Steak 48 — Restaurant in Philadelphia

It’s really hard not to rate this restaurant as a 5, except that it set such a high standard for the customer’s experience that the only way a 5 is warranted is if they completely lived up to their own expectations. To understand what I’m talking about, go to their website and read about the restaurant. So what’s not to like. Not very much in reality. The diner is shepherded thru the restaurant experience by a veritable army of staff. The greeter who took me to my high top table on the bar side (I walked in solo about 1815) even made a reservation for me. Two separate associates identified that they’d be “taking care of me” and petitioned me to ask for anything of them anytime. In reality I ended up with just one associate. Even the gentleman who came to offer my 5 choices of water introduced himself by name and tasking and was on point with getting me exactly what I wanted. He also brought the most sinfully delicious bread (2 types offered). The whole experience was well choreographed, extremely efficient and timely, but actually a bit overwhelming. More on the pace of things later. The menu (look online) is a good solid steakhouse menu with some items your server will identify as specialities. I really didn’t see anything I didn’t think I’d like, however I did not partake in an appetizer. The wine/beer and cocktail menu is well represented. I chose the Wigle Rye Manhattan which was very well balanced and ample in volume. A very nice cocktail. For dinner, I chose the standard bone in ribeye cooked to chef’s choice, with brussel sprouts as the side. It was explained that the steak would come on a 500 degree plate and would continue cooking a bit after serving so to expect a more rareish medium steak. I was also given the option to have the kitchen slice it for me, or not. I selected the sliced option and do not regret it. The beauty of this method is that each slice of meat continues cooking just a little more on the plate delivering just the correct cook for each piece. The steak had good flavor, was not over salted and wasn’t finished in any significant amount of butter that I could tell. This results in a tender steak where you can enjoy the meat, not the seasoning, which is something I really appreciate. The sprouts had great flavor and although were advertised to be cooked with bacon there wasn’t so much of it that I had to decide if it was a vegetable or bacon dish. My only like that this dish didn’t deliver is that I long for a bit of crisp to brussel sprouts, and these didn’t have any. My associate mentioned that if I plated them onto the 500 degree plate they would crisp up, but this didn’t happen. The vegetable portion was more than I could eat, so a to-go box was mandatory for this. It would have been a perfect side for two. After this sizable meal I couldn’t entertain desert, so I can’t comment here. I did order a beet salad to go since I really enjoy sampling this creation at various restaurants and was definitely not disappointed. The simple mix of golden and purple beets with micro greens, goat cheese and pistachios was nothing short of amazing; it’s all about the beets. Okay, so now what about the experience. There appear to be at least 2 sides to this restaurant so maybe the experience I’m about to describe isn’t true on the non-bar side. And maybe my experience is because I dined alone. It just wasn’t a relaxing dinner. The environment around me was frantic, with the associates rushing around as if hyper-caffeinated. It wasn’t that I felt the associates were purposefully rushing me, it was just so efficient and the kitchen was so fast that there was little downtime. The bar was busy and bustling with a happy social vibe to it, and the restaurant became busier the longer I stayed. It was probably just my solo presence that made me feel this way, there were other couples and foursomes around me who were there when I arrived and still there when I left so these patrons were clearly enjoying a more leisurely experience. It was probably just a feeling I had because I was so exceptionally...

The amazing and not so amazing of Steak 48! Part 1

So my husband booked a weekend getaway to celebrate my birthday and chose Steak 48 as our formal night out to enjoy fine dining. This was our first time going there so I checked out their website to browse the menu and what to expect from the atmosphere. I was super excited to see Steak 48 list a strict dress code. It's not often we splurge on this type of experience.

Upon arrival to Steak 48, the doors were opened for us and we stepped into a dim lit romantic atmosphere. The hostess wished me a happy birthday and let us know we would be seated shortly. Another hostess appeared within a couple of minutes and also wished me a happy birthday as she led the way to our table. On our way up the stairs to the 2nd level there were two waiters standing to the side of the stairs who also wished me a happy birthday! At this point I was already super impressed with the hospitality.

As we sat down at our table the waiter came over and introduced himself. He too, wished me a happy birthday and handed me a birthday card from everyone at Steak 48 signed by the general manager, Leo. Super thoughtful! Our waiter went over the first portion of the menu with us, gave some suggestions and we ordered some cocktails and an appetizer and salad to start.

For cocktails I chose the stone fruit martini and my husband ordered the Atlantic rita. Both were very strong and just not for us but we weren't disappointed. More of a personal preference thing. For our starters we chose the crispy shrimp and the superfood salad. Both were amazing! The shrimp were crispy and the spice paired with garlic was the perfect blend. The salad had goat cheese, strawberries and a fig vinaigrette dressing. All paired amazing with each other and I finished what salad my husband couldn't.

Our waiter returned to check how everything was going and went over the next part of the menu with us. He let us know of some off menu items and was honest with his answers when we asked questions. Ultimately I ordered the 8 oz petite filet mignon with green peppercorn sauce as a topper and my husband ordered the 16 oz prime New York strip with a black truffle lobster topper. We ordered five sides to share. Garlic parmesan rolls were delivered as well.

Both of our steaks melted in our mouths and were amazing! My husband raved about his lobster topper and was so glad he decided it. Our favorite side was hands down the sweet potatoes. It had candied pralines and was the perfect touch of sweetness. The au gratin potatoes were cheesy and delicious. The crusted layer of cheese on top definitely made the dish. The Mac and cheese was okay. It is definitely creamy but for us lacked some seasoning. The two sides we were disappointed in was the sautéed asparagus and the brussels sprouts. The asparagus was missing flavor and the brussels sprouts were not roasted enough and the bacon was not crispy at all. We left both behind when deciding to box our food at the end.

The not so amazing part....about a quarter of the way through our meal a table was seated across from us. Three ladies at first and then another one joined a bit later. At first I noticed one woman had a jean jacket on with jeans and a white CROP TOP you wear to the gym! Her girls and stomach was on display for all. I'm all for self confidence but I did read the super strict dress code and I was excited to experience it but unfortunately it was not enforced. Past the clothing I notice the 30 selfies being taken at the table....at one point they pull out a brush and brush their hair at the table!!! Then take a picture together and out comes a girl's middle finger and then they proceed to make tik toks at the table. It was all super distracting and really took away from the atmosphere. When the fourth woman arrived I noticed she has champion slide on flip flops! At this point I call our waiter over to say something. He jokingly dismissed my concern and said he wished people would at least post pictures of the items they got instead of themselves. (Character limit,...

Synopsis: great mood, bad food.

Let me start with the positive. The place is beautiful inside. We had 8pm reservations, and were seated at a wonderful table where we could see the entire restaurant. From where we sat, it didn’t look like there was a bad seat in the house. High marks for layout! Our waiter was well versed in the menu. He was also very pleasant, and attentive. The only criticism of the atmosphere was the music choice. It was all over the place, from Spice Girls to Marvin Gaye to Elvis. Very random. Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can say positive about the food. Expensive should taste good. This was just expensive. Listing the problems in order starting with the most egregious: No food pairing! All entrees stand alone, and sides are a la carte. So I ordered a rack of lamb and had to decide for myself what to have with it. Isn’t that the chef’s job? He went to culinary school. Isn’t part of the art to properly pair food with its complement? It was like piecing together a meal from a dollar menu at McDonalds. For $100, my lamb should have been pair with something. I pay you to be the culinary master so I don’t have to be. They brought my daughter an 8 oz Wagyu steak that was over $100, and it was the only thing on the plate. She had to make the choice of sides, which brings us to the next problem. The sides were subpar. Maybe that’s why they don’t pair the entrees with sides, because the sides aren’t good. The mac and cheese was wet, the sweet potatoes were blended into almost the consistency of soup, and the corn crème brûlée (which sounds like it’s so good) was just ok. These were all the sides my daughter ordered. She didn’t like any of them. My daughter is 23 years old. She runs a successful business that she founded, and travels far more than her mother and I do. This place was recommended to her. So when we took her here for birthday she wanted to have the best experience. Instead she got wet macaroni and mediocre flamed corn. When it was time for dessert she was so upset she didn’t even want any. So we just boxed up a bunch of half eaten sides that didn’t match the entrees. You do not get what you pay for! I ordered the rack of lamb and a salad. My wife ordered crab cakes and a salad. We ordered two appetizers, shrimp and deviled eggs (sub par, just like the sides). And my daughter ordered the aforementioned Wagyu steak and 3 sides. Our bill come up to over $500 (before tip), and we left disappointed. I made sure to taste everyone’s entree so I could judge on my own, and each weren’t prepared to the level of excellence you would expect given the price. My lamb was delicious (although it’s hard to screw up lamb chops), but my daughter’s steak was chewy, and my wife’s crab cakes were small, not particularly well seasoned, and overall just average…like everything else. The cooking is sub par for this level of dining. There is no culinary creativity or mastery experienced in the menu. And when the average entree is $70 I expect to taste your mastery and training with every bite. My compliments to the chef only for serving basic but charging...