I've never really eaten at Jim's Steakhouse. We did have an office Christmas party there one year, but I think the menu was selected for us.
Jim's location at 100 SW Jefferson in Peoria was suggested to us for our birthday dinner, so we decided it was high time to try it out.
We went in at about 5:00 on Sunday and had a drink in the lounge while waiting for the rest of our dining party. The only table in the restaurant that was occupied when we arrived hosted Aaron Schock and his dining companion.
The bar is decorated in greens and dark wood, with brass accents and wide plank wood flooring. The piano was silent on a Sunday night.
I had a glass of Rodney Strong Cabernet and StfRon had a Sam Adams. There wasn't a wide selection of imports. When my dad arrived, he went with a Newcastle.
The bartender informed us that since they only had reservations for six people all night, they were not serving prime rib.
We decided to go take our table and let the meal begin. Looking over the menu, I saw a porterhouse steak priced at $44, the stroganoff, which my mom assures me is wonderful, priced at $18, and filets priced at around $22. There were also some seafood selections on the menu.
I decided to try the filet medallions oscar, a dish I've enjoyed lots of places, which was $26 and included a soup or salad and a side. I went with the salad with brittney dressing and green beans as my side. I guess there were daily side choices as well, which I heard another server mention later in our meal.
The soup of the day was cream of chicken, which sounded kind of dull to me, but we saw a bowl later, and it looked very good.
StfRon went with the tortellini, prepared in a cream sauce, with bacon and peas, for about $18. He also had the salad with brittney dressing.
My parents both went with a filet, and salads with brittney dressing.
The dressing was quite good, not too sweet, like some brittneys I've tried.
I had ordered my steak medium rare, and it did seem to be more on the rare side, being very red inside, but was hot, as were my green beans and asparagus. The steak also had a brown sauce on top, which took me by surprise, and a huge amount of crab in the middle. The asparagus was topped with hollandaise. The meal proved way too much for me to eat.
StfRon said the tortellini was wonderful.
By this time, there were three more tables of people in the dining room, and the two waitresses were busier. Our waitress became a bit more scarce toward the end of our meal. My parents were out of wine for a while, but we ended up just requesting the bill.
Walking through the bar, I also noticed the bartender was serving food to a couple of tables dining in the lounge.
Maybe if I'd chosen a different entree, I would have been bowled over. We did have a nice time, though, due to good company.
10 comments:
FYI, a medium rare steak should have a warm red center, rare should have a cool red center, medium should have a hot pink center. If the steak you ordered was warm and red, it shows the steak house knows what they are doing and they aren't going to overcook steaks just because most people don't know what they are ordering. Many places cater to the fact that people think medium rare is pink out of ignorance, so when I order without describing how the center should look, I end up with a ruined steak. I am happy to hear this won't happen at Jim's.
No desert? *gasp* Come on! You could have at least had some desert...for my sake. hehe
The last time we were there, everything I ordered they were out of or it wasn't available. Finally I decided on the fresh catch of the day. I was told, the fish wasn't "fresh". I had salad...
I would appreciate a place telling me the fresh catch wasn't fresh. Gotta give them kudos for that. Nothing much worse than getting a bad piece of fish.
As far as my steak, like I said, it was warm but "very red inside". Not pink. I didn't get all the way to the middle to see if it was warm there, too. My mom's rare steak looked the same.
I'm not an uneducated steak orderer. I just would have preferred it just a tad more done.
If I went back, I would try something different.
Fresh fish...not so fresh. lol. Wow I wish other places had informed me of their fish BEFORE I ordered it. I had a recent horrid experience here in Macomb with undercooked AND slightly foul smelling fish...needless to say I didn't dare touch it.
The first commenter was right. Your mother's rare steak and your medium rare steak *should* look the same. The only difference should be that one is cool and one is warm. If you don't want a very red steak, don't order medium rare.
I have only had good experiences at Jim's over the years. It is expensive and it is a little slow. My wife likes to call it a 'dining experience,' which translates into 'don't plan on hitting a movie afterwards.' The prime rib really is the main attraction at Jim's, but I've had good filets there in the past, too.
Jim's isn't what it used to be. It's overpriced and there are better options for steak in the city.
The best place in Peoria for steak has closed. F Scotts was local, downtown, and the only place with prime meat. It (and Sully's management of Sullivan's) is greatly missed. Now I typically just have steak at home to avoid low quality meat that has been overcooked.
I guess I've just been to a lot of steak places that DON'T know how to cook a medium rare steak.
But I would like to sample the prime rib.
We miss F. Scott's prime rib to this day. We haven't found a replacement for the food and service there yet, and hope for a reincarnation of some sort.
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