Restaurant report: Bern's
Dec 6, 1999, 1:25 pm
#1
Commander Catcop
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 10,259
Restaurant report: Bern's
Thank you, PremEx, Hammertoad, Geo1004 and everyone else who recommended this place!!
A FOUR PAWS UP PLACE!!! This is one of the places that true steak conseissures MUST VISIT!
05 Dec: my buddy MileCrazy and I arrive early at Bern's, mouth's already drooling for that steak. We were 15 minutes early but they sat us in a very very nice private room with nice paintings and statue, a real club house atmosphere.
The menu reads like a mini novel. They explain the history of the place and the steaks and all of them being different weights and how to order. Menu includes every kind of Cavier out there. Terrific menu.
FYI: The Winelist is like a mini Bible of reds and whites. We skipped wine for Vodka tonics (With wine I defer to wingless or RUdi or Geo1004.)
Our "Steak Angel" glides into the room. She's a beautiful blonde name Beata who had this most wonderful European accent (I think she was from Switzerland just based on that smile and friendly person... I was kind of shy and did not want to be noisy.) She says she can answer any question about steak or wine or salad dressing (a dozen kinds offered.)
We both decide to go with the Filet Mignon, eight ounces (our "steak angel" warns us NOT to overorder.) Initally you think the price is high but it includes soup or fries, plus salad, plus vegetables, plus baked potato: we had the works.)
The steak melted like butter in my mouth. It was one of the best ever... the carrots were flavored with Grand Manyiah (Mann-Yah) very powerful stuff. Nice greens and the potato was also ver well cooked. But that steak!!! WOW!
Then our "Steak Angel" comes in againa nd says "Oh it's not over yet... there are 50 rooms upstairs and some are for desert and 300 kinds of ports and cognacs and 16 different deserts.)
Sadly, we were full and we passed.
SO if you go to Bern's ask for Beata!!!
Bern's is a must. Maybe someday we'll do a Tampa F-T get together JUST FOR THE STEAK.
A FOUR PAWS UP PLACE!!! This is one of the places that true steak conseissures MUST VISIT!
05 Dec: my buddy MileCrazy and I arrive early at Bern's, mouth's already drooling for that steak. We were 15 minutes early but they sat us in a very very nice private room with nice paintings and statue, a real club house atmosphere.
The menu reads like a mini novel. They explain the history of the place and the steaks and all of them being different weights and how to order. Menu includes every kind of Cavier out there. Terrific menu.
FYI: The Winelist is like a mini Bible of reds and whites. We skipped wine for Vodka tonics (With wine I defer to wingless or RUdi or Geo1004.)
Our "Steak Angel" glides into the room. She's a beautiful blonde name Beata who had this most wonderful European accent (I think she was from Switzerland just based on that smile and friendly person... I was kind of shy and did not want to be noisy.) She says she can answer any question about steak or wine or salad dressing (a dozen kinds offered.)
We both decide to go with the Filet Mignon, eight ounces (our "steak angel" warns us NOT to overorder.) Initally you think the price is high but it includes soup or fries, plus salad, plus vegetables, plus baked potato: we had the works.)
The steak melted like butter in my mouth. It was one of the best ever... the carrots were flavored with Grand Manyiah (Mann-Yah) very powerful stuff. Nice greens and the potato was also ver well cooked. But that steak!!! WOW!
Then our "Steak Angel" comes in againa nd says "Oh it's not over yet... there are 50 rooms upstairs and some are for desert and 300 kinds of ports and cognacs and 16 different deserts.)
Sadly, we were full and we passed.
SO if you go to Bern's ask for Beata!!!
Bern's is a must. Maybe someday we'll do a Tampa F-T get together JUST FOR THE STEAK.
Dec 6, 1999, 1:50 pm
#3
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: The shape-shifting urban sprawl that is El Lay. FT member #71.
Programs: UA Gold & MM; DL & AA credit card dirt status; Hilton Diamond; Marriott Fool's Gold
Posts: 4,683
Now you're going to be "forced" to go back just for the upstairs dessert rooms.* You've only gone through 75% of the Bern's experience.
As to Beata, all the servers are world class professionals.
_________________
*I'm not sure whether they will let you go upstairs without eating in the dining room again, first. What a shame
As to Beata, all the servers are world class professionals.
_________________
*I'm not sure whether they will let you go upstairs without eating in the dining room again, first. What a shame
Dec 6, 1999, 2:19 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 3,511
Catman:
I'm glad that you enjoyed my favorite restaurant in the world!
Every year on my birthday, I got to Berns. I make reservations months in advanced! The difference about Berns is that the waitors (and I say waitors because they have only two waitresses, and you had one of them) are not just doing this as a night job or a job in between others jobs or anything like that. Working at Berns in not a job, it's a career. Ask any of their waitors, and they've been there for years. For the first four years you work there, you're a junior waitor with a red jacket.
It is truly Tampa's dining gem. Ask any Tampan about the best dining experience in Tampa, and 95% of them will say Berns. Some might say Armani's (at the Hyatt Westshore, not where Catman stayed). That is more fancy and expensive, but the food is not as good, and it doesn't have the value (yes, value) of Berns.
Sorry this is so long, but we're talking about my favorite restaurant here!
BizJet
I'm glad that you enjoyed my favorite restaurant in the world!
Every year on my birthday, I got to Berns. I make reservations months in advanced! The difference about Berns is that the waitors (and I say waitors because they have only two waitresses, and you had one of them) are not just doing this as a night job or a job in between others jobs or anything like that. Working at Berns in not a job, it's a career. Ask any of their waitors, and they've been there for years. For the first four years you work there, you're a junior waitor with a red jacket.
It is truly Tampa's dining gem. Ask any Tampan about the best dining experience in Tampa, and 95% of them will say Berns. Some might say Armani's (at the Hyatt Westshore, not where Catman stayed). That is more fancy and expensive, but the food is not as good, and it doesn't have the value (yes, value) of Berns.
Sorry this is so long, but we're talking about my favorite restaurant here!
BizJet
Dec 7, 1999, 11:26 am
#5
Commander Catcop
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 10,259
Beata had a dark colored jacket on so I guess she has passed all the tests and had her degree in "steak Serving!" 
I can still taste the steak! You pick a great place to go to BizJet.
For me, since I birthday is on New Year's Eve I go the day before or after to Ruth's Chris, my fav steak home! In fact, I'm going to one of the two Ruth's in Dallas for 12-30!
I can still taste the steak! You pick a great place to go to BizJet.
For me, since I birthday is on New Year's Eve I go the day before or after to Ruth's Chris, my fav steak home! In fact, I'm going to one of the two Ruth's in Dallas for 12-30!
Dec 7, 1999, 1:06 pm
#7
Commander Catcop
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 10,259
PremEx... if that worst case scenerio does happen.. guess what's in heaven:
Steaks
Rudi's Chocolates
Kripie Kreames
Oceans of wine and beer
and Black Russians
ANd Cuban cigars.
(at least that's what CATMAN's GHOST told me!)
Steaks
Rudi's Chocolates
Kripie Kreames
Oceans of wine and beer
and Black Russians
ANd Cuban cigars.
(at least that's what CATMAN's GHOST told me!)
Dec 7, 1999, 1:08 pm
#8
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Arlington, VA, USA
Posts: 858
Catman: I'm sorry, but Bern's beats Ruths Chris hands down, any day. Your report says you saw that. Of course, there's only one Bern's. Hopefully, there'll always be only one. It can never be duplicated. Unfortunately, I can only manage Florida once every three or four years, and then it's to the wrong parts. Tampa is one of my favorite places, but not one I can get to too often.
