Review #46 - Steak and Stein

Steak and Stein
Variety: Steakhouse
Address: 6061 Young Street
Date Visited: Thursday, February 14, 2013
Orders: Valentine's Day Feature (Two 7oz Striploin steak dinners) with Queso Cheese Sticks

Taste: 5 + 7 = 13/20
Portion Size: 7 + 7 = 14/20
Presentation: 6 + 6 = 12/20
Value: 7 + 8 = 15/20
Service: 6 + 6 = 12/20
Bonus: 1
Minus: 1
Final Grade: 66% (Satisfactory)

(Scoring: 100% to 140% = Exceptional, 85% to 99% = Excellent, 67% to 84% = Good, 60% to 66% = Satisfactory, 50% to 59% = Marginal, 0% to 49% = Poor, -40% to -1% = Abysmal)

Notes: J used to love going to Steak and Stein when he was younger. It was the kind of place that you could afford to go with your friends when you were in high school and felt like you were adults. He hadn't been back in several years and, well, the atmosphere hasn't changed all that much, which is both good and bad. Basically, Steak and Stein is like a blue collar version of The Keg, and is barely a step up from fast food restaurant. Lots of really young people and really old people, with little variance in-between. Being Valentine's Day, we did make a reservation and to their credit, we showed up early but they still sat us right away (bonus point). We understand that being a little miffed by the service on a busy day like Valentine's Day is like getting mad because there's a long line at Disney World, so we're excusing the server for forgetting our Queso Cheese Sticks until after our meal was served - though, as good as they looked on the menu, we wished she'd forgotten them altogether - it was like biting into tortilla crumbs into a gooey stick of salt (yuck). For some reason, they were served with sour cream instead of salsa, which might have enhanced the experience. The steaks were not huge by any means, and Ts had a huge chunk of fat on the side, while J's had big gobs of fat throughout (he doesn't usually eat steak anyway, and this meal gave him no reason to change his mind anytime soon). Another interesting point - the butter for the baked potatoes was served in those little ketchup cups from fast food restaurants. Never seen that before! The only other comment, which resulted in the negative point, was that T's red wine was served in a white wine glass, full to the brim. Not to get all "high class" here, but red wine is supposed to be served in half-full larger glasses, in order to let it breathe. That stuff was suffocating.

Final Verdict: Go if you're looking to eat on the cheap and don't care too much about the quality.