Abe & Arthur's

As is typical of trendy restaurants, despite the fact that they will give up your table if you are more than 15 minutes late, they have no problem making you wait for over 15 minutes.  And despite noticing handfuls of empty tables once were were seated, we waited about 20 minutes for our table in Abe & Arthur's bar area.  Luckily, the bar area at Abe & Arthur's is comfortable, with plenty of high stools at the bar and low lying benches nearby.  Even though it was 8:30 pm on a Friday night, we had no problem getting the bartender's attention and plenty of room to enjoy our drinks.

Once you are seated, instead of receiving a bread basket, Abe & Arthur's delivers warm pop overs to your table, a fun take on a standard bread offering (sorry no picture, they were hastily devoured).  The wine menu featured wines from all over the world and varietals for everyone but nothing so outstanding to write about.  Abe & Arthur's corkage charge is reasonable so I would recommend bringing your favorite red to go with the steak.

While I noticed dozens of staff buzzing around the restaurant during our meal, our server was awful.   We waited awhile to be greeted and had to ask for water and bread.  Also, shortly after we finished our apps, my husband ordered another cocktail from our server while we waited for our steak to arrive (I declined another glass of wine b/c mine was still about half full).   After ten minutes, the server came by with drink menus, asking us if we wanted more drinks (Mitch had ordered one and was still waiting for it) and if we wanted dessert (we were still waiting for our steak).  The whole service seemed hap hazard and uncoordinated.  While I was inclined to ask to speak to the manager, I kept quiet (a result of the wine lethargy).

Rewinding back briefly to earlier in the night, I arrived with a Hanukkah present in my hand which the coat check women mistook for a birthday present.  As a result, she repeatedly wished me happy birthday but it was so loud I only caught on the third time.

At the end of our meal, we ordered one dessert but received 3.  I had absolutely no clue why.  The staff did not know I write a food blog, it wasn't my birthday despite the coat check women's repeated wishes (and the desserts did not have a birthday candle in it like others delivered to tables around us) and no one apologized for the abysmal service.  When we asked why we received the extra desserts, the server told us the manager sent them over.  My only guess is that the server alerted the manager that the meal had gone poorly and the manager tried to send over extra desserts to make mends (smart man, I have a wicked sweet tooth).

What to Eat:

To start, order the Shrimp Scampi.  The three large shrimp are grilled, and then thrown in a buttery sauce with charred cherry tomatoes and crusty french bread. The bread arrives partially soaked in the thick buttery sauce.  I made a crostini out of the ingredients but you an happily enjoy the app however works best for you.

For your entree, go with the Porterhouse for Two if both/several diners at the table are meat eaters.  I enjoyed every bite of the juicy steak. The two of us are big eaters but we couldn't finish the enormous steak.   Abe & Arthur's offers various side sauces (for a charge) for the steak like au poivre, bearnaise, etc...but truthfully, the steak doesn't need it.  The steak was so flavorful I preferred enjoying it on its own.

For a side,  go with the Truffled Herb Parmesan Fries if you are into crispy fries and love the taste of truffle.  Abe & Arthur's douses the fries in truffle oil and then coats the fries in parmesan cheese so the fries don't taste like your average fries.  Side note: pass on the Mac N Cheese side, it's too bland.  Abe & Arthur's Mac N Cheese reminded me of Kraft's version out of a box with bread crumbs sprinkled on top.

For dessert, order the French Toast Bread Pudding.  The warm, doughy bread pudding is drizzled in maple syrup and then topped with a large scoop of butter pecan ice cream.. The consistency was perfection and the entire dessert made you feel like you were enjoying a beloved breakfast treat for dessert.

With respect to the extra desserts we received, the Baked Alaska, while aesthetically interesting, tasted underwhelming, especially next to the bread pudding.

The pumpkin cobbler, on the other hand, a special, was outstanding for pumpkin lovers.  The cobbler arrived in a jar and was topped with a cream cheese like ice cream.  The flavors truly captured the holiday spirit.  Because it was a seasonal special, you may not find it but don't despair, the French Toast Bread Pudding should be on the menu all winter.

In the mood for a steakhouse minus the suits?  Abe and Arthur's is a hit when it comes to trendy and top notch steak but a miss with the service,

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