Prime Steakhouse Review

Jason here. We took another trip to Redmond for a night out, and decided to try Prime Steakhouse.

Prime is a restaurant focusing on steaks, but also has a good collection of burgers and sandwiches. The best part is the menu itself lists gluten free options, which tends to entice me to try out a place.

The restaurant itself isn’t too large, or at least they section off various rooms so it feels more intimate then most places. I was able to hear the table conversation without too much trouble, but we had to speak up. 

Of course I can’t go to a steakhouse and not order a steak for the first time. I honestly not sure if I have tried a dry-aged steak before. At the very least I have never tried them side by side. With this in mind, I decided to order the top sirloin baseball cut 12oz dry age steak, with a side of baked potato.

The baked potato was well crispy on the outside, although I just scooped out and ate the fluffy potato inside. Pretty standard affair.

The steak was fabulous. I ordered medium and that’s what I got, pink with a little red. It was plenty marbled with fat, which just melted in my mouth like cotton candy. The most delicious sensation one can have when eating a steak. This is the quality of a high end steak. If it’s a low quality cut, the fat will turn chewy and stringy, and be tough to actually eat. Everything here just melted in my mouth, from the first to the last bite. I did not add one ounce of salt or pepper, and ate it exactly how it came out. Not wanting to waste a good steak by having to reheat left overs, I finished the whole 12oz there which I was a bit worried about when it came out. I ordered the smallest of the dry aged steaks, so be prepared for leftovers if you order something like the 24oz porter just for yourself.

It is a high end steak restaurant so you get what you pay for. I got a really top end steak, the meal is a bit on the higher end. Although my sirloin, wasn’t too bad. I actually ordered this cut for the size, not the price, but it worked out for me.

Kayleigh here. While most steakhouses can put together a gluten free steak meal with relative ease, Prime has gotten nearly the entire menu to accommodate a gluten free diner. I failed to ask if the sandwiches would be served bunless or if they had an alternative, but I think there are more than enough options regardless. All of the salads, most of the starters, and many of the vegetable and potato sides are gluten free by default, as well as (of course) the steaks. And if you’re like me and are the odd duck that orders a non-beef entrée, you are pretty much guaranteed to find something that tickles your fancy. The menu is not particularly large, but so diverse and well thought-out that I think anyone would walk out happy.

Daniel's Broiler review

Jason here. One thing we greatly enjoy is taking guests out to enjoy some local restaurants.  This time we wanted to go to a very nice restaurant which focuses on steak. We elected to go to Daniel’s Broiler in Bellevue.

First let’s get some things out of the way. While they don’t have a gluten free menu, they are very friendly and can double check on all items. Second, expect to pay a good deal for your meal. I would recommend checking out the menu on their website for an idea of what to pay. Luckily we did know what we were getting into, but seriously don’t take a guest here without them knowing what they are getting into.

Now to the fun stuff. This is definitely a restaurant you want to dress up to, and feel a little classy. I would describe the decorations as fine wood wine racks, filled with all kinds of wine. The restaurant is on one of the top floors of a tall building in Bellevue, so it provides an excellent view if you can get a window seat. We had a nice view through the wine racks into the kitchen which was fun to watch.

We ordered a Rib-eye done medium, with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. They definitely take pride in their steaks, and have some demo steaks to show off as you enter. They even explain their process of how they cook the steak and make sure to sear it at the end to lock in the flavor, and full of flavor it was. It came medium, exactly as I had ordered it. The steak was one of the best I have had. It wasn’t overly seasoned, just cooked well so it the flavor came from the steak itself. Even the mashed potatoes were extremely good. They were very light and fluffy, with an almost creamy taste to them.

Kayleigh here. As the kind of person that tags along to steakhouses and gets…not steak, I was pleasantly surprised with the variety and thought put into the non-steak entrees, and actually had a difficult time choosing! Plenty of seafood and chicken options, as well as a fairly extensive vegetarian menu- something good for anyone you decide to take!

We highly recommend Daniel’s Broiler for a primo night on the town, to celebrate an anniversary, a job promotion, or simply an occasion where you want to remind yourself just how good your life is. Their dinners are exquisite, and the wait staff is quick to help with wine pairings according to your meal choice, which was perfect for a couple of novice drinkers like ourselves. We did not have room at the end, but we were told there are dessert options available for gluten free diners (like their gourmet ice cream sundaes), so we might just have to make a separate trip out sometime for drinks and desserts!

Jak's Grill Review

Jason here. This review is a little special for me, and starts off with a bit of a story. It’s long, so If you just want to read the review you can skip down a little ways.

Almost one year ago today, I was in my last year of college still looking for a job. I was lucky enough to land an interview out in Seattle for what is one of the best companies for my field. Unfortunately for me, this was actually just after I started getting sick from eating gluten.  So with my stomach upset, and super nervous I traveled to the other side of the country to interview for my dream job.

The round of interviews went well, but not perfect. There are always the little things that you think back on afterwards wondering where you could have done better. The company had been generous, and given me a food stipend and told to go enjoy the local cuisine. They even recommended a nice steak restaurant downtown.

My flight was late at night the next day, so I had some time to go and explore Seattle. I went down town and walked around Pike Place market, and even went to the aquarium. After walking around for a few hours, I finally got hungry and decide a steak did sound good. I checked my phone and looked up the nearest steak restaurant.

So I walked a few blocks, only to find out my first pick had an extremely long wait.  No problem I thought, so I looked up another steak place started walking there. Now at this point, I am pretty dead set on steak. I have no idea what compelled me to, but I ended up walking well over an hour to get to the next restaurant only to find out it was closed. I have really worked up an appetite now, and it is pretty cold out that day. Keep in mind, I had to check out of my hotel, so I am also lugging around my duffel bag filled with my travel accessories.

I look up one last place on my phone, and find a restaurant called Jak’s Grill. I call a taxi this time, and finally arrive about 3:00PM. I see the sign for Jak’s Grill and am immensely excited. I walk up to the door, and find out that they don’t open until 4:00PM. I’m cold, hungry, and my stomach hurts at this point. At least it’s a nice street with a bunch of shops. I decide I can wait the hour and just go walking around.

4:00PM rolls around, and they open up right on time. I seem to be there first customer. I get seated in a little alcove around the corner, and my waiter introduces himself. It’s a slow day while I’m there so he chats with me some about where I’m from, and travelling. He guessed I was travelling to or from somewhere, since I was carrying around my luggage.

I order the Steak Oscar off their specials menu (as an aside, I couldn’t find their special menu online when I looked, but I may have just missed it). It was delicious. I remember it being one of the best meals I had ever had. I finally get my check and pay.

Then an incredible moment happened. The waiter turned and said, “See you when you get home”. For the last hour or so, I had been sitting there most alone, just contemplating what my life would be like I got the job and moved out to Seattle. With that simple utterance, I realized I could make this place my home, and that it would be everything I ever wanted. And for some reason, I simply stopped worrying about how my interview went. It was a moment of clarity for me that I will never forget. Just a few days later, I got the call that I did get the job, and vowed right then and there that I would one day return to Jak’s Grill.

So on my birthday this year, Kayleigh and decided there wouldn’t be a better time than now for me to go back.

REVIEW STARTS HERE

We went back, and sure enough I ordered the exact same thing, the Steak Oscar off their specials menu. All of their entrees come with a salad, seasonal veggies, bread, and some form of potato.

I let me waiter know I was gluten intolerant, and asked if she knew my choice was gluten free. She said she was almost certain it was, but went back checked. Sure enough it was. The service is absolutely great here.

The steak Oscar is a steak with crab on top, topped again with béarnaise sauce. Béarnaise sauce, is a combination of eggs, tarragon shallots, and butter. This is all served on top of some asparagus. For my side, I got the garlic mashed potatoes.

I ordered the steak medium, and it came out as perfect as I remembered it. I had worried that maybe I was just remembering it being so good, because I was so hungry at the time. It is was nice and pink on the inside, and still had some of the absolutely delicious fat left on the sides. The crab and sauce, adds a delicious creamy taste to the whole thing. The salad, and sides were also very good. I cheated a bit, and swapped my asparagus for Kayeigh’s broccoli and carrots. Broccoli is my favorite vegetable, and I just have never personally enjoyed asparagus very much.

The atmosphere is also one I enjoy. It has a sort of old fashioned high class feel to the place. Smooth jazz playing, a little dark, all the booths feel secluded and personal.

Kayleigh here. I would like to counter Jason, and say his asparagus were perfectly cooked, so there. I ordered the salmon for myself, but it was one of the first times where I did not feel restricted when ordering a non-steak option at a steak restaurant. Every one of their seafood entrees are tantalizing, inspired dishes that can hardly be called afterthought options, as is how I usually find it. Settling on the salmon was actually difficult, but the taste of well cooked, seasoned, and buttered fish was well worth it.  However, I will say I’ll definitely be going down the line and trying a different entrée each time I go! Plus, we were told that at least the creme brulee is safe to order, so we will have to try and save some room for dessert next time!

In conclusion, if you ever get a chance to check out this restaurant, I absolutely recommend it. This place will always mean something extra to me, and I hope you take a little something special away from the experience as well.

Rok's Bistro Review

Jason here. It’s going to be just me this time, since Kayleigh wasn’t with me to enjoy this unique restaurant dining experience. 

Not too long ago I took a trip down to lovely Sunnyvale California, and ate a restaurant called Rok Bistro (Warning it plays annoying music). The restaurant caught my attention because it advertised having hot-stones. What are hot-stones you ask? Well you can read about them on their website here (no music), but essentially they are square stones they heat up to incredibly hot temperatures and they serve your food on when it comes out. The whole idea is that you don’t have to order your main entrée in any particular style (well-done, medium, rare), instead it comes out sizzling on the hot-stone rare and you leave it to cook, or slice off bits and cook them individually to your exact liking.

 I should point out at this point that I ordered a steak, but they do serve plenty of other items which can come on the hot-stone.  I wasn’t immediately sold on the idea, since the part of the appeal of eating out is that ideally my food is cooked by an expert chef to perfection. However, when my food arrived I immediately warmed up to the idea.

 The hot-stone certainly adds presentation and style to the meal, which in turn adds into a good meal. My steak came out sizzling on the hot-stone giving off a delicious aroma. Furthermore, when I said I warmed up to the idea, I also meant that literally since the hot-stone gives off a decent amount of heat making it feel like you are sitting next to a small fire. It was chilly that day, so the heat made me think of eating by a nice warm campfire.

Then came the actual part of cooking the meal to my liking. I actually found this an enjoyable experience. Slicing off little bits so they would lay more flat against the hot-stone and cook quicker, made it so that each piece was more-or-less how I wanted it done. The benefit I didn’t foresee, but completely sold me on the entire thing, was that the whole time I was eating, my steak never got cold, or even warm. It was always hot, like it just came out of the kitchen. I am a pretty slow eater, so having each bite taste like that first bite fresh out of the kitchen was great! 

I am pleased to say the restaurant is also gluten intolerant aware. When I asked if the sauces which came with my meal were gluten free, the waiter politely said she wasn’t, sure but has a list in the back. It is always a very good sign when they say they have a prepared list, since that means at some point someone took the time to really figure out which items were safe. 

It’s worth mentioning the restaurant also specializes in fondues, but I did not get a chance to try them. Perhaps next time.

Overall, I would say it was a unique experience that I think everyone should give a try. The food was good, they are gluten friendly, and they offer an experience that would be hard to find anywhere else.