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| - Summary: Pretty good, but I'd never go back at these prices, and I felt bait-and-switched about the organic steaks.
The good: A pleasantly old-school room, featuring way too many loud drunk people to be in any way romantic but at any rate atmospheric. The loin of venison was really excellent, cooked just to a purple-red in the center, tender, moist, and woodsy. The hash browns were simple but outstanding. A gin-and-tonic-and-apple cider cocktail was just sweet and rich enough to be a great fall drink.
The bad: the 14-ounce filet had a nice sear, but was somewhat lacking in flavor and moistness -- it wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to expectations at a high-end place like this. Worse, Tornado's website advertises their steaks as organic, which was a big selling point for my wife; the waitress told us they weren't. So either the web site is false or the waitstaff doesn't know what's being served; either one is a serious problem.
We enjoyed our dinner overall, but the prices here are pretty much the same as L'Etoile, and the food isn't close to that good. Certainly the steak at L'Etoile is better, albeit smaller, than the one here.
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