I have almost never been happy with a steakhouse steak, even very high end places. My gf loves this place Mooo in Boston. Steaks are $50 to $180. I've had 2 $60 steaks there and will never order beef there again. Supposed to be Creekstone Prime. it's mediocre at best. Whole Foods at $12 to $18/lb is consistently far better.
I shouldn't post this but here's a TripAdvisor review of Ocean Prime I did a year ago. Everyone here knows I'm a dick at times, this review confirms it. Note that I'm one of the few people who writes glowing paragraphs directly to restaurant managers through their web sites when an evening is great (and they are read, interesting stories about managers coming over to the table knowing I'm there), but goes the other way too. When we're dropping $250+ for two, I'm expecting perfection. Pick of my "bone in ribeye" below, $70 steak. **** me.
A very average, if that, upscale restaurant
My friend who has frequented OP quite a lot suggested we go as she loves the clam chowder and thought I would appreciate the experience as someone who is passionate about food. We were seated quickly and courteously and almost immediate received salads which it turns out were for another table. This happened again during our dinner.
We ordered drinks, a glass of Caymus for her, a Blanton's Old Fashioned for me. My Blanton's arrived swimming in a glass full of crushed ice that could have come from a Taco Bell soda fountain. The entire glass was filled with crushed ice. We probably should have left then as that incompetence framed the entire dinner. They were happy to take it back and replace it with one very large cube, as it should be.
Bread and butter on the table. Bland, uninspired bread. Butter was from (I’m guessing here) Target. Everyone who has eaten at this level of restaurant has had great bread and butter, more so the butter. Both were subpar. At this level, details are important for the entire experience.
Our clam chowders arrived and they were every bit as good as my friend had said. Perhaps the best clam chowder in all of Boston. Sweet, creamy and the best part being the clams were tender and succulent. I would go back to Ocean Prime for a bowl of clam chowder.
For dinner, my friend ordered the double lamb chops and I ordered a special bone-in ribeye. My friend asked the server for direction on temperature for the lamb chops, she replied that the chef suggests medium. You read that correctly, the chef suggests double lamb chops done to medium. Forget the Blanton’s full of ice or the butter from Target, that should have been the tip-off to leave having enjoyed our bowls of clam chowder and gone off to explore somewhere else for dinner that night.
I ordered the special bone-in ribeye “rare with a very hot sear” because there is little better on this Earth than a caramelized crust encasing perfectly cooked prime beef with ribbons of fat running through it. I will be honest and say that for $70, I had very high expectations and was looking forward to them being met or even exceeded. I also ordered a glass of Brunello to enjoy with the steak.
My friend received her lamb chops and I was presented with something that I can only describe as an average choice grade ribeye that had been thrown on the flattop at the diner down the street. The warm hued pic is what I received; the other pics are what I was expecting, a ribeye I had made a few weeks earlier. It had no caramelization whatsoever. It was rare but whoever butchered the roast left the silverskin in between the cap and the eye. Yes, they did. I’ve had $25 ribeyes far superior to this steak in quality of grade, cut, and preparation. I don’t think I’ve ever been so disappointed with a piece of meat in my entire life.
The staff was courteous, I declined another steak and simply ordered a Caesar salad which was good. A little more anchovy and lemon would have been nice but it was a decent salad.
Based on mediocre butter (details are so important to experience at this level), lamb chops served medium and an absolute failure of a bone-in ribeye, my conclusion is that Ocean Prime is probably considered good food for people who aren’t passionate about food but rather appreciate the setting, the generally good service and what is probably good food for 90% of restaurant goers. But it is not a restaurant for anyone with a discriminating palate. Except for the clam chowder. The person making that should start their own restaurant because they are clearly passionate about food.
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