Benny’s Chop House- Chicago, IL
Here we are back in the culinary mecca that is Chicago! I love it here just because of the food. I’ve been so fortunate to experience what I feel is the best of Chicago. Benny’s Chop House is definitely included and puts a high class modern touch on the traditional steakhouse. Never once did I feel like I was just in a steakhouse. The service is absolutely first class. You want to see some professionals work a dining room? Benny’s is the place. We were spoiled rotten and felt like we were VIPs at the hottest spot in town. Their talent is making everyone in the room feel that way. The place fills up to the brim on Friday nights and the bar area is bursting with very smartly dressed couples.
Wet-aged, dry-aged, and all natural USDA Prime cuts are offered. They have seafood and chicken entrees, but how often can you eat real Prime steak? We went for it! The table chose the All Natural USDA Prime New York Strip. Mike ordered foie gras butter for a steak topping which transformed a gorgeous, rich, and beautiful steak into a devilishly succulent mouthful of joy. I loved my un-topped version because the cook was amazing with just enough savory blood juice on the plate to dip in a piece of bread. You know what I’m talking about…take a bite of softened steak-juice bread, close your eyes, and Mmm Mmm Mmm your way into a blissful smile. It’s my high. In the words of Bon Jovi, “when you find your medicine you take what you can get, cause if there’s something better baby well I haven’t found it yet”. I took it all…and some of Mike’s.
We talked about the steaks, but equally as delicious are the truffle fries and mac & cheese with house cured bacon. I really didn’t need the sides, but once I tasted the truffle fries I had to demonstrate immense control to finish my steak and only eat the fries if I had room in my stomach afterwards. Side note: red wine will act as a natural digestive in the proper proportions with red meat. This was something we learned in Argentina, where mass amounts of red meat and red wine are consumed three times daily. We were both amazed at how much we could actually eat, but the wine really does optimize digestion! So, I happily drank my wine, finished my steak, ate some truffle fries, and ordered dessert!
Let’s talk about dessert at Benny’s. I ordered the banana cream pie with caramelized bananas. They timed it perfectly so that I had some time to catch my breath and relax with my wine before more food was placed in front of me. But when it was, BAM! It was the absolute biggest and thickest piece of banana cream pie that one could ask for. It may be daunting to the dainty, but I could tell that this pie would dissolve in your mouth like creamy banana air. It didn’t disappoint and the whole table dug in for a taste. There couldn’t have been a more perfect dessert paired to a heavy beef entrée. It was sweet without being sickening and the cream was fluffy and weightless in your mouth.
I would certainly recommend Benny’s Chop House to anyone looking for an outstanding meal with top notch service in the Chicago area. Granted, there are many places to take your money if you are looking for great food, but I wouldn’t miss out on Benny’s. I’m hoping to go there again on my next trip!
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