Monday, July 11, 2011

Shula's 347 Grill - @@@@

While in Providence, I did a miny steak challenge with 2 straight nights of steaks.  The first night was Fleming's Steakhouse located in the Westin and the second night was Shula's 347 Grill in the Hilton.  Both were good steaks that I would never refuse, however I preferred Shula's due to the juiciness of the steak and better sides.

Fleming's is a very nice upscale steak chain that has locations across the US.  It is a more traditional steakhouse setting in the fact that it was dimly lit, high booths, and leather seating.  I was looking forward to going because one of my favorite ribeyes was eaten at that very location.  It was a bone-in ribeye cut that was accompanied with sides of creamed spinach and Fleming potatoes which are cheese and cream sliced baked potatoes with a touch of jalepeno.  The steak was cooked on point, but it did not have that great juiciness that I had remembered.  The spinach side was good, but the potatoes were not hot throughout.  They were served in a mini crock similar to a french onion soup bowl, but were barely warm in the middle.

The next night I went to Shula's.  Perhaps because what I was looking for was more casual, but I preferred the interior of Shula's.  It was bright, modern, and had flat panel tvs on the wall showing playoff basketball.  Again ordering the bone-in ribeye, this steak was juicier and more flavorful than the previous night.  Again it was cooked as ordered...medium-rare.  The loaded baked potato was a satisfier and the cole slaw was surprisingly good.  It was a good creamy mixture but still had good crunch to the vegetables.

When ranked against each other, I clearly preferred Shula's over Fleming's.  The quality of food was better and in my situation the ambiance was nicer.  I would equate Fleming's to a date restaurant while Shula's is a spot to hang out at.  I give Shula's 4 of 5 and Fleming's 3 of 5 but either way it is a good steak to get.

Shula's steak


Fleming's
One W Exchange St
Providence, RI 02903

Shula's
21 Atwells Ave
Providence, RI 02903
  

2 comments:

  1. That's a beautiful cut from Shula's. Bone-in too? Yeah, not finding too many bone-in ribeye's at Meijer's. You love your cole-slaw; would cole-slaw and potatoes be your go-to sides for a steak? Call me simple, but for me it'd be a loaded baked potato and broccoli. Check that, I love white rice soaked in ribeye juices also.

    I haven't had many notably good food experiences at hotel restaurants. This review is inspiring though. Che Foster - chef at the Westin @ the McNamara Terminal of DTW (at least I know he was some time back, I don't know if he's still there). Might have to look him up for a bone-in ribeye or a porterhouse! Might have to challenge him to some Bill Walsh NCAA '95 CFB on Sega too.

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  2. really? they have bone-in its just they trim the bone so it is not sticking out like a rib. most people at grocery stores are not fond of paying extra for the bone weight, but at restaurants it is already built into the price.

    i prefer potatoes to rice with steak just for the simple reason that i make rice at home with steak so i like to mix it up at restaurants. potatoes, though easy, are just not as easy as rice when cooking at home. broccoli is a good side to have but i like the classic creamed spinach as my favorite steak-vegetable side.

    haha, without reading the rest of your entry, as soon as i saw "Che Foster" i thought "umich fb??"

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