a steakhouse that doesn't know how to prepare a steak?. i have visited bakerstreet a handful of times now. i was never particularly wowed, but i was also never disappointed. this past monday ruined any chances of me returning to this horribly overpriced spot.
the first thing that majorly disappointed me was the wine list. it was full of many names i had seen in every walmart i have been to. the only decent red wine on the list was $12 a glass. granted, it was a decent wine, but hardly worth the cost. i also watched my wine sit at the bar for several minutes waiting for my server, erica, to actually bring it over to me.
the best food of the evening were the asian chicken wings. the wings were decently sized and plentiful per order. the asian sauce had a little bit of a kick, but nothing too unbearable. a side of the sauce was also served with the wings. at $11, this was certainly a much better deal than my glass of wine.
another big disappointment was that i was given the choice between a house salad or soup of the day with my steak. i wished that the french onion soup or a smaller version of their caesar salad were available instead. i went with the potato and chive soup. it had a decent flavor, but reminded me slightly of sour cream and onion potato chips. the soup was very salty. the potatoes were almost completely pureed, which gave it the texture of slightly lumpy watered-down mashed potatoes. it was way below what i was expecting. i was, however, glad that the soup was so filling, because the main course was so disappointing that i left without eating it.
since i was craving a steak, i chose the 8 ounce filet cabernet. when my steak arrived i noticed two things immediately. there was an overwhelming heaping pile of roasted shallot cabernet butter on top. the steak also seemed much darker than what i had imagined. i attributed the darker color to the pepper crust, so i cut in and took my first bite. there were many flaws with what i tried. the cabernet butter was extremely bland. the steak itself simply tasted like burnt pepper. i ordered it medium rare and it was served to me almost well-done. i tried to get the attention of my server, which did no good. one of my dinner guests eventually flagged the bartender over. he took the steak away, saying a new one would be promptly served. a manager came over, middle aged, short hair, extremely unfriendly, and actually told the two gentlemen that i was with to "hold off on eating their food until the steak was corrected." since they were being respectful to me they put down their forks. the manager also tried to blame this piece of jerky on a server error, stating that the server had written down "medium" as my chosen temperature. 15-20 minutes later a new steak arrived. this one was also covered in an unappealing pile of cabernet butter. i cut into the steak to discover that this steak was not even rare, barely seared on the outside. i sent it back. 15-20 minutes later another steak arrived, once again barely even seared and beyond rare on the inside. i attribute this to one of two things, either the kitchen was offended that i sent the first steak back or they simply do not know how to prepare a steak.
at this point, i told my joiners to go ahead with their meal. i felt terrible that the two of them were being polite enough to wait for me to eat with them, and that never got to happen. i watched them eat, trying to put on a smile and just drink my wine. the manager presented me with a gift card, saying "i want you to come back." saying she wants me to come back and that actually happening are two different things. at $31, i can certainly find a better steak in this town, and a kitchen that will be more than happy and educated enough to prepare it exactly to my liking.