It’s not an overstatement to describe Bavette’s 22-ounce bone-in rib eye (pictured on this issue’s cover)—dry-aged for 42 days, succulent fat along the bone melting into perfectly marbleized prime beef under a light char—as heroic. It coalesces into something aggressive and wonderful, hinting at blue cheese funkiness. And in the welcoming speakeasy environs, all mirrors and dim lamps, it’s more than mere beef. It is, quite simply, the best steak in the best steakhouse in the best steak city in the country.

Bavette’s is no one-hit wonder. Its other cuts, like the classic rib eye (above), achieve close to the same stellar status. The rest of the menu excels at pushing standards into fresh territory: creamed spinach under an absurdly rich cover of caramelized onions and blue cheese; fudgy chocolate cream pie with an Oreo crust and whipped cream served, shockingly, in an appropriate portion. Empowered servers will do anything for diners. “If you want to drink a beer out of the bone, I’ll bring you one on the house,” says the winking waiter while presenting four split beef bones cradling buttery marrow, and you know he’s not joking.

Bavette’s doesn’t just strive to attain a higher plane. It resides there permanently.

TIP:Take a date to one of the curvy leather booths along the bar. Guaranteed sparks.