Asador Bastian

Isaac Dienstag

Embarrassingly, I walked up and down West Erie Street in River North for a good five minutes before realizing the unmarked townhouse—adorned only by a discreet plaque beside the garden-level entrance, just enough to suggest it wasn’t someone’s home—in front of me was my destination. Asador Bastian has gotten a lot of buzz lately, featured by the New York Times and ranked 14th on the world’s best steakhouse list.

The Basque-style chophouse is the brainchild of Chef Doug Psaltis, whose Eat Well Hospitality group also runs the Greek-inspired Andros Taverna and the Italian spot Mano a Mano in Logan Square. Thankfully, they reserve space in the bar room for walk-ins like myself. I was ushered into the moody, subterranean space—a parlor-like room, now reimagined as a polished, intimate cocktail bar.

Naturally, the first thing on the menu that enticed me was the steak. But at Asador Bastian, you don’t pick a cut—you pick a cow. We passed on the Japanese and American options and chose the True Galiciana, a breed native to the Basque region and the pride of the house. From there, we let our waiter guide the meal.

We started with a beef tartare crowned with black truffle and foie gras—the truffle made the dish aromatic, while the foie gras gave it a smooth umami-filled texture. Alongside the first course came the tuna carpaccio, generously dressed in olive oil and chives. It was fresh and pleasant, though not a dish I’d rush to re-order. The final starter was the specialty Spider Crab Arroz Cremoso. Don’t mistake it for a paella just because it’s made with Spanish rice. It felt more closely related to seafood risotto, with a creamy texture, full of scallops, octopus, and crab. One order of this will run you 68 dollars (which in this recession economy is only about 5 eggs if you think about it), luckily, it was unbelievable. One of my favorite rice dishes ever.

Next came the Galiciana steak with a side of bone marrow mashed potato purée. People rave about the potatoes; I found them interesting but not transcendent— I couldn’t get out of my mind how much it felt like I was eating sour cream potato chips. The steak, though, was phenomenal. I definitely love a buttery wagyu, but this steak was the kind of dry-aged, deeply beefy, funk-kissed meat that defines a great steakhouse. Cooked just between rare and medium-rare, it was rich, savory, and primal in the best way. I gnawed on the bone when I had finished. For dessert, we tried a pistachio pastry and a burnt Basque cheesecake. Both were lovely. Neither changed my life.

Asador Bastian is undeniably pricey. The full experience is a major splurge or a special-occasion meal. But this restaurant delivers—and offers a far more intimate steakhouse vibe than the sprawling, clubby rooms of classic Chicago institutions. If you’re a fan of Bavette’s or the other Hogsalt group restaurants, and willing to trade a week or two of groceries for one dinner, you won’t regret doing it here.