Omaha Steak House Review »
The number of steak houses in Charlotte isn't exactly overwhelming. Until a few years ago, if someone asked me where to go, I probably would have sent them to the Hereford Barn. But since they closed, there weren't really a lot of options.
Recently even the chain places have begun closing, which isn't really a huge loss, but it does leave a certain opening for a good place to find a steak. About the only option are the "old time" steak houses, such as Beef and Bottle and The Ranch House - and neither are that great.
Perhaps it is because of all this that I don't often look for steak in Charlotte. It's just not a steak sort of town. But one night while partaking in the manager's reception at the Embassy Suites, we weren't sure where to go, and decided that we'd try the Omaha Steak House, simply because it was raining and we were a bit pressed for time. It was one of the best decisions we had made in a very long time.
The only downside is that if you have a drink from the Embassy Suites, you can't take it inside because of separate liquor licenses. That's not a huge problem, but it would be nice if you could do so.
After overcoming any complaints on that front, we settled into our seat and had to decide what we'd have for dinner. Like many steak restaurants, the selection isn't huge, and that's not an entirely bad thing.
To give the menu a good test drive, we settled on an appetizer of the crispy bleu cheese chips and the onion cheese soup. For the main course, I had a small fillet mignon and my wife had a sirloin.
The chips were tasty, though the bleu cheese was perhaps a bit much. It might have been better without the cheese, or if the cheese was spread a bit more evenly - or even offered on the side. I think the chips stood well on their own.
I also found that the soup, as with most French onion-style soups, was a bit challenging. The flavor was good, but the cheese crust on the top was just too heavy. That's not so much a knock against the restaurant as it is against the style of soup.
We also had some of their bread, which was garlic-infused or something, and it was awesome (though I can't imagine it was particularly low-calorie).
Before long, the steaks arrived. I took mine with the mashed potatoes, while my wife opted for the baked potato. While the menu says you get mashed potatoes, you can in fact swap that out for about anything. Other sides are also available for an additional charge.
The fillet was, put simply, awesome. It was the best I'd had in some time. The sirloin was good too, but the fillet was better, and worth the extra money. Apparently grilled with butter and the Omaha Steak seasoning, it was done just right.
While we had no problem with service, we did notice a group of three people come in, and apparently unhappy with not being served quickly enough, get up and leave. So your own experience may be hit and miss. We might have to check it out again to see.
