GT Prime (707 N. Wells St., no phone yet), the long-awaited, carnivorous sibling restaurant to Giuseppe Tentori’s beloved GT Fish & Oyster, will open its doors in August.
Billed as the Tentori take on a steakhouse, the latest spot from the Boka Group (Duck Duck Goat, Swift & Sons) will offer five daily cuts of meat by the ounce, plus small plates, desserts from Andrea Bonitatibus (GT Fish), and a full bar with “big” wine-by-the-glass program.
The shareable approach is what sets GT Prime apart from the already crowded steakhouse scene, says Boka Group partner Rob Katz. “I don’t think anyone else here is really doing it by the ounce,” says Katz. “It’s certainly more shareable than any other steakhouse in Chicago.”
Diners can choose from four- or eight-ounce portions of grilled beef or game meats such as bison. Indecisive meat-eaters can go for the carnivore platter, offering all the day’s cuts sliced to order. The menu promises to be “far more reasonably priced” than your typical steakhouse, too, with check averages in the $70s, Katz adds.
Other shareables include carpaccio with smoked foie gras, crab salad in buttermilk dressing, whole branzino, and sides such as gnocchi with crispy sweetbreads and Brussels sprouts. Per the menu categories, servers will course everything out in waves.
The 130-seat space, designed by Karen Herold of Studio K, will be “softer and sexier” than most steakhouses, with faux fur stools at the 15-seat bar, hand-carved banquettes, and a 16-foot custom chandelier adorning the main dining room. A floating staircase leads to a 16-seat private dining area upstairs.
A round chef’s table nicknamed “the Frisbee table” subtly nods to the notorious boomerang-shaped table at GT Prime’s seafaring sister restaurant. But any feelings of déjà vu should subside once that first meaty wave washes over you.