamari creation and an asiago cheese popover which was quite tasty. Our sides, chorizo whipped, garlic spinach, and tempura green beans, were also fantastic. They have an excellent wine selection as well, the lady who brought our wine claimed it is the best wine from napa valley, period. And it should be it was $325. Obviously I had no part in picking out or paying for this wine. I did however have several glasses. :)
Service was great, atmosphere good, overall definitely felt it was a 5 star experience. Now that I am all out of positive adjectives to describe this place...Can't wait to go for lunch and cash in on the 50% off special!
