So after many a yelpers/ friends commentary and SacBee's review, and re-review, I wanted to see what everyone was talking about. So I headed, by the patron-ed invitation of my esteemed family, to Iron Steak. Initial impressions:
- I'm glad I brought the money bags, this place is EXPENSIVE!
- It's very well intentioned, if not well executed.
- Thank goodness they can make a drink
For all their failings, if the service is good/ bad it has little to do with what's happening in the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, if the server puts the wrong order in, or the order is written incorrectly that is bad on the service's part, but so much happens in the kitchen beyond the control of the server, example: quality of products, cooks ability to craft a dish, how the items are available, and what substitutions are allowed - these are all management decisions, and are felt in the tip of the server. They can control how your table-side dining experience is, if you need more condiments/ beverages, if your food is prepared incorrectly, and and the flow of the meal if you receive multiple courses.
The service at Iron Steak is great, their intentions are that you have a great meal, at the end of the meal if your experience is disappointing it's because of how the server is limited.
They do make a good drink, Woodford Reserve Manhattans, at a well priced bar.
One of the nicest touches of the meal, Beignets - a pastry made from deep-fried dough and traditionally sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. It is a kind of French doughnut. This was a savory version of the pastry, served with sweet butter.
So this is a hot debate item, for any comfort food established restaurant. "Making their bones" in this new trend (comfort food) they need to be able to show their prowess with their side dishes like Mac and Cheese. This is seen at places like Cafeteria 15L, June's Cafe, Jimmy's, Sandra Dee's Bar-B-Que, Broadway Soul Food, Dad's Kitchen, and many more. This is no small issue, but can be the testament of how well a restaurant can master a staple dish. Not to diminish it's importance but it's just pasta and cheese, it's how those two are put together that sets apart good from bad. Iron Steaks version of Mac and Cheese was cheesy, creamy, harder cheese on top with bread crumblies; this was all great texture, but despite having all the textural components it somewhat lacked for flavor. The cheeses focused on perfect texture (melting point) not sharpness (flavor).
Outside of the standard side salad, we also tried artichokes (which were in season at the time of this review, but seem to not be locally sourced). After having them prepared the second time, they were perfect. In addition to the second being well steamed with no oil, they were served with a whole grain mustard remoulade, which was very tasty!
So you might be wondering where the picture of my steak is, as we did go to Iron Steak. Well you'd be right, and we did get a 22oz T-Bone, twice. That's right, intentions gone array again. Our first T-Bone was received keeping with the flow of the meal, but even on first slice this was not as ordered (rare-medium), so seeing it on the cast iron stone resting into full medium-well done, we requested another steak. The wait staff was great about this, told us about the additional time frame, and put the order in. This time we ordered by color instead of the ambiguous temperature. This steak came back perfectly cooked.
But it lead to another thought, what is rare, medium, and well-done? I personally know, I know many foodies, chefs, grill masters, & servers that know, but I think that many others (customers/ novice steak eaters/ inexperienced chefs) are more gray area on this. I say this because in a Top Chef challenge last season, diners were ordering medium-rare lamb and it was being sent back for being over and under cooked. These are not novice chefs. Now is this because of what the customer's assumption of medium-rare is? or the resting time frame? or an error on the chef's part?
All of these cooking labels are approximate to a range of degrees.
Beef
Rare 120° - 125°
Medium-rare 130° - 135°
Medium 140° - 145°
Medium-well 150° - 155°
Well done 160° and above
Despite sending back the artichoke (undercooked), the brussel sprouts (unexpected cheese addition/ then were undercooked), and the steak (overcooked) the meal wasn't bad, it just wasn't as expected. This was also the first time I've ever sent so many dishes back for preparation complications. Especially for the price. When asked where the meat was from (this may seem stupid and picky, but people who like great steak they want to know where their steak is from), the well-intentioned server didn't seem to know. This is a bigger deal for me as this is a STEAKHOUSE, this is their trademark and their bread and butter, and should be on the tip of the tongue of ever server, unless the source is of less importance for the management. These smaller details are all parts of a larger comprehensive picture that makes or breaks a meal, and explains a lot about why things tasted as they did.
This place has a lot of potential; they have decor, service, niche market (for a meat and potato cow-town we don't have many steakhouses), and a keen interest at improvement (given SacBee's second review), now they just need to improve the standards they demand from their vendors (or change vendors), and demand more experienced technique from their grill-master. This is currently a Good steak house for the price of a Great steak house, with small improvements it could blow corporate chains like Ruth Chris out of the water.
Iron Steaks
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