Hamilton's Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar now open in Downtown West

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

A 16-ounce bone-in veal chop, with house secret seasonings, asparagus, and loaded baked potato

If the pre-opening gathering on Monday night at Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar was any indication, Paul and Wendy Hamilton have another hit on their hands.

Last year, their company, Hamilton Hospitality, joined forces with Ste. Geneviève-based Charleville Brewing Co. to open Charleville Brewing Company & Tavern in a former machine shop adjacent to their other properties along Chouteau Avenue—a space that ultimately proved to be too large.

This year, the entrepreneurial couple carved just enough excess square footage out of the space to create the rustic cozy steakhouse and bourbon bar, which opened to the public on July 12. The Charleville offshoot never closed, even during the 75-day transformation.

“It was about the only concept left to do,” jokes Paul, referring to the other endeavors in the couple’s portfolio: a Tuscan-inspired restaurant (Eleven Eleven Mississippi), a rooftop bar and French bistro (Vin de Set), a pizza parlor (PW Pizza), a brewpub (21st Street Brewers Bar), multiple event facilities (Moulin), and an aeroponic greenhouse that helps supply their restaurants (Hamilton Farms).

The wood and support columns in the 60-seat room have been left in their natural state. The hardwood bartop was hewn by Paul himself, as were the family-farm tree vines that twist and turn above filament-bulb illumination that the craftsman/restaurateur either installed, built, or likely both. A scatter of timeworn farm implements and old wooden pulleys add to the down-home charm.

In an era when flip-flops and shorts are acceptable restaurant attire, it’s refreshing to see a sense of civility return to a dining room in the form of black tablecloths and heavy napery. Same goes for the acoustics, with the Hamiltons prizing dinner conversation over din, even in a moderately priced operation (a six-ounce filet and a side dish is $29.99). 

Red-meat offerings are priced in the thirties, which includes a side. The house dry rub—applied to all steaks and chops—is a guarded secret for good reason: No single flavor predominates, and it leaves the perfect char. Add a steak sauce or butter (including such uncommon options as Korean Kalbi butter made with Plugra) for $2.99. The Smokey House Steak Sauce, complimentary upon request, is a marathon distance from inferior commercial versions.     

Two dry-aged steak options on the menu include a “baseball-cut” sirloin (the part of the top sirloin that resembles a filet) and the showstopper, a succulent 22-ounce bone-in ribeye (pictured below with chimichurri sauce and roasted wild mushrooms).

For the record, the 16-ounce K.C. strip rivaled any we’ve had in this town; it was nearly fork-tender and packed an onrush of flavor. Part of the secret is the sourcing: All cuts are from the Est. 8 Angus line of Iowa Premium Black Angus (a higher grade named after the facility’s USDA establishment number).

The rest of the menu is equally impressive. Popular appetizers include a charcuterie board with a novel twist: a burning candle made of bacon fat that slowly melts, transforming the warm fat to a spreadable consistency, perfect slathered on triangles of sturdy house rye bread.

Then there's the double dose of bone marrow topped with parsley fennel salad. The cool kids do the "bone luge," in which a shot of brandy or bourbon (Hamilton's has more than 30 options, all of them 2-ounce pours) is poured down the empty femur bone, releasing the remaining tidbits by funneling the alcohol into your mouth. Say what you want about kitschy trends, but luging does add additional, complex flavors to the bone marrow experience.

The Gruyere- and prosciutto-stuffed chicken breast is a safe, non-beef choice, but consider another "steak" (pictured above), served atop a curried pea purée and crowned with roasted red peppers and a tangle of fried leeks and carrots—the most colorful dish on the menu.

Fair warning should you make it to dessert: The massive slab of carrot cake should not be negotiated alone. We hope you brought at least three friends.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with supplemental information.