Monday, March 20, 2006

Barnaby's Beef, Bay, and Bottle

Well, you have to give them credit for a descriptive name. We tried out this place because my Dad was in town and he's partial to steak. It's actually in Tukwila, a few miles from Renton, and it is . . . well . . . unique.

It's a massive wooden structure that is decorated on the inside like Sean Connery's rumpus room--huge wooden beams on high ceilings, scottish/english knick-knacks on every wall, and masterpiece theatre-style funriture. It's also disturibingly bright inside for a steakhouse. Our poor waitress was wearing a polyester "scottish wench" outfit that looked like it was a hand-me-down from a weird scottish theme park. In other words, it was a scotch kitch-a-rama.

We ordered the "house special" steak which came with the salad bar. The salad bar itself reminded me of a chain resturaunt like Denny's--with pretty boring choices. The beer was served (of course) in big barrell-shaped mugs. When the food finally came, it was served on 70s era plates that were too small. So far, not the most scintilating dining experience . . .

But then came the steak. It was really good. They had marinated it in some outstanding whiskey marinade and it was super-tender with a great flavor. Slowly, I began to realize why they were still in business. The steak is truly outstanding. If they would just spend a little money updating the concept a bit, they'd probably be able to complete with some of the better steakhouses in the area. As it is, their prices are on par with great steakhouses like the Melrose Grill while the dining experience is a bit silly.

Worth a try, especially if you like kitchy dining experiences.

1 comment:

Tin Foil Hat said...

Mikelle had shrimp that was overcooked and mediocre. I doubt we would go back again (unless my dad was back in town). They do take my buy-one-get-one-free card, though . . .