Kevin Rathbun Steak

We could only eat Thanksgiving leftovers for so long until my family and I were itching for a nice dinner out. My mom premeditated this dining-out itch and made reservations at Kevin Rathbun Steak. This steakhouse, in the only 5 or so months it has been open, has been bestowed with many accolades, including several mentions on "Best of" lists.

Our reservations were for a table in the "Cookbook Library", a candlelit room nestled in the wine cellar. I felt very romanced by Kevin Rathbun Steak in this room, and we all settled comfortably into the cushioned (but sleek) seats with a glass of a '95 Cabernet Sauvignon from my dad's own collection.

Because the steak is the feature of the restaurant, not many people in our party indulged in appetizers. I, however, was persuaded to order the oysters after the waiter assured me they were the best possible available, from Connecticut:

These were meaty, briny, fantastic oysters.

And now here is the steak:

My 6 oz. Filet Mignon with Black Truffle Butter


3 person, Dry-aged Porterhouse

The steak was tender and flavorful, but, most disappointingly, over-salted. I do not eat steak very often, and was really looking forward to a beautifully cooked filet (especially with black truffle butter!) but I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped due to the high salt content. My cousin, who also had the filet, felt the same. We both agreed that steak is generally salty, but this exceeded the usual limits.

My mom, Aunt, and Dad shared the porterhouse and ate everything but the bone (my mom thought it might be a little impolite to pick up the bone and suck on it in the middle on the restaurant)!

The sides were ordered a la carte, and we sampled a variety of them including the creamed spinach, oregano-garlic roasted potatoes, and the twice-baked potato. All of them were average, except for the jalapeno creamed corn:

The creamed corn was different, smoky, and spicy. It was the perfect compliment to the robust, salty steaks.

Even though I was romanced by Kevin Rathbun's renovations of what was once a Clorox factory, I was less romanced by the food. It may be that I am not as easily wooed by a simple steak as I am by a beautiful filet of fish, but none of my family members left wowed by this "best of" restaurant.

Comments

[Kathie]

I'd like to clarify your comment about oysters--they are supposed to be safe to eat ONLY in the months with an "R." It's the hot weather that makes them unsafe to eat.

[stacy]

Kathie- I realized my mistake just as I was reading back on it, and corrected it! Thank you for pointing it out! They are bad during the warm weather because that is during their reproduction period and the oysters have a milky sack that isn't very tasty.

[emily]

my first shout out on tomato soup! and i still stand by my opinion that the rub was too salty..

and while i do agree that the creamed corn was the best side dish, i really did like that garlic spinach...