David Burke Prime Steakhouse

Jessica and I have mixed feelings about this restaurant.  We've eaten there many times.  Its inside Foxwoods, she spends a lot of time there and its a change of pace from Craftsteak, which we really and truly enjoy, and Shrine (pan asian fare) which are the two restaurants we frequent most often when she's playing there.  David Burke is a nationally renowned Chef and Prime is one of the many restaurants he owns.  Admittedly, neither Jess or I has ever dined at his flagship, Townhouse, or any of his other restaurants, but we have seen him on Top Chef, trolled his menus online and have a general idea about his cuisine.  Its all about turning a classic idea or recipe on its ear and having a little fun with it, while providing explosive flavors and a little subtle East meets West concept as well.

In the past at Prime Steakhouse, we've felt like the food, while good was kind of a sanitized version of the cuisine that the owner would really develop in his own kitchen.  Don't get me wrong, in a three course dinner one or two of the dishes has always wowed us, like the pretzel crusted crab cake with mustard sauces that we order habitually and the Kung Pao Lobster which is spicy and evocative of Thai cuisine.  But some others have fallen flat or overpromised but underdelivered.  I never intend to be a harsh critic and the fact is, I've been there many times and would go back again, especially after hearing about the meal Jessica and our good buddy Nick "Ooch" Uchenick had there on Friday night...  The following is Jess's take on the experience.

We had 5 diners with us which, in my experience, is a nice number.  We can order numerous menu items and get to sample things that we may not have ordered if left up to our own devices.  We started with the Double Cut Maple Pepper Bacon Strips.  I have had this dish before and was underwhelmed, to say the least.  They were burnt, excessively chewy and was reminiscent of beef jerky.  Last night, they were sweet and spicy with the perfect amount of bite to them.  They were served on top of a delicious lemon mustard sauce.  While I don't think that this is a must order upon every visit, every other would definitely work.  We also tasted the Pretzel Crusted Crab Cake.  Always spot on.  The crab was moist inside with a nice crspy pretzel crust.  There will not be a drop of the maple poppyseed honey that is served with it left on the plate.  I do feel at $17, this is a wee bit overpriced.  I also had an Heirloom Tomato Salad with Stilton.  I just need to give up on ordering this here.  Our home version is far superior. The few tomatoes on the plate were under ripe and covered with enough blue cheese for several salads.  I will not order this again.

Entrees and desserts to follow......