No Shoes, No service

A compendium on the demise of dressing for dinner.

The Prime Rib
http://www.theprimerib.com/bal/index.html

Morton’s Steakhouse
http://www.mortons.com/baltimore/

The Oregon Grill
http://www.theoregongrille.com/

Tio Pepe
(no official web site, call 410-539-4675)

All four of the above restaurants are considered “special occasion” places because for any of us without company expense accounts, they are all too bloody expensive to dine at on a regular basis.

From the start, I have to say that the food at all four is extraordinarily good and the service never less than mediocre. I’ll touch on the menus of each but with one exception, The Oregon Grill; I have to put the slam on them for totally eliminating their dress codes in recent years.

Let me begin with Morton’s in Baltimore, one of the many nationally known steakhouses that originated in Chicago. Morton’s is located in the part of downtown Baltimore that relies on tourist income to support itself. I had heard that the food there surpassed typical tourist fare so off we went after first making a reservation and checking their web site for the dress code if any. “Business Casual” is what the web site suggested, along with a firm recommendation for reservations. When talking to the Maître ‘d he suggested that if we thought we would be ordering Prime Rib for dinner, that we do so in advance, and further, if we wanted end cuts to do so as well. It seemed a bit strange that a steakhouse wouldn’t have an ample supply of aged prime rib steaks for any night of the week but perhaps at the price of $45 each it wasn’t too much to ask, so I predicted we’d want one serving of prime rib in advance. Where I once insisted that all my meat be cooked well done I’ve eased up considerably in recent time to understand that medium-rare does the anything other than chicken or pork justice.

Parking is not free at Morton’s, as it is at the Oregon Grill and The Prime Rib, so expect at least an additional $6.00 in expense for the evening. The restaurant is large and spread-out with very comfortable booths which seat the diners facing the center of the room. Staffs is dressed in tuxedos and are very polished and accommodating. Let’s just say the dinner went extremely well with the expensive entrees not leaving any room for complaint, from appetizer to dessert. The entrees were cooked to perfection and portions quite large.

However, this trip to Town was an eye opener for what passes as “business casual”.  A weeknight, the restaurants was not full of patrons but at one point a group of men were seated across from our tables, all wearing Harley Davidson t-shirts and sneakers. Hmm, I looked around the room to find that only one man besides me had worn a jacket to dinner. Most other men did at least have collars on their shirts. Women wore everything from dress jeans to dresses. I assumed that things must be awfully competitive in Harborplace area restaurants that they couldn’t afford to ask guests for better than t-shirts. Frankly, with wine and tip, this dinner cost over $200 for two and I’ll be damned if I want to wear a t-shirt and jeans for a special occasion with that sort of price tag. As we were paying our tab a table of four was seated beside up. The lead male in the party had a sports team shirt on, hanging outside his pants. One of the party had on a cologne so strong in scent that were we not leaving I would have asked the Maître‘d to either seat them elsewhere or move us so I could smell the food over whatever that male/female concoction was. If all of this sounds stuck-up and blue-blooded but I’m sticking to my guns on believing that attire fit for McDonalds is not suited to fine dining establishments. Shame, I won’t go back for it and both the meal and service at Morton’s were extraordinary.

Tio Pepe. Business may be off at some Baltimore restaurants but not so here, where consistently over the decades, regardless of the time of your reservation, you are in for a long, uncomfortable wait of 15 to 30 minutes to be seated. Here the tables are jammed in tightly and the rooms very noisy from all of the tables full of patrons celebrating all sorts of special occasions. Here too the food is consistently good and actually not as expensive as the other three restaurants I have bundled into this group review. This is a great place to visit with friends, if only to share the large pitchers of Sangria which are a tradition here (watch it, the stuff will sneak up on you!) Also a tradition is the Paella a la Valenciana. Prepared only for two at $49, this is a huge, delicious concoction of lobster, mussels, chorizo, shrimp and chicken over Spanish rice. Where else would they dare to serve minute steak with a Béarnaise sauce and charge $30 for it? Parking is in a nearby garage but not included in the price of dinner. The desserts are quite famous at Tio Pepe, particularly the Pine Nut Roll cake but it’s hard to imagine anyone having room for desserts here, where the portions are so large.

Tio Pepe does not advertise a dress code although we found most of the diners there in actual business casual or more formal dress. And then there were the exceptions, mostly young adults, who decided that the appropriate dress was similar to costumes from Cirque de Soleil. When did it become fashionable for plump young women to wear costumes with bare mid-drifts exposing really unattractive fat bellies? Must be part of the tattoo fashionista craze that many will come to regret in just a few years.  Alas, Tio Pepe is none the worse for it so if a noisy, crowded restaurant with excellent food is your thing, go for it. I get the feeling your wait for a table will be quite long if you decide to wear a T-shirt though.

The Prime Rib, on Calvert Street does provide free valet parking and if the expense finds its way onto menu by disguise, it’s OK with me because trying to find a parking space on the surrounding crowded residential streets is an impossibility. The Prime Rib in Baltimore is the original, with newer locations now in Washington, DC and Philadelphia. This is the home of a consistently great dining experience. When making a reservation, I suggest you ask to be seated near the grand piano in the larger of the two rooms there. Here, the decor is black lacquered walls with bold modern paintings. All of the staff knows how to treat you as if you were a regular patron even if it’s your first trip there and to make you feel as special as the occasion that brought you there. Regardless of what you may have in mind for dinner (gee, guess what I had), I really don’t recommend that you order an appetizer unless you certainly want to take considerable left-overs home.

The Prime Rib is no more expensive than the other tree steakhouses in this review but do be prepared to spend lavishly. All side dishes are extra cost items, the Greenberg Potato skins can be split for two and make a nice addition to the meal. Freshly shaved raw horseradish accompanies all of the beef dishes. The seafood entrees I have seen served there looked delicious but then they don’t call it “House of Salmon” for a reason.

Here you are forewarned that business casual is appropriate prior to 5 PM and that a jacket will be provided for gentlemen without one after 5; however on my last visit there some of the Cirque de Soleil set had escaped Top Pepes and landed there – it didn’t appear to me that the Maître d’ was going to give that large party the boot, or a jacket, or refuse service. At least they all did have shoes on. In thirty years of going to Tio Pepe I’ve never regretted the choice and they now offer reduced fare menus on weeknights and specials for those attending BSO concerts. Get on their e mail list.

Finally, there is the thoroughly blue-blooded, thoroughbreded Oregon Grill on Schwan Rd. in Hunt Valley. It’s only recently that they relaxed their requirement for neckties on gentlemen, however they do require jackets after 5 PM inside the restaurant and they mean it. They do have a huge, attractive patio dining area / bar which I informal. Parking is free on the large lot adjoin the restaurant. When you consider the very expensive menu at The Oregon Grill, it’s astounding that the parking lot is so full for lunch or dinner, weekday or weekend. It is certainly a very attractive restaurant with both floors having their distinctive racing themed flavor; however, the first floor is where you’ll find the piano and jazz trio playing quietly.

Appetizers are extraordinary here and I recommend you find one to your suiting from the very large offering. .  I thoroughly recommend the grilled oysters as an appetizer; they are market priced but a very special preparation that will have you searching for more bread to take up the accompanying rue.

The entrees specialize in steaks and chops but I thoroughly recommend the rack of Colorado veal. Here you will encounter Cowboy Steaks, which are various sizes of rib-eye steaks. The wine list is huge with some bottles approaching the cost of your monthly car payment. Actually, some of the bottles from the great growths from France approximate a hefty mortgage payment for many folks.  Service has always been attentive here to me but I have heard some complain that it is “snooty”. Considering that the wait staff here can and do earn that monthly car payment in an evening’s tips I would suggest that the diners are more likely to be snooty than the servers. Forgedabout it if you don’t have a reservation, the place is packed for a reason.

Well that sums up my attempt to lump 4 good restaurants into one review and file my complaint on the state of what passes for dress in such places. Next birthday, anniversary or bonus check, I hope you do try one of them and feel them worth the expense.