Steaking his claim

There’s something a little Holiday Inn about the look of Primehouse David Burke. It’s the hotel lobby–like photos of corkscrews on the wall, the earth tones on the walls. It’s the feeling that you’ve been to dining rooms like this before.

Things aren’t supposed to be this way, situated as it is in the hip new James Hotel. But if anybody can liven up a boring dining room, it’s the New York–based chef whose name is on the door. David Burke’s playful departures from typical steakhouse fare include a crab cake in the shape of a thick maki roll encased in layers of thin Japanese pretzels. The inside is filled with sweet, juicy clumps of impeccably fresh meat, the outside is buttery and crunchy. Any way you slice it, the crust is superfluous. But it’s also delicious.

Superfluous comes to mind again when considering Prime, the bull that Burke famously bought to plant the seed, as it were, for all the steaks here. The strip side of the porterhouse I tried didn’t taste significantly different from other high-end steaks in town—in fact, it was overly lean and not very flavorful. The filet side, however, exceeded all expectations: It was tender and lightly salty, with soft undercurrents of hearty beef flavor. Another piece of meat, a braised oxtail, may not have been Prime’s work, but was just as delicious. And when the quail eggs that topped it mixed with the pan juices, it reached Warren Buffett depths of richness.

Despite all that meat, I found that I couldn’t resist the sweet, airy, onion rings. I did, however, forgo the whimsical fill-your-own doughnut holes and cheesecake lollipops in favor of the baked-to-order “rack of cookies.” That’s when I realized that I didn’t mind the subdued decor after all—it allows Burke’s formula-bending dishes to steal the show.

PrimehouseDavid Burke 616 N Rush St at Ontario St (312-660-6000). El: Red to Grand. Bus: 36, 125, 151 (24 hrs). Open: Breakfast, brunch (Sun), lunch (Mon–Sat), dinner. Average main course: $33.