Bourbon Steak, Chef Robert Curtis and Sommelier Winn Roberton in the Four Seasons Hotel, Georgetown

[Blondie]

Dinner here on Saturday night was really underwhelming. Everything started off well--the reservationist was very polite and was able to accomodate our request for a booth. We were seated promptly at 6:45, given dinner menus/wine list/cocktail menus, asked about water...and then that was it, until 7:20, when a server stopped by to take a drink order. Fifteen more minutes went by before our cocktails landed on the table, and the server turned around to leave without saying another word. My date called him back to the table so that maybe we could hear specials, place our order, etc...when I asked if he was our server, he replied "ma'am, you have many servers tonight". Not exactly the answer I was looking for. After our order was taken, things started to move along at a better pace; a trio of lukewarm but tasty fries with 3 different dipping sauces, then an amuse bouche of shrimp. The truffle butter rolls came out with our entrees--we both had NY strips, split an order of truffled mac and cheese, and were given a gratis side of brussels sprouts. I really enjoyed both sides, especially the brussels sprouts. The steaks were nothing to write home about; we might be spoiled, living across the street from Ray's.

I ordered a glass of wine with the steak; when it came to the table, it had obviously been sitting on a dirty tray or bartop, because the base was sticky and dripping red wine onto the table Easily remedied, but it was just one more annoying thing. I had made the reservation at 6:45 assuming that two people could easily finish dinner in two hours and be on our way to the next destination. We ended up only ordering one course after that long initial wait, just so we could make it out the door in time to be somewhere else by 9:00. We decided to forego dessert for this same reason, though someone (one of our many waiters?) did stop by with a desert with a candle in it for my fiancee's birthday. Very nice of them, but we were ready to leave.

A 4-top next to us seemed to be having a great time, so I wouldn't assume that our experience was typical--they were able to get a wine recommendation from the sommelier, be served said wine, place dinner orders, and finish their lobster pot pie appetizer, all before we even got our first round of cocktails.

[goldenticket]

According to the Buzz from "The List - Are you on it?", change is afoot at Bourbon Steak:

Executive Chef David Varley of Bourbon Steak will be departing for San Francisco to become the Corporate Chef for Mina Group. Filling in his toque, as Executive Chef will be Adam Sobel. Most recently, Sobel served as Executive Chef at Chef Rick Moonen's RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Previously, Sobel was part of Chef Bradley Ogden's opening team at Ogden's eponymous restaurant in Caesar's Palace.

Congratulations to Chefs Varley and Sobel!

[darkstar965]

Had dinner here with four friends this weekend for a first visit. Absent a nicer way to say this, I'd have to call the experience the biggest ripoff I've experienced in the DC area in a long time.

We expected it to be hugely expensive...and it was.

We also expected it to be truly great and memorable...it wasn't even close.

The bone-in ribeye at $49 was ridiculously thin and underseasoned. Was so disappointed to have a ribeye so low on flavor and maybe an inch thick if it was that.

Mac and cheese was close in to the boxed variety. Simple elbows with a watery, single cheese sauce. Centrals and many others in town are much better.

A venison special was oddly bland...odd as in it was tough for us to understand how they could take a normally naturally highly flavored meat and dull it down

The regularly ribeye at 59 or 69 (can't recall) had just a tad more flavor than the one with the bone

Our waiter couldn't explain the provenance of the beef (huh?) but went to the kitchen to ask after guessing a "yes" in response to my question of whether they were sourcing from a single provider. He came back and said they were sourcing from a variety of farms in NY state (why not closer with the many good options nearer?) and all beef was "Prime".

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. This is another celebrity chef with way too many restaurants spread across the county to be focused on quality anymore...if he ever was.

[ad.mich]

Heard some disturbing news about the in-house cheese program that was launched with significant fanfare several months back. Word is they might have had to scrap the entire project. Anyone able to officially confirm?

[DonRocks]

Bourbon Steak is having a fundraising dinner for Nick Balenger tomorrow night (please click on that link, and follow all the rest of the links - this is as important as anything I've ever written about).

As part of the Silent Auction, Tim Carman and I will be hosting dinner for four at Bourbon Steak. So if you're going to this event, please bid on this generously, and Tim and I will regale you with war stories over our dinner.

I decided also to donate a bottle of wine to the auction: a 1999 Dönnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese, a wine from a difficult vintage that Terry Theise called "perhaps the greatest achievement I've ever seen by a winemaker." This wine, for this auction, should easily command $100. I'm the original owner of the wine, so I can verify its provenance - please bid generously.

Anyway, the other night I went to drop off the wine, and GM Mark Politzer (the husband of our own Rachael Harriman) said he'd like to buy me a glass of wine when I came in for being so involved in the auction. The large bar, early on a Thursday evening, was absolutely impenetrable, with nothing, anywhere, table or seats, opening up for what must have been close to an hour. So while I was standing there, Mark, and AGM Charlie Berg (who, by the way, is leaving soon for Blue Hill to devote himself to becoming a full-time sommelier), were kind enough to offer me a glass of Grüner Veltliner and the perfect dish for someone standing around waiting for a seat: Marinated Nantucket Bay Scallops ($22, but comped) with orange, cilantro, and lemongrass vinaigrette. This was served in something resembling a stemless brandy glass with a spoon (I'm not sure if that's the normal plating), and the orange and cilantro really complimented the wonderful scallops - it looked like a smallish course, but was quite an ample portion. This is the type of dish you can visualize the taste of (tastualize?) just from the ingredients list, and it was as good a combination as it sounds like because of the quality of the scallops.

Finally, I got a seat, and Charlie asked me if I'd mind if they served me a cheese course. I said I'd be happy to have one, but then later added that I'd like to order (and pay for) something first. (In the meantime, the cheese course came out, and I asked if I could have it placed in limbo until after my meal, so it was taken away and I never did get it back because I was so stuffed after my entree that I couldn't eat any more).

With what was surely $40 of comps under the bridge, it was time to pony up. I've always been curious about Michael Mina's signature dish: Michael's Lobster Pot Pie ($68), and decided to go for it. I remember about two years ago, I wrote Mark Politzer about this dish, and said, "Is it really worth the price?" He wrote me back a one-word answer: "Yes!" The pot pie is presented in an oversized, single-serving copper pot - there was clearly a lot of food lurking underneath the browned pot-pie crust which is all I could see. The pot was then taken back and expertly plated, and wow, what a dish. An entire, huge lobster, with the meat removed but the shell included, and brandied lobster cream, baby vegetables, and wild mushrooms, all artfully presented with the shell an integral part of the visual component (and also having a functional aspect, keeping the heat in some of the chunks of lobster meat). The brandied lobster cream was bountiful and extremely rich, so there is no way that a single person is going to finish this dish and not be stuffed. It is glorious excess, and might I add that at the bar, I'm sure they'll cheerfully bring out a share plate for two people to enjoy. At $34 per person, the price becomes much easier to grasp. I paired it with a 2009 Ramey Chardonnay ($20) from Russian River Valley, an exemplar of oak and oodles of butter, and normally something I wouldn't enjoy on its own, but with this incredibly rich pot pie, the oak was absorbed into the brandied lobster cream sauce, and it was a very good pairing.

Bourbon Steak is frightfully expensive, with eye-popping prices. There is some serious money dining here, and a coat and tie are highly recommended. Surely I received special attention because of my donations, but I observed what was going on around me, and the service is just wonderful, and the bartenders really know how to shake a drink.

[Gary Tanigawa]

Chef John Critchley leaves Bourbon Steak to launch own place

[NolaCaine]

I had one of the best lunches of recent memory at Bourbon Steak last week. Because I have a dairy allergy, i inquired about what was dairy free. I was a little surprised to learn that the options were limited so went to lunch with the assumption that i'd end up with a very basic grilled meal. I was very happy and satisfied when I left.

Arctic Char: Perfectly seared skin and the fat layer underneath was all fat and yummy. I can't really figure out what was on top...maybe some chive, evoo, s&p, garlic mixture and it was Devine. I have been thinking about this fish ever since I ate it. I want more.

Melon and Prosciutto Salad: Perfect and pretty. THe salt/sweet balance was perfect.

Onion Rings; not great but not bad. They seem to be bread-battered and heavy for it.

Peppers; the waiter told me that one in 10 is hot. My first was very very hot. Those that were not hot were nice.

Edit: Forgot to mention service. The service was very very good. I did have my water glass go dry a couple of times, my personal pet peeve, but otherwise, very nice. I also saw the staff treating some special guests quite well which impressed me (birthday in one case, advanced age and mobility limits in another).

[DonRocks]

Arctic Char: Perfectly seared skin and the fat layer underneath was all fat and yummy. I can't really figure out what was on top...maybe some chive, evoo, s&p, garlic mixture and it was Devine. I have been thinking about this fish ever since I ate it. I want more.

Your post recalls this meal I had nearly six years ago.

[DonRocks]

Chef John Critchley leaves Bourbon Steak to launch own place

This was never reported here, but Joe Palma replaced John Critchley about six months ago (Palma had moved to Charleston, but before that he was Chef de Cuisine at West End Bistro).

[Jonathan]

Had burgers at the bar for lunch today, and it was delicious...

For $21 you pick your burger, an accompaniment (salad, fries or onion rings), a non-alcoholic beverage, and a milkshake.

Tried the lamb burger and the classic, all three sides and had a very refreshing West Indies limeade and a strawberry shake.

Gluttonous, very good, and dare I say, a very good value. Plus you can tell your friends you "lunched at the 4 Seasons."

[MSDCX]

Plus you can tell your friends you "lunched at the 4 Seasons."

I chuckled at this. My wife gets her mani/pedi there and always tells me that we should try the lounge out. I keep saying "one of these days" but may have to come sooner rather than later...

[dcs]

Joe Palma to Head Isabella Eatery in McLean - The chef is leaving Bourbon Steak in D.C. to shepherd Mike Isabella’s biggest restaurant venture yet, by Jenny Sullivan, April 20, 2017, on arlingtonmagazine.com

[Bob Wells]

Just got treated to lunch at Bourbon Steak today. Verdict: Very good food, very expensive. I got a Caesar salad that was pretty substantial, with whole anchovies in there. Very nice. Then got the "All-American Wagyu Burger." Luscious. Got an order of fries to share with my friend -- honesty, they were not spectacular. He got a steak cobb salad that looked really good.

If anyone wants to treat me to another meal at Bourbon Steak, I'm definitely up for it!