Every now and then I get a mailing from Morton's (you can sign up at www.mortons.com/steak) offering a $99.99 special for two which includes a huge meal that we always take home lots of leftovers from!
Last night several friends of mine from Jamaica joined me since Will was out of town and we headed to the Morton's on Connecticut Ave, NW (and L St.) in downtown DC, which despite the Memorial Day weekend was pretty busy.
The atmosphere is dark and clubby; we had trouble reading the menus and wine bottle label at times, but he staff is always friendly and our server Jake was a gem, having just graduated from Geo. Wash. Univ. and trying to figure out where to head with his future. He was so upbeat and most refreshing.
The huge loaf of warm onion bread came and we ordered a bottle of superb TAZ Vineyards "Goat Rock" Syrah 2002 from Santa Barbara, California. It was a super full-bodied wine with plum, mild tannins and indeed ideal for all the heavy food to follow.
Our friend David being on a limited diet chose the excellent LOBSTER BISQUE to start, rich and creamy, and great for extra weight and then went on to a large platter of SMOKED SALMON, which he said was good, but a bit too salty as he prefers the salmon to be less salty (maybe it was the load of capers!).
The rest of us went for the STEAK & SEAFOOD SPECIAL at $49.99 per person (they will accommodate any number of people even though the deal is billed as per couple at $99.99). This starts with a choice of House or Caesar Salad, and we had the latter which is a huge plate, and tthey even added a 1/2 dozen anchovies to mine at no cost makin it truly a great salad, despite the plain croutons that I simply avoided (the onion bread is better!).
The main course consists of a SINGLE CUT FILET (8 ounces) and a seafood choice (the other options are scallops or shrimp) and we immediately chose the JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKE. This is an excellent virtually all crab cake seared to perfection with little breading and a slight crunch on the top. The lemony sauce that accompanies is superb and a nice change from tartar or remoulade. The steak is always great and comes with BEARNAISE if you like (on the side). In addition each couple gets a potato and veggie. Last night we tried the superb tasty MASHED POTATOES, creamy, rich and with a little bit of crunchy topping that was a light seasoning for fun. The BAKED POTATO is monstrous and splits between two (or more) people easily. It is lots of fun since they always present the butter, sour cream and bacon bits as you like for each person. Finally, the GARLIC STRING BEANS were garlicky, but not intense, not mushy and really just right.
Dessert options (yup, it's included in the $49.99) are two choices and neither is my preference, but they are as expected HUGE. KEY LIME PIE is nice and loaded with whipped cream. I sampled two bites and let one of my guests take the rest home! The Legendary HOT CHOCOLATE CAKE got raves.
This deal can be upgraded for $8 per person if you prefer a DOUBLE CUT of FILET (how could anyone eat a pound of this with everything else....although I guess you can plan another meal with a doggie bag!), Prime Ribeye or Single Cut NY Strip. I'll stick with my filet!
