This is one of those old classics, in the best sense of that word, that’s been around forever and continues to impress with each visit. When I’m in Reno and go here for dinner I always feel like I might run into Darren, Samantha, Larry and Louise out for a big night on the town. The ambiance is subdued, quiet and sleek; happily a long way from the noise and bright lights of the casino upstairs, and the staff is the epitome of gracious professional service. Michael, the Maitre 'd, has been at the helm forever [well, as long as I’ve been dining there, which is more than 25 years]. And even though my visits are not frequent, he remembers me and is always welcoming.
The food here is as classy as the surroundings, everything one would expect from the best restaurant in Reno. The Steakhouse is justly famous for its creamy five onion soup, served in a giant onion with a crust of bubbling cheese, it’s the perfect way to begin the meal. I could actually eat more than one serving, but have resisted because the steaks are so good here that I don’t want to miss out. I’ve never had anything but a perfect steak here, and I’ve had many over the years. New York, fillet, prime rib . . . it’s all good. And, if you ask nicely they’ll prepare any of the steaks Oscar style . . . crab and Bearnaise, what could be better. The cool thing about the food here is that the presentation is a step that of most other steakhouses, beautifully prepared vegetables and starch, not just a slab of meat and a baked potato. Its fine dining that happens to be steak, and they know exactly what they’re doing. I have usually eaten too much to even think about ordering dessert, but at the end of the meal a very cool dish, steaming with dry ice, arrives at the table with house made truffles and chocolates and I cannot resist. It’s a perfect ending.
As an aside, this place is also for lunch on weekdays where that onion soup is available and there is a nice selection of salads and smaller entrees. Not listed on the menu is the Snoopy Salad . . . I don’t know where that name came from . . . but it’s a great combination of what seems like random things from the kitchen, and it along with the onion soup is a perfect lunch. So by having both lunch and dinner here I get to have the onion soup twice and that makes everything OK, even if my luck at the tables hasn’t been that good.
EatHereOrNot: EAT HERE
http://www.harrahsreno.com/casinos/harrahs-reno/restaurants-dining/harrahs-steak-house-detail.html
Showing posts with label steakhouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steakhouse. Show all posts
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Detroit: Coach Insignia
Well, the only time I've ever eaten at a higher altitude was in a airplane . . . this steakhouse soars 70+ floors above Detroit with stunning views of the city [which I think looks better after dark] and across the river to Canada. Prices for restaurants of this type usually mirror the height of the building or the expanse of the view, and Coach Insignia is no exception . . . stratospheric. As with all restaurants with spectacular views there is usually a conundrum regarding which is better . . . the food or the view. The food shouldn't distract from the view, but neither should the view be an excuse for mediocre food and service. The view won out here, with poorly prepared food and sporadic service marking our dining experience.
After a vertigo-inducing rocket of an elevator ride, we began the evening at the bar for drinks and a first look at the amazing view. We settled in for a cocktail and decided to have their signature appetizer as well, "lobster corn dogs". Yes, deep fried lobster on a stick! It arrived hot and crisp and very tasty, proving again that you can [and maybe should] try frying anything at least once. It was also at the bar that we encountered the first service misstep of the evening in the form of a very pleasant, but overly chatty, bartender who kept inserting herself into our conversation. Some chat is good, but we had had a long day and needed to do some reflection and were regularly interrupted by our friendly bearer of libations.
Then it was on to the dining room for the main event, at a beautiful table with that perfect view across the river. We started with salads, the Chop-Chop [pretty boring, mostly lettuce with sparse dressing] and the Autumn Salad [poached pear, bleu cheese, baby spinach and caramelized shallot] which was beautifully presented and offered a sophisticated blend of flavors that turned out to be the star of the evening. Then there were the steaks . . . which I'm sorry to report reminded me of a Sizzler. These were not the steaks that one would expect from a restaurant of this pretense, and to compound things there were not cooked as ordered. The worst example was a steak that was ordered medium-well that arrived from the kitchen barely warm inside and much less cooked than the other steaks at the table which were ordered medium-rare. When the undercooked steak was sent back for more fire it returned barely changed, as if the kitchen wasn't paying attention or was trying to make a statement about how they thought steak should be ordered. Bad form for sure. The side dishes of sautéed mushrooms and scalloped potatoes were serviceable, but not memorable. This is basic food folks, nothing fancy or difficult to prepare, and with attention to detail should be wonderful in the best sense of comfort food. Somewhere along the way that lesson was missed by the Coach Insigna.
The service, unfortunately, matched the food. Our waiter was pleasant but not always around when needed. Water glasses weren't filled or plates cleared with any care. Then an overly solicitous wine steward made the proceedings almost like a SNL skit. Maybe it’s me, but I have not had much luck eating at steakhouses recently and my karma continued here. The view is wonderful, the restaurant beautiful [but why doesn't it rotate?] but nothing else about the place comes up to that level. If I am in Detroit again I'll go up for a drink, sitting at a table and not the bar, have an appetizer and enjoy the sunset view. Then I'll take the elevator back to earth and find a good restaurant for dinner.
EatHereOrNot: MAYBE
After a vertigo-inducing rocket of an elevator ride, we began the evening at the bar for drinks and a first look at the amazing view. We settled in for a cocktail and decided to have their signature appetizer as well, "lobster corn dogs". Yes, deep fried lobster on a stick! It arrived hot and crisp and very tasty, proving again that you can [and maybe should] try frying anything at least once. It was also at the bar that we encountered the first service misstep of the evening in the form of a very pleasant, but overly chatty, bartender who kept inserting herself into our conversation. Some chat is good, but we had had a long day and needed to do some reflection and were regularly interrupted by our friendly bearer of libations.
Then it was on to the dining room for the main event, at a beautiful table with that perfect view across the river. We started with salads, the Chop-Chop [pretty boring, mostly lettuce with sparse dressing] and the Autumn Salad [poached pear, bleu cheese, baby spinach and caramelized shallot] which was beautifully presented and offered a sophisticated blend of flavors that turned out to be the star of the evening. Then there were the steaks . . . which I'm sorry to report reminded me of a Sizzler. These were not the steaks that one would expect from a restaurant of this pretense, and to compound things there were not cooked as ordered. The worst example was a steak that was ordered medium-well that arrived from the kitchen barely warm inside and much less cooked than the other steaks at the table which were ordered medium-rare. When the undercooked steak was sent back for more fire it returned barely changed, as if the kitchen wasn't paying attention or was trying to make a statement about how they thought steak should be ordered. Bad form for sure. The side dishes of sautéed mushrooms and scalloped potatoes were serviceable, but not memorable. This is basic food folks, nothing fancy or difficult to prepare, and with attention to detail should be wonderful in the best sense of comfort food. Somewhere along the way that lesson was missed by the Coach Insigna.
The service, unfortunately, matched the food. Our waiter was pleasant but not always around when needed. Water glasses weren't filled or plates cleared with any care. Then an overly solicitous wine steward made the proceedings almost like a SNL skit. Maybe it’s me, but I have not had much luck eating at steakhouses recently and my karma continued here. The view is wonderful, the restaurant beautiful [but why doesn't it rotate?] but nothing else about the place comes up to that level. If I am in Detroit again I'll go up for a drink, sitting at a table and not the bar, have an appetizer and enjoy the sunset view. Then I'll take the elevator back to earth and find a good restaurant for dinner.
EatHereOrNot: MAYBE
Friday, January 25, 2008
Portland: El Gaucho
El Gaucho is one of two local steakhouses [the other being Ringside] that fit into that upper tier of beef purveyors that has been having a renaissance: simple food that is well prepared, no surprises and excellent service. Think Ruth's Chris without the chain feel or Morton's without the pretentious presentation of raw beef and wriggling lobsters. And don't think about Shula's, its not worth mentioning. I have had many a wonderful evening at El Gaucho with perfectly prepared steaks, excellent service and the best Caesar salad around. Not this time. I went on a Sunday evening and the "A" team was definitely NOT in the house. Everything had slipped since my last visit . . . from the hostesses [usually impeccably dressed and attentive, not so tonight] . . . to the waiter [chatty and not even close to unobtrusive or professional] . . . to the Caesar salad [where is Sherwood when you need him?]. Disappointing. Actually, for the price of dinner, REALLY disappointing.
Let's start with the Caesar, prepared table side, which is always fun. This time the balance in the ingredients was off . . . not creamy, too salty and just not that great. It didn't even look right. Sherwood, a stalwart of the Portland restaurant scene for many years and the best captain in the El Gaucho dining room, would have been appalled. Like I said, the "A" team was not on duty so things just weren't the same.
Then there were the steaks, which came flying out of the kitchen before we were finished with the salads. I hate being rushed like that. They were properly cooked, but too salty. The beef was good, but I like to taste the beef and not the salt. Was someone on the line new to using the salt shaker? With the steaks we had baked potatoes with the "full Gaucho" treatment: a quarter pound of butter and beer-cheese sauce . . . nothing wrong here, and we're supporting the Oregon dairy industry too! The menu says that the potato is "fluffed table side" which makes me kind of nervous, but it was good, and I didn't need to smoke when it was over. We also had a side dish of roasted corn with chipotle honey butter that was good, but again, overly salted. The word of the day for all of the food we had: SALTY.
And, since I know that you all appreciate a certain sense of decorum, you'll be pleased to know that the folks here ask gentlemen to remove their baseball caps in the dining room . . . unique for Portland. But alas, a true gentleman would already know to remove his hat indoors and would never have thought to wear a baseball cap to anything but a fast food joint in the first place! And I won't even begin to talk about raggedy jeans and tee shirts in a fine dining establishment. Its just too much.
This is a beautiful room with a retro feel that is comfortable and inviting and filled with promise. I will give it another try down the line, but not on a Sunday, and let you know what happens. For a place that is referred to as "El Gouge-O" for its stratospheric prices, there should never be an off night. Hopefully next time it will be back to its more respectable self.
EatHereOrNot: MAYBE
Let's start with the Caesar, prepared table side, which is always fun. This time the balance in the ingredients was off . . . not creamy, too salty and just not that great. It didn't even look right. Sherwood, a stalwart of the Portland restaurant scene for many years and the best captain in the El Gaucho dining room, would have been appalled. Like I said, the "A" team was not on duty so things just weren't the same.
Then there were the steaks, which came flying out of the kitchen before we were finished with the salads. I hate being rushed like that. They were properly cooked, but too salty. The beef was good, but I like to taste the beef and not the salt. Was someone on the line new to using the salt shaker? With the steaks we had baked potatoes with the "full Gaucho" treatment: a quarter pound of butter and beer-cheese sauce . . . nothing wrong here, and we're supporting the Oregon dairy industry too! The menu says that the potato is "fluffed table side" which makes me kind of nervous, but it was good, and I didn't need to smoke when it was over. We also had a side dish of roasted corn with chipotle honey butter that was good, but again, overly salted. The word of the day for all of the food we had: SALTY.
And, since I know that you all appreciate a certain sense of decorum, you'll be pleased to know that the folks here ask gentlemen to remove their baseball caps in the dining room . . . unique for Portland. But alas, a true gentleman would already know to remove his hat indoors and would never have thought to wear a baseball cap to anything but a fast food joint in the first place! And I won't even begin to talk about raggedy jeans and tee shirts in a fine dining establishment. Its just too much.
This is a beautiful room with a retro feel that is comfortable and inviting and filled with promise. I will give it another try down the line, but not on a Sunday, and let you know what happens. For a place that is referred to as "El Gouge-O" for its stratospheric prices, there should never be an off night. Hopefully next time it will be back to its more respectable self.
EatHereOrNot: MAYBE
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