Chicago’s Most Refreshing Steakhouse Dishes

Now that summer has (unofficially) begun, that means it’s time to cool down with

“Refreshing Steakhouse Dishes”

dishes and drinks that are refreshing and comforting at the same time. From colossal shrimp cocktail to a killer tequila icebox cake, check out these summery dishes at Chicago steakhouses.

Refreshing Steakhouse Dishes @ Swift & Sons

Swift & Sons: The menu at Swift & Sons is basically tailor-made for summer dining. From savories to sweets, refreshing dishes are featured throughout the menu. Start with fluke crudo made with white ponzu, chili and fennel, and maybe a cold shellfish platter brimming with shrimp, mussels, bay scallop leche de tigre, king crab, and oysters. There’s also shrimp cocktail, a minty plate of farfalle pasta and a summery tomato-Burrata salad splashed with balsamic. For dessert, Swift & Sons boasts an impressive ice cream and sorbet program, available as a single scoop, a sundae, or on a cookie. Flavors include brandied triple vanilla bean, salted caramel, roasted banana, and coconut lime.

Tavern on Rush: When you’re lounging on the Gold Coast’s hottest patio, it’s vital to stay cool and refreshed. You can do so by starting your dinner at Tavern on Rush with some snow crab claw cocktail, some tuna avocado tartare, some Kobe beef carpaccio, and a zesty Azteca salad made with crispy tortillas, corn salsa, avocado, black beans, tomato, Chihuahua cheese, and avocado vinaigrette. Since you’ve been eaten clean for the meal, feel free to splurge on the mocha mud pie, a cooling smorgasbord of mocha mud ice cream loaded with pecans, Oreos, and Snickers bars.

Refreshing Steakhouse Dishes @ Prime & Provisions

Prime & Provisions: The sprawling menu at Prime & Provisions is filled to the brim with dishes that provide customers the opportunity to eat as light (or as heavy) as they please without sacrificing quality. Case in point: the tuna tartare, purple cauliflower salad, Colossal shrimp cocktail, and lobster with avocado with asparagus and sauce Loui are all just as addictive as the thick-cut bacon, the fried chicken, and the steaks. For dessert, the chilled tequila lime icebox cake is a fitting finale for those with a sweet tooth who are also looking for a nightcap.

Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf: Many of the hors d’oeuvres on the menu at this French-accented steakhouse are prime for summer dining. Like the crab-stuffed avocado or the peppered duck and goat cheese terrine with apricot mustard. Bavette’s also served some stellar oysters and seafood towers. This all makes for a nice pre-cursor to lemon meringue pie and mixed berry sorbet for dessert.

Chop Shop: At this hybrid restaurant/bar/event space/deli counter/butcher shop, they do a lot of things well. This is definitely true of their cocktail program, which features some of the best mixed drinks found at steak spots in Chicago. For one, there’s boozy slushies, which is basically the drink of the summer. This year it’s the orange soda slushy made with vodka, Mandarine Napoleon, Chicago draft-style orange cream soda, Red Bull Orange Edition, pineapple, orange lemon and orange bitters. Then there’s the Snow Melt Sour, a quenching mix of bourbon, Nardini Mandorla, pineapple, demerara and angostura bitters.

Fleming’s: The housemade Burrata is a nice way to kick off a meal here, served with charred grape tomatoes, wild arugula, and toasted garlic crostini. Especially when you pair it with tenderloin carpaccio and caper-Creole mustard sauce. From there, head into the entree section with Alaskan king crab legs and drawn butter, before finishing on a light note with ice cream, sorbet, and fresh berries with Chantilly cream.

Rosebud Prime: There’s a lot of fish in the sea, and a lot of fish at the seafood bar at Rosebud Prime. So make a beeline to this seasoned steakhouse to stock up on lobster cocktail, chilled shrimp, oysters, and king crab bites. The roasted jalapeño corn chowder sings of summer as well, as do sides like fresh shucked corn and English peas with truffle butter.