The Luxury Steak Houses

Listed in order of preference.

MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSE
555 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-673-9700

The House: A windowless meat lover’s cave, turned out in a clubby décor package that seems so right for this type of eatery. Lots of wood, deep banquettes, and some of the best service in town.
What to Order: The boneless rib eye is as good as meat gets and just the right size at about eighteen ounces. Mort’s behemoth porterhouse for two is still best in its class, side dishes are without peer (go for the Lyonnaise potatoes), and the crab cake is nearly perfect. The Morton’s salad is my idea of heaven, especially with extra anchovies and a sprinkle of bacon from the baked-potato caddy.
The Meat: Wet-aged Prime fired on a broiler.
Who’s There: Business elites lunching at what may be the ultimate in discreet restaurant dining. If the booths were any deeper, you would never know who’s in them.
Here’s the Beef: Morton’s is serene, lacking the testosterone-laced energy that many steak houses thrive on.
Chew on This: Mort’s might be the best steak restaurant for nonmeat eaters, along with The Capital Grille. The menu is filled with winners, and Mort’s knows how to cook lobster, grill fish, slice smoked salmon, and toss a salad faultlessly.

MANNY’S STEAKHOUSE
Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-339-9900

The House: The bar dining rooms are the best spaces in town to eat a steak—loud, raucous, highly charged. The creamy-bland main dining room is the more refined option here, but it’s lacking in ambience.
What to Order: The porterhouse is nearly perfect. At medium rare, the sirloin side had the best buttery flavor of almost any steak we tasted. Manny’s rib eye has tremendous beef intensity, but is too chewy for my taste, especially at $60. The hash browns with bacon and onions are stellar, but thick and soft if you like things crispy.
The Meat: Dry-aged mix of Choice and Prime, broiled at a very high temperature, around 1,200 degrees, for maximum char.
Who’s There: Everyone—from pro athletes to conventioneers to moms celebrating birthdays. And that’s what makes Manny’s such a fantastic experience. Although some of the pictures on the walls need updating, I mean, Lola Falana?
Here’s the Beef: I love Manny’s meat, but am too often served sinewy, gristly, overly fatty cuts. Manny’s needs to more carefully hand-select and cut its beef. Also shocking were the outrageously bad crab cakes—ironic, considering the great ones served at sister restaurant Oceanaire next door.
Chew on This: Manny’s mac and cheese, its creamed garlic–long-leaf spinach, and monstrous veal chop are all superb choices, and with its super-sized menu, there is something for everyone. Manny’s even serves bacon straight up, as an appetizer. Perfect.

THE CAPITAL GRILLE
801 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-692-9000

The House: Classic American steak house meets English hunting club—nooks, crannies and alcoves, lots of dark mahogany furniture, and the
snappiest uniforms in town.
What to Order: The Delmonico rib eye is the best in town: big, thick, charred, perfectly trimmed, and delightfully beefy. The wine list is stellar and sides are nearly perfect, especially the creamed spinach.
The Meat: CG serves Certified Black Angus (marketed as the best  Choice cut), which arrives wet-aged, then receives additional dry-aging on the premises. The rib eye is Prime, aged off site, and it shows. All steaks are broiled at 1,500 degrees.
Who’s There: Capital Grille is popular with food-focused carnivores, and its location means it’s packed before the big game or show. Like all the luxe steak houses, it’s an expense account paradise.
Here’s the Beef: CG is better than ever, but while chef Jeff Ansorge has raised the food program to new heights, occasionally there are too many ingredients. Porcini crust and balsamic vinegar on a rib eye might be tasty, but for classic steak house dining, I’ll pass. That trend, however, has earned CG legions of new customers.
Chew on This: Ansorge has created a kitchen that can compete with many nonsteak restaurants in town for quality and creativity. If you think CG is about only beef, you’re off base.

MURRAY’S
26 S. 6th St., Mpls., 612-339-0909

The House: Pink is out, beige is in. Quintessentially classic, Murray’s is a legendary experience. And it still uses those little plastic temperature flags!
What to Order: The rib eye and porterhouse are grilled, perfectly seasoned, with great mouth-feel, melting marbled texture, and deep beef flavor. Hash browns are superbly crispy, and the onion rings may be the best in town.
The Meat: Wet-aged Choice, hand selected from Sterling Silver beef. The Silver Butter Knife steaks are roasted in a custom broaster, the others are grilled.
Who’s There: Grandpas sharing a steak with grandsons, Sid, groups of young business turks playing grownup, elderly couples holding hands—a rare unvarnished treat.
Here’s the Beef: The Silver Butter Knife steak is perfectly roasted, but grainy and metallic tasting, especially when served past rare. It’s the last steak I’d order here.
Chew on This: Murray’s is the most-improved steak house of any restaurant on this list. Don’t expect miracles when you go off steak and venture into other territory, but the meat here has never been better.

ROSSI’S STEAKHOUSE & TAVERN
80 S. 9th St., Mpls., 612-312-2880

The House: Brit hunt club meets Minneapolis basement meets jazz club.
What to Order: The New York strip, grilled porterhouse, and broiled Delmonico rib eye are all delightful, and as a trio had the most consistent flavor of any we tried. Buttery, beefy, and with just a hint of minerals. Lovers of classic corn-fed or grain-fed beef flavor will like the steak here.
The Meat: Wet-aged Prime.
Who’s There: A mix of loyal regulars, suits, jazz club devotees, and concierge-sent out-of-towners.
Here’s the Beef: No crispy potato side dish! Service is stilted and the room was nearly empty when I was there.
Chew on This: Pizzas are on the menu, six of them. As are a crab-studded mac and cheese and dozens of other nonsteak items.

GIANNI’S
635 E. Lake St., Wayzata, 952-404-1100

The House: The luxury steak house with a faint frat house vibe lacks the fine finishes of its peers. At any moment, I thought that forty-five-year-old Deltas would rise up and sing a song, standing on chairs. Look up at the ceiling if you don’t believe me.
What to Order: Garlic cheese crostini! My rib eye was poorly trimmed and served with an inch of mushrooms, onions, and peppers, while the porterhouse was rubbed with garlic, something I usually don’t like, but it supplied the only bounce for the beef, which was otherwise flavorless.
The Meat: Wet-aged Choice, all fired on a 1,500-degree gas broiler.
Who’s There: All of Wayzata, that’s who. Hordes of local businesses have moved to the western burbs over the years, and they are making Gianni’s their hangout of choice.
Here’s the Beef: A restaurant is only as good as the quality of its ingredients, and at Gianni’s, the goods are just a tick or two below the competition.
Chew on This: Despite that, Gianni’s is packed and filled with happy customers.

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE
920 2nd Ave. S. Mpls., 612-672-9000

The House: This room evokes a hotel lobby filled with hotel art.
What to Order: The chopped salad is superb. The porterhouse, while in desperate need of a trim on the sirloin side was a much better choice than my rib eye, half of which was inedible connective tissue and fat.
The Meat:  Ruth’s cooks wet-aged Prime on a 1,800-degree broiler, but when pressed admits that some fillets might be Choice—depends on the week.
Who’s There: Out-of-towners looking for a familiar butter-doused favorite. The crowd here was the oddest mix of office partyers and anniversary diners I have seen in years. Oh, and a nearly naked stripper and her bodybuilder boyfriend.
Here’s the Beef: Serving meat on a 500-degree sizzling platter with butter is a bad idea. The beef keeps cooking, which made my medium-rare steak medium after about ten minutes.
Chew on This: Ruth’s side dishes are fan favorites, from the nutmeg-laced creamed spinach to the allumettes to the famous sweet potatoes.

THE ST. PAUL GRILL
350 Market St., St. Paul, 651-292-9292

The House: One of the most wonderful dining rooms in the state, sleek and stunning with old-fashioned charm dripping from every corner. The no-peek booths are one of a kind, and the bar is the classiest place to sip a martini in town.
What to Order: The rib eye is the best steak on the menu for true beefy taste and superior texture. Killer hash browns with bacon are superb.
The Meat: Management insists the steaks are wet-aged Prime.
Who’s There: Politicians and tycoons, lunching society matrons, and downtown power brokers. The hotel also supplies plenty of action, so people-watching is good here some nights.
Here’s the Beef: While listed as Prime, the steaks taste like Choice beef and are inconsistent in flavor. The porterhouse was gristly, spongy, and dry, even at medium rare.
Chew on This: The lamb chops are top-notch, at least on the night I had them, ditto grilled salmon. But just when I was ready to fall in love with this place, I ate the convoluted sautéed walleye with pecan and Frangelico butter.