The Steak Pit Part 1

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Had the opportunity to try a Wisconsin supper club tonight. Warren, Gary, Dale, and I are staying on Madeline for the long weekend and we made a special trip to Washburn to try The Steak Pit restaurant.

Upon walking in we found the decor to be very unassuming, but why would it need to be with its incredible view of the lake? Kathy, our server, was a no nonsense albeit pleasant person who provided excellent service. We could tell shortly after she greeted us that we would be in good hands.

We ordered cocktails to start. I, of course, began with a brandy old fashioned. Warren had Myers run, his favorite dark rum. Gary had Dale both had red wine.

We ordered a couple of appetizers, the shrimp basket and the clam basket. Both were deep fried and fabulous.

The Steak Pit Part 2

Saturday, October 17, 2015

In true supper club style they had a Friday night fish fry. I simply HAD to have it. It was a generous portion of trout that was lightly breaded and lightly fried - not greasy at all! It came with the option of French fries or baked potato. I had had fries with lunch so I went with the baked potato. Dale had the broiled Lake Superior trout. He said it was awesome. Warren had the surf and turf. I think they called it a tug and hoof. Hoof, for the steak and tug (as in tugging the tail) for the shrimp. Gary had a steak.

We all had dinner salads to start. Gary asked what the salad dressing options were and Kathy said she would bring all of them out when serving the salads. When the salads appeared, she brought a caddy of three dressings including green goddess, blue cheese, and French. She also produced four bottles of dressings. I can’t remember all of them. One was a cranberry something or other which Dale loved. Another was a Hawaiian poppyseed which sounded divine. I went with the green goddess which is something I’ve never tried before. I loved it. It’s basically ranch dressing blended with avocado.

The dessert tray which Kathy brought over had a lot of different cheesecake options all under Saran Wrap. One was cheesecake wrapped in a flour tortilla. That’s how it was presented on the dessert tray, although if ordered they would deep fry it and then cover it with something like cinnamon and sugar, possibly caramel sauce. The non-cheesecake item was a chocolate hot lava cake which is what Warren ordered to split with Gary.

After going through all the options on the tray Kathy mentioned that they also had ice cream drinks. I wanted to tell her she was a woman after my own heart but thought better of it since she didn’t come across as a warm-fuzzy kind of gal. Instead I simply asked if the pink squirrel was an option. She said that it was along with the grasshopper. Since I had a grasshopper most recently at Jax I decided to go with the pink squirrel. I almost fell out of my seat when she brought it over as it was massive. Absolutely delicious though.

Our server, Kathy, was exceptional. She was not overly familiar with us but courteous and very attentive. I could tell shortly after she greeted us at our table that she would take exceptional care of us which is exactly what she did.

Lots of supper club hallmarks at The Steak Pit: attentive and friendly service, great cocktails, Friday night fish fry, prime rib, ice cream drinks, and of course, cloth napkins (purple ones at that). Didn’t see any evidence of live music but that’s not to say there isn’t. Next time I call ahead I’ll definitely have to ask. We’ll most certainly be back.

I've heard it said that a supper club is always for sale.  Interesting to find this sign outside.

Oh, Happy Day

Today the Minnesota House approves the gay marriage bill in a 75-59 vote! Dale and I went to the Lowbrow to celebrate. That place is fast becoming one of my favorite restaurants.  We both had the rigatoni with spinach and broccoli in cream sauce. So delicious. Dale had an ice cream sandwich for dessert which was really vanilla ice cream between two of the most wonderful chocolate chip cookies I've ever had! I had the chocolate stout cake. As the name suggests, it was made with Guiness beer which kept the cake extra moist. It had a cream cheese frosting as well.

St. Joseph's Day 2013

Fish is a pretty traditional dish for St. Joseph's Day in countries where it's observed. Today I had to settle for a Filet-O-Fish sandwich from McDonald's due to having class tonight.

St. Joseph's Day 2013

Went to dinner on Saturday with Dale and some friends to Nona Rosa's in Robbinsdale. They had choppino on the menu and since St. Joseph's Day was coming up and fish is a traditional St. Joseph's Day dish in countries where the feast day is observed, I figured I'd get a jump on things and order the dish even if it was a couple day's early.

St. Patrick's Day 2013

Went to dinner last night with Dale and some friends to a place called Mama Rosa's in Robbinsdale. Obviously, it was Italian but they said they were offering beer cheese soup in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Now, I would have guessed beer cheeese soup to be more native to Wisconsin than to Ireland but, hey, it sure tasted good.

St. Patrick's Day 2013

I had lunch with Noel yesterday at George and the Dragon and in honor of St. Patrick's Day I ordered the bangers and mash. I've never had this dish before and I found it to be very delicious. The sausage almost had the consistency of pate, but not quite. I looked the dish up online and some sources say it's British while some say it's Irish and some say it's both. Regardless, it was great. 

Osaka Restaurant

This past Saturday our friends Mike and Charisse had us out to their boat on the St. Croix. After cocktails on the river we ate at a restaurant in Stillwater called Osaka. They served the best sushi I've ever had. Mike and Charisse were curious as to whether Stillwater can support a sushi place. Time will tell...

Sunday Brunch at Grand Cafe

Dale and I had brunch this morning at Grand Cafe. I had the French toast and Dale had the oatmeal. Dale started with a blueberry scone which was absolutely delicious. The following is from Grand Cafe's website.

"The Grand Cafe is a neighborhood restaurant that offers New American and Continental bistro fare. Since our opening in 2006, our space has epitomized romance and repose, from the giant vintage Baker Boy oven to our eclectic collection of Minnehaha Falls artwork."

"We seek out the best local and artisanal products the Upper Midwest has to offer: our menu undergoes a near-complete makeover every season, though many items change from week to week as well. Our farm-to-table approach is consistently lauded by the Minneapolitan food media and local foods organizations as one of the best in the Twin Cities."

I love the neighborhood feel of the restaurant and the food is absolutely divine. Oh, and by the way, my grandfather had a Baker Boy oven at his bakery in northern Minnesota.

Grand Cafe - 3804 Grand Avenue South