I’ve never had the luxury of not giving a fuck about what I do with $145. But Maple & Ash—which offers a $145 chef’s tasting menu friskily called “I Don’t Give a F*ck”—is aimed squarely at those who do. The Gold Coast steak house apparently was conceived as a playground for the fabulously wealthy and businesspeople with large expense accounts. A $95 seafood tower for two? Why not! Caviar ranging from $100 to $240? Bring it on! (When we asked our waiter for recommendations, those were the first items he praised to the sky. Coincidentally, I’m sure, they’re also the most expensive items on the menu aside from a 40-ounce porterhouse for $130.)
Salad is never the point at a steak house—unless it’s a wedge salad, and Maple & Ash has a satisfying rendition with ranch dressing, blue cheese, chunks of bacon, and tomato, crowned by two enormous onion rings that, improbably, bring the whole thing together.
Maple & Ash presents itself as playful and irreverent, larding its menus with movie references and little jokes that imply this isn’t your grandpa’s steak house. And while the crowd does skew younger than the one you’d see at old-school places like Gene & Georgetti, the whimsy on display is the type that people with money to burn can afford. I’d happily exchange it for a more solid focus on the food. v
8 W. Maple 312-944-8888 mapleandash.com
