Last weekend was the hub’s birthday and it’s been a ritual now for the past few years to celebrate at a steakhouse. Being new to the area, we selected Harris’ Steakhouse based on yelp reviews and it lived up to expectations. I’m not a red meat-eater so most of the review will be based on the hubs’ opinion.
First off, as you can see above, the decor of the restaurant was reminiscent of a 1960s steakhouse for businessmen. It was still in good condition but definitely gave off a stuffy formal vibe. I made reservations and due to the weather, we were 10 minutes late, but despite that, the host was really nice and we were seated promptly, which is a huge improvement from House of Prime Rib, where we waited nearly 45 minutes before being seated, despite having reservations and being early. The service at Harris’ really was quite good and our waiter did a good job of making sure we had everything we needed.
On to the food. We started off with the Veal Sweetbreads and Crab Cakes with Beurre Blanc. The hubs loves sweetbreads and was eager to try Harris’ version. While he liked the dish and thought it was tasty, he preferred sweetbreads just simply grilled to really taste the flavor over Harris’ saucier version. I thought the crab cakes were done really well. It was very flavorful, although maybe a tad on the salty side. For entrees, hubs got the Bone-in Ribeye Steak and I had the Salmon served with scalloped potatoes instead of the rice. The salmon was good, but the champagne sauce was a little rich so it wiped out the healthiness aspect of the dish. The scalloped potatoes however were absolutely delicious. The hubs thought the rib-eye was done well, he likes it medium rare, and definitely could tell that it was quality meat. We also ordered a side of the Deep Fried Onion Rings which was good, it was fried just the right amount and it was a very generous portion.
Overall we both felt that the food was good, but not spectacular. The formal feel of the restaurant and the good service makes this restaurant a safe bet for a special occasion, especially for steak lovers. But if you’re looking for a good piece of meat for a reasonable price, then House of Prime Rib definitely is the better option, even with the annoying wait. One other thing, the restaurant calls for business casual attire, but there were definitely customers dressed casually and they still got seated and served. We also saw customers that were dressed for a night on the town too so really you can just wear whatever you feel comfortable with.
2100 Van Ness Ave, at the corner of Pacific Ave.
A Sprinkle of Adventure 