Bennie’s
May 7th, 2010
Solid showing by upstart steak house created by eponymous founder. Intimate setting made for romantic dinner of Hans, Richard, Jevon and JG (the shot caller). Everyone else was missed. No B-Day and no one walked free…except those who got to enjoy Hans’ rounds. Kudos to Holinger for taking advantage of the free drinks.
Filed under: General
Those goose and sodas were the perfect start to the evening – Hans, you’re truly a gentleman. And he even went the extra mile to offer a drink up to Rick even though he showed up late.
From what I saw of the bar – and the flock of Asian persuasion – I sensed that you all got some great treatment.
I hope it was a good dinner, fellas. Looking forward to next month.
Roddy’s in New York and the repercussions of his departure are already apparent on the website. Someone other then Mr. Richards kicks off the postings for the first time and the name of the restaurant is misspelled, I thought we ate at Benny’s not Bennie’s.
I left work later then I intended and then was stuck in traffic, I realized I was going to be late and miss the free cocktails. I arrived at the restaurant just as Hans was paying the tab for pre dinner drinks. I missed the window thus I wasn’t entitled to a free drink. However Hans being such a fine gentleman bought me a drink any way, a move which was appreciated.
A table of four provided an intimate setting and not just because Hans and Jevon kept glancing into each other’s eyes and smiling.
I ordered the KC strip, which was tasty, but I had buyer’s remorse as soon as I placed the order that I should have gone bone in rib eye. After sampling Thoresons rib eye my fears were confirmed, the rib eye was in deed better. The crispy pancake was a unique way to serve hash browns and was enjoyable. The apple dumplings with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream was a great way to top off the meal. It was a good meal but for the first time after steak night I didn’t feel full, in fact I was still hungry. I felt like I could eat another steak.
I did not like our waiter at all, he felt like a hustler. He was constantly pushing the most expensive appetizers and wines even after it was clear we were not interested. We told him once we didn’t want the foie gras and he had a “you really need to order this attitude”. His recommendation on side proportions was way off, suggesting we only needed two when we clearly needed three, maybe even four. He wouldn’t let us relax and take some time before ordering; he was kind of pushy in that regard. It seemed like we had 20 employees assigned to our table in one capacity or another yet it was clear they were still working out their roles and level of service. It was not a well-oiled machine.
Benny’s just opened recently and still has some kinks to work out but it has lots of potential. It has a great bar area, great location and some tasty treats on the menu. I’m curious what it will be like in a few months and am looking forward to returning at a later date, especially if Martin is with us because he is a big swinging dick and knows the manager.
There were no after dinner drinks but since we are gearing up for summer I anticipate that will not happen in the upcoming months. On the car ride home there was talk of a “fart off” between Hans and myself, alas the “fart off” did not happen and Jevon was spared the toxic vapors.
The manager called me and said you guys didn’t tip very well and were a bit unruly. I guess we won’t be welcomed back with open arms.
We were unruly. Since there was no banister Jevon decided to swing from the chandelier instead.
Service can make or break an experience and the constant upselling by our attentive waiter really ruined an otherwise enjoyable outing. The steak was perfect and the appetizers stood up to the billing. Being short sided with only 4 was disappointing but nonetheless another fantastic 1st thursday of the month.
This place will be a keeper.
The kinks are being worked out, but it is sure to get better with age. Although the service was uneven at best and the decor felt a bit like a new hotel, the food was terrific. A smaller group made fro more intimate dining, while the roller coaster of a day on wall street made for enticing conversation.
We turn to June and the Summer with much anticipation. Perhaps an 8th member will be recruited.