Ocean Prime

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Redfish

**** (4 stars)

A good choice if you can’t decide between steak and seafood. The place can (will) get quite loud, so ask for a quiet table (one of the booths is best; booth 58 is ideal). The tuna tartare appetizer and the house salad are standouts. Jalapeño au gratins are a great choice for a side, and are not particularly spicy. There is an extensive selection of wines by the glass at reasonable prices. Service is exceptional, perhaps the best on all of restaurant row. Live music on Thursday through Saturday is loud in the bar, but perfectly piped into the dining room. Valet parking is available for those who can’t be bothered to walk fifty feet.

Ocean Prime

7339 W Sand Lake Rd Orlando, FL 32819

(407) 781-4880

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ocean-prime-orlando

Christner’s Prime Steak and Lobster

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**** (4 stars)

In a city full of steak houses, this is the best. And it’s not a chain, although the old name (del Frisco’s) was leased from one. But now taking on the founders’ name (Christner) is remains Orlando’s best. Leather booths, low lighting, and professional servers create a great ambiance.

Steak is served a bit undercooked, and finished at your table on a plate that you DON’T want to touch. Lobster tails are the best I’ve had anywhere. The house salad with blue cheese is great too. Sides are just okay.

Of course none of this is cheap, but it’s worth it. The wine list is extensive and pricey, so mixed drinks might be a better choice, and in fact fit the ambiance quite well.

Christner’s Prime Steak and Lobster
729 Lee Rd
Orlando, FL 32810
(407) 645-4443
http://www.yelp.com/biz/christners-prime-steak-and-lobster-orlando

Red Eye Bar And Grill

**** (4 stars)

This place is run by the former owner of one of Orlando’s better gourmet food trucks. The cooking transcends typical barbecue, although that’s certainly the emphasis. A nice assortment of sauces are served with the BBQ items, but the highlights of our meal were the flatbreads, corn and crab chowder, and the cornbread. Pricing is very reasonable, especially for lunch items. You’re getting a sit down restaurant meal for the price of counter service. Good ambience, and a nice selection of beer and wine. Owner rob and our server were both very gracious and helpful.

Red Eye Bar And Grill
2594 Maguire Rd
Ocoee, FL 34761
(407) 877-0003
http://www.yelp.com/biz/red-eye-bar-and-grill-ocoee

Pete Miller’s Seafood & Prime Steak

**** (4 stars)

Pete Millers has that clubby feel I like in a steakhouse. The steaks aren’t particularly life-changing, but the ambiance is great, and there’s live entertainment that is pleasant without making conversation impossible. A good place for a business dinner.

Pete Miller’s Seafood & Prime Steak
1557 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-0399
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pete-millers-seafood-and-prime-steak-evanston

Triple George Grill

*** (3 stars)

After a tour of the Mob Museum, a couple of blocks north of Fremont Street in the somewhat seedy downtown area of Vegas, we walked to the nearby Triple George Grill. It’s a popular lunch stop, and was quite busy. The interior is old school, but the place was built in 2005. The food was fairly typical bar and grill fair, nothing special.

Triple George Grill
201 N 3rd St
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 384-2761
http://www.yelp.com/biz/triple-george-grill-las-vegas

Jean Georges Steakhouse

**** (4 stars)

Jean Georges is a favorite restaurant in New York, but I was dubious about yet another top name chef doing a Vegas steakhouse. But everything was great, and as it turned out no one had steak. The highlight was the teriyaki short ribs, which were like candy on the outside. The wine list is expensive, but there are a few hidden gems.

Jean Georges Steakhouse
3734 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(877) 230-2742
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jean-georges-steakhouse-las-vegas

Yellowtail

**** (4 stars)

It’s trendy and a bit louder than I’d have liked, but conversation was possible. We had the seven-course Omakase, where you put yourself in the chef’s hands, and he didn’t fail us. Standouts were the tuna pizza with truffle oil and the teriyaki kobe beef shortribs, which were really tasty without being too rich.

Yellowtail
3600 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 730-3900
http://www.yelp.com/biz/yellowtail-las-vegas-2

Charlie Palmer Steak

**** (4 stars)

This is just another in the endless stream of high end steakhouses pioneered by Morton, the Palm and so on. But the bar at the front of this place is another story. It’s a small space that serves small plates, offers the complete winelist, and is a really cozy place for a light meal at bargain prices. We liked it the first time we visited so much we went back the next night for dinner. Their small plates are a steal for Vegas. For example the four cheese plate with accompaniments was $8, and two Kobe sliders were $10. Compare that to $17 for a Caesar side salad in the restaurant. The ambiance is great, and we had the place almost to ourselves, even though the restaurant was packed.

Charlie Palmer Steak
3960 S Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 632-5120
http://www.yelp.com/biz/charlie-palmer-steak-las-vegas-3