Boeufhaus brings a new steak house experience to Humboldt Park
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago is loaded with beefy restaurants and masculine steak houses, but most of them are downtown. Now the latest temple of beef is in Humboldt Park, and the menu bears little resemblance to its broad-shouldered relatives in River North.
The historic space and the beefy aroma coming from the kitchen give the Boeufhaus an old-world feel to it. The name combines French and German, which reflects the owners' own classic French training with their love of pork and beef.
"All of our beef is prime, most of it is dry-aged," said co-owner and chef Jamie Finnegan. "The animal itself is sustainably and responsibly raised; antibiotic and hormone free and predominantly grass fed and grain finished."
A 55-day dry-aged ribeye is treated as gently as a beloved heirloom. First seasoned and rubbed with olive oil, it's seared in a cast-iron skillet (as all of the steaks here are), then turned.
The steak is painted with beef fat infused with paprika, shallots, mustard, thyme and garlic. Then it's basted some more with butter from the pan, while garlic and fresh thyme add aromatics. Finished in the oven, then cooled on a rack to let it rest, it's painted again with beef fat.
"We slice them and sauce them, I think it was important for us to utilize our cooking backgrounds and thus far it's been well-received," said Finnegan.
They also puree homemade pastrami with taleggio cheese, rolling them in rye panko breadcrumbs and frying into croquettes. Meltingly tender short ribs are turned into little beignets, and the side dishes avoid the creamed spinach cliches downtown.
"We're trying to be as seasonal, as fiercely seasonal as possible. Portion sizes appropriate," said Finnegan.
They just started lunch service last week which includes their soon-to-be famous pastrami sandwich and their French fries cooked in pure beef fat and later this summer, hopefully, a food truck running around Chicago to satisfy anybody with a beefy craving.
Boeufhaus
1012 N. Western Ave.
(773) 661-2116
