St. Elmo Steak House

A few weeks ago, Tim and I went to dinner with some friends to celebrate both Tim's and our friend Damien's birthdays.  Our goal was to go to Bluebeard, which our friends had not yet tried, but upon arrival at 6:30pm we were told there was a 2.5 hour wait.  Let me say that again--two and a half hours.  Now, was the wait really that long?  Who knows.  But we weren't ready to wait quite that long.  So we began searching for a restaurant that took reservations asap.

As luck would have it, St. Elmo's had some openings, so we headed there.  Upon arrival, we were seated right away in the basement level room.  If you haven't been there before, you should know that St. Elmo's is pretty enormous.  It's a maze of several rooms and levels, and the whole place is decked out in traditional steakhouse wood-and-leather style.

We settled in and ordered some drinks, as well as shrimp cocktail ($15.95).  I'm sure you've had many people tell you about St. Elmo's shrimp cocktail, if you haven't had it yourself, and let me just say that in my opinion, it is delicious.  The shrimp are well cooked and large, and the sauce famously full of horseradish.  Spicy!

Shortly after, we received our bread basket, which as usual contained a couple different kinds of rolls and a cheesy flatbread (my favorites are the flatbread and onion rolls).  Then our orders were taken.  I went with the 8oz filet ($37.95), as did Tim.  Our entrees came with tomato juice or navy bean soup, or we could upgrade to lobster bisque, so Tim and I both did that.  It doesn't look too impressive in the picture, but it was really delicious--creamy and flavorful and full of lots of large pieces of lobster.  Can't remember how much the upgrade fee was, but it was worth it, no matter what.  Really delicious.


Soon after (but not too soon after), our entrees came.  The picture is dark, but our filets had lovely char marks on them and were cooked PERFECTLY.  They were also seasoned PERFECTLY.  I generally like a good amount of salt on a steak, but I didn't have to add any at all, whereas Tim normally likes things light on salt, and he didn't think it was too salty.  PERFECT.  St. Elmo's may be pricey, but they cook a good steak.  Our sides were mashed redskin potatoes, which are garlicky and yummy and satisfyingly carby next to all that red meat.

Had to include a picture of our friend Jeff's prime rib...it was enormous!!!  He said it was cooked perfectly and very tasty.  He was also quite impressed with the service at St. Elmo's (it was his first visit).  The waiters there are professionals, for sure--they know what they're doing.  Attentive without being in your face, great with recommendations, know the menu well, the timing of the meal is good--just all-around great service.  It's a place for special occasions, and they do make the occasion special.

Side note:  If you want the experience at a discount, go on Sundays.  They have their usual Devour Downtown menu on offer year-round on Sundays:  $35 for an app (salad or the shrimp cocktail), main course (filet is an option), and dessert.  Great deal!

Website:  St. Elmo Steak House