Saloon Steakhouse – Oxygen Tank In Tow
Saloon is my personal favorite. It is not the most glamorous spot. It does boast an average age of diner in the mid 80’s and is never crowded. I don’t know exactly why I have such an affinity for Saloon, but it scratches me where I itch every time. This particular outing had all the makings of a spectacular steak night with a full boat plus an extra Ray. Holinger bailed due to work which reduced us to one less than perfect. Arriving to the Ray threesome and an aggressively poured bourbon, I knew it was going to be a good one.
The wait staff escorted us to the back of the room, oddly placing us directly across from a table of 3 elderly women who did not seem to enjoy our presence. Luckily they were wrapping up. Apps were ordered up swiftly as there seemed to be a pent up hunger among the group. Standard seafood based apps, nothing outstanding, shrimp, calamari, scallops. A light pinot and a very good zinfindel to start, both reasonably priced and well paired. Kicked it up a notch to a cab with dinner. Saloon’s wine list isnt as extensive as some around the city but it has a good range and is very well priced. I don’t think even Holinger could break the bank here. A wedge salad upgrade was worth it and a solid example of the classic.
I decided on the wagyu strip. At this point we have had literally steak all over town of all different sizes, cuts, temperature, topping, etc. This is hands down the best steak I have had. Everything about it was perfect. The size was manageable, the temperature perfect, the marbling was even throughout, and the flavor was absolutely overwhelming. I typically don’t buy into the whole wagyu / kobe upsell but I’m sold. Sides were nothing to write about, the lobster mac is bland and somewhat dry. The spinach was a bit heavy handed on the butter and garlic.
Oh and then I made sweet, sweet passionate love to the banana cream cream pie with the oreo crust. It had it all. This dessert is worth going to Saloon for on its own. Not being a dessert guy I wasnt all that excited about it until it got in my mouth and did wonders.
A quick post dinner drink with the Rays and Cizzle rounded out the night. Strong performance with a couple mediocre spots in the middle, still top marks to Saloon. Two patrons did indeed have oxygen tanks in two.
9
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Yeah, so this was a needed comeback to earth (at least ambience wise) from the near homer that was Keefer’s. That said, I liked how we basically took over the place from the second we all walked in and the only possible thing deterring us was a heart attack from one of the other 10 diners at the joint who are all in the last days of their lives.
The nice folks at the restaurant seated us at probably the worst spot in the place given its proximity to other diners, but our group didn’t give a stroke and carried on. Soon the other diners departed home for reruns of Murder She Wrote and the place was left to ourselves.
Apps were on point and I personally enjoyed my first bisque in several occasions with some sherry on top. Wagyu steak was no brainer and the call to add some “bone marrow butter” was a bold one. Lo and behold it was delicious and cooked purrfectly, although I paid for the bone marrow call in the middle of the night and next morning.
Hans put his mouth all over the dessert, so I had little of it seeing as I am trying to cut sugar out of my diet. Daddy Gims is my inspiration and someone has to stick to the program.
Overall this is a nice, but touristy joint with main diners who just walk in (via a helping device or guide dog). The food is way underrated as the clientele leaves one to make assumptions that they shouldn’t. Would be happy to come back again for a bite in sooner time than 3 years or whatever the gap was in frequenting this fine establishment.
9
The three Ray brothers arrived at Saloon just after 7:00 and started getting after it. The place was mostly empty with the exception of a couple of tourists in their early 100s, I swear the guy next to me tried to order a bath tub gin but the bartender reminded him that prohibition has been over for some time now. The rest of the crew trickled in and we were off and running. Thank you Don for the drinks.
While I don’t mind Saloon and think that overall the food may actually be a bit underrated I don’t hold it in the same regard as many in the group. Atmosphere is not the most important component of a restaurant but when it is really bad you really notice it. The atmosphere at Saloon is terrible, it’s like walking into Del Bocca Vista, I thought Morty Seinfeld was going to saddle up at the bar any minute.
With 8 of the 9 group members in attendance and Balanaby as a guest the tone was set for a memorable evening. The shrimp and calamari aps were both great, lightly breaded and not overly fried. A tasty sauce was served with the shrimp. As usual I got a lobster bisque, I must say perhaps the weakest bisque I have had. I am in the minority in that I didn’t go with the wagyu at Saloon. I tried a piece of Brad’s and it is excellent but a little too rich for me, I prefer a more traditional steak. My ribeye was good but didn’t make me “ooh and ahh” like the rest of the group that went with wagyu. As far as sides the mashed potatoes stand out, not only on this evening but compared to other places as well. With our large group and the drinks flowing we were clearly the loud table in the restaurant and I’m sure our conversation made the few remaining senior citizens cringe. Then again I think they had hearing aids so maybe they didn’t hear any of our conversation. None the less a fabulous dinner.
Brad won at credit card roulette for the first time since the Bush administration. It was Balanaby’s birthday, not surprising since we was the guest. Post dinner drinks were at Sienna Tavern and the vodka sodas were going down like water. Awesome evening as always.
Saloon. Feels like a TGI Fridays and has the crowd of Saturday night bingo. But oh sweet Moses the steak….
We had almost a full boat for the evening sans Mr. Holinger and adding a Ray. Now if we could just add Dick Ray to the mix we’d really be getting somewhere.
As usual, Brad was on his 5th scotch by the time we got there. He really let it all hang out for Cole who probably had the most expensive individual bill for steak night ever.
Apps were average for the most part but I really enjoyed the bacon wrapped scallop. But who doesn’t?
You don’t come to Saloon for the ambiance. You don’t come for a hip crowd (unless you’re looking for the broken kind). You come for the steak. And I can say hands down this is the best steak I’ve had in the city. I went with the Wagyu strip. Like Zee German I don’t normally go for the up-sell but in this case it was so worth it. Perfect marbling. Perfect temperature. Perfect size. Perfect salty flavor. There is no comparison in my opinion.
Sides were average. I don’t even remember them really.
Dessert. I made sweet love to the banana cream pie with Oreo crust. This was my favorite dessert thus far at steak night. I also wouldn’t kick the white chocolate pretzel bread pudding out of bed. But I’d come back for the cream pie and coffee, and to maybe pick up a few geriatrics.
9/10.
The Saloon – one of the few places that has a Wagyu on the menu regularly. Often snubbed for its lack of atmosphere and old ladies with blue hair and doily’s – this go around was no different. The place is for old people, period. By the time we finished, no one was there. But it does have some redeeming qualities – so let’s start from the first Oban.
I had my first Oban at the bar alone, first to arrive. Great to have balanaby in tow and the ray bro’s joined in short order. A near full crew streamed in for what had to be a large bill to handle – I myself put an easy $50 into it. The group was seated in a largely empty restaurant and started to dine. What the Saloon lacks in atmosphere is makes up for in food quality.
Excelled calamari and shrimp apps – excellent. A twist on the menu leads us to the wagyu strip – not rib eye. I swore off the wagyu as overrated the last time – but I was pulled in for another go. Great call. Cooked to perfection with fatty flavor all the way through. A delicious steak. The sides were largely forgettable with the cream spinach getting the only memorable marks and the mac and cheese coming across largely as fettuccine pasta.
The best part of the night…BRAD RAY WALKS FREE!!!!! The 2nd time in 6 years! We finished the night with a fistful of vodka sodas at Scottie’s daughters tavern.
Fun night all around – next morning was tough.
What a treat, Hans took over the entire place for us. No, it turns out there was just nobody else there. It is a shame, as this is easily one of the best steaks in the city. I imagine the other cuts are decent, but if you have a choice of Wagyu, you take it.
Lively banter enveloped the table. There was lots of laughter, plenty of cocktails and an overall jovial feel. Hans was allowed to officially declare his engagement, Donald pulled an Alfonso Soriano and returned to his original team at Bryan Cave.
Enough has been said on the sides and other elements.
Donald provided a ride home for Scotty and I and we had some solid fellowship.
Happy times all the way around.
8.5
After the Morton’s fiascos the group felt the concept of a great meal may be on the ropes. Good news of Hans being turned into ana honest man was a harbinger that the night was good in hands and we were not disappointed. Great showing except for the soon to be frisco kid. We all got there for cocktails that the gracious mr cole provided and I’m looking to avoid through this post.
Dinner was solid – the salads were ok but the Waygu beef was off the charts. Wasn’t sure a place like the saloon could deliver on this dish but was glad to be proved wrong. Even though the sides were mediocre the high quality of the steak made up for it and then some.
Bummed to have missed the after drinks, pumped to be part of the fun of the night.
Overall: 9
As the late and great Luther Ingram once said, if loving the fact that you’re the only patrons in a place that is serving up fantastic cuts of meat is wrong, I don’t want to be right!
After being a little dejected by what turned out to be a questionable cocktail hour, things quickly picked up for us. The only issue with dinner, and I mean the ONLY issue, was that the service was painfully slow at times. Being the only patrons would make one think that your food would come out fairly soon, notwithstanding the time needed to let the wonderful bits of Bessie settle.
Overall: 8.5