09 March 2011

Ash Wednesday Sin

It is Ash Wednesday and I ate a hanger steak with a bernaise sauce and some creamed spinach and fries.  I'm going to hell.

The meal made me think of the best steak from all of these damn steak house chains.  Honestly, i think I prefer my rib eye with rice but thats not the point of this post.  this is a judgement on Charlie Palmer's.

So we started with some oysters six for $18.  They were okay, savory oysters, varied sizes and not as meaty as I expected. They served it with an apple mignonette and these thin crackers.  Eating the oyster on the crackers was bland and boring.  The mignonette was nice, subtler then the more aggressive french version but seasonal and fresh tasting.

I really wanted a steak frites tonight so I got the hanger steak with bernaise.  I like my onglet pounded out and thin.  this was thick and reminded me of tenderloin.  That was a bit disappointing.  You tell me its onlget and i see tenderloin so i feel cheated.  But the steak was juicy, and tender and it tasted good.  I tried to recall the big steak chains equivalent and I think Charlie Palmer might be my favorite steak.

The fries were not crispy.  So that was disappointing, and the chipotle aioli is clearly stolen from Spike Mendelsohn's burger joint and frankly Spike does it better.  Why give me soggy fries?  Let them crisp and then refry them at a higher temperature so they are pillowy and crispy.  No you gave me soggy fries.  Disappointing thats why every steak place should serve a nice steaming bowl of white rice.  I think a bowl of rice, with some hanger steak and bernaise might be a bit much.  Maybe that would be better as a sushi roll?  Wow the fries were so disappointing that I actually thought of a new side dish, a steak bernaise roll.

The spinach...creamed with bread crumbs.  Tasty, but nothing past your normal steak house fair.  i do think creamed spinach should be basic. I have seen places try and jazz it up with bacon or garlic chunks which makes the spinach the back drop when it should be front and center.

Desert...I had a chocolate peanut terrine which can be summed up as snicker's pie.  That's a good thing people.  However, as I enjoyed my snickers pie I thought about how little work Charlie palmers puts into dessert.  The dessert was good but I was not wowed.  I want the wow and I got a dessert that I can find at Cheesecake Factory.  Tasty yes, rich yes, no wow factor.

Coffee...don't get me started.  There is no good coffee.  you can spend 40 dollars on a steak for cheese and cracker sake's make a good cup of coffee.  hire a starbuck barista and make some good coffee.

I like Charlie Palmers, in a night there I can see a bunch of coworkers, a bunch of elected officials and have a tasty steak.  just don't get the fries and stick with a steak house dessert like cheesecake.

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