The world-renowned H3 steakhouse is located next to the
hotel lobby. There's a sign outslde advertising spit-roasted
pig. What could be bad?
It was like 5, and we were pretty much the first for dinner.
The help were friendly and sightly. I got an Oktoberfest from
I think Rahr, and lili, being faced with the usual wine list
of red or white, chose Woodford on the rocks instead, a good
decision.
Bread was decent if industrial, salad likewise, the dressing
tangy and rather like Ken's Steakhouse Italian.
lili got the ribeye rare, and it was large, red, and tasty.
Having been seduced by the spit-roasted pig, I was left high
and dry, especially the dry part. The meat had certainly not
been cut that day, and I doubt its pig had been spit anythinged.
Vegetables were rice, pebbly and salty and nasty, and corn, less
nasty.
Luckily they noticed my lack of enthusiasm at the meal and took
it off the bill. Luckily also there was enough ribeye for two.
More alcohol helped a fair amount.
So a mixed experience.
Our next meal was next door to next door, at the famed
Cattlemen's, feted in print and on TV as the rip-roarinest
steakhouse ever.
Rahr Ugly Pug calls itself a Schwarzbier, and I guess it is
maybe kind of black, but it comes across pretty delicate
and friendly for that. I didn't mind it. Same wine list, but
this time lili went with the red ink from Texas.
A salad was almost identical to yesterday's. I opined that
as the kitchens backed up on each other, maybe the coolers
did too, or they shared suppliers, or something.
lili ordered the burger rare with fries; everything went
swimmingly with her order, and the burger was big enough
for two.
I asked for my strip steak extra rare, "as rare as they will
make it". It came shriveled and burnt, and the waiter said he
had thought I said extra well. Idiot. The replacement was raw,
just colored on both sides. It was fine, but the problem is
that the fat and gristle on the edge are close to inedible at
this level of non-doneness. It's almost worth it to order a
medium steak to optimize the flavor of that fat and gristle.
The replacement was good. I'd substituted spinach for a potato,
and the guy said that would be a buck upcharge, and I said fine:
it turned out to be $2 extra.
So a mixed experience.