Entries categorized as ‘Steak’
December 26, 2007 · 1 Comment
Its Christmas and at Christmas we all think about home. Since this is a restaurant blog, I think about Restaurants in my hometown. I was born in Philadelphia, and when one think about Philadephia food the first thing that comes to mind is CHEESESTEAKS! The second thing is hoagies. While Pensacola restaurants offer us many different food options, from seafood and steak to sushi and thai, one has to hunt long for a cheesesteak or a hoagie. Never fear. I have found a restaurant in Pensacola that serves cheesesteaks as good as any in Philly. Its called Philly’s (ironically enough!)
Let’s first do a bit of background study on the food itself. Wikipedia says this: “The cheesesteak, known outside the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area as the Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly Steak and Cheese, Philly cheesesteak, steak and cheese, or simply a Philly is a sandwich principally of thinly sliced pieces of steak and melted cheese on a long roll. A cheesesteak without cheese is locally called a steak sandwich, or a Philly Steak in other parts of the country. The cheesesteak is a comfort food for natives of the Philadelphia region. It was invented in the city in 1930 and is considered to be a city icon along with other foods such as Tastykakes, water ice, the Philadelphia soft pretzel, hoagies, and scrapple.” The best places to get cheesesteaks in Philadelphia is Pat’s or Geno’s. The former claims to have invented the cheesesteak.
I grew up eating all these things in abundance, and still do a couple times a year, when I get back to southeast Pennsylvania. Hoagies became known in other parts of the world as italian subs, but hoagies are different. They come on the same roll as a cheesesteak. Those rolls are special. In fact, as Ross, the owner of Philly’s in Pensacola, tells the story, he woudl have opened Philly’s sooner if he could have figured out how to get the rolls fresh in Pensacola. He now has them specially shipped to his shop. It is important that the bread is fresh to a great cheesesteak or hoagie. Philly’s has them fresh.
Philly’s in Pensacola is every bit as good as Pat’s or Geno’s in Philadelphia. (You’re welcome, Ross) It’s not a glamourous place (sorry, Ross), but neither s Pat’s or Geno’s. They are all essentially grill counter sandwich shops that are entirely focused on giving you the real product, which is a belly full of delicious juicy meat, grilled onions, peppers, bread, and cheese. Both cheesesteaks and hoagies are traditionally served with fries and soda, with a dessert of Tastykakes. Philly’s has it all. There are a few tables but most business is takeout!
If you are a southerner looking to step above the mason doxon line, or you are a Yankee looking for a taste of home, Philly’s can not be beat. And it is a must for anyone seeking to expand their culinary horizons. I’d love to see Philly’s expand their operation to more tables and a downtown location.
Name: Philly’s Cheesesteaks & Hoagies
Location: 3900 Creighton Rd, Pensacola, FL, 32504
Phone: (850) 969-0087
Price: <$
Website: www.phillysonline.com
Categories: BBQ · Dining with Friends · Dining with Kids · Food · Location · North Pensacola · Pensacola · Restaurant · Sandwiches · Steak
Tagged: cheesesteak, creighton road, Florida, hoagie, lunch, north, Pensacola, Restaurant, Sandwiches, take-out, tastykake
Jackson’s Restaurant provides the best dining experience in Pensacola. Awarded as one of the best 25 restaurants in Florida, the dining experience they offer is flawless. From the experience of making the recommended reservation to decor and service to the food. Impeccable. Jackson’s Restaurant can easily be compared to any fine restaurant in any larger metropolitan area. While the dining experience will cost you more than most in Pensacola are accustomed to paying (…much more), I am happy to say that it is worth every Ben Franklin you can muster.
Your experience starts with a friendly reservation in which they want to know your full names and if you are visiting for any special occasion. This conversation is akin to the concierge service at a 5-star hotel. When you arrive the door is opened for you. When you enter you are greeted warmly both by the host and the decor. Jackson’s is decorated with an absolute attention to detail. The chandeliers are faux tree limbs capped by candle lanterns. The light is warm and ample while still maintaining intimacy, supplemented by the simply elegant and comfortable furniture. Expect white table clothes and jacketed service. Your table will be attended by no less than two service staff. The atmosphere is now complimented by live piano music (though it did get a tiny bit loud at times).
She had a rib-eye that was absolutely sublime. Great steak is a wonderful thing, but this a different level. I had the Marksman’s Grill, which was sadly better on the menu that it was on my plate. However it was adventuresome and unique with quail, elk, and venison (my favorite), and still quite tasty. We chose a bottle of “J”, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, and once it had a chance to breath, it went down very easily. (We liked it so much, we walked out with the bottle.) Being a birthday, we splurged on dessert-creme brulee and Rosco’s Amazing Chocolate Stack. While one can never go wrong with creme brulee (though the berries were spectacular), the peanut-butter chocolate dessert took the night.
We apologize that we don’t remember the names of our servers, but they did a great job! Maybe it is a mark of great service that we don’t remember them? In any case, the evening was stellar. A word of notice. Please see the dollar signs below before making your reservation and make sure you understand our price rating. But once you take that note, prepare for the best fine dining restaurant experience Pensacola has to offer.
Name: Jackson’s Restaurant
Location: 400 South Palafox Street, Pensacola, FL, 32502
Phone: (850) 469-9898
Price: Lunch $$-$$$; Dinner $$$$$-15$
Website: www.jacksonsrestaurant.com
Categories: Business Lunch · Dessert · Downtown · Drinks · Food · Palafox · Pensacola · Restaurant · Romance · Romantic Dinner · Seafood · Steak
Tagged: Business Lunch, Dessert, Downtown Pensacola, Drinks, Jacksons, Palafox, Pensacola, Restaurant, Romantic Dinner, Seafood, Steak
This is a relatively new chain restaurant for Pensacola, and in general. There is 10 locations across the south United States. In a nutshell, the food is great but the service is lacking. I’ve eaten here over a half dozen times in the last year (and recently) in a varitey of settings- lunch, dinner, meeting room. Overall this assessment stands true. I ate lunch at Zea Rotisserie and Grill recently with an associate, and we sat for over ten minutes until we were approached for a drink order.That being said, they have some fantastic stuff on their menu. Their dry rub ribs are absolutely excellent and their salads are delicious. The atmosphere and decor are clean and warm, with special touches everywhere. If you can get service, it is the perfect location and environment for a business lunch. The tables are not too close and sound doesn’t travel. In addition, Zea offers something that is curiously rare in a beach town like Pensacola- outdoor dining! Its not a big area, but it is protected and you can actually see the bay! Its a hidden treasure. Ask for it. Zea should work on its training and management programs if it is to experience sucessful growth, but it has potential.Name: Zea Rotisserie and Grill
Location: 605 West Gregory, Pensacola, FL, 32502
Phone: (850) 433-2159
Price: $-$$$
Website: www.zearestaurants.com
Categories: BBQ · Burgers · Business Lunch · Dessert · Dining with Friends · Downtown · Food · Gregory · Outdoor Dining · Pensacola · Restaurant · Seafood · Steak
Tagged: Downtown Pensacola, Restaurant, Seafood, Steak, Business Lunch, Dining with Friends, Outdoor Dining, Dining with Kids, Gregory Street, BBQ, Sunday Brunch, Pensacola, Zea, grill, rotisserie
Eat! is a downtown Pensacola restaurant adding location and services all the time. Eat! is characterized by a trendy metropolitan atmosphere, fine cuisine, and outstanding service. During lunchtime, this place is all business, one of the preferred lunch meeting places in the downtown area. In the evening, the restaurant switches to fine dining and does it well. The deco bar offers a great place to start your evening and relax before dinner.
Eat! ’s menu offers some items not otherwise found in Pensacola restaurants. For example, try the delicious Rabbit Quesadillas. Yes, that’s rabbit meat! Without fail, all of the menu items are tasty, with some outstanding fare. There is plenty of variety and adventure to be had, as well as standard dining choices that won’t disappoint.
I am constantly impressed by the service. It is highly professional but relaxed and comfortable. Again, a trendy metropolitan atmosphere. This is once you are seated. I am occasionally dismayed by how long I wait at the door before being approached. However, once approached, service is excellent. Ask for Frances as your server and the back room if you have a party of less than six and want some privacy. Outdoor dining, while available, is not altogether comfortable.
Name: Eat!
Location: 286 N. Palafox, Pensacola, FL, 32502
Phone: (850) 433-6905
Price: $-$$$
Website: www.eatmorefood.com
Categories: Business Lunch · Dessert · Dining with Friends · Downtown · Drinks · Food · Location · Outdoor Dining · Palafox · Pensacola · Restaurant · Romantic Dinner · Salads · Sandwiches · Seafood · Steak
Tagged: Palafox, Restaurant, Pensacola, eat, Food, dine, Downtown, salad, romantic, dinner, business, lunch, frances, excellent, service, outdoor
Though I think this Pensacola restaurant got a rough start and much of the art on its walls is atrocious, we have become quite the fans of The Global Grill recently. It has become a weekly stop and we’ve even begun to develop a regular order. This restaurant has become additionally attractive as we have begun a carb-controlled diet.Let’s first address the atmosphere, which will further explain the ”rough start” comment. The Global Grill is well recognized in Pensacola for its…um…”cooler than thou” attititude. To be sure, it is one of the coolest restaurants in Pensacola, with its hip “tapas” menu, artsy atmosphere, designed decor, and downtown location. The servers are noted for the same hip, artsy, pierced, model-like attitude. And while all this could lend itself to a patron’s feeling of inclusion in a hip set, a restaurant can not survive by decorum alone. The Global Grill quickly became home to a rather happenstance happy hour crowd (still evident to this day), but gained the solid support of some notable Pensacola professionals. The restaurant coasted on this professional patronage and “cool” for some time. Service suffered. Food quality followed.I note all this because I found it offensive. Not because of its substance, but because of its nature- that a potentially great restaurant woud allow itself to stoop that low.Fortunately, someone pulled it all together. Food quality is now consistently stellar. Service, while still quirky (which I like), is superior. The kitchen is remarkably brisk. And better art now compliments the orginal pieces. The crowd is now a better mix of Pensacola demographics and more friendly. Prices remain healthy, but in my opinion. you do get what you pay for.
The only complaints I now have is that the “blue room” is consistently too cold. Let’s see what we can do about that?
Our favorite tapas include:
- Herbed Focaccia with Olives and Feta Cheese
- Crab West Indies and Avocado Martini
- Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
- Peppercorn Beef Brochettes,Smoked Gouda Cheese Sauce
All the desserts are to-die-for. This is the second local restaurant reviewed that you can go just for a late night dessert-only indulgence. The wine list is superb, featuring one of our favorite red vineyards: David Bruce. The Russian River Reserve 2 (Pinot Noir) is a great bottle for a fair price.
Name: The Global Grill
Location: 25 S Palafox St, Pensacola, FL 32502
Phone: 850.469.9966
Price: $$-$$$$$
Website: www.dineglobalgrill.com
Categories: Dessert · Dining with Friends · Downtown · Drinks · Food · Palafox · Pensacola · Restaurant · Romance · Romantic Dinner · Salads · Seafood · Steak · Sushi
Tagged: appetizers, art, Dessert, Dining with Friends, Downtown Pensacola, Drinks, Global Grill, globes, Palafox, Pensacola, Restaurant, Romantic Dinner, Seafood, Steak, tapa
O’Brien’s is truly unique in Pensacola. For starters, it is small and intimate. This is not a easy charateristic to find in this town. Its food it delicious, its wine list is magnificent, and its service is (usually) sophsticated yet friendly. That few short sentences say it all. It is one of the few restaurants in Pensacola in which you can truly feel that you are someplace special. Sometimes it shows its age, and falters, but it delivers something that you can’t find elsewhere in Penacola.Recommendations? The entres range from seafood to steak. The atmosphere is “neighborhood fine dining”. Try their specials. The wine list is stellar. Spend some time with it to find some unusual gems. If you have a chance, let Jim O’Brien recommend your dinner and wine.
Name: O’Briens Bistro
Location: 4350 Bayou Blvd, Pensacola, FL, 32502
Phone: 850-477-9120
Price: $$$-$$$$$
Website: na Technorati Profile
Categories: Business Lunch · Cordova · Dessert · Dining with Friends · Drinks · Food · Pensacola · Restaurant · Romance · Romantic Dinner · Romantic Lunch · Seafood · Steak
Tagged: Romantic Dinner, Restaurant, Seafood, Steak, Business Lunch, Cordova, Pensacola, wine, bistro, o'briens
Another chain that delivers! The Melting Pot is not mainstream, even in larger cities than Pensacola. Dinner at The Melting Pot can not be “grabbed”. You have to commit to it. You are there for two and a half hours minimum. Your service is attentive and thorough, they may even have to teach you a few things. Because of these time/labor factors, you are going to pay a few dollars for your meal. The quality of the food? Well, that is up to you, because YOU cook it at your table!If you have never eaten a fondue dinner, Melting Pot is designed to introduce you. Fondue parlors are few and far between, even in large metropolitan areas, so the Melting Pot may be your only opportunity. In fact, I find it a bit surprising that Pensacola has such a cosmopolitan venue.The basics are thus. You engage in a three or four course meal that is cooked exclusively at your table in a fondue pot. Your first course is typically a cheese course. A mixture of chunk cheese and spices is brought to your table. It is tossed into your fondue pot and melted down. You are given some skewers and a variety of breads and vegetables to dip into the pot. Your meal continues in this way with a meat and veggie course (or two) based in a variety of broths or oils, and a dessert fondue. With this last, you are absolutely remiss if you do not have chocolate and a ton of it.The Melting Pot in Pensacola boasts a rather sophisticated mid-range wine list. You are going to drop $25-$45 per head on dinner. You might as well do the same with one of the great wines in that range. Take your time eating the meal, sip the wine, dip the food.
One more thing. You needn’t go for dinner. The Melting Pot is probably the single best place to go for a romantic dessert, and not just in Pensacola, where it is probably the only place. A couple glasses of wine and a chocolate fondue will have you drooling over each other. Or it would create great memories for a group of close friends.
Name: The Melting Pot
Location: 418 E Gregory St # 500, Pensacola, FL, 32502
Phone: (850) 438-4030
Price: $$$-$$$$$
Website: HTTP://www.meltingpot.com/
Categories: Dessert · Dining with Friends · Downtown · Drinks · Fondue · Gregory · Pensacola · Restaurant · Romance · Romantic Dinner · Seafood · Steak
Tagged: Business Lunch, chocolate, Dessert, Dining with Friends, Downtown Pensacola, Fondue, Gregory Street, melting pot, Pensacola, Restaurant, Romantic Dinner, Steak, wine
What a surprise! This is a chain. It is not unique to Pensacola. I am not a huge fan of chain restaurants and do not frequent them often (aside from Carabas, but that’s a different review). To further set the stage on this review, I have eaten at this Bonefish location in Pensacola on three prior occasions. I found the food bland and uninteresting on all three occasions, as you would expect at any franchise restaurant.
Last Tuesday however, I had a completely different experience. We dropped in to use a gift certificate, and walked out impressed. We started with the chicken spring rolls. They were tasty but nothing extraordinary. The salad was less exciting, though the bread is always a great touch. We both order the tilapia special, because our server sold it so well. Tilapia Withdrew, or something like that. It is a healthy piece of grilled, but delicately spicy tilapia, covered with a spinach-gouda cream sauce topping.
This plate is fantastic. It rivals anything that the Fish House may create and truly trascends the franchise restaurant fare. We will return to see if this experience can be duplicated. Stand by for that review.
Name: Bonefish Grill
Location: 5025 N 12th Ave., Pensacola, FL 32504
Phone: (850) 471-2324
Price: $$-$$$
Website: http://www.bonefishgrill.com/home.asp
Categories: Business Lunch · Cordova · Dessert · Dining with Friends · Dining with Kids · Drinks · Food · Pensacola · Restaurant · Romance · Romantic Dinner · Romantic Lunch · Salads · Seafood · Steak
Tagged: Romantic Dinner, Restaurant, Seafood, Steak, Dining with Friends, Cordova, Pensacola, grill, bonefish
I’ve had mostly great though mixed experiences at this Pensacola Beach restaurant. Let me first say that until you get to the roof bar, this restaurant is well furnished and decorated. Lots of Key West style wood beams and earth tones- not the neon-pastel Caribbean stuff. Most tables give a sense of seclusion and intimacy, even the outdoor dining area. All this lends itself to a great atmosphere makes us expect great food and service.
Great service is almost always executed. Even the new server I had once indicated that she knew what she should have been doing, though she didn’t do it. The servers are professional, friendly, and attentive without being intrusive. Larger parties are well doubled and tripled with service.
The food is not always so well done. Its up and down and around, like it depends on which chef is on that night. The fish is not always tasty and is sometimes quite bland. This is inexcusable for a place name after Hemingway that sits on a beach. I will say that when the food is “on” is on par with better seafood in the area, though not the best (see Fish House and Altas reviews).
One thing that Hemingway’s has a wealth of is location. Spectacular views of the Santa Rosa Sound are available and this is one of the few restaurants in Pensacola with a sunset view. (That is a strange thing, is it not?). The roof top bar lends even better views, though as noted earlier, the utter lack of ambiance around this bar leaves a HUGE amount to be desired. This rooftop bar is another place that Hemingway’s has completely dropped the ball and is missing an opportunity to clinch the spot of the best restaurant on the beach.
Let me say that last, but not least, Hemingway’s has some absolutely delicious desserts. It is worth going just for dessert, coffee, and drinks. And yes, the Key Lime pie, is some of the best you’ll find anywhere in the world.
Name: Hemingway’s Island Grill
Location: 400 Quietwater Boardwalk, Pensacola Beach (west end of boardwalk on sound side)
Phone: 850-934-4747
Price: $$$
Website: none
Categories: Business Lunch · Dessert · Dining with Friends · Dining with Kids · Drinks · Food · Outdoor Dining · Pensacola Beach · Restaurant · Romance · Romantic Dinner · Seafood · Steak
Tagged: Business Lunch, Dessert, grill, hemingway, hemingway's, island, Outdoor Dining, Pensacola Beach, Restaurant, Romantic Dinner, Seafood, Steak
Talk about atmosphere? McGuires Irish Pub has it in spades, or should I say clovers? This is a true Irish pub, in every corner of its massive and growing number of dining areas. Loud and noisy, but also intimate and conversation, McGuires Irish Pub begs you to drink just one more beer. Brewing seasonals and standards onsite, there is plenty of beer to choose from. If you like your beer you may want to consider getting your own mug. If you are not a drinker, try the root beer made in house.
Not known just for its beers, McGuires is Pensacola’s best steakhouse. Super prime cuts of meat and superior spices help this place dominate the steak market admist a number of chain steakhouses (Outback is across the street; Dmaon’s went out of business next door). Their burger menu with 25+ excellent burgers is perfect lunch fare. Though you must be warned the burgers are HUGE and often quite sloppy.
One more thing to note: A McGuires tradition is to write something on a dollar bill and staple it to the ceiling. At last count by the IRS, there is over 700,000 dollar bills stapled to the ceiling of McGuires Irish Pub.
Name: McGuires Irish Pub
Location: 600 E. Gregory St., Pensacola, FL 32501 (downtown)
Phone: 850.433.6789
Price: $-$$$
Website: http://www.mcguiresirishpub.com/
Categories: BBQ · Burgers · Business Lunch · Dining with Friends · Dining with Kids · Downtown · Drinks · Food · Gregory · Pensacola · Restaurant · Seafood · Steak · Sunday Brunch
Tagged: Downtown Pensacola, Drinks, Restaurant, Steak, Business Lunch, Dining with Friends, Dining with Kids, Gregory Street, Burgers, Pensacola, McGuire's, Irish, Pub
