Failure and Wildfire Steakhouse
Well, as most of us predicted (in our heart of hearts), Newcastle couldn't pull out a victory or draw today against Chelsea - we lost pretty handily to one of the two best teams in Europe. So obviously no big surprises there - they're in the CL final for a reason. If we could use Newcastle's performances against the two Champions League finalists as a springboard for a fairly accurate prediction of the final game (which will be held on my BIRTHDAY this year - have I mentioned that??)....
NUFC vs. MUFC: 0-6 at SJP, 5-1 at Old Trafford. Grand Total: 11-1 MUFC
NUFC vs. Chelsea: 2-1 at the Bridge, 0-2 at SJP. Grand Total: 4-1 Chelsea
So, uh yeah. that's a 7-goal swing for MUFC so based on these numbers they should take the CL final easily...usually it's not that direct though. This IS a direct relationship to how much disdain and disrespect I show Man United, so now you can see why then rarely see any plaudits from this poor NUFC supporter!!
Anyway, today's match assures that the title will go down to the last day of the season for the first time since 1999 and that's exciting stuff, no matter who you root for.
Wildfire Steakhouse
....Another blog entry about beef? You got that right.
This is a totally different place from Fogo de Chao. This is a very traditional steakhouse - you walk in, you order a drink, you order a cut of meet, you order sides, they come out, you eat them, you pay, you leave. This is another Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, so any real surprises are few and far between. They've got money to make, damnit. But the quality is high, the service is GREAT (my buddy's wife works there) and the atmosphere is always condusive to a good time.
This time, we ordered a nice pinot noir and it was wonderful. I wish I could remember what it was. I do remember, however, the meal I ordered: ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY BEEF WELLINGTON!! Ever since I started watching "Hell's Kitchen" I wanted to try one of these(they make these things every bloody night on that show). It sounded as close to perfection as you could get - a filet mignon drenched in something close to french onion soup, wrapped in pastry, baked, and then served in another bath of french onion soup. All my favorite things all wrapped up into one handy dish. And I'll tell you what - I was absolutely right. This thing was legendary. I feel lucky to have been there because it was the special that night and they only serve it one night a week (Saturdays). Not only was this great for the obvious reason of having simply delectable ingredients throughout, but the way it's constructed helps its cause immensely. You see, by drenching the beef in onion sauce then wrapping it, you keep all that moisture inside while it's cooking in the oven. So what comes out when you cut into it is a perfectly cooked, medium-well steak that doesn't have even a hint of being over done. It could be the best-prepared steak I've ever had - and I've had a lot of good ones. And while I would like to give the staff at Wildfire all the credit for this - I think the real praise goes to it's namesake, the Duke of Wellington (his name was actually Arthur Wellesley).
So while I give Wildfire a very strong 3.5/5 stars, I give the Wellington a 4.5. The 0.5 point its missing is due to presentation - because honestly, how nice can you make one of those things look? But the taste makes up for it. EAT BEEF!
NUFC vs. MUFC: 0-6 at SJP, 5-1 at Old Trafford. Grand Total: 11-1 MUFC
NUFC vs. Chelsea: 2-1 at the Bridge, 0-2 at SJP. Grand Total: 4-1 Chelsea
So, uh yeah. that's a 7-goal swing for MUFC so based on these numbers they should take the CL final easily...usually it's not that direct though. This IS a direct relationship to how much disdain and disrespect I show Man United, so now you can see why then rarely see any plaudits from this poor NUFC supporter!!
Anyway, today's match assures that the title will go down to the last day of the season for the first time since 1999 and that's exciting stuff, no matter who you root for.
Wildfire Steakhouse....Another blog entry about beef? You got that right.
This is a totally different place from Fogo de Chao. This is a very traditional steakhouse - you walk in, you order a drink, you order a cut of meet, you order sides, they come out, you eat them, you pay, you leave. This is another Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, so any real surprises are few and far between. They've got money to make, damnit. But the quality is high, the service is GREAT (my buddy's wife works there) and the atmosphere is always condusive to a good time.
This time, we ordered a nice pinot noir and it was wonderful. I wish I could remember what it was. I do remember, however, the meal I ordered: ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY BEEF WELLINGTON!! Ever since I started watching "Hell's Kitchen" I wanted to try one of these(they make these things every bloody night on that show). It sounded as close to perfection as you could get - a filet mignon drenched in something close to french onion soup, wrapped in pastry, baked, and then served in another bath of french onion soup. All my favorite things all wrapped up into one handy dish. And I'll tell you what - I was absolutely right. This thing was legendary. I feel lucky to have been there because it was the special that night and they only serve it one night a week (Saturdays). Not only was this great for the obvious reason of having simply delectable ingredients throughout, but the way it's constructed helps its cause immensely. You see, by drenching the beef in onion sauce then wrapping it, you keep all that moisture inside while it's cooking in the oven. So what comes out when you cut into it is a perfectly cooked, medium-well steak that doesn't have even a hint of being over done. It could be the best-prepared steak I've ever had - and I've had a lot of good ones. And while I would like to give the staff at Wildfire all the credit for this - I think the real praise goes to it's namesake, the Duke of Wellington (his name was actually Arthur Wellesley).
So while I give Wildfire a very strong 3.5/5 stars, I give the Wellington a 4.5. The 0.5 point its missing is due to presentation - because honestly, how nice can you make one of those things look? But the taste makes up for it. EAT BEEF!
posted by darkred at 7:08 PM
2 Comments:
Couple things.
1) How do you get something like Beef Wellington named after you. Talk about leaving a legacy. Oh yeah, well my dad invented the Beef Wellington....
2) I have never tried a Beef Wellington and was drooling at my desk at 7:15 in the AM reading your description about it so I will have to get it the next time I can. Usually at a steakhouse I cant get past the prime rib.
3) Thats awesome you watch Hells Kitchen. Great show. Makes me wish I could either cook or owned a restaurant. Would you like or dislike being able to see the chef screaming at his helpers in the back?
I mean - if I were to go to an actual restaurant and the chef was audibly furious at his staff, I'd get freaked out. But if I knew I were on the set of Hell's Kitchen - are you crazy? I'd freaking love it! I'd cause such a huge fuss! It would be fantastic.
I love pushing you out of your 7.15 comfort zone, Brett. This is what keeps me going.
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