Steak

My wife and I recently visited Scotland for a vacation and to celebrate our 10th anniversary.  Upon arriving in Edinburgh, the concierge at our hotel, The Glasshouse, recommended dining at Steak, which was a short walk from the hotel.  I had previously read favorable review about this restaurant, so we dined there on our second night in town.

Bread and Butter

After ordering drinks, our waitress brought us some homemade bread and some sparkling water.  Both were delicious and we inhaled the bread.  For our main course, we both decided to order the Donald Russell Fillet and share sides of Bacon and Cheese Macaroni and Buttered Mashed Potatoes.  

Donald Russell Fillet (Filet) 

Bacon and Cheese Macaroni

Mashed Potatoes

When the main course arrived, we couldn't wait to dig in.  The steaks were perfectly seasoned and cooked to a perfect medium rare.  It was also nicely charred, which added to the flavor.  Both sides were commendable, but the Bacon and Cheese Macaroni was some of the best mac & cheese that I have had in recent memory.

Creme Brûlée 

For dessert, we shared a Creme Brûlée with mixed berries.  It was very good as well and my wife claimed it was the best she could remember having.  The service was courteous and helpful, despite the fact we arrived just one hour before they closed for the evening.  Overall, we were impressed with our first fine dining experience in Edinburgh and I was pleased to know they could cook a steak as good as we do back home in Texas!

Steak
http://www.steakedinburgh.com/new/
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

The Barrymore

One of my friends I met in Vegas really wanted to try out a restaurant call The Barrymore.  I had also heard good things about it, so we all agreed to dine there on our second night in Vegas.  The restaurant is owned by Block 16 Hospitality, which is a restaurant conglomerate that owns three other restaurants that I like, being Holstein's, Public House, and Flour and Barley.  Since I liked the other restaurants, The Barrymore came with high expectations.

Below are the menu items we tried and my opinions of them:
Oysters Rockefeller- served with creamy spinach, prosciutto, Pernod, and bread crumbs.  They were very rich, but extremely flavorful and some of the best I can remember in recent memory

Barrymore Caesar- romaine, serrano ham, garlic Caesar dressing, and a split anchovy.  I get the fact that Caesar dressing is traditionally made with anchovies, but I didn't care for the anchovy on my salad.  The ham was good and the lettuce was crispy, but the salad did have a taste that was a little too fishy for my personal taste.

Bone-in Ribeye- Without a doubt, this is my favorite cut of steak and I am a firm believer in the greatness of most dry aged ribeyes, however, this steak was a huge disappointment.  I love a well-marbled steak, but this one was overly-fatty, tough, and under-seasoned.

Sides- the table shared three sides, which were the creamed spinach, the mashed potatoes, and the lobster cream corn.  The spinach was the best of the three, but barely memorable.  The mashed potatoes were tasteless and the lobster and cream corn just tasted funny to me.

While I have had worse dining experiences in Vegas, this certainly wasn't one of the best i have had.  The service was good enough, but the food was a disappointment, with the exception of the Oysters Rockefeller.  While we all liked the feel and vibe of the place, it just didn't hit a home run with our picky crew.  I don't mind spending money on nice meals, but this meal was not worth the money we spent.

THE BARRYMORE
http://www.barrymorelv.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=2

Lonesome Dove Bistro-Austin

Tim Love owns and operates one of my favorite restaurants in Fort Worth, Lonesome Dove Bistro.  Recently he opened up a second location of in Austin.  Since my wife and I are big fans of the Fort Worth location, I decided that we must visit the new location while in Austin and see how it compared.  Lucky for us, the Austin location of Lonesome Dove Bistro was just 3 blocks from our hotel where we were staying, the JW Marriott Austin.

Fettine Trio

While dining there with some friends from Houston, we sampled several items.  While looking over the menu, we started with the Fettine Trio.  The Fettine trio included duck-rattlesnake sausage fettine, elk-pork fettine, and lamb-quail fettine.  Although I didn't love the version with the lamb, the other two were absolutely amazing.

Nilgai Antelope Nachos

For appetizers, we ordered several items to share for the table.  The three that we ordered were the Nilgai Antelope Tenderloin Carpaccio Nachos, the Blue Corn Lobster Hushpuppies, and the Deviled Gulf Coast Blue Crabs.  The deviled blue crabs were my favorite of the three, but they were all exceptional and I would not hesitate to order any of the three again.

Blue Corn Lobster Hushpuppies

Following appetizers, I also ordered the Winter Squash Soup.  The soup had great flavor and texture.  It was one of the best soups I have had in recent memory and it had a sweet taste that I really liked.   It was also topped with the shaved grana padano cheese, which was also flavorful.

Winter Squash Soup

For our main course, all four of us ordered the house speciality, which is the Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin.  This cut of meat was especially tender, had excellent flavor, and was topped with a great mop sauce.  The Western plaid hash and grilled asparagus were both very good as well.  My wife and I also chose to share a side of the burnt carrots, which were about as good as carrots could be.  

Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

Burnt Carrots

For dessert, the table share an order of the Ancho Chile Chocolate Cake and the Churros.  The chocolate cake was very moist, topped with ice cream, and you could even taste a slight hint of ancho chile.  The churros were good in their own right, but were even better when dipped in the raspberry, chocolate, and caramel sauces.

Churros

Ancho Chile Chocolate Cake

Since we made our way through such a large portion of the menu, I was about as full as I could ever remember being.  The service was spectacular, but the food was even better.  This location lived up the high expectations I had experience of the Fort Worth location and I would highly recommend anyone to try this place out.  You will not be disappointed.

Lonesome Dove Bistro
http://lonesomedoveaustin.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=5

RIck's Chophouse

Although I have never blogged about it before, Rick's Chophouse is my favorite steakhouse in Collin County.  With a number of high-end steakhouses in Plano and Frisco, I believe that this is high praise for this restaurant situated in the historic McKinney Square.   When looking to show off McKinney's dining options to friends from out of town, this restaurant is always towards the top of my list.  I have dined at Rick's over a dozen times and I have never had a bad experience there.  Although I prefer some menu items over others, I am still yet to try anything that I just didn't like at all.

On a recent Friday night, my wife and I chose to dine at Rick's prior to taking in a movie.  We started with the Crab Dip and we were not disappointed.  The lump crab meat, goat cheese, and Texas caviar (aka black-eyed peas) combine to make a fantastic crab dip.  The thick tortilla chips had a little too much seasoning on this visit, but they were the perfect thickness for dipping into the crab dip.  Rick's has several delicious appetizers and we are also big fans of the calamari.

Crab Dip

The menu boasts delicious steaks and other entrees.  Although I am a fan of their bone-in ribeye and their filet, the restaurant also serves ups some delicious delicious wild game items that include black pepper crusted elk and buffalo tenderloin.  My wife really enjoys some of the seafood options on the menu and she chose the Shrimp and Grits on this visit.  I sampled some of her dish and was very impressed with the flavor.  The shrimp was cooked perfectly and the grits held their own as well.

Shrimp and Grits

On this night, I chose the Cowboy Bone-in Ribeye.  My steak arrived with a loaded bake potato and topped with three giant onion rings.  My steak was perfectly cooked to a medium-rare and was tender, perfectly marbled, and flavorful.  The baked potato was fantastic and the onion rings had a terrific batter.  I have had this ribeye several times and I can honestly say that it is one of the best in DFW.

Cowboy Bone-in Ribeye, Baked Potato, and Onion Rings

Being a little too full for each of us to have our own desserts, we decided to split a dessert.  On previous visits, we have enjoyed the bread pudding, the Amaretto creme brûlée, and the key lime pie.  On this visit, we decided to try the Pecan Pie.  The pecan pie filling and whiskey chocolate sauce tasted great, but the crust was a little too dry for my taste.  I am not usually a fan of vanilla ice cream, but the ice cream served with this pie was the best vanilla ice cream I have ever had.  

Pecan Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream

If you are in the McKinney area and looking for a great steakhouse, then I highly suggest that your take a look at Rick's Chophouse.  The service has always been spectacular, the food is terrific, and the old building has a lot of character.  The restaurant also has a large bar area in the back where you can listen to live music and a patio where you can enjoy the sights of the McKinney Square on a beautiful day (or night).  Sunday mornings are great here as well, because Rick's offers one of the best brunch buffets in DFW.  This restaurant continues to be one of our go-to restaurants and is always a quality experience.

Rick's Chophouse
http://rickschophouse.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Abacus

DFW Restaurant Week is one of my favorite weeks of the year.  Think of it as Christmas in August for foodies.  This event is a week where participating restaurants offer a prix fixe dinner of three courses (or a two course lunch) and donate a portion of the proceeds to the North Texas Food Bank.  Over the last few years, my wife and I have made it a point to visit a restaurant or two for the benefit of charity and our bellies.  For the first night of DFW Restaurant Week, we chose to meet some friends at Abacus, which is a restaurant that I have wanted to try for quite some time.

Comanche Buffalo Potstickers

Between the four of us, we tried Comanche Buffalo Potstickers and the Cornmeal Crusted Calamari for the first course.  The potstickers were flavorful and tender, with the buffalo having a texture close to barbacoa.  The calamari was outstanding as well and I particularly liked the crunchy batter which was a nice balance to the tender texture of the calamari.  This dish was also served with thinly sliced fried green tomatoes which I also loved.

Cornmeal Crusted Calamari

The table also decided to order a side of the Lobster Scallion Shooters, which were served six to an order and were not included as part of the three-course dinner.  This dish was a fried lobster dumplings which were served in a shot glass and topped with a red curry-coconut creme.  We all agreed that this dish was incredible and even asked for a second order prior to our entrees.   The curry sauce was extremely flavorful and went well with the lobster dumplings.  

Lobster Scallion Shooter

Abacus had six different entrees available on the prix fixe menu and I went with the Beef Tenderloin, which was served with a Black Truffle Potato Puree and Brussels Sprouts.  The tenderloin itself was somewhat lacking in flavor, but the sides were both great.  I particularly enjoyed the Brussels Sprouts, which were amongst the best that I have ever had.

Beef Tenderloin

My wife ordered the 44 Farms Flat Iron Steak, which was served with Green Beans and Sweet Potato Gratin.  While not as tender as my tenderloin, her steak was better seasoned.  Both sides were good, but I was particularly intrigued and pleased by the unique flavor and texture of the sweet potato gratin.  

44 Farms Flat Iron Steak

For dessert, each couple was given a dessert trio that included a slice of Salted Caramel Tiramisu, a slice of Blackberry Upside Down Cake, and a Dark Chocolate-Peanut Butter Tart.  My wife liked the blackberry upside down cake the best and I preferred the tart, which was extremely rich and bursting with the flavor of dark chocolate.  Neither of us particularly cared for the tiramisu and we both agreed that we would have preferred a more traditional tiramisu.  

Clockwise from Top Left: Salted Caramel Tiramisu, Blackberry Upside Down Cake, and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

We had a great time catching up with friends and enjoying the menu at Abacus.  I preferred the appetizers and dessert to the entrees, but none of the food was bad.  The service was more than adequate and the entire staff was friendly and welcoming.  The restaurant has a nice atmosphere that would make it a fun place to dine with friends or a great place for a romantic night with a spouse or significant other.  

Abacus

http://www.abacus-restaurant.com

Livin the Good Life Rating=3

 

Gordon Ramsay Steak

I generally try out a new steakhouse each time that I visit Las Vegas.  The city has no shortage of steakhouses, most of which have the name of a celebrity chef associated with them.  Gordon Ramsay Steak has been on my short list of Vegas steakhouses to try for some time, so my wife and I decided to finally dine there on my most recent trip to Sin City.

Dining area and kitchen

My wife and I had a huge breakfast earlier that day, so we skipped lunch and decided to just do an early dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak.  Skipping lunch was a mistake on my part, because my wife had a hangry attack (hunger which leads to anger).  Luckily for us, our server brought out a fantastic variety of breads for us to sample while he was showing us an amazing display of the various meat cuts available at the restaurant.

A variety of breads

Display of steak cuts

We both started with the Caesar Salad, which included Parmesan cheese garlic croutons, shaved Parmesan, and a Scotch egg.  The dressing was very good and went well with the whole leafs of romaine.  Even better than the salad itself, the Scotch egg was a pleasant surprise.  If every Scotch egg was a good as the ones at Gordon Ramsay Steak, I would probably order them every time I see them on a menu.

Caesar Salad with Scotch Egg

The Beef Wellington came highly recommended, but we were both in the mood for a filet.  My wife ordered the basic filet and I ordered the American Wagyu filet.  I ordered it medium-rare and it arrived cooked to perfection.  The flavor and texture of the steak was absolutely incredible and I enjoyed every single bite.  Although it was pricey, it was worth every single penny.  My wife's filet was good as well, but in no way compared the cut of meat I had.

Top two pics are and American Wagyu Filet.  Bottom pic is a basic filet

For sides, we ordered the Baked Potato and the Roasted Okra.  The baked potato included butter, smoked Gouda, sour cream, chives, and three large chunks of bacon that topped the potato.  The okra included tiny piece of sweet potato and espelette peppers.  The baked potato was terrific, but the okra was somewhat disappointing.

Loaded Baked Potato and Roasted Okra

Our waiter recommended Gordon Ramsay's signature dessert, which is the Sticky Toffee Pudding.  The sweet pudding cake was topped with brown sugar toffee and brown butter ice cream.  The dessert was absolutely incredible and arguably the best dessert we had on this trip to Vegas.  The only thing I regretted is the fact that I split it with my wife rather than ordering my own.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

The atmosphere at Gordon Ramsay Steak is very cool and has a very British design.  When you enter the restaurant from the Paris Hotel and Casino, you even have to go through the "Chunnel."  Although the service could have been a little better, I felt the food was spot on.  A couple sitting next to us order the Beef Wellington and it looked delicious.  This is supposedly Gordon Ramsay's signature entree and I would love to try it on my next visit.  We left impressed and I would certainly put Gordon Ramsay Steak in my top five favorite Vegas steakhouses.

Gordon Ramsay Steak
https://www.caesars.com/paris-las-vegas/restaurants/gordon-ramsay-steak#.VQ23oEs-bbg
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Perry's Steakhouse and Grille

It has become a yearly tradition for my wife to take me out on a dinner date for my birthday.  My wife claims that I am hard to shop for, but she knows that I will always appreciate a good meal.  Unfortunately, we waited a little long to make reservations and my two favorite restaurants were booked.  We decided to go to plan B and try Perry's Steakhouse and Grille.  The Frisco location of Perry's opened up in late 2014 and we were looking forward to trying the restaurant's second DFW location.

Dining Area

We started our dinner date by splitting the crab cake appetizer.  The dish came with two crab cakes of medium size and were cooked perfectly.  The breading had great flavor and they were served with an excellent buttery-flavored sauce.

Crab Cakes

The Perry's Famous Pork Chop came highly recommended by several people, so I knew I had to order it on this visit.  It arrived as one of the biggest pieces of cooked pork I have ever seen, but our waiter carved it up table side and cut it into manageable pieces.  The pork chop was very tender,  had exceptional flavor, and was one of the top 3 pork chops I have ever eaten, but it was very fatty.  I love great marbling on beef, but don't care for excessive fat on my pork.  Considering the fact that it costs as much as a steak, I highly doubt I would order this item again.  That being said, I am still glad that I ordered it so I could see what all the fuss was about. 

Perry's Famous Pork Chop

My wife ordered the filet and it was cooked to a perfect medium rare.  As you might expect, the filet was very lean and extremely tender, but I particularly liked the flavor of the melted butter on the pepper-crusted steak.  I love steak and if I had to do it over again, I would have ordered a steak instead of this very good pork chop.

Filet

For our sides, we ordered roasted cream corn and the night's special, which was lobster mac n' cheese.  The cream corn was excellent and had some peppers to spice it up, but the lobster mac n' cheese was disappointing considering the fact it alone cost as much as many entrees.  The lobster mac n' cheese was seriously lacking in the lobster department and was flavorless to boot.

Roasted Cream Corn and Lobster Mac n' Cheese

For dessert we ordered the Rocky Road Bread Pudding.  My wife loves bread pudding and I love chocolate, so we thought it was the perfect compromise.  The butterscotch bread pudding was packed with chocolate chips and topped with a caramel sauce, candied walnuts, and the biggest house-made marshmallow I have ever seen.  This dessert was huge, but neither of us could stop eating it.  This was the most delicious item we had all night and the best dessert I have had so far in 2015.

Rocky Road Bread Pudding

Overall, I was very impressed with the service and the restaurant is a beautiful venue.  For the most part, the food was very good as well.  I was somewhat disappointed with the high fat content on the famous pork chop and was very disappointed in the Lobster Mac n' Cheese, but the appetizer and dessert more than made up for it.  The food, the location of the restaurant, and the great service should keep this restaurant very busy.

Perry's Steakhouse and Grille
http://www.perryssteakhouse.com/menu-locations/dallas/frisco/
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Texas

We recently celebrated my mother-in-law's 60th birthday at the restaurant Texas.  My wife an I had never dined at Texas before, so we were looking forward to eating there and celebrating with family and friends.  Texas is owned and operated by Dale Wamstad, who founded Del Frisco's and III Forks.  With his excellent track record in the steakhouse department, we were looking forward to this particular birthday dinner.

The Monte Cristo Private Dining Room

Our party dined in one of the private dining rooms, the Monte Cristo room, and we ordered from the private party menu.  Each guest was given an appetizer trio with Bang Bang Shrimp, Crabcake Croustade, and a Devil's Tongue.  The shrimp were slightly spicy and had a robust flavor.  The Devil's Tongue (beef tenderloin on a toast point) was very tender and and went well with the toast point.  My favorite of the three was the Crabcake Croustade.  This item was a tiny crabcake on a thin pastry.  I don't know what ingredients went into making the crabcake, but it was simply delicious.  We were also given a choice of soup or salad.  I had the house salad with vinaigrette dressing and I thought it was one of the better house salads I have had in quite some time.

Appetizer trio of Bang Bang Shrimp, Devil's Tongue, and Crabcake Croustade

For my entree, I ordered the 16 ounce Delmonico cut ribeye.  This particular steak was a boneless ribeye, had perfect marbling, and was very tender.  I have eaten a lot of ribeyes this year, but this was one of the best I have had this year.  The entrees on the private party menu were all served whipped potatoes, burnt corn, and roasted vegetables.  Of the three sides, I liked the whipped potatoes were the best.  I also cannot say enough about how great the bread was at Texas.  Our table was served several long French Baguettes that were absolutely fantastic and served piping hot from the ovens.  

Delmonico Ribeye

Although we brought our own cake, we were also given a choice of desserts.  I had the bread pudding, which was very tasty and had a hint of bourbon flavor to it.  It was a great pre-dessert before our final dessert of birthday cake.

Bread Pudding

Everyone at the party seemed to really enjoy their meals.  The food was fabulous on this visit and the service was absolutely spectacular.  Both our servers were very attentive and answered all of our questions about the menu items.  Dale Wamstad himself even came to check on our party several times throughout the night.  The value was good as well and I think you will be hard pressed to find a better bang for your buck at local steakhouse.  This restaurant will certainly be added to our list of "go-to" restaurants for date night or dinner with friends.

The Birthday Girl

Texas
http://thesonoftexas.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4