Okay, I'm not an official restaurant review person, and neither is my hubby, but we eat out maybe two times a year and we know what good eats are.
We've paid $2.50 for the best full breakfast we could have had in a diner in Vermont, and paid over 3 Bills and couldn't wait to leave the Shula's in Disneyland in Orlando.
The Hubby took me to Capital Grille in Cherry Hill, NJ for my BD dinner.
I had the half dozen Blue Point Oysters ($15) for an appy. Then the Spinach Salad ($12). For my main I had the Sliced Filet with cippolini onions and wild mushrooms($42).
The Hubby had - upon insistence of the waiter "The Best Calamari Around Here" ($12) for an appy we shared, a cup of onion soup($6), the Cesaer Salad($12), and the Delmonico Steak (22 oz) rubbed in porcini mushrooms and in a 12 YO balsamic vinegar sauce($42).
Throw in 2 martinis for me($22) and two vodkas on the rocks for him($20), plus two glasses of St Michelle Chateau merlots($22) and we were full.
Hubby had a side of Gratin Potatoes for $11 and I had the Creamed Spinach for $9. (I had to resist the Wild Mushroom side for $10)
Crap, I don't remember what they charged for coffee. About $6, I'm thinking. Plain coffee.
Did you do the math yet?
Okay, so it's my BD and I love my Hubby and he loves me, but this is a place I will never go back to. McCormick and Schmick's is way better. for the price. even Sullivan's if you strictly stay to steak houses.
The oysters were smallish and cut up -- maybe because they were cut in the process of shucking them. The minoqeutte sauce was way too vinegary. I ate them without any addition. They were tasty, but it was like picking pieces out of an open shell.
The Spinach salad was good, but HUGE. Didn't get through half of that, and I realized the "croutons" were fried bacon fat backs. Wow. You could share this salad.
The Sliced Filet entree with cippolini onions and wild mushrooms was intriuging. I found only 1/12 cippolini oinions and the mushrooms looked suspisously like white mushrooms covered in an undisguisible brown sauce. Absolutely no flavor there, but the filet was done nicely.
The creamed spinach was Popeye style - no cream and no flavor.
The calamari the Waiter endoresed was as rubbery as I've ever had and if we didn't like it, he'd "take it away".
Note: The BEST calamari we ever had was at Zelda's in Newport RI. Hands down, the BEST. So far.
Red Flag alert - never ask what a waiter recommends or listen to what he suggests. Read Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential. We fell for that, and even though that calamari tasted like rubber, the waiter took it away, and not on our bill, even though we took him up on his advice.
The cup of Onion Soup was very good - in broth only. The cheese covering was PROVOLONE. What? Yeah, PROVOLONE. What ever happened to Emmenthaler and Grueye?
The Cesear salad was okay. Stay away from the guy with the big pepper grater. He really wants to makes your salad.
The Hubby's 22oz Delmonico Porcini rubbed steak was done to perfection, but I had a piece, and did not notice a hit of the rub, and the balsamic sauce was totally missing. $42. Oh yeah.
And as a last note, even though we've been married for 22 years, we still like to savor overpriced food together and don't need the waiter to visit us two time during each course to ask if everytihing is okay, especially when we have to remind YOU that we want our glasses of St Michelle Chateau Merlot WITH OUR DINNER.
I didn't even get a "free" dessert to share even though they knew is was my BD. There was glitter on our table to distinguish our "event".
Hubby had my fave Angel Food BD cake for me at home. <Sigh>
Was I too snarky? Man! That dinner just burns me. I think we can all cook better that that!!
Whatever. I still have my Sweetie and three kitties to love!!!
Barbara
We've paid $2.50 for the best full breakfast we could have had in a diner in Vermont, and paid over 3 Bills and couldn't wait to leave the Shula's in Disneyland in Orlando.
The Hubby took me to Capital Grille in Cherry Hill, NJ for my BD dinner.
I had the half dozen Blue Point Oysters ($15) for an appy. Then the Spinach Salad ($12). For my main I had the Sliced Filet with cippolini onions and wild mushrooms($42).
The Hubby had - upon insistence of the waiter "The Best Calamari Around Here" ($12) for an appy we shared, a cup of onion soup($6), the Cesaer Salad($12), and the Delmonico Steak (22 oz) rubbed in porcini mushrooms and in a 12 YO balsamic vinegar sauce($42).
Throw in 2 martinis for me($22) and two vodkas on the rocks for him($20), plus two glasses of St Michelle Chateau merlots($22) and we were full.
Hubby had a side of Gratin Potatoes for $11 and I had the Creamed Spinach for $9. (I had to resist the Wild Mushroom side for $10)
Crap, I don't remember what they charged for coffee. About $6, I'm thinking. Plain coffee.
Did you do the math yet?
Okay, so it's my BD and I love my Hubby and he loves me, but this is a place I will never go back to. McCormick and Schmick's is way better. for the price. even Sullivan's if you strictly stay to steak houses.
The oysters were smallish and cut up -- maybe because they were cut in the process of shucking them. The minoqeutte sauce was way too vinegary. I ate them without any addition. They were tasty, but it was like picking pieces out of an open shell.
The Spinach salad was good, but HUGE. Didn't get through half of that, and I realized the "croutons" were fried bacon fat backs. Wow. You could share this salad.
The Sliced Filet entree with cippolini onions and wild mushrooms was intriuging. I found only 1/12 cippolini oinions and the mushrooms looked suspisously like white mushrooms covered in an undisguisible brown sauce. Absolutely no flavor there, but the filet was done nicely.
The creamed spinach was Popeye style - no cream and no flavor.
The calamari the Waiter endoresed was as rubbery as I've ever had and if we didn't like it, he'd "take it away".
Note: The BEST calamari we ever had was at Zelda's in Newport RI. Hands down, the BEST. So far.
Red Flag alert - never ask what a waiter recommends or listen to what he suggests. Read Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential. We fell for that, and even though that calamari tasted like rubber, the waiter took it away, and not on our bill, even though we took him up on his advice.
The cup of Onion Soup was very good - in broth only. The cheese covering was PROVOLONE. What? Yeah, PROVOLONE. What ever happened to Emmenthaler and Grueye?
The Cesear salad was okay. Stay away from the guy with the big pepper grater. He really wants to makes your salad.
The Hubby's 22oz Delmonico Porcini rubbed steak was done to perfection, but I had a piece, and did not notice a hit of the rub, and the balsamic sauce was totally missing. $42. Oh yeah.
And as a last note, even though we've been married for 22 years, we still like to savor overpriced food together and don't need the waiter to visit us two time during each course to ask if everytihing is okay, especially when we have to remind YOU that we want our glasses of St Michelle Chateau Merlot WITH OUR DINNER.
I didn't even get a "free" dessert to share even though they knew is was my BD. There was glitter on our table to distinguish our "event".
Hubby had my fave Angel Food BD cake for me at home. <Sigh>
Was I too snarky? Man! That dinner just burns me. I think we can all cook better that that!!
Whatever. I still have my Sweetie and three kitties to love!!!
Barbara
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Then find someone whose life has given them vodka.