I'm glad no one mentioned Black Angus. What a ripoff. :td: :td:

Wow. Black Angus. I haven't been to one of those in probably 15 years.

Just went to their website. The picture of the steak on the home page looks downright gross, like a Swanson frozen meal. Checked out the menu, and while it's not pricey as a high end place it really isn't that cheap. Frankly I'd rather go to Outback. :eek:

Capitol Grille Tysons was very good, but not outstanding.

The sauce for the crab with the Filet Oscar was excellent though. I'm a real crabcake purist, and back when I still kept trying them at upscale restaurants, I was always horribly disappointed. I was half expecting a mediocre crabcake, but was surprised to discover it was simply crabmeat with sauce. (and it really was JUST right) ^

Was surprised by the winelist's brevity, especially by the glass, but they did have a great deal on a Meritage, $19 instead of $30+ for a glass.

Their single malt MENU was absolutely fantastic though ^^ I will certainly be back for it. Also on the menu were Stoli Elit and good tequilas, rounding out my liquors of choice. :)

Comparatively > WAY better than Morton's, and much better food (and value) than Fleming's.

OT >

Service at Mccormick and Schmick's seems to be sliding slightly too, although I'm also not not as keen on it as I once was.

The best crabcakes in DC metro are @ Jerry's in Seabrook, although the Great American Restaurants chain does a pretty darn good job on theirs, especially Coastal Flats, with 1 larger one instead of 2 at other chain members. I have not had the best of Baltimore, but I have had the best in Annapolis, and Jerry's was probably slightly better prep wise.

Back somewhat on topic, the Great American Restaurants' filets and prime rib ARE also really good, especially considering their average prices. Plus the service is great, albeit casual. I go to Artie's (for brunch) and Coastal Flats (lunch and dinner) all the time.

Cap Grille and The Palm are good.

Fleming's is also very good. it's owned by Outback. They give a true high-end experience for less $ than Cap and Palm.

Best "chain" is Mortons.....best independent is The Mahogany in Omaha, NE.

Mortons is good, and very consistent. I've had better steaks at Ruth's Chris, but also much worse - very variable both between locations and at the same location on different visits. So I don't go the Ruth's Chris much anymore.

Interesting that others have had the same experinece.

Outback is not even in the same league IMHO.

They only have two steakhouses in Chicago, not enough to constitute a chain but Gibsons Steakhouse is far superior to The Capital Grille or Ruth's Chris.

I vote for Ryans Steak House
 

But then I love Salad Bars. I wish they had one in California:(

Fleming's (at least in Tysons) isn't that great..

- Beef flemington (wellington) = not good enough for price

+- also got a combo thing, great value, prime rib and two other things, but the prime rib was not that good.

- Tuna mignon = absolutely terrible (Colvin Run's was outstanding)

+ OTOH service is pretty good

+ and their psuedo souffle is great (personal taste > quality though)

not high end at all IMHO

We hit up Fleming's in Boston last night for the first time. Nice atmosphere and wine list, but I like the food at Ruth's Chris and Morton's better.

Never been there. I'll have to check it out. Any recommendations from the menu?

Ruth's Chris or Smith & Wollensky's

I recently had my first experience at Flemmings in Edgewater, NJ and must say I was impressed.

They have some nice appetizers including some flaming garlic shrimp in sauce special that had the high amount of garlic and spice content that I love. I was going to go with French Onion soup but as a good friend once said "You should always try something new every time you go out to dinner." My dinner guests also told me to be adventurous.

Another thing I enjoyed was there "Discovery Flights" where you get to sample three international wines. You are served three wines from three different countries served on some type of "tree." On our night we got to sample a French, Argentinian and Chilean which was very nice. If you like a particular wine they can get you a bottle or another glass. I also liked the little cards that told you the wine's name and vintage.

My NY Strip I did bone in (another thing I don't normally do) and was done very nicely.

THe server was knowledgable and friendly and attentive. An added plus of this location is it's on the waterfront with a nice view of the city (you have to request those tables.)

Again, this was a nice surprise. I can't say Flemmings has become one of my favorite chain restaurants, and I won't give up going to the smaller, indepedent restaurants like Old Homestead or Charley's. I'll have to try one or two more Flemmings to make a fair comparison.

It's also wierd for me to see Flemmings and Outback are of the same company (and Outbacks are very very inconsistant and food and customer service.

maybe its me. But i have never been impressed with Ruths Chris. Its good. But definitely never left and said "wow". Maybe it was the locations(went to one in NYC and one in Hartford). Generally, i try to find a local steakhouse.

My favorite steakhouse in the country is Capone's in Chicago!

2nd is 23 grill in Boston.

If i had to rank Ruths Chris among other steakhouses i have been to, it wouldn't crack the top 5. Again, maybe its me, but for all the hype, i wasn't that impressed. Then again, maybe i hyped it up too much.

My first exposure to Ruth's was at the Broad Street location in New Orleans back in the eighties and before the huge amount of franchising. Yeah, awesome, great, special,... Ruth's today isn't special at all.

Same goes for Morton's in general, although last time I ate at the "original" on State street it was incredibly good.

My vote for best chain steak house goes to Capital Grille.