Yes, doreen and kayT nailed it. Another nicety is when my gf goes to the ladies room it is a nice experience, and when she returns to our table, as I’m rising, the waiter/sommelier/host is right there to pull out her chair.
I’ve eaten at a number of higher end steakhouses and really do enjoy the experience.
Back in the day, I would go to Atlantic City twice a year. I would earn enough comp points to treat myself to a dinner at Robert’s. The whole experience was exquisite each time. I’d start off at the bar with a specialty cocktail or three (it was here I was introduced to the fantastic creation that is a “Sazerac”). Whatever the chef’s featured appetizer of the day was. And then a shot of Johnny Walker Blue or Platinum, sipped slowly.
The bartender’s name was Natti (sp?) (rhymes with “naughty”), and she would remember me from 6 months prior and start up making the Sazerac with a smile as soon as I walked in. Bar tab was well over $100, paid by comps. Of course I cash tipped very well. (One time she offered me a shot of McCallan’s 12-year on the house.)
The meals were also exquisite. I’m a fan of rib-eyes, so that was my usual go-to, but if the waiter recommended something else highly, I’d give that a try. The Caesar salad comes with real anchovies. The bread basket has a delicious variety. Some sort of amazing appetizer–something specially created. Not “wings” or “mozzarella sticks.” The steaks are always cooked to perfection (rare to medium rare) and the sides are delicious. A bottle of wine (nothing too fancy) and dessert and the bill would be somewhere between $200 - $300. Paid by comps. Of course I cash tipped very well. It’s one thing when the bartender remembers you, but when the waiter remembers you from 6 months ago, well, I was impressed.
The best dessert I ever had in my life was at Robert’s. I was just chilling at the bar one time and Natti said the chef had created some sort of blueberry crepe thing. Not my typical type of dessert but, sure, I’ll try it. I think my mouth had an orgasm. One bite in and I know that this was the best dessert I had ever tasted.
Alas, the casino closed down and I have no reason to go back to AC just to gamble. Really the only reason I’d make the 4 hour drive each way was to take advantage of the free rooms and the meal at Robert’s.
(And yes, I know when you gamble, the shit ain’t really free, and those “comps” can cost plenty at times; but hopefully you get my point).
If you cannot afford the cost of a four-person meal at an upper-end steakhouse, it’s stupid to contemplate reasons for going there, isn’t it? When someone says they would prefer to pay for a $35 meal for four at a pizza place, they are in essence saying, “any difference in the experience is too pricey for my blood”. There’s nothing wrong with that attitude at all.
You know, I don’t always want to be fussed over to quite that degree. If I have a soft drink with my dinner at a restaurant, I try to drink it at a rate that will finish about the same time I finish my meal. Sometimes the waiter will see that the glass is down to half full and bring over a refill. I had the situation under control. I know it probably cost them all of ten cents, but I hate to see it go to waste.
Yeah, I don’t have a soda at a nice steakhouse. But the same principle applies; give me a few minutes with the menu, bring the food when it’s ready, and I’m usually a pretty happy camper.
Timely thread. My husband and I dined at a fancy, schmancy local steak house (Carlo & Johnny’s, if you must know) last Friday. The most expensive steak was $77, and none of them include any sides, unless you count the bread and butter.
I got a half-portion ceasar salad (which is the size of a normal side salad) and the cowboy bone-in ribeye for $66, with mushrooms on top. (I got 2 meals out of it.) Hubby got the Steak Collinsworth, a filet with crabmeat on top. It was preposterously small next to mine. He also got the oysters for an appie, which should have filled him up, but still he whined like a baby when he saw my brontosaurausteak. We shared a bottle of Altos Las Hormigas malbec and a slice of chocolate mousse cake.
Mmm mmm. Great for a special occasion, but we would never spend that kind of dough without gift cards that he routinely gets from work. I’m always amazed when I see a packed house because for $300 I could get a lot of really good ribeyes.
Total spent out of pocket was $100 (total bill was $247 + $53tip = $300-$200 in gift cards).
A friend in college worked at higher-end restaurants and said at such places they should notice that your water glass is half-empty and refill it. They should notice, without you saying anything, that you’ve dropped a fork on the ground. In short, the service should be attentive but not smothering. Part of what costs so much in such an establishment is higher number of front-of-house staff to patrons.
Edited to add, they should not need to ask if you’ve finished one course and are ready for the next, but instead should have noted that you’ve finished.
I’m not really much of a steak person, but I used to have a tradition that once a year I would buy myself a wonderful dry-aged prime ribeye to cook for myself. You know how much I paid? About $60/lb. Here’s a local place that does mail order where it’s $75/lb.
So 10 oz for $43 for a NY strip in a nice atmosphere where it’s prepared for you doesn’t really sound all that crazy to me. Is it worth it? For me, when I did it as a once-a-year-treat-myself-to-a-birthday-present, yep, absolutely. But I could probably get a steak at $20-30/lb that’s 95% as good.
This is my favorite part of the service. My wife and I just ate at a very nice steak house after a day of wine tasting and we never had to wait for our plate to be cleared once we were done with the course it was removed and once we’d had a chance to digest and talk about how great the food was and just started to look around for the next course it appeared at the table. The proper pacing of the meal so that everything is done perfectly and not waiting on a warming tray or looking around for you food make a meal so much more enjoyable and take lots of skill.
We ended up dropping $300 for two of us with a bottle of nice wine, an appetizer, steaks, and dessert. I wouldn’t do it on a regular basis but we’re happy to have found a great place to go for our anniversary in two months.
The porterhouse is 40 oz (for two) and costs $89.
Prices for one are really roughly in that same range (op’s $39.99 and $49.99): $39 (for an 8 oz petite filet) to $53 for a 24 oz T-bone. Peter Lugar’s runs about $50 per steak as well.
It really is the going rate for the high end steakhouse steaks.
This I agree with. There is a point of diminishing returns with the cost of dry aged USDA Prime meats. It’s not that they aren’t better; it’s that they are not as much better as the difference in price.
That wasn’t what was wrong with the attitude. What was wrong was whinging about how the bacon-wrapped filet went up $3.00 in price over the last 6 years. Plus tax.
So you guys are saying I shouldn’t be getting my steaks from a place whose only side is a vegetable medley that consists of only corn, peas, and green beans?
As others have said, there are just more staff and they’re better trained, so you never find yourself looking for a waiter. You never sit there wishing you had another drink or wishing they would clear away a plate. At the same time, good service is never smothering, you never feel like anyone is hovering. Just about the time you think, “I could use another glass of wine,” there s/he is.
Yep. It’s been said in this thread many times already, but I’ll post it again. There are good steaks, and there are REALLY good steaks. And the same as with spirits; for me the law of diminishing returns definitely applies. I’m admittedly never going to notice the difference between a steak or bourbon once it hits the 3 digit range; but the difference between a cheap drink or steak compared to a medium drink or steak is noticeable;
My wife and I usually get the 22oz cowboy ribeye ($53).
Like a literal “shot”…as in a shot glass?
How on earth is anything on McDonald’s 99-cent menu worth 99c?
Usually a shot of “the good stuff” is a generous shot served in a nice glass (a small snifter or heavy lowball type glass).
We usually just call that “neat.” “Shot,” to me, usually means in a shot glass, in my experience. I know I’ve made that mistake early on my drinking career when I asked for a shot of Oban and the bartender looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and corrected me to say “neat.” I suppose this may vary by region or even person. “Neat” also implies to me a longer pour than a shot.
Perhaps I should have said “taste.” It was in a “heavy lowball type glass” and about two nice sips worth. It was free, so I’m not claiming I got a full generous pour. Just a little something extra that I appreciated.
I’m not much of a drinker, but I thought “neat” simply meant without ice.
“Neat” = no ice, no mixer, not chilled, straight from the bottle
“Up” = no ice, but chilled/shaken with ice before being strained (though I’ve only used it in the context of cocktails. Never heard it being used with straight spirits. ETA: a little research shows it can be used with straight spirits.)
“Rocks” = on ice
In the context of whiskey, if I order a shot of, say, a whiskey like Jameson, I get it in a shot glass. If I order it “neat,” I get it in a tumbler, usually with a larger pour, sometimes double. At least at most places be been to around here.