Why it’s a Best Bite: I was out of the country when Boka Restaurant Group’s splashy new steakhouse opened in the Google building, so since my return I’d been looking for an occasion to go. Chicago has more than its fair share of steak-leaning restaurants, but this one quickly rose above the rest in recent memory, mostly because of the attention to detail in both food and service.
I began with the Benevolent Philathropist, a pink peppercorn-flecked drink that blended three of my favorite cocktail ingredients: amaro, whiskey, and egg white. It was so good that I broke my usual “try something different” rule and ordered a second one with my steak.
The chilled salmon tartare made a refreshing starter before the heavier dishes to come. It was almost reminiscent of a deconstructed bagel and lox, only with the purest, coolest cucumber liquid at the bottom. And then, the steak. My 8-ounce filet was cooked to a beautiful medium rare, and while it could have stood on its own without any sauces, I’m so glad it didn’t. The steak sauce and bearnaise – both excellent – came standard, and we also added caramelized onion and anchovy garlic butter. That melted butter was basically liquid umami, so it made the meat even more satisfying.
The dessert I liked best surprised me, because key lime pie isn’t something I normally seek out, but we were convinced by our server that it was a version worth trying. Thin layers of lime curd and graham cracker bolstered a luscious, lime zest-spiked white chocolate mousse that just worked so well – and the toasted meringue and gold leaf didn’t hurt either. The Swift & Sons spin on a Cracker Jack was also top-notch, a salty-sweet bomb of peanut butter, popcorn, and caramel.
And lest we forego a more chocolate-focused finish, a charming wooden trolley was wheeled over to our table with all manner of confections: bars, trifles, mousses, tiramisus. We finally decided on a Butterfinger-inspired treat, and it did not disappoint. It also somehow tied together the old-school, wood-and-gold space in the most whimsical way.
The details: Swift & Sons, 1000 W. Fulton Market, Chicago.
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