Best of St. Louis 2019
Food & Drink
Staff Pick
Best Steak
The Dry-Aged, Bone-In Ribeye at Hamilton's Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar
- MABEL SUEN
- Bone-in ribeye at Hamilton's Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar.
At Hamilton's Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar, the whopping 22-ounce dry-aged ribeye is served with a mound of flaming sea salt — a dramatic flourish considering the steak and salt come out on a wooden platter. It's showy, indeed, but the scene stealer is the steak itself: a massive hunk of Iowa Premium Black Angus gilded with so much rendered fat it sparkles in the flame's light. The meat is positively magical, but what pushes it over the edge is its rub, a secret blend concocted by owner Paul Hamilton that forms a coarse crust over every edge. There's black peppery heat, but the spice is mitigated by salt, smoke and a hint of sweetness, a perfect balance that enhances the deep umami flavor of the beef without covering it up. And there's a special pleasure when you bite into a little pocket of rub-covered beef and buttery fat; the experience is similar to the decadent enjoyment that comes from feasting on marrow, but better.
