That last statement was put to a bit of a test this month as we headed to The Celestial, where our waiter - in touring us through the menu - mentioned that many people say that their steak is the best in town, better than any of the Jeff Ruby restaurants, for example.
Well, if you're going to throw down that kind of a gauntlet, we're going to pick it up and see just what your steaks are made of. And they'd better be made of meat, because otherwise we're going to be really annoyed...and surprised.
Other than Guenther's - and the less said about that place ever again, the better - the Celestial has easily the least elegant entryway of any of our steak restaurant places so far. Its location is high atop Mount Adams, but the entry side presents a view of the condominium building of which the Celestial is the majority of the first floor. We passed by a recumbent security guard enjoying the second day of the NCAA tourney and headed down a hallway of mirrors (tempting me to scream bloody mary thrice) opening onto a smallish host area with the bar - the Incline - to the right.
The location at the bottom of what looks like a simple, inelegant apartment building - badly misplaced among the rest of the homes in Mt Adams - certainly doesn't inspire confidence. Admittedly, from the host area, we headed down a short hallway to the main dining room, a two-level affair with little decoration save for floor to ceiling windows allowing an excellent look out upon the river and the eastern side of downtown including the backside of the P&G pyramids. The view (seen in rotation on their website) is outstanding and the clear drawing power of the location.
Our table was against the windows - all of the two-person tables are. The tables for four were on a level a foot or so above us, allowing all diners an uninterrupted vantage point. The restaurant's layout is remarkably similar to Prima Vista's on the opposite side of downtown, though The Celestial goes for a much more natural feel with wooden paneling on the lone non-window wall and an older style of table and chair.
We were greeted by our waiter David, who offered us drinks and a menu that certainly introduced the restaurant as something not to be trifled with - he referred to it as a tome, and that was appropriate. The depth of the menu wasn't necessarily stunning, but the physical mass of it did leave a distinct impression. He took a moment to get us drinks and returned to offer up the day's specials as well as a few recommendations depending on where our tastes seemed to be heading.
It's rare that I'll note anything about the waiter, but this one deserves a mention. David was entertaining all evening long without ever nudging anywhere near officious. He was knowledgeable about the menu and sang the praises of the food, all of which turned out to be absolutely spot on. At the end of the meal, he asked us to come again and to ask for him by name. When we return to The Celestial - if we return - I certainly will ask for him by name. It was kind of a neat touch.
The bread was presented on a simple, gold-rimmed plate with an accompanying square plate with four flowers of butter. The bread was similar to a chabatta bread but a bit sweeter and a little less crusty. It had a nice chew, and the unsalted butter balanced it nicely.
None of the appetizers tempted us, so we headed a little further down the menu to take in a starter - the tomato and mozzarella tower split presented on two plates for us at the offering of our waiter. The starter was outstanding. Two layers each of tomato and cheese found their way onto our plates, topped with light greens resembling clover in appearance but providing a nice, clean background against which the bit of balsamic reduction on the plate. The reduction took on a syrupy consistency so that even the small bit held tightly to the tomato as we smeared across it. Through the magic of concentration, the typical tangy of balsamic morphed into a sweetness almost reminiscent of blackberries. This was one of the best salad/starters that we've had in our tours.
The rest of our individual orders:
- The Girl
- Gorgonzola and pear salad
- Filet Mignon, 8oz, medium rare plus
- Sour cream, horseradish whipped potatoes - ChemGuy
- hearts of Romain salad
- Kansas City strip, medium rare
- lobster potatoes - Shared
- spicy green beans (side)
- Crème brûlée (dessert)
The croutons atop my hearts of Romain salad had been rubbed with garlic and toasted - sadly taking it a bit beyond just crunchy to hard. That, however, was the only off note on my salad as the hearts of Romain were whole leaves of tender Romain lettuce - my choice at home or in a restaurant - topped with a Caesar vinaigrette and Romano cheese. My salad was excellent and simple, and The Girl's was also excellent but far more involved. She went with the Gorgonzola and pear salad, coming out to her with a nicely sliced pear resting partially atop a salad of mixed greens, dried cherries, candied walnuts, and Gorgonzola cheese crumbles. The slightly bitter greens and cherries were balanced marvelously with the sweet pear and walnuts, and all the ingredients were nicely tied together with a vinaigrette coating the greens. The Girl reported that the salad was easily the best she had enjoyed on our tour.
David brought our entrees, mine on two separate plates (see just above), The Girl's on one larger plate, and our green beans set between us. The smell was amazing as was the crust on each steak. These were steaks clearly cooked at the high temperatures that Red was missing. These were crusts to make mouths water, and they certainly did that to mine. The bone in mine was a bit off-putting, and I would likely choose the New York strip rather than the Kansas City cut when we go back to the Celestial. There was also a strip of fat on the side opposite the bone, but everything between the two was outstanding. The center was a perfect red, the outside a masterful brown-black. This was a perfectly prepared steak.
The Girl's initial thoughts were that her choice of medium rare plus was a bit too far as the center redness was a faded pink in her first few bites, but the center's glory began to reveal itself after a few more bites. Her steak's crust was also perfect and the meat significantly smoother than mine. The initial reservations were cleared up, and The Girl and I both agreed that David's comment that the steaks at The Celestial were the equal of any in town - at least any that we've tried so far. I give Embers a half point on The Celestial's steaks, but that comes from the slight over cooking on one end of The Girl's filet and imperfect edges of my strip.
My biggest issue - and one worthy of a full point deduction on my rankings - was the low quality of the steak knives at The Celestial. A steak of this quality, a steak that is to be the finest cut available shouldn't be hacked and grabbed with a serrated knife worthy of the Outback. This level of restaurant should be providing straight-bladed knives honed to razor sharpness. Cheap, serrated blades simply are not acceptable at this level.
Our sides were of a mixed level. The Girl reported that her whipped potatoes were outstanding, tangy with horseradish but leveled with the sour cream within. The horseradish put them entirely beyond my tastes, but she's a horseysauce kinda Girl. so she thought they were outstanding. My lobster potatoes were very tasty with a slight taste of the shared base with their lobster bisque. My potatoes had been cooked in the thick, flavorful sauce and had a subtle flavor that was very much enjoyable. The green beans were - at first bite - wonderfully flavorful, having been sauteed and then coated in a sauce of soy and hot pepper. The sauce was reduced and thickened to coat the green beans. After a few bites, however, the soy reduction became far too salty for either of our tastes. The flavor was good in very small doses, but between the two of us, we couldn't finish the green beans.
The crème brûlée was nicely firm and flavored, but the crust on top was easily more blonde than the golden brown that results from thorough caramelizing. Not the finest dessert we've had on our tour, but a solid entry with a very simple accompaniment of a sliced strawberry centered atop. Plus, it wasn't in a stupidly shaped bowl.
To the numbers, intrepid readers:
- Appetizers/Dessert - 8.25 - The crème brûlée topping wasn't as dark as it should be - still more blond than burnt (7), the mozarella/tomato tower was fairly well perfect (9.5)
- Steak - 8.5 - Outstanding...excellent crust, good flavor, mine perfectly cooked with a little more fat than I would have appreciated (8)...The Girl's a little more done than she would've liked but otherwise spectacular (9).
- Side dishes - 7.3 - both potatoes get an 8, and the green beans a 6.
- Atmosphere - 9 - Obviously, great view, well laid out dining room, good atmosphere.
- Cost - 3 - Our bill was $114 - minus $6.50 for a reasonably-priced Manhattan plus a solid tip because of the next section.
- Service - 9.5 - We agreed that this was our favorite waiter - they lose a half point because my glass got low on water a couple of times.
- Minus 1 - horrible steak knives, serrated and not effective in cutting the steak. Very bad.
- Total score - 44.55 (out of 60)
4 comments:
I find it funny that this restaurant would have been in first place, had it not been for the cutlery.
It might also have been in first place had I ordered the NY Strip.
I'm kind of surprised at how close the top restaurants are. We may have to go back through the top half dozen with a finer rubric.
If you're gonna scream BloodyMary three times when you walk through the hall of mirrors, you need to make sure you duck right after.
Calen - I knew that, so I wasn't worried about that.
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