That stands for Smith and W…

…Relax: the W doesn’t stand for Wesson! It stands for Wollensky, of course.

Normally Barbara and I would never go to such a high-end restaurant, but this was a special occasion. We had dinner there yesterday, and it was pretty good. But it was definitely not the “meal of a lifetime,” in the words of one amateur reviewer. And it was definitely not worth the exorbitant price, which we won’t talk about (but you can check the prices here).

So, you’re wondering how the food and service were. Service was just fine, but the food was mixed. This is a steakhouse, of course, so you expect an à la carte menu, high prices, and consistently excellent food. Well, you get two out of three at S&W. Barbara had filet mignon with a Maine lobster tail, creamed spinach, and béarnaise sauce on the side (with the melted butter for the lobster kept warm in a cute little candle-powered warmer); I had the bone-in ribeye with umami dry rub and gigantic onion rings. They also gave me a complementary crème brulée.

The side dishes, rolls, and dessert were all first-rate. But the stars of the show—the steaks—were overcooked. Barbara’s, ordered medium rare, came out medium to medium well. Mine, ordered rare, came out medium rare to medium. Yes, I know it’s hard to cook an entire steak to a consistent level of doneness, but that’s supposed to be their specialty! The solicitous server offered to have the kitchen cook us new steaks, but we declined.

PS: You may be wondering, as I was, who Smith and Wollensky were/are. They turn out to be the surnames of the founder’s dogs!

Categories: Dorchester/Boston, Food & Restaurants