Take your standard stuffy downtown steakhouse and put a flannel shirt on it, and you’ve got Boeufhaus. This brick-walled, charmingly indie Humboldt Park storefront, with a clientele that’s more tattooed than tie-wearing, boasts a kitchen that can hang with the heavy hitters: Steaks (like the 35-day dry aged rib eye, above) are aged to a pleasing funk and served with beer-hall-meets-brasserie flourishes—béarnaise aplenty, ham salad (above at left), and crispy fries ideal for sopping up your steak’s juices.

Tip:By day, the place turns into a relaxed deli—with a killer cheese steak made with shaved rib eye.