More than 30 years after its last big slaughterhouse closed, Chicago's romance with cattle has taken a decidedly trendy turn: designer beef. With steakhouses abounding, diners can sit down in a
restaurant where the steaks comes from cattle that shared the same father. Or they can enjoy a piece of beef just like the one designer Ralph Lauren dines on at his Colorado ranch. And in this
health-conscious age, don't you know that Tallgrass Beef Co.--which opened last October and is sold in a handful of Chicago-area restaurants, upscale markets and even a school--is touting the
nutritional benefits of its Kansas, grass-fed beef. It's purportedly lower in cholesterol, higher in omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E, and free of growth hormones and other chemicals that are found
in traditional beef. Ted Slanker, who sells grass-fed steaks to health-conscious consumers over the Internet, is surprised that they've been such a hit in steakhouses. "It's like being forced to eat
kale and collards to people who are used to eating iceberg lettuce," he says. The boom in fine steaks is being felt from coast to coast, from trendy bistros serving Kobe beef and lovingly marbled
meat, to expanding chains, like Morton's and Ruth's Chris Steak Houses, which each have dozens of restaurants.
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