As part of our on-going staycation, my wife and I headed over to The Strip Club in St Paul for dinner. For those of you that aren’t from around here, The Strip Club is a restaurant and not a strip club in the traditional sense. Here are pictures from the “Small Plates” (basically tapas) that we ordered off the menu (PDF) tonight (in the order they were served):
The Devil’s Eggs – $4.50
Fried Green Tomatoes – $5.00
Fried Oysters – $6.00
Duck Confit – $9.00
Have you ever eaten at The Strip Club in St. Paul? If so, what did you think and what did you order? I’d love to hear what you have to say about it!
Address:
The Strip Club
378 Maria Ave
St Paul, MN 55106
Phone:
651-793-6247
See all the pictures on Flickr here.
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July 28th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Ah sh*t…you hated it didn’t you.
Although the food looks good.
July 28th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
We’ve eaten there several times… always enjoyable; good food, attentive service, reasonably priced. We’ll go again.
July 28th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
So lets here the review?
July 28th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Come on, Bill. No time to start being polite.
July 29th, 2009 at 7:42 am
All of the pictures above are what we received prior to eating and they are marked with their prices. I think the picture of the fried green tomatoes gives my 1000 word review itself.
July 29th, 2009 at 8:06 am
I’m looking at the picture of the fried green tomatoes, which I happen to really like, and they look like eggplant to me. Probably a trick of the light. Where they any good?
July 29th, 2009 at 8:09 am
That should be were they any good?
July 29th, 2009 at 8:11 am
My wife stated, “the State Fair’s fried green tomatoes win.”
July 29th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Is anyone surprised by a negative review? The Strip Club has been talked about highly ever since they opened, so expectations are raised. And who wants to read another positive review of a place that has been open for a while. Negative reviews are so much more fun.
July 29th, 2009 at 8:41 am
The food was hit or miss but overall fine. It was just *WAY, WAY* overpriced for what you get IMO.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Aren’t tapas or small plates typically at least a little overpriced? Seems like they are always in the $5-10 range, no matter where you go.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Sorry for my bad post above. I meant……”So, lets hear the review.”
That said, I really want to try this place, and hope to get there soon. None of your pictures look at all good to me, but they are all things I would never order, so at this point I am not going to let that stop me.
I tend to eat at places I dont find pricey unless its a special event, and then I dont mind overpaying for great food and service. Good, bad, or otherwise, we still all want to hear your thoughts.
July 29th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Sorry but I dont’ think that food looked good at all. Maybe it was bad lighting? Maybe I won’t be going there.
July 29th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
waiting for the casual “f” bombs to start flying
July 29th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
JaLurker, I don’t think it’s fair to blow off a restaurant based on a few appetizer photos. I’ve read/heard some fantastic reviews on this restaurant and I hope to get there soon to try for myself.
July 29th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
1. To be fair, they are The Strip Club and we probably should have ordered steak to give it a fair review. Unfortunately I personally don’t believe that Thousand Hills steaks are worth $30 plain and I really couldn’t justify spending another $5+ on toppings to make it worth my while. I just had real local, grass fed, steaks earlier this week (Thousand Hills is an Upper Midwest regional co-op, not local) with local sheep’s milk bleu cheese from Shepherd’s Way Farms which set me back all of $9/steak (with cheese). Snobbish, perhaps, but $30 steaks in Minnesota have always been a huge disappointment for me in general, no sense in risking it with my own money.
2. The eggs were overseasoned. I don’t know if it’s just me (I don’t eat much salt) or if the chefs that night had a heavy hand or if the spices used carried a high salt content but they were like eating a deviled egg rolled in salt. My wife didn’t eat more than 1/2 of one before pushing it away and saying it wasn’t for her. I ate the rest of them but I certainly can’t say I enjoyed it much. The pickled eggs were better than the plain and the price would have been appropriate if it hadn’t tasted like a salt lick.
3. The fried green tomatoes were expensive for two slices of tomato. I’m sorry but for $5 I really do expect more than two thinly sliced tomatoes and a little cheese and greenery. There was something else on top but whatever it was, it was forgettable. Regardless of what people think about tapas and their prices, I need a little more than what I got to consider it worth my money. I’d price what I had last night in the $2.50 range.
4. The oysters were great. They melted in my mouth and I loved every last little bite. Their menu online puts them a little cheaper than they were in the restaurant and that annoyed me but it wasn’t a big enough of a difference to really matter. These were priced appropriately IMO.
5. The duck confit was the only dish that I really thought was worth the money. My wife was not impressed at all however. It was moist, flavorful, and tender. They definitely know how to cook duck properly. I would have liked to pay about $7.50 for this particular dish but being that I enjoyed it as much as I did (Moe recommended it via Twitter prior to my visit last night) I suppose it was worth it but that might be because everything else was just ho-hum.
6. The beer was about $2.50 more than it should have been. For everyone to rave about their bar, I was a little shocked to see a bottle of beer cost so much. I was just down in Mantorville (middle of no-where) this afternoon and they had Two Hearted Ale on tap for $3.50 for 22oz. $5.50 for 12 oz is a bit of a stretch.
7. The service was incredible. I had absolutely no problems tipping our server $10 on a $37 tab. He was knowledgeable, prompt, and friendly. While some people have had poor service, reviews that state the service was poor are in the minority and I shared that viewpoint based on what I saw last night.
8. Gophers, fuck you.
9. The reviews that everyone offers for the place are overrated, just like the food we had last night. Yeah, the food was “ok” but it was nothing that I am going to go running back to try again. In fact, based on my wife’s reaction last night, I doubt that we’ll ever return together and being that it’s well outside my range in both distance and price for a bachelor night out, I highly doubt that I’ll ever be back even though I probably should try a steak there–even if it is Thousand Hills.
10. Their menu is limited outside the “small plates” and steaks. They serve some seafood but I generally do not eat seafood in Minnesota and I certainly won’t pay a premium price for it if I do. I’ll be just as happy waiting till the next time I’m on the coasts and enjoy something that I know hasn’t had a lengthy plane ride to get to me first.
11. Flame away.
July 29th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
hahah yay I got what I requested!
July 29th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
1. Upper Midwest isn’t local? But yeah, hard to properly review a steak place without ordering a steak.
5. Glad you liked the duck confit. Definitely my favorite thing to get there
6. $5.50 is crazy for bottled beer, especially an average one like Two Hearted. That’s too bad. But really, most places would have it in the $4-4.50 range, especially for a nicer restaurant in the city.
7. Glad you had good service. I’ve had nothing but excellent service there.
July 29th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Moe,
I guess it depends on your definition of “local”. I don’t consider North or South Dakota “local” but I realize that YMMV–literally.
I mean, I saw it and I paid for it, I just wasn’t impressed with the prices of any of the beers to be honest. I think Surly Bender was $8. I seriously went “WTF?!” and then giggled to myself.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Who the fuck orders deviled eggs at a restaurant? ;)
Sincerely,
Coke or Pepsi?
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:51 am
Late in the game, but I can’t type my normal, long-winded posts easily on my tiny cell phone keypad.
Honestly, I’m not sure I think $5 is a ripoff for the tomatoes, or the other items, IF the end result was something great (which, to me, would be obviously heirloom tomatoes, great accompanying sauce and/or greens, etc.).
Make no mistake, the bottom line for a $5 or $500 food item is whether or not it’s good.
But…when I’m doing “fine dining” or fineR dining, tapas/small bites, tasting menus, etc. I actually *don’t want* any more than a couple bites of something. It’s that “law of diminishing returns”….after the first couple of bites, your mouth becomes accustomed to the flavors and it loses its appeal. Think of great donuts…the first one is amazing so you eat another. It’s not quite as good, but then you go on to eat the whole box and by the end, you never want to see another donut again.
Maybe that two slices of tomatoes IS the sweet spot. Again, if it wasn’t special, then I agree it’s a waste. But I’ve had dozens of items in my dining life (and not just really expensive stuff like caviar, etc.) that I would have paid $50 for two bites and would have been 100% satisfied. The two best pieces of meat I can remember eating were $30-ish short ribs at Fugaise (defunct) and Canoe Bay in Chetek, WI and there were probably only 5-10 bites (4 oz maybe) of meat total. Same goes for high-end omakase at sushi joints.
I totally concede, small plates and tasting menus can be a very uneconomical way to eat. But the nature of it is an important factor for people to consider when going to places like The Strip Club and others like it.
August 4th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I have to quibble with the complaint about beer prices a little. I’m not saying they’re not overpriced, because I think the beer is, but if you’re going to a place known for its bar then maybe you should be ordering something off the cocktail menu. Or Aaron and Dan, two of their bartenders, are both great improvisational mixologists.
August 4th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Julia, I suppose you’re right but: 1. I don’t drink liquor on principal, 2. a bar still serves beer, and 3. cocktails are for chicks ;-) (jk)
August 4th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
“cocktails are for chicks”
You’ve got to be kidding! You just blew your credibility!
August 4th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Please tell me you are kidding that you don’t know what ;-) (jk) means. Oh and as I’ve stated many times before, I have no credibity.
August 4th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I’ve enjoyed quite a few “Danny the Bucket”s there. I’d love one right now, in fact.
August 4th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Apps are always tricky for many restaurants. Small plates seem like such a slam dunk, but, like dessert, are often screwed up or ridiculously overpriced for what you get. That said, I still haven’t eaten there, yet have heard many good things about the entrees and cocktails and hope to go soon (although I’m daunted by a $30 steak).
August 4th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Also, why on earth, in an area of the country where wide swaths of land are reserved for farming and ranching, does a damn steak cost $30? I grew up in SD and don’t think I’ve ever seen a cut of steak (even a filet or 16 oz. T-Bone) priced above $20, and that includes side salad and potato. Now, I know cost of living in SD is lower, but cheese and crackers…
August 4th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
If you didn’t enjoy the deviled eggs or thought they were over-seasoned, did you send them back? Or tell your server? Just wondering.
The raves about the bar clearly aren’t about the bottled beer, so that part of your commentary makes little sense to me.
My experience with the food has ranged from mind-blowing amazing (duck confit, foie gras, salumi, fried Giardinera, any of their pork dishes) to the pretty good. So I can totally see where you’d have an experience when you’d think the place was good but not great.
The service there has been so amazing, it’s always made up for food that was just.. good. The prices are completely in line with other fine dining places we’ve eaten at. No better, no worse.
$30 steak is far cheaper than Manny’s, incidentally, where steak will easily get into the $45-$55 range. Why is restaurant steak so expensive? That sounds like a Good Question… maybe I’ll look into that.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Manny’s steak is good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s quite overpriced too for what it is.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Jason, don’t get me started on the prices at Manny’s…not to mention that they can’t throw in a lousy baked potato for free for what they charge?
But, you’re right, it’s not just The Strip Club that has $30 steaks, and that rant wasn’t solely directed at them either.
August 4th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
I hear you. I enjoy a delicious restaurant steak, and it’s funny that I was at Seven and felt like the steaks were quite reasonable because they were in the low $30s. I’ve been conditioned. Although a great cut of steak from a good butcher will run you close to $18 or so. So there’s that.
August 5th, 2009 at 12:33 am
Jason DeRusha wrote:
I have returned one item to the kitchen in the last two years. It was an overcooked steak (I asked for rare and it wasn’t even close). It’s just not how I do things. I also stated that I had no intention of giving them a review and that I may have just been oversensitive to the salt flavor *shrug*.
From what I understand beef prices are down by 30% due to low consumer demand but The Strip Club’s prices are up 15% over reviews that came out in 2008 listing the steak prices at $26+. Again, I didn’t eat the steak, I’m just offering numbers.
August 5th, 2009 at 7:25 am
That may be, but a dry aged choice ribeye or Strip Steak at Lund’s/Byerly’s runs $19.99/lb right now. Wholesale would obviously be lower, but that 30% drop in beef prices likely means the farmers are getting screwed. Not that consumers are winning.
One of my food web review pet peeves is people who slam restaurants but don’t give them the opportunity to fix things while in the dining room. You didn’t give a review- so that’s why I asked- rather than slamming you. :-)
Not that people should be as nit-picky in the room as they might be in a review, but if a blogger is going to write a negative review after one visit, I believe he or she should give the place a chance to fix things.
August 5th, 2009 at 7:45 am
We disagree on this point and we’ll have to leave it at that.
August 5th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Maybe it’s just my upbringing (and working at a butcher shop), but $19.99/lb at a grocery store also seems crazy. For beef. Really, all you’re paying for is labor and overhead, which is why I always tell people to buy a half or quarter cow at a meat locker if you have the space and learn to carve ‘em yourself.
Also, I’m cheap.
August 5th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
I may be remembering incorrectly but I believe that the grass-fed ribeyes I purchased at the co-op were $9.99/lb and I ended up paying just under $18 for two of them. Aged beef is going to run you a bit more and according to Byerly’s site it’s $15.99/lb.
February 15th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
On the auspicious occasion of the birth of my brother, one of the Twin Cities’ most rapidly emerging food critics and handheld phone comedians, my wife and I, as well as several family members descended on the Strip Club. Tucked away in a dark, remote corner of St. Paul, in the shadow of the glaring lights and parking decks of nearby Metro State University, you could easily mistake this Twin Cities hotspot for grandmom’s run down town house. Given my brother’s obvious affinity for this hideaway, I was not surprised that it oozed “different” from the moment we pulled up outside.
From the moment you walk through the gaudy and humorous red velvet drape into the dimly lit Strip Club, you are hit with a sense of personality and niche, and can immediately understand where the bond begins between those diehard fans of this little joint and the owners. It struck me a number of times as patrons walked through the “velvet portal” that there is an unmistakeable Cheers-esque feel to the place, replete with bartenders that feel within arms reach of the door greeting return guests upon their arrival. Within minutes, my family members who were familiar with the place began regailing my wife and I with stories of hidden rooms, a faux fireplace and other building quirks that add the personalized feel of the experience — a must to attract and retain the Twin Cities foodies who are almost allergic to the feel (and flavor) of the mostly-chain landscape of the area.
The menu at the Strip Club is oft-changing, and feels and looks highly customized around seasons, ingredients and frankly, the current distractions of the owner and chefs. From the whimsical drink menu, including my favorite “Danny the Bucket” (there HAS to be a story behind that, right??) to the wide array of interesting starters, to the carefully scripted ingredients on the main courses, it’s clear that this is a restaurant that is foregoing breadth and depth for precision and thoughtfulness. Again, no surprise my brother camps out here, and defintely a welcome departure from the bland kingdom of southside dining.
With the luxury of a number of members in our party, we embarked on a fairly broad tasting of the menu and drinks. I rarely drink anymore, and wasn’t up for it that night, so I passed, but my brother dove in to a Danny the Bucket, and those who tasted it were quite pleased. My wife and several guests shared a house red (I know – NAME please?? Sorry, I forget) which was enjoyed, though both my wife and I found it to be a bit on the dry and sharp side and not all that remarkable. In all, I can hardly imagine you going wrong in a search for cocktails, and while I found the prices to be a bit on the high side, yu are clearly getting a crack at some decent variety and creativity, and most importantly, a well crafted drink. The bartenders do know their stuff.
A HUGE strike one for my wife and I these days is any of the number of places now charging for bread and butter. Now, the Strip Club’s bread basket contained a delicious and freshly produced loaf of tasty bread, and we all quite enjoyed it. But at $4.00 a basket, with the lofty prices of the steaks and appetizers to come, I am firmly in the camp that says “why bother”? I recognize a recession and high food prices as well as the next guy, but it’s hard to convince me that this is necessary for a joint like this. That said, you have the option to “just say no”, and in the end, we probably should’ve (I picked up a big part of the tab, and the $20 for the bread was like a dagger).
The appetizers are not overwhelmingly expensive, but are fairly lofty per ounce of food on the plate. Obviously, in a place looking for precision in preparation, it would be foolhardy to expect a full plate of food as a starter, but some of them trended toward the too small side. The head of the class was, not surprisingly, the “Daily Meat-on-a-Stick”, a must try if for its name alone, much less the linkage to the heart of the place. On this night, it was a succulent bison, grilled in a subtle marinade, that was melt-in-your-mouth perfect. Not a single person at the table felt otherwise, and the meat was obviously perfectly prepared — not grainy or gamey, with a rich meat flavor and a perfect pink belly. I wished there was more, and that dish got us off to a good start. Equally appealing was the “Pig’s Eye Poutine”, a mixture of french fries, truffle gravy and cheese – how could you NOT like that, right? The gang munched on two bowls of this concoction, and while tasty and fun, it was nowhere in the class of the stick fare. The truffle gravy was somewhat bland, lacking truffle, and the cheese was nothing remarkable. In all, it begged for salt and pepper, which we generously piled on, and nothing stood out. At $9.00, it was quite pricey and didn’t live up to expectations, but not bad. I dropped in a late order for calamari, which on this night was prepared in a lemon garlic broth with watercress and other ingredients. Honestly, it was BAD. My wife couldn’t swallow it, and not one of the members of our party who tried it said anything at all about it, good or bad. Given the raves the other food (yes, including the bread) was getting, that alone told the story. I’ve noticed the calamari “recipe” online has now changed a few times since we were there (it now includes raisins?? No thanks), and I’m sure this version will not return. Overall, I think this dish might be better left off altogether, as the calamari had a fishy smell and taste, was not a great product, and seems to be outside of the sweet spot of this place. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any other takers on the fried giardinaria, which I wanted to try, and I’ll bet I missed out on that one. Overall, the pictures above seems to tell the story on the starters – well crafted, noticeably “petite” and probably all over the map in effect, based on tastes, preferences and yes, a little luck.
Where the Strip Club loses me a bit is on the main plate. Without question, I was having steak on this night, both with it being the nameplate of the restaurant and with the opportunity to soak into some grass fed Thousand Hills beef. However, I opted for the ribeye over the Strip, as I enjoy a bit more marble in my local, grain fed beef than a Strip typically allows. At $26, I was also avoiding the rarified air of the Strip and fillet, both of which come in at a lofty $30+ without much in the way of sides. On the plus side, the steak was artfully seasoned – a nice but not overwhelming coat of salt and a dash of pepper, with nothing else to drown out the flavor of the meat. However, I was puzzled as to the presentation. Why cut my steak into strips? Moreover, the grilled lemon and poached carrots that accompany all of the steaks puzzled everyone. The carrots were sparse and way overbuttered – I found them to be unappealing. Also, why bother? If you are going to dress down the sides, and feature the meat, then just offer the steak, and open up the opportunity for the addition of a side(s). Granted, it’s a bit cliche in today’s steakhouses, but it works for a reason. The lowly carrots almost make you FEEL like you’ve just overpaid, and don’t work. Also, like some of the apps, you’re not getting a LOT of meat for the $30 price tag. This is not a Manny’s or Capital Grille cut – this is 10 ounces at a pound plus price. Unlike a donut (I like that illustration above) or even a starter, I DO get as much out of my 20th bite of a well crafted steak as I did the first, so these were on the dangerously small for the money side for me. However, the quality was apparent.
My wife ordered the shrimp risotto, which neither of us enjoyed. The entire dish was an eerie bright red, and it was not at all obvious where the dish was headed when it hit the table. While it appeared to be something of an Asian concoction perhaps, it was anything but, and the entire dish was a bust, with the fresh herbs and scallions topping the dish overwhelming all of the other flavors on the plate. My wife noted her shrimp were undercooked, which was more meaningful to me than my mother saying the same thing (she’s more apt to view almost anything not on fire as undercooked). When I tasted it, I agreed. Also, the risotto was a bit to al dente given the lack of richness or creaminess to the overall dish. I’m not sure if this was by design and the sauce was a miss, or if the risotto was just off the mark, but the whole thing didn’t work. Another one of our gang had the same dish, and finished it, so it was obviously not a disaster, but I’d never order it. I tried the Strip my dad ordered, and his opinion, and steak, were much in line with my ribeye.
Each of the steaks affords you the option of adding in one of a half dozen or more sauce accompanyments, and while my gut told me not to delve in, and our waiter even suggested we wouldn’t have to if we enjoy the flavors of an untopped steak, I dove in anyway, and sampled the Le Moulin Rouge sauce, advertised a a mixture of criminis in red wine rosemary glace. On the plus side, you get a BIG heaping bowl of button mushrooms for the $6.00. On the negative side, you basically just get a big heaping bowl of button mushrooms for $6.00. The sauce was flavorless and lacked a depth of flavor or punch of rosemary. In addition, the bites of my steak I added the sauce to completely lost the magic of the seasoning and became perfectly pedestrian, not the desired result from a $6 add-on. I’d strongly suggest skipping the sauces as he steak can easily stand on its own flavors.
The hands down winner of the night, though, was the delicious, scrumptuous, velvety, superb cheeseburger. Inauspiciously “sandwiched” (sorry) amongst the more notable main dishes, this superstar is a large, melt in your mouth, expertly prepared mound of superb ground beef, with a wonderful bun and nicely matched accompanyments. My sister-in-law ordered the chef’s loaded burger – a mix of grilled mushrooms, bacon(?), cheese, lettuce, onions and mayo. Who cares what was on it actually, because THIS is some burger. For $12, you just can’t beat it, from texture, to seasoning, to flavor, to quality of ingredient, to size. It’s got it all. And for me to rave about a burger in a steak joint, it’s got to be damn good. Don’t go here and miss it. Period.
The dessert menu was underwhelming (3 items, none of which sounded good to wife or I) and with an impending babysitting deadline, we dashed out without sweets. The ones that hit the table in front of my brother and some other guests didn’t look too good to leave for, and nothing stood out, but it would be unfair to comment. All appeared to enjoy them.
In addition to the burger, the service is a true hit. To pull off the personality of the Strip Club, you have to have a true person to person feel to match the building’s quirks and the menu’s custom feel. You get it here. Our waiter was attentive, but not pushy. We were served quickly, but not rushed. The bartenders and customers were lively and enjoyed their company, and even the building seemed to reach out and say “you’re welcome here”. That is nice. I can see why locals (and even suburbanites) flock here as if it’s their own.
That said, if you’re like me, and the feel, “hip here and now factor”, and attention to details take a (not too distant) backseat to the food and the culinary satisfaction, I couldn’t get myself to the rave levels of some of its most ardent fans. I felt like we spent a lot, and had a nice evening, but that the food is not the star. There were some knock out hits, make no mistake, but the overall package was inconsistent and too hit or miss for the accolades. The fact that this hideaway is almost steps from my wife’s office had me excited for this as a possible date spot with some frequency. Yet, my wife said flatly she’d probably not return, and, while I would return, I don’t crave anything to make it a frequent trip. I can understand the charm, and the draw of a place where “everyone knows your name”, but those are things I need to spend less on or drive a shorter distance for. YMMV.
In all, the Strip Club is a refreshing departure from the blah and bland of the south Metro dining “scene”(?), and the fam had a fun and relaxing night. But, for those looking for a top notch meal and a memorable dish or two that stay with you and call you back again and again, I’d think it unlikely those goals will be achieved — at least not consistently.
Unless you crave a damn good burger, then all bets are off….
February 15th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
2,303 words. You just had to one-up the last one eh? :)
February 15th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
No doubt. I’m trying to accumulate golds like Michael Phelps. All without the post-writeup drug parties!!
February 15th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Jason, do you write a regular food review someplace? Great review. I appreciate the review, and have to know if you are taking notes as you eat? Seriously, I dont remember what I had for dinner on Saturday, let alone what everyone around me was eating.
February 15th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Jason, I’m still only on the Old Testament of your post, but there is a story behind “Danny the Bucket”. But, you have to ask Danny who, unfortunately, wasn’t there to ask the night you were there celebrating what sounds like a wonderful human being. From what I understand, Tim (the owner) doesn’t make as good a Danny the Bucket as Danny (the Bucket).
February 15th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
The women in question sound like the types to order the Punto Final Malbec (Argentina).
A few observations — the curtain by the front door is new (and, I think, seasonal). Because of the proximity of some of the tables to the door, in the wintertime you get a blast of frigid air every time the door opens. It actually obscures some of the view of downtown, so my prediction is that it disappears in the Spring.
Shocking coincidence: I have also tasted the preparations of calamari and risotto you describe (although I would never order those there). 100% agreement — the calamari sucked to the point where I debated the quality of the ingredients vs. a major recipe disaster (or possibly both) I also didn’t find anything appealing about the risotto (including the odd beet color).
I’ve questioned the slicing of the steaks there and I’m kind of on the fence. There are a number of even legendary steakhouses (Peter Luger for one) that do that, for whatever reason. It would be nice if they warned you in advance on the menu. That said, I am 100% sure (now that people know to do it) they would leave it whole if you simply asked. I had their bone-in ribeye special once and it came unsliced (wouldn’t that be novel to get a bone-in ribeye butchered for you. “Hey look! A useless bone garnish!”)
Don’t give up on this being a possible after-work date night for your downtown-working wife. Go back and go to the bar, split an appetizer and a burger, add a glass of wine/Danny the Bucket, and maybe the qualities that make it a restaurant people like your brother love to make a home-away-from-home will reveal themselves.
Or…maybe not. I do concede that The Strip Club isn’t for everyone.
February 15th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
MSPD –
You are right on the Malbec! Man, you must have some sort of amazing ESP(D) powers!! You sound like the kind of guy my brother could really like.
I am definitely going to go back, if for nothing else than a burger and a Bucket, but making this a date night spot requires, well, a date, and my wife will be harder to convince. Her idea of the “scene” is a couch, a book and a Klondike bar. Come to think of it…mmmm….Klondike bar…. what I wouldn’t do for a Klondi….oh geez. Sorry.
I kind of like the red velvet. Anyone needing a view of downtown in the summer can go walk off the burger, no?
February 15th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
I prefer to bike off my burgers.
February 16th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
This post makes me glad my parents have a “hobby farm”. They raise beef cows and chickens, have a very large garden full of peas, sweet corn, beans, raspberries. My dad also deer hunts so there’s usually venison in their freezers as well. I think they do it so I will come to visit more often! It’s nice to see the family and leave with $100 in meat and frozen veggies!
But to the steak topic. I know my parents will often have a cow butchered and sell 1/4 or 1/2 to friends of the family, they don’t make a profit and basically sell it for what the locker charges to process it. I would think this would be a much better way to get affordable meat/steak, but obviously you need to know someone who is “in the business”.
February 16th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Blaine, you don’t necessarily need to know someone “in the business”. There are farm-to-family resources all over the place, and many of their products cost a lot less than you pay retail. Our family buys our beef directly from a farmer and we pay virtually no markup. We also get venison and fish from family, but there are all kinds of CSAs, small farms, etc. Actually, Bill has posted a lot on this if you do some searching.
But…yeah, it is nice if you can just grab stuff when you visit parents.
February 16th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
MSPD,
Good to know, I think for now I will stick with the parents. FREE is just too hard to beat!! :)
February 16th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
http://www.lazylightning.org/44lbs-of-blue-gentian-farm-meat (he sells it 1/4, 1/2, etc) and I just bought 10 more lbs of ground beef from him on Saturday.
But there are plenty of options available through local CSAs and direct farm to market guys.