Disappointed...

So, The Teach, Half-dozen, Sideshow, and I went to a new restaurant, oZ Chophouse last night, in hopes of finding a really good special occassion steakhouse spot. It was definitely no Ruth's Chris or Capitol Grille though their prices were close.

The atmosphere is really nice -- there's this big fake tree positioned in the middle of the dining room that really complements the hardwood decor and low lighting, and there was good music in the background. The waitress was ok -- not overly attentive, though, and she didn't have much by way of suggestions, nor did she seem all that knowledgeable about the bar selections. The woman who bussed our table and filled our waterglasses was much more personable.

The food was ok. Sideshow got rack of lamb, and I got the duck, both of which I thought were cooked well and very tender. The duck came with a potato/pear/fig hash which was actually very nice -- an idea I'd like to try at home. The broccoli was crisp and fresh, but the mushrooms were pretty bland -- even a little rosemary would have livened them up, but it seemed like most of the fresh herbs used were as garnish (which made no sense, in the case where my duck was served with a giant sprig of thyme, but there was no thyme to be tasted in the dish). The Teach and Half-dozen got steaks, which he could only describe as on par with one you'd find at Bennigan's. They were overcooked, poorly seasoned, and just not good cuts. This is all the more disappointing because steaks and custom cut filets are the specialty. Six's shoestring potatoes were french fries that tasted fresh out of our grocer's freezer. The one redeeming quality to the meal was the offering of a grilled caesar salad -- warm, crisp, refreshing. It was awesome, and another thing I'll be trying. But when you're shelling out big bucks for 'fine dining' (we do this about once, maybe twice a year), a good salad isn't sufficient for the experience.

Oh well. At least we didn't eat another meal at Rocky Run, though we did miss the Thursday Group.