Rating: 4 cows
Perhaps one of the most widely-known of the upper-class steakhouses, it seems that many people say that the best steak they've ever had was at a Morton's. Not taking this endeavor lightly, Morton's was our second stakeout. There is certainly a lot of expectations at a place like this, but for the most part Morton's was a really excellent experience.
The decor of the place is very much that of a place where lots of people in business suits go to talk about how much money they're making. The wait staff even treats you like that even if you're clearly not. There's certainly no bones made about how much you're likely to spend here, but they do have prices on their menus which is nice.
The waiter presented us with the visual menu, displaying saran-wrapped choice cuts of steak and seafood, including a live lobster. It was a nice gimmick, but we weren't there for the lobster. The wine list is expansive and expensive, we opted for a single magnum against our waiter's wishes who would rather have had us ordered two. This was definitely the right choice for us, if not for our palates than for our wallets.
The steaks were all expertly cooked and seasoned. They were absolutely delicious and it was obvious that these cows did not die in vain. Perhaps the only knock against the steaks themselves was with the double porterhouse ($104). Split between two people, this monster cut is sliced at the table, which is really a nice little gimmick. While the steak was still cooked to perfection, it was divided vertically through the cut instead of horizontally within the cut. Thus the two porterhouses were not quite the same.
While the steak was unquestionably outstanding, the price tag was equally so. This is certainly not a place to go for any sort of value, but if money is truly no option then you will not be disappointed, and it just might be the best steak you ever eat. However, most of us do have to consider price when we dine out, and it was difficult for us to justify the price over a place like Ruth's Chris which is very good in its own right and will leave your wallet a little heavier. But there are many more places to try.