Last September, chef John Tesar threw a short, Trump-toned Twitter tantrum about Chicago chef Timothy Cottini. The restaurateur, former Top Chef contestant, and “most hated chef in Dallas” (according to a D Magazine story) accused Cottini of attempting to rip off the name, logo, and concept of Tesar’s steak house, Knife. In pretending that there’s anything original to be stolen from any steak-house “concept,” Tesar succeeded only in boosting the profile of Cottini’s modest new North Center meat market—also named Knife to correspond with Fork, his first spot up the street in Lincoln Square.
That 28-ounce, 28-day dry-aged rib eye for me was a disaster. Hacked both with and against the grain by nervous, uncertain hands, it was a $94 pile of steaming sadness, not given enough time to rest, and in large spots overcooked to medium and even medium well. The sides that accompany this mountain of bad butchery, however, are enjoyable, and they demonstrate Knife’s potential—provided that service keeps pace—to evolve into something more than textbook. A scoop of broccoli almondine rests in a mildly sweet almond tuile that provides a disarming garnish to the plate, while the twice-baked potatoes, perched upright like starch barrels, wrapped in crispy bacon and topped with creme fraiche, make up for some of the disappointing knife work.
Cottini offers some of the bells and whistles a larger steak house might make available to accompany the beef: bearnaise, Barolo, hollandaise, and au poivre sauces, as well as additions such as lobster tail, foie gras, and blue cheese.
4343 N. Lincoln 773-799-8283knifechicago.net
