The old Lincoln Park is certainly making a go at being a true destination. Still, knowing the previous clientèle for which what is now Twin River was known, namely those who are 9.5 million years old and those to whom dental hygiene means little, I did not enter with high hopes. Aside from the same old clientèle, Twin River and its selection of restaurants impresses.
As was the case with Fred & Steve's. A very good restaurant that offers decent prices ($20-$35 for a steak) on excellent meat in e-freakin'-normous portions. And would you expect anything less? Afterall, Fred and Steve are both ex-football players, and they are not a group that is known to mess around when it comes to meat. Or any food for that matter.
If you remember Twin River back in the Lincoln Park days, Fred & Steve's design and may catch you off guard. It's nice. Something Lincoln Park never was. In fact, it's damned nice. The wait staff is well-dressed and perfectly professional. The tables are perfectly dressed. The lighting is very well done, giving you a romantic atmosphere while also keeping stuff well-lit. The warm, wood tones of the dining area are also very pleasing. I felt that the classical music playing didn't match the underlying tone of the place. While it's very up-market, it can't go TOO far up, considering the football jerseys on the wall. Minor quibbles. The seats are very comfy, and the benches were the cushiest I've felt. I honestly sank six inches into the bench. I half expected to feel some old person shove a token in my butt, thinking it some remarkably stinky slot machine on the gambling floor below.
Moving on to the important stuff, meat, I had what I do not consider the best filet I've ever had, but it was far and away the largest. It was larger than my fist. It was perfectly cooked and was a very good cut. Certainly worth the money. Passed around my party were a number of a appetizers and meats. The appetizers, true to the rest of the experience, were huge. If it's only two of you, I'd recommend getting one, two if you want to take some home. The asparagus was well-cooked but a bit too peppery. I like it when they let me season my own veggies. The oysters were very tasty but were nothing special. The corn was good, as was the broccoli and the cheese souffle. Still, none of it was amazing. It's obvious the stars of the meal were the meats. Everything else needed only fill a supporting role, and they did so well.
Filets, rib-eyes, they were all perfectly cooked examples of good cuts. Very good all around. And, again, the servings are bleedin' enormous. And on a lighter note, my girlfriend thought they had the best Midori Sour she's ever had. So if you wanted a drink recommendation, there it is. The wine list is adequate, but it's obvious that wine snobs are not being catered to. This is a place for meat lovers and that's about it.
Fred & Steve's would have probably gotten the nod as best steak house in Rhode Island not too long ago, but unfortunately for them, Providence Prime recently opened its doors and I think that they beat Fred & Steve by a field goal in most areas. They can still hold their heads high, knowing that they're at least better than the big-chain invader, Ruth's Chris, and much better than competing football-oriented steakhouse, Shula's. With Providence Prime closer to me, I don't feel too motoivated to go to Fred & Steve's. For me, it's about 40 minutes away while Providence and all its meat is 30. The old jocks have stuff to offer, to be sure, but not really enough to draw my attention from Providence. But if I was in the neighborhood, though, I would never hesitate to go and get what is, even at these prices, a good value for great steak.
Fred & Steve's: ****
Price range for two: $65-$120
http://www.twinriver.com/dining/fredandsteves.cfm
Twin River
100 Twin River Road
Lincoln, RI. 02865
401-475-8400
Hours
Monday & Tuesday Closed
Wednesday & Thursday 5:00PM to 9:00PM
Friday & Saturday 5:00PM to 12:30AM
Sunday 1:00PM to 8:00PM
2 comments:
TERRIBLE! We had an 8:30 reservation, most of our party was there and checked in, my fiance (who's birthday it was) and I took the directions online and ended up lost for an hour. (Just a note, if coming from Johnston, it is the THIRD traffic light, NOT the first. The directions on the website tell you to come to a set of traffic lights and make a left.. that first left does not have a street sign, we just assumed they were accurate and turned..) We arrived just before 9 and waited to be seated for a half hour, meanwhile the room was half empty. It took about 15 minutes just for the server(s) to take our orders, then we waited. And waited. Half of our party left to play slots they were so bored. At 10:30 we were already asking about our dinner and were ready to leave and try another restaurant. We decided to stay because we thought the food would be good. WRONG. We finally received our dinner at 10:40, over an hour after we were seated. The Lobster Bisque tasted like butter and had TWO pieces of lobster in it. It should be called Butter Bisque. We are not picky eaters but not a steak on the table was cooked right.. all were burned and overcooked.. the barrel cut fillet was the same size as the petite and neither had a bit of flavor. The porterhouse came to the table slathered in salt, that's all we tasted. The "family style" sides of mashed potatoes are personal size. Everything was ridiculously overpriced.. for the time we waited and price we paid we would have been better off driving out to Houstons in Boston (which is AMAZING, Fred and Steve should take notes from a real restaurant). The table next to us were saying the same things we were.. which by the way, they sat down a half hour after us and were served at the same time. They were complaining about flavorless steak and salty, overcooked meat pretty loudly, we were all disappointment in the dining room it seemed. We thought it was because we were late, but hearing the people around us we know the place just stunk. The manager came over when we voiced our concerns to the waitress and said he was sending over complimentary dessert.. that never came! We also requested when making the reservation for chocolate cake to come out and some birthday attention for my fiance, we got nothing. I DO NOT recommend this restaurant to anyone. Giant waste of time and money. Our plans for afterwards were completely ruined, it was entirely too late to go anywhere once we left there. My fiance's mother told one of the owner's that was sitting at the bar but he didnt seem that interested in the bad service and food, they obviously just come in to collect the money.
Jennestrela,
Thank you very much for your comment, and mein gott! I'm very sorry your experience was so bad. It certainly sounds like the service dropped the ball in grand fashion. I don't know what the hell happened. My experience was very pleasant.
A grave disappointment for me, to hear this.
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