Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Renaissance Event Hall

Just 3 months old, Renaissance Steakhouse is a real gem in this area.  A really beautiful restaurant/banquet hall used for private events (weddings, etc) on the weekends as far as I can tell.  There is a nice balcony overlooking the dancefloor or you can sit in front or outside the restaurant also.  They are very new and are still working out some kinks but the food is excellent and the atmosphere matches.  I've eaten here twice and been really impressed with the food thus far.  It is cooked perfectly and decently priced.  Clearly they have a talented chef.  The menu is usually small and changes each time I go, but I like that, it shows me what is fresh and it is good to change things up.  It's not a typical steakhouse, they offer far more than just steak and seem to be heavy on the fish.  That said, the steak is excellent.  I've had the Filet Minion and the sirloin (blackened on our request) and they were both excellent, tasty, cooked perfectly, and lean.

The Filet Minion was really out of this word.  It was a filet, wrapped in bacon, topped with cheese (Roquefort perhaps, maybe blue I forget), fried onions and onion rings.  Overkill for sure, but fantastic flavors and textures.  The crispy onions and the soft caramelized onions are a great contrast, really work with the meat, cheese and bacon.  Yea this is a meal you shouldn't order more than say once a year, which may not be a problem, as it was not on the menu the 2nd time I visited Renaissance.

For appetizers I've had a salad, which was huge and very tasty.  The calamari in tempura batter was extremely tender calamari, not chewy at all.  Perfectly fried in a great tomato sauce.  Not a large appetizer and a bit steep for $11, but excellently cooked and very tasty.  My fiancĂ© loved her Shrimp stuffed with crab with a lobster sauce.  Great flavors, cooked well.  The only problem is that it did not come with a side dish, yet the other entrees came with a side dish.  The last time I ate there I had the baby lamb chops.  Not a large portion but cooked and seasoned well, served with spinach.  Good dish.

Overall the service is a bit slow, but they are very nice and the food is just excellent.  The prices are decent, better than many steak houses in NYC.  Highly recommended for a great meal, but only if your not in a rush, this is dining.  They also have a nice bar, and show movies on Tuesday nights.