A very odd night at The Strip Club

It's not what you think. I'm talking about the steak house in St. Paul, not the meat market you all are thinking about. Last week a few chums and I decided to catch up over dinner and a steakhouse seemed to fit the bill. We decided to hit the Strip Club because we had all heard good things from many sources and were excited to try it. I've always wanted to try JD Fratzke's food, and the fact that they serve grass-fed beef from Thousand Hills sealed the deal.

The place sports an old-school speakeasy decorum with lots of dark woods and a cool spiral staircase leading up to elevated seating. We had the big table right in front of the "fireplace" that also serves as the office door. I settled down with a FINNEGANS while my comrades ordered their Manhattans and thought to myself, "I'm going to like this place."

Turns out I was actually kind of wrong. As noted above, the high expectations were based on the names and all the strong recommendations, but the whole night was just really odd. The drinks were in and we were asked if we wanted to order some small plates. We said we needed just a moment, but were ignored for what seemed like an overtly long time (refuse to assign minutes because -they get blown out of proportion). When our waiter made it back over we ordered a couple of small plates and another round to fill our long-since-empty glasses. Again, the wait seemed long, but the largest offense was the staggered service. The lads who ordered bread received their items first. Then a few minutes later the grilled romaine salads came out. Quite some time after that, the shrimp boil and duck prosciutto arrived. I sat there, still waiting for my salad (a cold salad, mind you) for another few moments after the last small plates arrived. The waiter was kind enough to bring a free round of deviled eggs for our troubles, so at that point I told him to "cancel the salad." He claimed they had just plated it, which I took as code for "oh shit, I forgot" and it arrived a few minutes later - right before my entree showed up which is about the worst service blunder imaginable. The starters all arrived at different times and of course mine showed last, with my entree the first out in hot (soon to be cold) pursuit.

Again, the entree delivery was staggared, so I waited patiently for everyone to get their food. Eventually our friends told us to get started as they were now sharing our frustrations. Then it hit me...I ordered a pork dish (on a tip I received from a very credible source, plus I grill grass-fed steaks at home all the time) served with a cherry, bacon BBQ sauce. The dish that sat before me, now cold from the wait (stupid manners) had micro greens on it. Cherry bacon BBQ sauce and micro greens just don't seem to go together. I took a bite and quickly realized this was pork, but not the preparation I ordered. Well sometimes, you just say "screw it" and shut up and eat.

By then I was so hungry, I was just happy to have food (by the by, the pork was served with a citrus and chili-like sauce that would have been really good had the pork still been warm. I thought the comedy of errors was over for the night, but then our check showed and I realized I was over charged for the dish I had originally ordered - thankfully this was a mistake we could have corrected. I tipped back the rest of my beer and began to ponder how this could have gone so wrong? Still, at the end of the day I still had a great night out with the guys in a cool spot. I just wish I hadn't bothered with the food (note - most people did enjoy their food) and just had a few more cocktails for my dinner.

I doubt I'll be back, but have to believe all those reputable sources I heard rave about the place must have known what they were talking about, and hope that this was an isolated incident (I honestly thought I'd freakin' love this place). Regardless, I don't think there is any reason for me to head back given my particular experience.

Happy Eating,

-Teddy

What Would You Do?

After a long week I had been looking forward to heading back to one of my favorite spots to enjoy a nice Easter meal with my girlfriend. We've never had a bad meal at this particular spot and since we couldn't be with our families on the evening of Easter Sunday, we figured we might as well spend the night in a place we really enjoy.

That was until the couple we were seated next to decided to put a serious damper on our evening. The restaurant is not a huge space so tables are pretty close together. I was a bit startled by the volume of their conversation and hoped that they couldn't keep pace for the entire meal. At this point the dining room was only about three-quarters full so I thought about asking if we could be moved - I didn't think it was being over dramatic as they were essentially shouting at each other and her cackle was getting to me. I thought they'd settle down once their food came and its arrival did provide us a brief reprieve from their conversation. However, a few minutes later the couple grew increasingly loud and obnoxious (gentle terms) to the point where I couldn't even hold a conversation with my companion. It suddenly became apparent that the only way we could enjoy each other's company was to move. I looked up to survey the room and realized that the place was full to the gills. We were stuck and our starters had just arrived so even if we could have moved it would have caused a fairly obvious scene.

The couple was probably in their mid-thirties and I was absolutely embarrassed for their behavior. The man had no problem licking his fingers and rubbing a certain area of his chest several times during the course of their meal - classy. He also was a fan of the term "butt-naked" and had no problem loudly admitting that he liked playing with "Double Ds" even to our waitress- he seemed truly cultured. Needless to say the family sitting next to us was not impressed either. What might have been worse then his complete lack of maturity was the fact that his companion seemed so overtly entertained by his behavior. The food was great as usual and the service was spot-on, but the fact that our conversation was interrupted with an episode of vulgarity every few moments is unfortunately what sticks out in my mind.

As we left the restaurant my girlfriend and I were able to laugh about how sad it was that two people of their age could behave that way in public, but I was still a bit hacked off. What could I have done though? I had my window to move and I let that slip away. Should I have asked to be moved anyways? Should I have said something to the staff? What about the couple? Would it have been possible for me to have been blunt enough to ask them to tone it down? Awkward - especially that early in the meal.

I guess I'm posting this as an open forum for suggestion. What would you do? I unfortunately chose to do nothing - a mistake I'll never make again, but I certainly wasn't helpless in the situation. I didn't think it would be fair to put the problem on the staff, either, but I think at the end of the day they'd want to know. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Opinions? Or other tales to tell? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Happy (peaceful) Eating,

-Teddy