I learned Steak Night will turn 10, yes 10 years old this April. After a decade of decadence, we don’t come across a place we have not dined too often. STK was the opportunity to do just that. Proudly brandished as “Not your Daddy’s Steak House” it sure isn’t. With a DJ in the bar area and not many suited up old white men, it is surely a different take on steak.

I arrived at 6:45. With others paying for drinks I was purposeful in making back the $493 tab I was stuck with at Maple and Ash. Mason made it clear he took exception with my behavior. At the bar and to my absolute horror, STK does not serve Oban? The nerve. Strike 1. Instead I settled in with four Highland Park 12’s at $20 bucks a pop. The pours were weak and I found a hair in one of them. Strike 2.

Around 7:45 I alerted the hostess we were going to be closer to 8:15 instead of 8; asking if this was OK I was provided reassurances. ‘No problem at all Sir, just come back when you are ready to be seated’. Following instructions I approached the (different) hostess when we were ready to be seated and they lost our reservation! Instead of leading all 7 of us to our table, they lead all 7 of us to a different table – already full. After an awkward moment and return to the hostess stand STK scrambled to cram us into a booth which was super tight. At this point someone from management noticed we were sitting on each others laps and asked if we wanted to move. Yes we do….but Strike 3 nonetheless. Dinner had not even started and this place was whiffing like rick ray out of the bunker. Finally, we got to our seats and started to order.

Apps included the rock shrimp, grilled octopus and pork chop, special cut up for the table. All were good choices. Hard to go wrong with rock shrimp despite it’s simplicity. The pork chop share was a good call, I believe made by Ol’ Thorzeen it was cooked to a perfect medium rare and tender. Great conversation throughout the night. Discussions ranged from upcoming Vegas trip and my inability to think in numbers and probability to Conway teaching “advanced” real estate finance and Mason’s new family addition, Miller, eating a lot sleeping well and taking long shits….a true man in the making.

For steak I went with the wet aged rib-eye. Actually quite good. It would have been nice if they gave you a decent steak knife to cut it….having my own this evening would have proved useful, but I digress. I think I am back on the wet aged train. Crenshaw went for the dry aged and it was really bad. I think the 45 day or however many days dry aging is a gimmick. Others also had a not so great experience. Glick and Hans sent back their porterhouse that was to be split, with the old “used gym sock” claim. This sparked a new rule that was verified. Next time someone is going to send back their steak, it has to be tasted/verified by two others at the table.

Sides were OK, but nothing to speak of. The group went to, where else, Sienna tavern after for a few post dinner drinks. Good times by all even if I shant be dining at STK again. Off to Vegas and a real steak house in Delmonico’s!

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