Butcher and the Bear, Lincoln Park’s Moody New Steakhouse, Is Open | Eater Chicago
"Located at 2721 N. Halsted Street, this upscale, low-lit retreat occupies the former home of Mexican restaurant Mayan Palace and centers its menu on steaks sourced through partners who run a high-end meat and seafood distribution business. The program highlights a 20-ounce bone-in ribeye, a 14-ounce New York strip, a 16-ounce double-boned pork chop, and a wagyu steaks tasting board — a $140 lineup of Australian and Japanese cuts that Demos contrasts with a roughly $500 price in River North — with an optional, market-price bone marrow butter–poached lobster for surf-and-turf. Chef and partner Saul Ramos leads the kitchen while seafood appears across the menu in two types of crudo, Oysters Rockefeller, scallops with poblano cream sauce, and umami-marinated sea bass; the lone pasta to watch is wagyu beef cheek with cavatelli and aged fontina. The 4,500-square-foot space seats about 80 with a 10-seat bar, an elevated dining room and a lower-level “bear den,” decorated in dark green and red with framed bear portraits and hidden little bears; the beverage program opened with about 80 wines from California, Washington, Italy and France and a six-drink cocktail list that includes an olive oil martini, plus housemade syrups and infusions." - Naomi Waxman
