The Belmont

By Naperville Magazine
View more Table for Two

An American steakhouse with that old-school vibe

By Phil Vettel

I stroll into The Belmont (35 S. Washington St., Naperville) in the 5 o’clock hour, and a friendly voice bids me welcome. I hesitate.

“I can hear you,” I say. “But I can’t see you.” 

The transition from outside daylight to The Belmont’s interior lighting is abrupt. Partners Will Cullen and Dave Miller and the rest of the Empire Restaurant Group (The George, Empire Burgers + Brew, Hizemans, etc.) wanted its latest concept to be sultry in a throwback kind of way, and boy, did they succeed. 

To your left as you enter (once your eyes have adjusted to the dim lighting) is a host stand illuminated by two soft globe lamps; to the right, a down-lit, U-shaped bar with shaded lamps. The dining area (the space seats more than 150, though you’d never guess it) has dark-wood plank floors, windows shut tight by wood-slat blinds, and polished-wood tables adorned with softly glowing lamps. Skylights were painted black, and even the revolving doors are covered in curtains. 

Seating is at fabric and leather chairs or plush leather booths. Everything about the place hums comfort and indulgence. 

Yet what is a steakhouse if not a place to indulge? You don’t come to a steakhouse to nurture a budget, and soaring beef prices have made steaks even more of a splurge. No, you come for great food and drink, luxurious creature comforts, and service that borders on the nurturing. The Belmont delivers all three. 

“My partner, Dave, and I love old-school places—dark, warm, and inviting like the one inside an old bank in Philly (a Del Frisco’s outpost) and places that do very well in Chicago,” says Will Cullen. “There wasn’t a space like those in downtown Naperville. We wanted to create something that wasn’t a 45-minute-to-an-hour drive away, where you didn’t have to wait 60 days for a reservation.” 

This location fits the bill. “The Belmont is for people who want to escape, to transfer to a different time,” Cullen says. “And I want dinner at our place to be the best two hours of your day.”

The chef is Zac Rogers, a Georgia native who has spent much of his career in the Naperville area, including more than five years heading the team at Elements at Water Street, the private-event space in the Hotel Indigo.

His Southern leanings are evident in a simple-sounding bacon and grits appetizer—4-HR Bacon—but the bacon is thick-cut and cooked for four hours, and the grits, perfectly textured, get a sharp bite from a bit of sweet-pepper chow-chow. (When a Georgia boy offers you bacon and grits, you say, “Yes, please.”)

Bone marrow arrives in length-cut bones with onion mostarda; the BLT wedge salad begins with baby-gem lettuce (crispy like the standard iceberg but with smaller, tighter leaves, making the dish much easier to share) and piles on the Nueske’s bacon, blue cheese, fried shallots, and tomatoes from there. 

I’ll wave a caution flag at the steak tartare; I’d prefer a more coarse cut to the raw beef, and the supporting rice cakes were more a distraction than enhancement. And I missed the ritual of mixing the beef with raw egg; I applaud the creativity, but in this instance, I’d argue for the classic approach.

Seafood lovers will swoon (as I and my companion did) over the care accorded to the oysters, served with the usual accompaniments but absolutely pristine and ice cold. I’d return just for these beauties. 

The eight steaks on the menu are divided among aged, prime, and heritage cuts. In the last category you’ll find the Châtel Farms strip steak, sourced from a Georgia farm and so flavorful that a bit of salt is all the seasoning required. The dry-aged rib eye is equally rich, though if I had to choose, I’d go with the Châtel Farms strip.

There are nonsteak options, of course, including the superior wagyu short ribs with mashed potatoes and Frenched green beans—comfort food personified—and a handful of fish and shellfish entrées. There are two pastas, one of them a tagliatelle with Parmesan cream and black truffle, and while I didn’t try the Belmont burger (two smash patties with bacon, cheese, and sunny-side egg), the burgers I’ve had at Empire (its sister property) are endorsement enough for me. 

There aren’t a lot of desserts, thank goodness. The mile-high chocolate cake, one of those massive multilayered cakes every steakhouse seems to have, is especially rich and chocolatey, made specially (and exclusively) for The Belmont by nearby DeEtta’s Bakery. Great stuff. There’s also a very good New York–style cheesecake—though it’s based on a recipe from a sous chef’s Mississippi grandmother. (These Southern cooks are onto something.)

The Belmont’s beverage program is impressive; the featured vermouth is made in-house, and the olives and onions are cured onsite. Dave Miller’s wine list is hefty and well-chosen, embracing some luxury bottles for the spendy crowd and approachable bottles for the rest of us.

I was particularly impressed by the 1963 martini, a gin martini with onion brine and sherry accents. The brine and onion garnish make it more Gibson than martini, but it was delicious regardless. I spent an hour or so on the internet trying to divine the 1963 reference, learning that 1963 was the year Dr. No was released in the U.S.—doing for the martini what The Blues Brothers did for the Orange Whip—but alas, Cullen said the year was a random choice, an echo of a more gilded cocktail-culture age. 

Photos: Phil Vettel (interior and martini); The Belmont (food)