Sarah and I have made a little tradition of getting dressed up and going out to a nice restaurant for our anniversary the past few years. This past week marked our 4th wedding anniversary and though we have never been together on our actual anniversary, we always celebrate in some way when we can. This year I decided to take her to Sullivan's Steakhouse. Below is my review.
Sullivan's Steakhouse
Location: 86th Street & Keystone Crossing
Price: $$$$
Rating: 4 Cheeseburgers
I didn't know much about Sullivan's Steakhouse until I read about it a few months ago in the Indianapolis Monthly restaurant guide. It is in that ultra fancy league of steakhouse restaurants similar to Ruth's Chris and Morton's The Steakhouse. Expect to pay $50-$60 per person when you go to Sullivan's. We started with shrimp cocktail appetizer just like at Christmas time and had 5 jumbo shrimp that were quite tasty. I had the prime rib and it was cooked perfectly. I ordered it medium and the steak was a light pink throughout. The consistency was amazing as no matter where you cut the steak or which side you looked, it was the same perfect pink with every bite. Sarah had the filet which was cooked to her liking as well. The side items are ordered family style. I ordered some mashed potatoes which had horse radish cooked into them. Sarah didn't care for them much. I thought they were unique and enjoyed them on the occasion, I wouldn't want my mashed potatoes to taste like that all of the time. Sarah had the mac & cheese which featured giant cheesy shells which were quite tasty. We finished off the meal with a chocolate brownie and vanilla ice cream snack, which was pretty good but the chocolate had a unique taste to it which I thought was only OK. The steak was definitely the star of the meal and it was very good. I would say easily just as good as Ruth's Chris or Morton's.
The service was great too. Our waitress was very speedy and right there as soon as we ran out of drink or needed anything. I always question the tipping etiquette in a situation like this because I usually tip between 10%-20%, but when the bill hits triple digits for two people do you still tip such a high percentage? I elected to last night just because she was really good but I will have to investigate the proper etiquette for such situations in the future.
Besides the amazing steak, what really sets Sullivan's apart is the atmosphere. It has a 1940s martini bar theme with a live jazz band and everything. It is a small restaurant but they pack people in quite tightly. This along with the band made the experience quite noisy, but honestly this didn't turn me off at all. It gave it a more happening vibe. If you are looking for a quiet evening this might not be the best place. The jazz band, wall full of wine, and the cigar cabinet in the entry way really gave it a cool Rat Pack-like atmosphere. The place feels a little less stuffy than some of the other steakhouses in its class. Due to its close proximity and cool atmosphere, I will more than likely go to Sullivan's again sometime in the future.
In other weekend activities, I went to the Brickyard 400 today. The last time I went to that race was probably 6 or 7 years ago, and at that time I said I would never go to another Brickyard again. The attending I am working with told me Friday he had an extra ticket and said I could have it if I wanted to go. I honestly could have stayed home and been just as happy, but I felt a bit obligated to go so I took it. The race was OK. I was happy that our seats were in the shade and the day was pretty overcast and windy so the weather was pretty comfortable for late July in Indiana. I am used to seeing the Indy cars on that track and subsequently the NASCARs looked big and slow. Plus I had no idea what was going on most of the race. We were sitting on front stretch on the infield side, and a caution would randomly come out and I would usually have no idea what the reason for the caution was. Of course, usually in NASCAR fashion it was for "debris." But I really felt like the track needs to do a better job of announcing what was happening or show the replays more on the big screens which really aren't all that big on the front stretch.
I have never seen the track so empty. There was an article in the paper Friday saying that attendance at all races this year is down. I am sure due in part to the economy, plus all of these tracks grossly over-expanded during the late 1990s and early 2000s when the sport was blossoming. I bet there weren't 140,000 people at this race. And there isn't a track in the world that is more difficult to fill than Indianapolis. I think something that plays a bigger part of the track being empty than the economy is the fact that this race is dull as hell. There were probably 100,000 more people here for the 500 in May. I agree completely with #5 and the final race grade in this Sports Illustrated article. Anyway, it was nice of him to offer the ticket, but truthfully, I am over the Brickyard 400. It's really not that exciting to me.
Can't believe you two have been married four years already. Doesn't seem like that wedding was all that long ago, but I guess it was before you even started med school. Where does the time go???
ReplyDeleteI've been past Sullivan's several times, but never talked to anyone who had been there...sounds like it was worth while, so maybe we will check that place out sometime.
I'm in the same boat with you on the Brickyard 400. It's just not that good a race to watch. Plus, the weather this time of year doesn't help with providing incentive to sit outside for that long a period of time.
It's really a pretty cool place. Not the eating experience of Fogo, but it has a cool atmosphere. I would recommend it if you couldn't already tell based on the high cheeseburger rating.
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