Review: Steak in Tremont Adds Modern Flair to the Traditional Steakhouse While Nailing the Details

At one point in the meal, I looked over at my fellow Gen Xer as he was sipping a drink from the butt end of a silly bird-shaped cocktail glass. Despite his best efforts to play it cool, the grown man’s indignity revealed itself plain as day.

At Steak in Tremont, the gimmicks, devices and Instagram thirst traps are always close at hand, boosting the mood and only rarely getting in the way of a great meal. In return for putting up with all the tongue-in-cheek playfulness, diners are rewarded with a fantastic – and unique – night on the town. With all-inclusive steak dinners starting at just $35, we are happy to overlook some of the cringe.

“If my wife saw that I paid $50 to wrap my steak in edible gold she would divorce me,” cracks my pal.

Diners are greeted by a placemat-style menu packed edge-to-edge with text and illustrations. While the seemingly infinite permutations can feel like calculus, the servers do a fantastic job of walking first-timers through the process. Most meals include salad, steak, sauce and a side for a single price. That price hinges on the cut of steak, $35 for the house top sirloin cap, also known as a coulotte or picanha, on up to $120 for a 32-ounce bone-in tomahawk that’s ideal for sharing. In between there’s a 6-ounce filet ($45) and a 16-ounce boneless ribeye ($65). A 50-day dry-aged bone-in strip ($85) also was available as a special one night. All steaks are listed as USDA Prime.

Almost immediately, tables are offered popcorn presented in the iconic red and white striped boxes. The corn is drizzled with tallow butter and dusted with steak seasoning. In addition to the Mama Birdie ($14), that rum and pineapple cocktail that mortified my mate, there are drinks served in mini bathtubs, glass milk cartons and shimmering disco-ball goblets. My personal favorite is called I’m the Problem ($15), a bourbon and rye Manhattan that arrives in a silver flask secreted away in a hollowed-out book.

While Steak looks and acts differently than the typical steakhouse, the restaurant gets the important things right. The meat is of high quality, the chops are cooked to temperature and in all instances but one they arrive deeply charred. One example of form standing in the way of function is the difficult-to-handle cleaver-shaped steak knives, an issue compounded by the slick metal serving platters.

Included in the deal is a choice of salads, a textbook Caesar with bright greens, crispy croutons and heaps of parm or the mixed greens house. Diners can opt for an endless supply of Chick-fil-A-style waffle fries or the vegetable of the day. On one evening that was sauteed green beans and on another candied carrots. Steak sauce options include bearnaise, peppercorn, chimichurri and mildly spiced cowboy butter.

Not included in the bargain are starters or sides like a crave-worthy blooming onion ($13) with horsey sauce, sweet and savory creamed corn ($13), honey-kissed charred Brussels sprouts ($12) and crabcakes ($18) served “carnival-style,” which is to say skewered, battered and fried like a corndog. If you’ve always wanted to try thick, meaty bacon ($15) with peanut butter, Steak is the place.

Wine lovers won’t find the deepest cellar in town but should be able to unearth a suitable and reasonably priced glass or bottle from the list. Over the course of two visits we enjoyed bottles of Elizabeth Rose Napa Valley red blend ($50) and a Willamette Valley Vineyards pinot noir ($48).

We took a pass on the ice cream sundae that comes with a tabletop Ferris wheel loaded with toppings and instead took home slices of 16-layer chocolate cake ($15) and carrot cake ($15) to snack on later.

Smash burger devotees should stake a claim on a barstool and order the McDom ($18), a ridiculously delicious double cheeseburger with shredded lettuce, pickles and thousand island dressing on an airy brioche bun. Burgers come with a choice of fries or salad.

Other than the slightly cramped booths, that barroom happens to be one of the most appealing new spots in Tremont to catch a game, or bite and drink with friends. Like the rest of the recently renovated space that long housed Parallax, the room is trendy, sexy and slightly irreverent. Steak leans into the butcher shop motif with meat-hook chandeliers, cleaver art installations and apron-clad staff.

From the moment guests walk up to the blacked-out façade and grab the meat-cleaver front door handles, they know they’re in for a different type of steakhouse experience – one that brings a fresh perspective to an often-stale category.

Steak
2179 W. 11th St., Cleveland
216-331-2724
steakcle.com

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