Winners For

Best Steakhouse

The Metropolitan Grill's grasp of the steakhouse genre is so complete that I avoided it for months, guessing from the menu and decor that it was an outpost of a national chain I didn't know. It seemed unlikely that a restaurant without a massive R&D department would nail French onion soup, Caesar salad, creamed spinach, and a dry-aged prime long...

It used to be that a steak house was a steak house was a steak house. Now it's a place that uses organics, sears Kobe meat at 1,500 degrees, and offers innovative sides. Edge Steak & Bar does much of this. The dining room is sleek and stylish, with an outdoor terrace and private event rooms. Vegetables are sourced locally, and chef Aaron Brooks ...

In this era of gastropubs and fusion bistros, it comes as a welcome relief to enter a place that still calls itself a "chophouse," as does Suzanne Tracht's 11-year-old West Hollywood restaurant, Jar. The moniker is a signal to other beautifully atavistic traits: a maitre d' in a suit and tie, white tablecloths, an iceberg wedge on the menu, a pl...

Steak dinner and a sunset? Yes, please. Celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's stylish steakhouse at The Phoenician resort serves up spectacular views of the Valley as well as a selection of premium meats. In an atmosphere more pleasant than posh, diners can enjoy a range of exceptional grilled beefy fare from juicy 18-ounce rib eyes to perf...

Not only is Vic & Anthony's currently the city's best steakhouse, it's one of the best all-around restaurants in Houston, period. The charmingly old-school service is exemplary, the dining rooms are lushly appointed and lavishly handsome, the food is always impeccable — hell, even the piano player in the dark, loungey bar is fantastic. A trip to...

Pappas Bros. boasts massive USDA Prime, dry-aged steaks, a plush atmosphere and a special cigar lounge where you can enjoy expensive cognacs and big fat stogies after dinner. There is really very little else in town that can compare when it comes to smooth, old-school charm and elegance than Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. The steakhouse prides itself ...

From the day construction began, Del Frisco's set out to be the top steak house in Houston. The 13,000-square-foot Galleria location is a copy of the 17,000-square-foot Del Frisco's in Manhattan. The walls are mahogany, the floors are Brazilian slate and the grand light fixtures are made from Spanish alabaster and cost $75,000 apiece. The total ...

Killen's buys top-quality meats from Allen Brothers of Chicago, arguably the best steakhouse supplier in the nation. And unlike most steakhouses in town, Killen's squat building in suburban Pearland is just down the street from a lumberyard and the dress code is decidedly casual. But don't let the casual vibe fool you -- it's deceptively easy to...

The Houston outpost of the New York-based Smith & Wollensky chain (there are eight more across the nation) serves dry-aged USDA Prime steaks inside a swank Highland Village set-up. A personal favorite is the flavorful Coffee & Cocoa Rubbed Filet, which features a 14-ounce. filet rubbed with coffee and cocoa, then charbroiled and topped with anch...

It's disconcerting to have the display cart's live lobster eyeing you while you're ordering your dinner, but if you can get past the active menu tableau, you'll find that the steaks at Morton's are expertly prepared. So is the baked lobster, for that matter, presented whole and split down the middle. The ribeye is one of the best pieces of meat ...

Although III Forks is a Dallas-based chain, we still love it. Under chef and owner Ozzie Rogers, the upscale, beautifully-appointed steakhouse has become a great addition to the otherwise quiet Houston Pavilions downtown. Along with aged USDA Prime beef in all the traditional cuts, III Forks serves seafood and one of the best salads I've ever ha...

Although we personally always get the famous pork chop at Perry's, we do realize that it's a steakhouse first and foremost. The first Perry's was opened by Bob Perry in 1979 as purely a butcher shop and is now run personally by his son, Bobby. This original Perry & Sons Market & Grille on Scarsdale Boulevard remains a neighborhood favorite, alth...

USDA Prime steaks are the main attraction here, but there are also plenty of grilled seafood selections and salads. In addition to all the steakhouse standards, Fleming's has its own twists such as a porcini-rubbed filet with grilled asparagus spears and a gorgonzola cream sauce. Sunday's are great for family affairs, when Fleming's serves a pri...

The steaks at Brenner's location on Buffalo Bayou are wet-aged, USDA Prime and they're served in a puddle of au jus. It's a smart idea: The meat juice soaks in as you cut each bite, so there's never a chance for dry-tasting meat. But the real allure at Brenner's -- also known as the old Rainbow Lodge location -- is its gorgeous, rustic building ...

J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood, a very small, national chain from the same folks who brought you Houlihan's and Bristol Seafood Grill, doesn't dry-age its USDA Prime steaks, which is pretty much our only quibble about the place. It wet-ages them for at least three weeks, depending on the cut. And then it grills those steaks over mesqui...

The PR people at THE RANCH (their caps, not ours) hate it when we media types refer to the restaurant in write-ups as a steakhouse. If they've told us once, they've told us a thousand times, "It's not a steakhouse! It's a restaurant and saloon!" They're right, of course. And it is a great restaurant with none other than ex-Napa Rose MVPs chef Mi...

Chicago Chop House Restaurant Review: This wood-trimmed meatery is located in a restored Victorian brownstone, and it serves good steaks --- though not consistently. When dining here, the T-bone tends to fare well, and the side dishes are standouts, especially those of the potato persuasion. The nice-casual setting, convivial bar and solid seafo...

Fogo de Chao Restaurant Review: It’s safe to say that the all-you-can-eat, one-price-gets-everything arrangement of the churrascaria, or Brazilian-style steakhouse, has taken hold, and this spot --- with its high ceilings, moody lighting and spacious floor plan --- is at the top of its ilk. Its salad bar, of all things, is most worthy of accolad...

Gene & Georgetti Restaurant Review: What a story this place could tell --- ones of the politicians, the movie stars and the celebrities who have dined here. (And what a story the waiters could tell, should they deign to talk.) Steaks take center stage, and the silver-haired set in particular partakes of the aged, Prime cuts. All the classic stea...

Harry Caray's Restaurant Review: There's a lot of verve at Harry Caray's downtown, so this outpost comes off a bit cold and listless by comparison. Still, we like the Tuscan salad with imported Italian meats and cheeses arranged with a stuffed cherry pepper, artichokes and olives. Harry's makes a very good linguine with clams, and the steaks are...

Morton's The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Morton's steaks (go for the signature cut --- New York strip) are prime time eating in every respect. We never had a steak here that wasn't properly cooked, nor have we had one that did not deliver that rich mineral taste of Prime aged beef. We admit to enjoying the show and tell menu description (steak...

Pete Miller's Steakhouse Restaurant Review: This is a pleasing North Shore steakhouse, one that captures the necessary trappings (white tablecloths, woody booths, private dining nooks) and nails quintessential starters like a wedge salad, oysters on the half shell and fried calamari on the head. Aged steaks are the meat of the menu and are on a ...

Rosebud Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Rosebud Steakhouse fills a niche somewhere between Gibsons and ultra-old-school Gene & Georgetti, and that's generally a nice place to be. There’s not a lot of Italian food on the menu, so expect a rather different approach from this usually pasta-driven team. The room is intimate enough, especially for a st...

Texas de Brazil Restaurant Review: Masculine décor, including blood-red walls and wrought iron chandeliers, signal the meal at hand: all-you-can-eat, tableside-carved meat that's the specialty of south Brazil. Meals begin with trips to the salad bar. Be sure to score bites of Manchego cheese, prosciutto di Parma, marinated olives and a ranch dre...

ZED451 Restaurant Review: A cut above its churrascaria counterparts, this surprisingly intimate restaurant gets buzz on account of the roomy (and super-stylish) rooftop lounge. But the real draw, of course, is the food, which begins with trips to the aptly named “harvest table”; it’s where intricate salads get their own sauces, and meats and che...

The Capital Grille Restaurant Review: Portraits of important Chicagoans grace the wood-trimmed walls of this masculine, classic steakhouse where dry-aged Prime beef takes center stage. Meals can begin with chilled caviar or flash-fried calamari with hot cherry peppers and garlicky butter, but we’re partial to the filler-light lobster and crab ca...

Plaza III The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: This Kansas City steakhouse has been a Plaza mainstay since 1963. Locals know they can count on finding both a USDA Prime steak and local jazz. We recommend the tenderloin tartare, a classic rendition made with chopped filet mignon and sprinkled with caviar. The smoked Atlantic salmon, on the other han...

The Capital Grille Restaurant Review: Enjoy hand-carved chops, steaks (filet mignon, Kona-crusted dry-aged sirloin, porcini-rubbed Delmonico), fresh seafood and desserts like flourless chocolate-espresso cake at this chain steakhouse in “the city of fountains.” The professional service makes every effort to accommodate special requests, making t...

Jess & Jim's Steak House Restaurant Review: This is not a place for glamour or to do hard-nosed business deals. Jess & Jim's hearkens back to a simpler America, where what's on the plate matters more than anything else. This is a place where you get good grub and plenty of it, and the meat is hanging naked and proudly in the window. You're going...

Em Chamas Brazilian Grill Restaurant Review: Nick Silvio and Jeff Petersen knew Kansas Citians would fall, hard, for the Brazilian churrascaria, an all-you-can-eat orgy of meat. Guests pick and choose from 14 cuts and varieties of meat, including bacon-wrapped turkey and filets to lamb, chicken, Brazilian sausages and provolone-stuffed prime rib...

Ruth's Chris Steak House Restaurant Review: High ceilings and mahogany details accent this steakhouse's dining room, located on the Country Club Plaza. Surprises are packaged in more than just steak. Lead with a broiled tomato or sizzlin' blue crab cakes then dig into juicy thick cuts of beef including filet mignon, rib-eye or T-bone. Try the ma...

Butcher & Singer Restaurant Review: Butcher & Singer, from restaurant mogul Stephen Starr, exudes a sexy 40s supper club vibe. This is a grand spot, with its reconfigured front bar, soaring 28-foot ceilings and crystal chandeliers resurrected from the Fontainebleau in Miami. Sink into a leather-tufted booth with a perfect manhattan and get ready...

Davio's Restaurant Review: This clubby, upscale Northern Italian steakhouse combines the best of two worlds: fine steaks and pasta specialties such as lobster ravioli with fennel, tomato and lobster cream. Whole-wheat penne is available as a substitute on any pasta dish. The $59 three-course menu, with a surf ‘n’ turf as the main event, is a goo...

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House Restaurant Review: Three floors, room for more than 500 diners and a 34-foot wine tower are just a few of the bragging rights at Del Frisco’s, the Philly outpost of the swank steakhouse chain. You can’t beat the historic Packard Building setting for jaw-dropping impact---a soaring space with mezzanine seatin...

Table 31 Restaurant Review: Chef/proprietor Chris Scarduzio brings his passion for Italian food to this steakhouse bistro in a corner of the Comcast Center high-rise in the heart of downtown. Order one of the best Prime steaks around, the 14-ounce New York strip, or dig into a plate of homemade cavatelli in a San Marzano tomato sauce spiked with...

Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Review: Ensconced in the tony Rittenhouse Hotel, Smith & Wollensky is a magnet for local deal-making carnivores, out-of-towners and locals celebrating special occasions. The upstairs dining room, overlooking elegant Rittenhouse Square, is decorated with dark wood accents, turn-of-the-century fixtures and pieces of Am...

The Capital Grille Restaurant Review: A well located choice for pre- or post-theater dining, The Capital Grille is one of the best of the chain gang, an upmarket eatery that delivers every step of the way. The vibe is comfortable and the crowd well heeled, service is dependable, the portions are generous and the beef is dry-aged on the premises....

The Palm Restaurant Review: This Broad Street emporium of fine steaks and seafood attracts the dealmakers from City Hall and the area's high-rises. The bar is always busy, and having your caricature on the wall insures status among the money boys --- it's a real he-man spot after all. Beneath the glamour and the high prices, there's good food, s...

Morton's The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: The business crowd that frequents Morton’s handsome digs seems willing to pay the price for the red wine to accompany the flavorful and generous steaks; there's a whole page that lists magnums. The Art Deco etched-glass bar is very busy on weeknights, but on weekends the crowd is older and decidedly wel...

Ruth's Chris Steak House Restaurant Review: Prime USDA beef and a first-rate location are the hallmarks of the Philly outpost of this well-known chain. Ideally situated for access to theater and concerts, Ruth's Chris serves butter-drenched steaks and generous vegetable portions that have made it famous from coast-to-coast. The service is fairly...

Bourbon Steak Restaurant Review: This may be one of DC’s most luxurious restaurants, but every penny you spend buys you some of the city’s most luxurious food. First, it’s a Michael Mina effort, which ensures top quality. Next, it’s housed in the fancy Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown, a destination known to attract celebs and politicos. Finally...

The Capital Grille Restaurant Review: The menu at this clubby chain steakhouse on the Capitol end of Pennsylvania Avenue is much like that of any other such steakhouse---massive cuts of aged beef, giant lobsters, cottage fries and creamed spinach. We must admit, though, that we haven’t found the beef (which is displayed in the windowed walk-in r...

Morton's The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Morton’s steaks are even bigger than its reputation as watering holes for political bigwigs or a spot where Monica Lewinsky dined with her attorney. The real reason to come is for one of the aged, top-quality porterhouses, available in one-and-a-half- or three-pound cuts. To avoid ruining your appetite,...

Ruth's Chris Steak House Restaurant Review: The Connecticut Avenue branch of an upscale international steakhouse chain that started in New Orleans, Ruth’s Chris is often filled with conventioneers from the Washington Hilton up the street. The big attraction is the steak, USDA Prime, cut in large portions, cooked to order and dripping in butter, ...

Charlie Palmer Steak Restaurant Review: Yes, that was a secret service agent with the telltale earplug hovering around the front door. And over there that burly guy must be some politico's bodyguard. Such is the power play just blocks from the Capitol at Charlie Palmer Steak. The outside entrance is so discreet that, but for the bodyguard, you m...

The Prime Rib Restaurant Review: The ambience of The Prime Rib evokes that of an elegant supper club of the ’40s---gold-trimmed black walls, black-tie-clad waiters and a Lucite-topped grand piano that’s played during lunch and dinner. The name reveals the specialty: the best roast beef in town. You also can get that rib cut as a steak. If you ch...

Bobby Van's Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Bobby Van's interior suggests a men’s club, with dark leather upholstery, and the menu stars filet, porterhouse, sirloin and rib-eye---plus selected seafood (Maine lobster, scallops, pepper shrimp and crab cakes). If you drop by for lunch, try the Caesar salad with shaved Parmesan, although the huge ten-...

The Palm Restaurant Review: If The Capital Grille is the power lunch spot of choice for Republicans, The Palm is the preferred Democratic hangout. Lunch and dinner are equally busy. The lunch menu features the signature beef salad over sliced tomatoes and a list of surprisingly good Italian and Cajun-inspired dishes. In the evening, go for the N...

Grill 23 & Bar Restaurant Review: Grill 23 & Bar is a twenty-first century, classic American steakhouse: yuppies and board chairmen hold court in the two-story dining room (which can get boisterous at times) over huge slabs of tender, juicy meat. Red wine flows like chatter on the trading floor. While it’s a lot about the show here, we relish th...

Abe & Louie's Restaurant Review: Steakhouses in Boston are a dime a dozen, but Abe & Louie’s boasts an elegant main dining room with leather booths, ornately decorated with mahogany paneling and a vaulted gold-leafed ceiling. The oversize menu gives a subliminal hint of what is in store---massive sides, over-the-top appetizers, a varied wine lis...

The Capital Grille Restaurant Review: This outpost of the steakhouse chain, one of the first on the Boston scene, has relocated from Newbury Street to the Hynes Convention Center, which doubled its size. The wood paneling and white tablecloths remain, but you will find a brighter, more open space with high ceilings and a wall of wine; 25 wines a...

The Capital Grille Restaurant Review: Get your platinum cards ready for this over-the-top Chestnut Hill steakhouse that features big cuts of beef, chops and sides. Located just up Route 9 from the Atrium Mall and across from the Chestnut Hill Mall, you will find loads of self-importance emanating from the chic martini-sippers at the bar as well ...

Davio's Restaurant Review: This regional Italian steakhouse, located in the former Paine Furniture Building in Park Square, serves up Italian cuisine “with a focus on the grill.” You’ll find staples like the Bolognese made with braised beef, veal and pork and chophouse selections from a 12-ounce Kobe sirloin to an 18-ounce porterhouse veal chop....

Mooo.... Restaurant Review: The understated elegance at Mooo…. certainly shines through the moment you step into the Beacon Hill steakhouse. A favorite among politicos, who populate the bustling after-work scene at the bar, this hotel restaurant situated in XV Beacon is modern and upscale. The à la carte menu ranges from the classic New York str...

Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Review: This steakhouse seems to pack them in nightly and for good reason---enormous cuts of beef dry-aged for 28 days on the premises are served up by attentive servers in private rooms. Try to grab a seat on the couch in the bustling two-story bar area next to the fireplace. The main dining room just off of the bar...

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Restaurant Review: Located in the Theater District across from The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers, Fleming's is owned by the folks behind nearby P.F. Chang's China Bistro. The main dining room is done in shades of crimson and amber, with lots of red leather. The topnotch wine program targets both the casua...

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House Restaurant Review: Del Frisco’s isn’t your typical dark and clubby steakhouse, but a bright and open 13,000-square-foot space offering harbor and city views. Sit in a comfortable booth, at an indoor table, or outside on the sprawling patio, which offers diners a free seat for live music concerts at the nearb...

The Metropolitan Club Restaurant Review: While The Capital Grille just down the street remains the favorite haunt of old-school tycoons, Chestnut Hill's Metropolitan Club caters to their heirs. This is your new-money dot-commer's chophouse, clubby yet decked out in modern bling: copper panels, frosted and back-lit glass panes, striking light fix...

Bourbon Steak Restaurant Review: This Michael Mina restaurant at the posh MGM Grand Detroit serves Certified Angus beef and American Kobe cuts that are grilled over mesquite wood in a glassed-in exhibition kitchen. Other sophisticated specialties worth trying are the tender American Kobe beef short ribs with horseradish-celeriac purée and red wi...

Ruth's Chris Steak House Restaurant Review: Ruth Fertel mortgaged her home back in 1965 to buy a little steakhouse in an old New Orleans neighborhood. More than 40 years later, Ruth's Chris Steak House is a Prime beef empire, and its Detroit metro area restaurant is a favorite among locals. This branch is located in the Top of Troy Building. Wit...

No. VI Chophouse Restaurant Review: No. VI Chophouse is a plush emporium of Prime beef and seafood. We like the house specialty steak au poivre, a 14-ounce New York cut, rubbed with Tellicherry pepper and roasted with Cognac and porcini mushrooms. Others to try include char-grilled Tasmanian salmon, and sashimi-grade ahi with ponzu sauce and gri...

Louis' Chop House Restaurant Review: Three Greek-American brothers honored their father by naming their restaurant after him and filling the rooms with family memorabilia after he retired from a lifetime in the restaurant business. The resulting establishment is done up with a fireplace, graceful brass chandeliers and a series of wood-accented b...

Morton's The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: The Morton's chain is all about quality steaks, salads and sides with a couple of seafood items thrown in for good measure. The originator of the show-and-tell, tableside menu, Morton's lays it on thick. But it's a good thick, and it's a fine place for good food and a good time in a clubby setting. Afte...

JRDN Restaurant Restaurant Review: Pacific Beach's JRDN (pronounced Jordan) has officially earned its place as a San Diego hot-spot and is leading the charge to transform PB from frat boy enclave to a seaside dining destination. In the casual space, executive chef David Warner oversees the Cal-fresh-meets-steakhouse menu which offers good value,...

Donovan's Steak & Chop House Restaurant Review: Donovan's is quite popular with the business set, perhaps because it feels like an old-time private club. This elite atmosphere is extended by the efficient, well-trained staff and high-caliber ingredients. Steak aficionados will appreciate that all beef is USDA Prime and aged a minimum of 21 days....

For nearly 45 years, The Steak House on Broadway in Chula Vista (formerly The Butcher Shop) has stood as one of San Diego’s finest prime rib restaurants. Featuring premier beef from exclusive Nebraska ranches, we feature steaks, ribs, chops, seafood and pasta that is without parallel. Since 1968, The Steak House has attracted “meat and martinis”...

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Restaurant Review: This upscale chain of fine steakhouses has two outposts in San Diego. Although the menu is the same throughout the country, we prefer the atmosphere and lively spirit of the downtown location. The clientele is heavily tipped to the business crowd, but America's love affair with protein-bas...

Morton's The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Located across the street from downtown's bustling Convention Center and the many adjacent hotels, Morton's reaps the rewards of out-of-town diners, especially businesspeople out to impress. No one can deny that this well-regarded chain serves solid cuts of meat --- from New York strips to the big daddy...

The Butcher Shop Steakhouse Restaurant Review: The Butcher Shop Steakhouse, a Chula Vista institution since 1968, has the Vegas steakhouse vibe down cold---velvet wallpaper, blinking lights, leather banquettes and even an über-charming Wayne Newtonesque host. You expect Frankie, Dean or Sammy to sidle around the corner any minute. Well, it almos...

Island Prime Restaurant Review: Island Prime, the joint creation of local restaurant moguls the Cohns and chef Debra Scott, may just have the best view in town. Situated across the harbor from San Diego proper, it looks out across the growing array of skyscrapers and the twinkling lights of boats on the bay. The interior is sumptuous, mixing isl...

Gaslamp Strip Club Restaurant Review: The premise at the Gaslamp Strip Club is simple. Choose from a variety of raw steak, chicken and seafood, order a salad and a couple of family-style side dishes, and head toward the grill. Yes folks, you have to cook your own food here at this hot-spot, but that’s part of the hook. Groups congregate at one o...

The Turf Supper Club Restaurant Review: Let's just say upfront that The Turf Supper Club, or Turf Club as it is commonly known, is not for vegetarians. The menu consists of meat, meat and more meat. Sure, you can get a veggie kebab and a side salad, but the main ingredient here is beef (with some perfunctory chicken and fish). So, if you are rea...

Red Tracton's Restaurant Review: The martinis are martinis and the men are men at this stronghold of red meat and old-fashioned American excess, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Jammed during racing season (the Del Mar track is directly across the street) and busy at other times, Red Tracton's is a draw with folks who don't bother to count...

Bern's Steak House Restaurant Review: On a trip from New York to California, Bernard Laxer and his wife Gert ended up staying in Tampa, where they opened a small restaurant. In1956, they moved to Howard Avenue, and this is the beginning of the Bern’s Steak House story. Obsessed with quality, Bernard (“Bern”) started his own farm to grow organic ...

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Restaurant Review: Fleming's décor includes wood and linen-topped tables in a large room --- a little noisy but also conveying a sense of space. This restaurant features Prime beef and a progressive wine program with more than 100 wines --- almost all domestic --- to sample. Steaks are seared at an extremely...

Boizao Restaurant Review: A stylish option in the restaurant row near the even more stylish International Plaza Mall, this venue brings the tastes and ambience of Brazil's famous steak restaurants to Tampa. Guests walk past a window display of sample meats turning slowly on spits, while inside the room is dominated by a long buffet that provides...

Charley's Steak House & Market Fresh Fish Restaurant Review: Charley's offers a variety of steaks, from porterhouse, T-bone, filet mignon and New York strip to tender loin brochette and bone-in sirloin. But there’s also veal, lamb chops, pork chops and chicken breast selections. The 20-ounce Fab Filet is one of the most popular, if challenging, ...

Salt Rock Grill Restaurant Review: In addition to offering one of the best dining views in the area, this grill offers aged beef and big portions, from the somewhat traditional Mile High meatloaf to a creative chimichurri grilled pork tenderloin or the large scallops (broiled or baked). Regulars appreciate the rack of lamb crusted with basil, ch...

The Capital Grille Restaurant Review: The Capital Grille's stylish décor includes a mahogany bar and a gallery of photos of famous local celebrities as well as some with names and faces bearing national clout. Steaks are aged on the premises, with choices like filet mignon, a 14-ounce or 20-ounce sirloin, a 22-ounce Delmonico and a 24-ounce port...

The Palm Restaurant Review: Diners will find a familiar steakhouse ambience at each location in this upscale chain, along with the trademark caricatures of local notables and celebrities lining the walls. The food runs to outsize portions of USDA Prime steaks and lobster, along with straightforward salads and sides such as the Half & Half, cotta...

Council Oak Steak & Seafood Restaurant Review: Council Oak specializes in steak as well as seafood from local waters, and is so named for the oak tree under which Seminole Tribe leaders would traditionally meet. For appetizers, look for the colossal shrimp cocktail, stuffed clams (actually poached in a wine sauce) and escargots. A nice surprise ...

Bascom's Chop House Restaurant Review: This venue is a fine example of why it's not good to judge a cuisine by its cover. Sure, the emphasis is on steaks and seafood, but there are also some signature dishes. Appetizers include jumbo garlic shrimp and oysters casino while the Black Plate Seafood Platter (a chef's selection of chilled seasonal fr...

Shula's Restaurant Review: Shula's is yet another restaurant in the long line of those opened by a famous sports figure. That said, it's classier than a typical sports bar, with dinner entrées displayed tableside on a cart before ordering and a subdued ambience accentuated by dark wood, intimate dining rooms and low lighting. Somehow, they have ...

The Capital Grille Restaurant Review: Enjoy dry-aged steaks, chops, seafood and a 400-label wine list in this luxurious steakhouse, located in the Inner Harbor. Menu items include seared tenderloin with butter-poached lobster, a porcini-rubbed Delmonico steak, cedar-planked salmon with tomato-fennel relish, and double-cut lamb chops. House-made ...

The Prime Rib Restaurant Restaurant Review: Sexy black lacquer walls; a leopard-print carpet; a white, Lucite-topped piano complete with tuxedoed player teasing out jazzed-up standards --- we get giddy just thinking about this place. Huge sprays of flowers fill the wall’s arched niches. And the vivacious clamor of a tony crowd, part power broker...

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Restaurant Review: Founded by restaurateur Paul Fleming --- the original P.F. in P.F. Chang’s --- and William Allen, III, this steakhouse chain distinguishes itself with its top-quality meats and a notable wine program. Expect a wine list featuring numerous hard-to-find American boutique wines as well as ren...

Morton's The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: In true Chicago style, Morton’s has an easy gait about it. Yes, you’ll wear your jacket in, but nobody will blink an eye if you remove it and roll up your sleeves to tackle the platter of Midwestern corn-fed beef that’ll come your way. You will have to sit through a dog-and-pony show, during which the w...

Ruth's Chris Steak House Restaurant Review: No need to ask where the beef is; it's coming your way in great, hulking portions, served sizzling hot on metal platters. Filets, rib-eyes, a gargantuan porterhouse for two, a classic T-bone, all usually topped with a big gob of butter --- these are your reasons for reserving a table in this vaguely Vi...

The Oregon Grille Restaurant Review: The horsy set of Baltimore County travels over hill and dale to dine at these tables. Yes, it’s the luxe surroundings, all dark-wood paneling, fireplaces, and intimate booths with a pianist jazzing around the standards. A collection of equine memorabilia, including vintage posters and colorful jockeys’ silks,...

The Capital Grille Restaurant Review: Move over Morton’s and Ruth’s Chris. The Capital Grille chain has captured a devoted following for the upscale steakhouse experience. The overall concept generates a comfortable, clubby environment: mahogany, leather, mounted stuffed game --- including an eagle of awesome wing spread; original art centered o...

Aqueous Restaurant Review: Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, in nearby Fallingwater, inspires both the Falling Rock hotel and its beautifully appointed restaurant. The elegant décor features angles, regional materials and references to nature. The American menu offers steak and interesting seafood such as a whole baked branzino. Traditional sta...

Morton's The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: The Morton's chain is all about quality steaks, salads and sides with a couple of seafood items thrown in. The originator of the show-and-tell tableside menu, Morton's lays it on thick. But it's a good thick, and it's a fine place for good food and a good time in a clubby atmosphere. After a liquid cock...

The Carlton Restaurant Review: After a major renovation, The Carlton steps brightly into the twenty-first century. Caricatures of Pittsburgh personalities still line the entrance to this iconic restaurant, but they are more dramatically framed in white against the dark wood bar. Business suits jam the place for the traditional power lunch. Dinne...

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse Restaurant Review: The Pittsburgh outpost of this Cleveland-based chain serves Prime cuts, seafood and specialty items in an Art Deco-inspired setting. Relax in the bar and order cocktails plus a starter---perhaps blackened scallops or crab cakes---before you head in for the main meal. The à la carte menu specializes i...

Laurelhurst Market Restaurant Review: Carnivores flock to this converted mini-mart that houses both a butcher shop and, at night, a steakhouse offering meals prepared with regional ingredients. Sit in the loud and boisterous dining room overlooking the busy open kitchen, or find a table on the quieter, fenced-in patio. Starters include marrow bo...

Portland City Grill Restaurant Review: Located at the top of “Big Pink” (U.S. Bancorp Tower), this restaurant and bar boasts panoramic views of the city and a menu that combines classic steakhouse fare with a creative sushi bar. The menu also shows innovation with Asian appetizers such as five-spice Peking duck, steamed buns, and pickled daikon ...

El Gaucho Restaurant Review: Tuxedoed waiters hover throughout this dark and stylish space (attached to the historic Benson hotel), fully prepared to execute a dramatic performance that will produce a complicated Caesar salad or flaming bananas Foster. But the real stars of the show are the beef entrées, ranging from the eight-ounce filet mignon...

Morton's The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: If you’re in the mood for a thick, juicy steak served in a traditional, clubby atmosphere, this pricey chain fills the bill. It distinguishes itself with soft lighting, quiet tones, and displays of Bordeaux to accompany its deluxe meat-eaters menu. There's a tedious show-and-tell you must endure before ...

Ruth's Chris Steak House Restaurant Review: Don’t expect to be surprised by this steakhouse --- there are dozens of Ruth’s Chris’ across the country and they all serve the same menu. But don’t knock a chain if it knows how to do things right. The menu features Prime beef that's been dry-aged three weeks, then seared under 1,800-degree broilers t...

Jake's Grill Restaurant Review: While the two-martini lunch has pretty much gone the way of the smoking section, this is the sort of place where you can imagine having one. Anchoring the handsome old Governor Hotel, this classic steak and seafood house features traditional dark-wood furnishings and crisp white tablecloths. Like all McCormick & S...

RingSide Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Many regulars were dismayed at the news of a lengthy remodel and temporary move of this West Burnside Street institution, especially to a central downtown location. They shouldn’t have worried. The refurbished RingSide has reopened and is better than ever. While the original space has been slightly moderniz...

Urban Farmer Restaurant Review: From the hubbub of downtown Portland, an elevator whisks diners to this urban oasis, a place of calm where the farm and the ranch share the table. The expansive restaurant sits in an open courtyard in the middle of the posh Nines hotel with “walls” of leather-bound books, jars of pickled produce, and a field of w...

The Buckhorn Steak & Roadhouse Restaurant Review: Those looking for a quality steak-and-potatoes meal in a quirky setting will find it at this infamous roadhouse. Housed in a nineteenth-century hotel, the historic restaurant is a local favorite that launched a chain of casual eateries with the same name. Diners come here to indulge their inner c...

The Broiler Restaurant Review: Despite its location in a modern skyscraper, The Broiler is truly a classic steakhouse. For more than 60 years, it has been a mainstay on the city's fine dining scene and has kept up with changing tastes while retaining its old-school charm. The menu offers all the classics --- filet mignon, porterhouse, prime rib ...

This is the place that showed the world how great a steak can be. Carefully selected and aged for tenderness. Cut thick to ensure juiciness. Seared to perfection at 1800 degrees. Seasoned simply with salt, black pepper and a touch of parsley, because a steak like this needs nothing else. Topped with fresh butter that sizzles seductively on your ...

Chops Restaurant Review: Located across from the State Capitol, this refined steakhouse features a cosmopolitan interior with expansive windows opening onto a busy pedestrian area. The location makes it a popular spot for the state's movers and shakers to woo one another, but it is also a great choice for a celebratory meal. Diners are greeted w...

Morton's The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: This national chain restaurant features steaks, seafood and other meats, all in an upscale setting. The originator of the show-and-tell tableside menu, Morton's lays it on thick. But it's a good thick, and it's a fine place for good food and a good time in a clubby atmosphere. Start with a signature coc...

Sapporo Grill Japanese Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Sapporo's main focus is on the Japanese grill, and it provides stiff competition against good American-style steakhouses with its grilled meats and seafood. Choices include steak, chicken, scallops, shrimp, lobster and salmon, all served with soup, salad and rice. But there is much more to thi...

Red the Steakhouse Restaurant Review: With chefs Jonathan Bennett and Peter Vauthy at the helm, Red, the sister restaurant of Moxie, is an American steakhouse that also serves up a variety of chops and seafood dishes alongside indulgent salads, sides and desserts. Certified Angus beef is requisite, and while every cut---including a New York stri...

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Restaurant Review: Fleming's menu covers all the steakhouse basics, but the real star of the show is the Prime, hand-cut beef; choose from rib-eye, filet and New York strip, all seared by intensely high-heat cooking to create a signature steakhouse crust. Sides, like chipotle cheddar mac ‘n’ cheese or creame...

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse Restaurant Review: The Beachwood outpost of this local restaurant family serves Prime beef and seafood in Art Deco-inspired environs. Caricatures of local movers and shakers adorn the bar area. While the menu is a meat-lover’s dream, it doesn’t end with steak. The Sea & Shore three-course dinner and Surf & Turf dish ar...

Morton's The Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Morton’s attracts local sports heroes, visiting celebrities and anyone comfortable paying top dollar for fine dining. The real reason to come to this downtown restaurant, though, is for one of the aged steaks. Go easy on starters, such as the ahi tower. Sides are sized for sharing --- steamed asparagus,...

Don's Lighthouse Grille Restaurant Review: The historic, castle-like building on Lake Avenue offers an upscale, seafood-centric dining experience---but the long list of appetizers proves happy hour-ready, too. Start with Don’s sampler of three bruschetta, two jumbo shrimp cocktails and one crab cake. Then try either the Park Farms roasted chicke...

Cabin Club Restaurant Review: With its casual yet upscale atmosphere, fresh seafood, daily specials and a notable wine list, the Cabin Club offers something for just about everyone. The menu is classic steakhouse and includes starters like lobster hush puppies with spicy tartar sauce, raspberry barbecue shrimp and Buffalo spring rolls. Cabin Clu...

Kres Restaurant Review: Restaurants like Kres are bringing diners downtown for power lunches and chic dinners. The same team that opened Hue in Thornton Park is behind this 210-seat chophouse, decorated with lots of wood with bold red accents and crisp white tablecloths, all softly lit with fresh flowers on each table. Start with oysters Rockefe...

Bull & Bear Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Located in the Waldorf Astoria Orlando hotel, Bull & Bear is exactly how you would imagine a classic steakhouse --- leather seats, dark wood and crisp white tablecloths. The menu changes seasonally and utilizes fresh, and often local, ingredients (locally made cheese, heirloom tomatoes, Florida corn and ...

Yachtsman Steakhouse Restaurant Review: There are no red-checked tablecloths, brusque waiters and dark, smoky rooms---this spacious steakhouse has spotless hardwood floors and a pretty view of a sandy, man-made lagoon outside the two-story windows. Red meat is the star---a refrigerated display case with big slabs of beef is just inside the door-...

The Palm Restaurant Review: As with other links in the chain, The Palm features caricatures on the walls of celebrities and local notables, an amicable setting for the upscale dishes. Because this one is located in the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Studios, the dress code is a bit more relaxed than at other outposts. Prices keep this a splurge or...

Prime Restaurant Review: Jean-Georges Vongerichten has one of the best fine-dining restaurants in New York and a string of sophisticated restaurants around the world. His steakhouse here in the Bellagio is handsome indeed---heavy velvet drapery, well-spaced tables, and high-end silver and crystal. And the steak is superb: fat-marbled Prime beef ...

Austins Steakhouse Restaurant Review: With its glassed-in wine rack at the entrance, massive ceilings, and open kitchen and plush booths and chairs in a hotel-casino called Texas Station, the atmosphere doesn't get much more authentic than this. Since Austin, Texas is renowned for its great steakhouses, this reincarnation offers an impressive se...

The Capital Grille Restaurant Review: Alcoves circle the main dining room in this handsome restaurant offering several choices of ambience. Massive portions are served with dazzling views of the Strip, in private rooms, in the bustling lounge and at the lively bar. Dark woods and soft lighting enhance the mood, and wine storage lockers are avail...

Brand Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Faux leather in shades of brown and tan grace Brand's ceiling, and dark wood tables contribute towards an earth-toned theme. Although the space is open to the live action in the casino, tables further back allow for a quieter ambience. Begin with the colossal crab Louis, which arrives on a carved block of ice ...

Embers Restaurant Review: Even the value-price tourist hotels in Las Vegas sometimes create a gem you don't expect, and Embers is the Imperial Palace's entry in that sweepstakes. The fireplace makes for a romantic atmosphere, the steaks are flame-broiled and succulent, and the rest of the menu is basic old-fashioned Continental with a touch of n...

Ranch 616 Restaurant Review: Ranch 616 is Texas diner-gone-designer with shiny black booths, a leather bar and funky Southwestern art. The permanent menu and eclectic nightly specials reflect the background of talented owner-chef Kevin Williamson, who grew up in south Texas enjoying fishing, game hunting and cooking home-style food. Expect a cre...

TRIO Restaurant Review: Austin's landmark hotel restaurant, perched on sparkling Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake), is a vibrant space with contemporary lines and the striking colors of the sunset. The remake of the former European-style menu by veteran executive chef Elmar Prambs is anchored by the classics: fresh seafood, Prime steaks and fi...

Sullivan's Steakhouse Restaurant Review: With its 1940s-style Chicago-steakhouse aura, Sullivan's is determined to show you a good time. The mammoth 20-ounce bone-in Kansas City strip is the specialty on the menu, but there are also ten other cuts cooked to your specifications, in addition to veal chops, salmon and Australian lobster tail. When ...

Finn & Porter Restaurant Review: The USDA Prime steaks have solidified Finn & Porter's reputation as a carnivorous favorite, thanks to 28 days of aging and the kitchen’s expert grilling techniques. The garlic-marinated lamb loin is also a winner, though don’t skip too fast past the seafood options. Our go-to appetizer is the sugar-and-spice smok...

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Restaurant Review: It's vociferous and spunky at Fleming's, but you wouldn't want it any other way. As the sun sets, the handsome dark interior with red cherry wood walls fills with business parties, well-heeled couples and celebratory groups who nosh on solid steak and seafood dinners. The wine list feature...

Eddie V's Edgewater Grille Restaurant Review: This downtown destination reels in guests seeking polished service, fresh upscale fare, and topnotch entertainment. Many prefer to dine in the lounge where they can catch the live music and happening bar scene while tucked away in a cozy corner table or high-back leather banquette. Serious seafood lo...

Truluck's Seafood, Steak & Crab Restaurant Review: This noisy Houston transplant features some of the finer foods in life: seafood, steak and stone crabs. In its industrial-chic shell resplendent with lofty potted palms, expect a boisterous after-work bar crowd enjoying the extensive choices of wines by the glass and a school of seafood lovers a...

Eddie V's Edgewater Grille Restaurant Review: This downtown destination reels in guests seeking polished service, fresh upscale fare, and topnotch entertainment. Many prefer to dine in the lounge where they can catch the live music and happening bar scene while tucked away in a cozy corner table or high-back leather banquette. Serious seafood lo...

Eddie V's Edgewater Grille Restaurant Review: This downtown destination reels in guests seeking polished service, fresh upscale fare, and topnotch entertainment. Many prefer to dine in the lounge where they can catch the live music and happening bar scene while tucked away in a cozy corner table or high-back leather banquette. Serious seafood lo...

The Angus Barn Restaurant Review: One of the oldest and most beloved restaurants in the area, the Angus Barn is still a special occasion destination. Walter Royal, winner of the "Iron Chef" title on the Food Network’s TV show, heads the kitchen, which offers standard steakhouse fare and French specialties. To sample Royal’s most imaginative effo...

Bin 54 Steak & Cellar Restaurant Review: As its name suggests, Bin 54 focuses as much on wine as it does the quality beef it serves. The discerning wine list features a line-up of bold choices from around the wine-growing regions of the world, and a selection of dessert wines and digestifs. Chef Ed Kaminsky knows his way around a steak, but the ...

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Restaurant Review: Steak lovers will appreciate this franchise founded by restaurateur Paul Fleming---the original P.F. in P.F. Chang's---and William Allen, III. Fleming’s distinguishes itself with its Prime meats and notable wine program. The wine list features American boutique wines as well as renowned na...

Sullivan's Steakhouse Restaurant Review: Sullivan’s caters to a business-oriented clientele by serving classic martinis and shrimp cocktails just as they were in the 1940s. Steaks, ranging from an eight-ounce filet mignon to a whopping 24-ounce porterhouse, are tender and juicy, and consistently cooked within a shade of the ordered temperature. ...

The Palm Restaurant Review: The Palm is known for celebrity watching; players with the Tennessee Titans and Music Row executives and performers come to dine and be seen, and high-profile special events often unravel here. But those who know their meat come for Prime aged steaks and chops, as well as for such appetizers as calamari and clams casi...

Kayne Prime Restaurant Review: Before Kayne Prime opened in 2011, Nashville was stuck in chain steakhouse purgatory. Now, you may like chain steakhouses, and we’ve got nothing against them, but character and verve are not their specialties. Kayne Prime, on the other hand, is unique. The beef is carefully sourced and aged; the wine list is dynami...

A restaurant listing appetizers as hot and cold "Foreplay" better have good steaks or be dismissed as a tease. The 22-ounce aged prime porterhouse here will satisfy that craving (for 50 bucks). For New Age sensitive guys, there's plenty of sushi, sashimi, and nigiri, the latter including one with truffle and wagyu beef, for those waffling. Or if...

Steakhouses are all about unabashed high-roller gluttony, and when you're paying a head and a hoof for their beef, the cow better damn well be worth the price of its hide. Luckily, the steaks at swanky Shanahan's, while ludicrously expensive, make the cut. Mineraly, chewy, dribbling with crimson droplets of blood and beautifully crusted, these a...

There is glorious, carnivorous decadence contained in a perfectly prepared hunk of beef. Steak can be ordered with a million accoutrements or a simple slab of butter, but if the meat isn't just right, the entire dish is lost. Burch is doing many things well, but the name of the game here is steak. Offering guests a variety of cuts, both grass-fe...