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| - Maybe I just don't like steak houses, but I was not impressed by Rare.
I have walked past Rare so many times thinking it was too fancy and expensive for me, so I jumped at the chance to try it for restaurant week. The place gives off a pretty swanky vibe when you first walk in. All the dark wood and dim lighting makes you feel like you're a character in Mad Men. Honestly though, I couldn't care less about the atmosphere; I just really wanted to try a high quality steak.
I started off with a stuffed shrimp with remoulade and a vinegary cabbage slaw. It sure was tasty, but I finished it in like 4 tiny bites. Although it was perfectly cooked and seasoned, I just didn't love it that much. It was kind of boring and uninteresting.
For my entree, I opted for the baked truffle mac and cheese with an a la carte 10 oz sirloin that cost me an extra $22. The cheese sauce had a subtle truffle flavor, but it mostly tasted like anyone's homemade mac and cheese. Fight me, but I'd rather eat Velveeta shells. The crunchy bread crumbs on top were a nice touch though; they gave the dish some contrast in texture. The sirloin steak was okay. They cut it pretty think and tall so that it was similar to a filet mignon, so there was a healthy amount of medium rare goodness in the middle. It was a little underseasoned for such a thick cut; I had to make use of the salt and pepper shakers at my table. They managed to get a decent crust from the sear, and that gave it a nice tough bite to go with the soft, rare meat inside.
For dessert, I got the chocolate tart. This was the best part of my meal. The chocolate was super rich and sweet, and the graham cracker crust was salty and buttery. It was pretty much sweet and salty fudge. Simple and delicious!
Overall, I didn't love my meal. While the presentation was nice, the flavors were pretty boring. It was slightly better than eating banquet wedding food. Plus, I could have a better steak at home using my sous vide and spend less money. If Rare is supposed to be a prime example of a steakhouse, maybe that genre of restaurants as a whole just isn't my thing.
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