452138 Thu Oct 18 19:11:20 -0700 2007 35 10 Florida 0 3048270 Hi Chowhounds! Long time reader, first time poster. Our 2nd Anniversary is coming up & I've decided to take The Hubby to a steakhouse since he is a self-proclaimed 'meat & potatoes guy.' I'm a wannabe chowhound with champagne tastes but a kool-aid budget & he humors me by going wherever I want to go, so I want to go somewhere I know he will truly enjoy our dinner. I can't say 'money is no object' but am prepared for a big splurge for the special occasion, so I'd love to see what names comes up the most & why. I've probably heard of all the places you are going to mention but I want to see which ones you Chowhounds truly like the best! Thanks SO much! Kat Thu Oct 18 19:11:20 -0700 2007 135798 blisskat 1 3048301 American Steakhouse: Best Steak - Mortons Best Everything Else - Prime 112 If steak is your main concern Mortons (on Brickell) is your choice. If you include Argentinian, I would say Grazianos - on bird rd, not the gables is probably the best. Thu Oct 18 19:26:38 -0700 2007 3048270 50328 tpigeon 1 3051175 Capital Grille on Brickell and Prime 112 both have fantastic food happy anniversary to you Fri Oct 19 16:32:28 -0700 2007 3048270 132695 otkari 1 3052044 Smith & Wollensky has the best view and solid steaks. Prime 112 has better steaks and far more innovative menu, but you'll be treated literally like cattle - it's a South Beach scene. Tuscan Steak has very good food, but it's not a traditional steakhouse, and the food is very rich, very heavy. Capital Grille on Brickell has very good steaks, but little ambiance, very traditional. Expect steaks all all these places to START in the $40 range. http://www.capitalgrille.com/Locations/Miami/Main.asp?Location=Miami http://www.smithandwollensky.com/miami_beach.htm http://www.prime112.com http://www.chinagrillmgt.com/tuscanMI/main.cfm?pp=0 Sat Oct 20 08:13:21 -0700 2007 3048270 129596 ciao_hound 2 3057556 S&W is not very good foodwise and the steaks at P112 are merely good. Capital Grille is very good but not quite as good as Mortons nearby. Mon Oct 22 16:36:14 -0700 2007 3052044 50328 tpigeon 3 3057755 Personally I think their Bone-in Ribeye is very good!! Basically to me It follows the lead of most chain steakhouses for overall quality and execution, that is it does some things better than others. Mon Oct 22 17:52:30 -0700 2007 3057556 16994 theflytyr 3 3057891 I like both Capital Grille and Morton's and think any distinction between the two is a matter of personal preference rather than quality. Capital Grille does dry-aged steaks, Morton's I believe are wet-aged. Capital Grille has some great not-quite-traditional items like the pan fried calamari app, spinach salad w/ warm bacon dressing. Morton's is a bit more old school (also in the style of the restaurant itself, where I think Morton's is more of a traditional steakhouse while Capital Grille has a more clubby feel). Morton's, by the way, has some nice somewhat smaller-portioned items for lunch. It is not a steakhouse, but I think they do great steaks at Gourmet Diner in North Miami. The specials menu changes all the time, but you can usually find a nice filet or a strip w/ bearnaise, often nice tenderloin tips in a red wine sauce, and the vegetable souffle you get as a side is always excellent. It is actually housed in an old diner so perhaps not the place for a celebration meal. Their wine selection is severely lacking if that matters. Mon Oct 22 18:38:55 -0700 2007 3057556 35525 Frodnesor 4 3057958 Mr. Frodnesor-Are you saying the Gourmet Diner has steaks that can be mentioned in the same breath as Morton's or Capital Grille? My guess is that Morton's and CG are getting the best prime-cut aged beef money can buy, whose quality can't be touched by GM. Of course, I could be wrong. Mon Oct 22 19:06:00 -0700 2007 3057891 41156 Miami Danny 5 3058106 It is not prime beef but the steaks are consistently and experty prepared. (The roast duck is outstanding too but now I'm straying off topic). As far as I'm concerned you don't need prime beef to have a good steak. As another for instance, Graziano's Parillada is presumably not using prime beef, rather probably leaner Argentine grass-fed beef) but they do great steaks. Mon Oct 22 20:10:52 -0700 2007 3057958 35525 Frodnesor 6 3058283 You mean they have a griddle? As for the quality of beef, I think if you don't start with the best, you're not going to end up with the best. Nobody has claimed that Morton's or CG can't cook a steak, anyway. And Graziano's-well, that's speculation that they are using grass-fed beef. Even if all of their steaks are imported from Argentina, not all of Argentina's cows are fed grass. Mon Oct 22 21:54:19 -0700 2007 3058106 41156 Miami Danny 7 3058313 "You mean they have a griddle?" I mean their steaks taste good. "I think if you don't start with the best, you're not going to end up with the best." Perhaps, but just because beef is graded "prime" it doesn't mean it's the "best"; it just means it has the most marbling (which, yes, I'll acknowledge when cooked properly will make a steak darn tasty). I don't think you NEED to use prime beef to make a great steak. "Nobody has claimed that Morton's or CG can't cook a steak, anyway." Not me anyway. Now, Flemings, on the other hand ... "That's speculation that they are using grass-fed beef." True, though it's reasonably well-founded speculation. I will say this - whether or not grass-fed, I'm pretty darn certain they're not using prime beef. I also know from experience it's a tasty steak. I can say the same of Gourmet Diner. As good as Morton's or Capital Grille? Probably not, though not so far off as to be incapable of mention in the same breath. Interesting that when I was in the Bay Area a couple months ago, the big trend was toward locally raised grass-fed beef (though I think this is as much a result of the locavore / sustainability trend as it is a taste issue). Mon Oct 22 22:18:28 -0700 2007 3058283 35525 Frodnesor 8 3059215 I did not say that beef has to be graded 'prime' to make a great steak. There is beef that is not graded at all that can be great-particularly, as you mentioned, grass-fed, or pastured. Also Kobe or Wagyu. I don't think Gournet Diner is using any of those. This topic is 'Best Steakhouse', not 'Serves Steaks'. Tue Oct 23 09:07:23 -0700 2007 3058313 41156 Miami Danny 9 3059316 MD - I admit I strayed somewhat off-topic, from "Best Steakhouse" to "Serves Good Steaks." Indeed, I confessed my error from the very start, even as I transgressed -> "It is not a steakhouse, but I think they do great steaks at Gourmet Diner in North Miami. " Mea culpa. I am guilty as charged of enjoying a good steak at Gourmet Diner. You know what? I have another non-steakhouse confession to make. I've had damn good steaks at Talula too, where Frank does a great prime bone-in rib-eye, and also a delicious (not prime) hanger steak, and my wife likes the filet. Tue Oct 23 09:30:51 -0700 2007 3059215 35525 Frodnesor 10 3059362 Beef Confessions-I smell an HBO mini-series! I've had great steaks at Casa Toscana as well as North 110. But if I were going out specifically for steak, I would definitely hit a real steakhouse-they simply get the best cuts. (Although that doesn't always mean the most enjoyable meal-I agree.) And, FYI, currently only thermoprocessed (heat treated) beef is allowed to be imported from Argentina. I don't know how that affects the quality. Tue Oct 23 09:39:46 -0700 2007 3059316 41156 Miami Danny 10 3065245 The tomohawk @ talula might be the best steak you can get in Miami beach. Wed Oct 24 21:37:40 -0700 2007 3059316 50328 tpigeon 11 3072727 What's a "tomohawk." Ms 9 had the hanger steak last time we went and it was a delicious, perfectly cooked rare/mr piece of meat..generous portion too. Sat Oct 27 13:57:37 -0700 2007 3065245 10111 9lives 4 3060919 This is a pretty good review on Steak I snagged from a thread steakmann55 was commenting on about Orlando Steakhouses. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB112872297151463196.html Tue Oct 23 16:41:38 -0700 2007 3057891 16994 theflytyr 5 3061158 Great article but depressing for us filet mignon lovers. :( Tue Oct 23 17:56:39 -0700 2007 3060919 40464 OysterHo 6 3064625 I am with you there. I actually thought it was a very informative and researched article. Wed Oct 24 17:06:07 -0700 2007 3061158 16994 theflytyr 1 3057923 I find the Capital Grille and Prime 112 to have the best steaks in Miami. Mon Oct 22 18:55:36 -0700 2007 3048270 135132 miamimike 1 3058057 Any thoughts on Prime Blue Grille? Is it even in the same category as Morton's & Capital Grille? The Hubby is interested in The Forge but all the recent reviews I've read have been negative. Mon Oct 22 19:50:10 -0700 2007 3048270 135798 blisskat 1 4113235 Kat; where did you end up? How was it? Sat Oct 18 13:52:39 -0700 2008 3048270 12397 kel 1 4570989 How would you compare a porterhouse at P112, Red, Bourbon Steak? vs. the chains, in regards to best taste? Mon Apr 06 05:54:51 -0700 2009 3048270 153396 ankimo 1 4571089 If your definition of a "steakhouse" goes beyond the American variant, then I'd second the suggestion for Graziano's. Keep in mind some of those cuts of beef have no similarity to what we have here. (For a future Argentine cheap date with your Hubby, consider La Porteña off Galloway and 8th...really, really delicious and because of the strip-mall location, a reverse sticker shock.) If you're feeling a bit Francophilic, there's always Les Halles. I'm not so crazy, myself, about the chain steakhouses. As a rule the only thing which distinguishes them, to my mind, are the outrageous portions and prices. If you want an old-school American steakhouse, my fave is Christy's in the Gables. I'm kind of surprised nobody has mentioned Shula's. Kind of. Mon Apr 06 06:40:54 -0700 2009 3048270 28673 jokeiii 1 4571680 To add to blisskat's question, is the Ruth Chris in the Gables good, or is Capital Grille on Brickell better? Mon Apr 06 09:37:55 -0700 2009 3048270 17450 comidaqueen 2 4571829 I vote for Capital Grille. Hands down. Prime 112 is over hyped, Smith and Wollensky has the best views but dubious steaks, Morton's and Ruth's Chris I haven't been to in ages.... Mon Apr 06 10:12:52 -0700 2009 4571680 108629 HabaneroJane 3 4572894 Mortons is better than CG Mon Apr 06 15:54:21 -0700 2009 4571829 50328 tpigeon 4 4573160 Certainly not if you prefer dry-aged steaks, which Morton's does not offer. Capital Grill also does a great pan-fried calamari w/ hot peppers as an app. I'd put CG's spinach salad w/ warm bacon dressing in a dead heat w/ the "Morton's Salad" but overall I prefer CG. Ruth Chris isn't even in the running IMO. But they're all chains and there's nothing "Florida" about them, why belabor the point here? www.foodforthoughtmiami.com Mon Apr 06 17:12:33 -0700 2009 4572894 35525 Frodnesor 5 4573186 I just call em like I eat em frod I don't worry too much how they are aged. Mon Apr 06 17:18:17 -0700 2009 4573160 50328 tpigeon 5 4574202 how about Christy's? Tue Apr 07 05:22:03 -0700 2009 4573160 153396 ankimo 4 4678033 The Cap is better than Morton's anyday. Prime 112 is all hype for steak. Apps are good though. Tue May 12 16:17:25 -0700 2009 4572894 115383 Blind Mind 5 4678411 Blind - make that many other items but steak for p112. I disagree on mortons, I think it is better than cap but that has been the argument in miami for years... Tue May 12 18:31:43 -0700 2009 4678033 50328 tpigeon 5 4678417 Prime 112 sides are ridiculously over priced...$12 for a potato and $13 for spinach? No thanks Tue May 12 18:32:35 -0700 2009 4678033 12296 steakman55 6 4678468 They did raise prices quite significantly this year. Good point. Last time I was there a few months ago it was not as expensive... Tue May 12 18:50:46 -0700 2009 4678417 50328 tpigeon 6 4679009 I went last night and they did raise the prices on the sides. They are still humongous portions at those prices, however. And while rich, they are not greasy a la typical steakhouse. Now, the steaks, the steaks were good, not great. I was not quite surprised as from prior comments on this board and others I knew my luck would eventually run out. Drinks, which had previously been quite good if slightly unbalanced were a boring and ridiculous bag: "ultimate" Margarita, mai-tai (not authentic), vodka "martinis". Service was not horrible, but nowhere near what I've experienced there or in Prime Italian in the past. Then again I usually had the same server. I still prefer it to past experiences in Capital Grill (specialty steak dishes not excluded), but I taken it off its pedestal. Wed May 13 04:17:52 -0700 2009 4678417 124704 Icantread 1 4676907 Fun to see this thread almost two years old now. I've had so-so steak at CG. I've also been told I'm eating a certain cut when I was eating something rather different. This also happened to a national food reviewer I happen to know. Morton's I imagine is still great, and I've never had a bad steak at P112. Ruth Chris disappointed me long ago. Christy's is a Gables standard but I think relies on its name and loyal patrons more than anything else now. Finally, I am afraid to confess, I think most of the best steak meals I've had have not been in a steakhouse, so I damn sure want to try Gourmet Diner's now. A steak meal, for me, is more about satisfaction. Tue May 12 10:28:57 -0700 2009 3048270 124704 Icantread