There’s nothing like a great steak, even if it’s the pickup or delivery variety.
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse locations in Chicago, Oak Brook and Rosemont are offering pickup and free delivery. Though the menu is somewhat shortened (there are more options downtown than at the suburban satellites), you’ll still find a half-dozen or so steaks, lamb chops or pork chops, and a seafood item or two.
Orders can be placed online (which links to the DoorDash site).
Seafood, in fact, proved to be a highlight of my curbside visit. The Faroe Island salmon ($19.75), crusted with herbed breadcrumbs and accompanied by an arugula salad with capers and cherry tomatoes, was a delicious bargain. Add in the hefty portion of grilled, oil-glossed asparagus ($8), and you’ve got a great meal; the uncommonly sweet asparagus spears contrasted nicely with the peppery arugula.
For beef, I picked the WR’s Chicago Cut ($40), a 22-ounce prime, bone-in rib-eye named for the late William Rice, a nationally known food writer and editor and, luckily for me, a colleague for many years. Bill loved his rib-eyes, and he’d have been pleased with the flavor and texture of the medium-rare beauty I received.
A couple of dishes required some assembly. The loaded wedge salad ($8) was split into two containers — one for the iceberg lettuce and crumbled blue cheese (keeping the lettuce nice and crisp), another for blue cheese dressing. The baked potato ($7.75) was boxed up unsliced, its toppings — bacon, cheese, sour cream — packed separately.
Though I made it home from the restaurant in a mere 12 minutes, the meal had cooled more than I’d prefer (despite the airtight packaging). So here’s my advice: Preheat your oven to about 200 degrees, and when you get home with the food, place the proteins and potatoes onto oven-safe plates/pans and gently raise the temperature.
Another option is to order the steaks uncooked; the beef will be sealed in plastic and ready for the grill.
You may miss the full steakhouse experience — heck, we’re all missing that — but prices are about 25% less than the dining-room cost. The carryout menu also offers a handful of wine bottles at very nice prices (about the same as retail, by my reckoning).
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, city and suburban locations, gibsonssteakhouse.com