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| - I've been looking forward to dining at Whitfield and after my experience last night, I wish I had not waited so long.
First impression...this place is cool. It is the former East Liberty YMCA which has now been converted into the Ace Hotel. Ace is known for it's eclectic hotel renovations and this place lives up to it's billing. The restaurant and bar is located in the lobby of the hotel and the renovations retain virtually all of the features of the building's prior use. They even left the gym alone, other than removing the basketball hoops.
The bar and restaurant were packed with people. One thing you should be aware of if you are going to dine here is that this place is LOUD. There are virtually no soft surfaces anywhere on the floors or walls and the sound bounces around the place. I personally like that vibe, so it didn't bother me at all. If you're looking for a quiet romantic place for dinner, however, you may want to go somewhere else.
We had a 730pm reservation and arrived a bit early so we could have a drink before dinner. The bar area has a variety of seating options and the bartenders are excellent.
We were seated within 10 minutes of our reservation time and our server was prompt and courteous. We were with another couple and the 4 of us ordered 2 38oz Porterhouse steaks to share. We also ordered salads and a few side dishes to accompany our entrees.
The wedge salad I ordered was perfect and the steaks (cooked perfectly medium rare) and side dishes were also excellent.
Here's why I didn't give this restaurant 5 stars:
When we were ordering our steaks, our server told us that there were only 3 left and suggested that he run back to the kitchen to get our order in before they ran out. This resulted in a couple of things I think smart diners should consider in that situation. First, I was curious as to how they were almost out of a most popular entrée at 730pm on a Saturday evening. You would think that they would try to have enough on hand to allow most diners to order them throughout the evening.
More importantly, when the steaks came out to our table, they were extremely fatty. The filet mignon side of the steak was almost all fat with very little meat. I guess that as the chef gets orders for this item during a dinner service the best steaks get selected first and by the time there are only 2 or 3 left they are probably of lesser quality.
The lesson I learned here is that if you are told that there are only 2 or 3 steaks left, and they cost $80 each, you should ask the server to show you the steaks before they cook them. I'm guessing that I would have selected another entrée had I been given that opportunity.
I want to be clear that the steaks were cooked perfectly and were among the best tasting steaks I have ever eaten. I just think that for $80, the steak should be wholly edible and ours were not.
Other than the issue described above, I truly enjoyed my evening at Whitfield. This is a great restaurant and I hope to return soon.
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