These Chefs are Keeping Chicago's Meaty Reputation Strong

“There are so many great steakhouses here, but there are also a lot that haven’t changed their menu in 20 years,” says Danny Grant of Maple & Ash, a modern steakhouse in Chicago’s Gold Coast, about the city’s dining traditions. “I wouldn’t be too excited about going to work if I wasn’t allowed to change things.”

But by the aughts, as hyper-creative chefs like Charlie Trotter...