Morton`s Steakhouse

*UPDATE* Morton's of Vancouver is now permanently closed as of October 3rd.

How many times do I need to celebrate my birthday? Well, if it involves eating, I will celebrate it as many times as people want to go out to eat with me! Many of my friends have told me that their experience at Morton's has been good, so I really had an itching to go. It was one of 3 steakhouses in Vancouver that are on my wishlist, which includes Gotham and Hy's as well. I was telling Costanza (who joined me at Morton's) that it would be very cool to drive up to the valet at any one of these restaurants in my black SUV with dubs. Then Costanza bursts my bubble by saying that it would be cool, until everyone saw the 2 child seats in the back. Ouch! Back to reality!!!

Anyways, I must say that first and foremost, the service is outstanding at Morton's. It was friendly, unpretentious and attentive. The dining room was classy in a New York/Chicago style; yet it was understated and inviting. The prices at Morton's are consistent with an upscale steakhouse, with steaks being around $50 and up and sides being extra. Unknown to many, especially my friend Whipping Girl (who recently ate there), there is a Steak and Seafood dinner for 2 that costs $119. It includes a selection of Morton's most popular dishes in a set meal. Each person has a choice of salad, either a Caesar or Morton's Salad; a choice of seafood, either Broiled Sea Scallops, Colossal Shrimp Alexander or Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes; a choice of 1 potato and 1 vegetable to share; a single-cut Filet Mignon; and a choice of dessert, either Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake or Key Lime Pie. Whipping Girl ordered almost the exact same dinner at the a la carte prices in the menu!!! Suffice to say, she was choked; however, she doesn't regret it since the food was good.

Before our meal, we ordered some oysters on the half-shell to start. They were extremely fresh and sweet. They were accompanied by tobasco, seafood sauce, horseradish, lemon and saltine crackers. I start the meal for 2 with the Morton's salad which is a variety of lettuce tossed in blue cheese dressing, topped with chopped egg and anchovies. The lettuce was extremely fresh and crisp; however the salad itself was tossed unevenly. I had some pieces that were slathered in dressing and I just had to leave them on the plate. The others had the Caesar and it was pretty average, with the salad being watery. Then came my Filet Mignon accompanied by the Colossal Shrimp Alexander. My filet was perfectly cooked at medium-rare. The meat was very tender and every bite was buttery smooth. The Colossal Shrimp Alexander consists of 3 butterflied giant shrimp which are breaded and fried, resting on a beurre blanc sauce. The shrimp should really be called prawns since they are really large and meaty. They were cooked nicely, being crispy outside and not overcooked on the inside. However, there was just too much beurre blanc sauce for my liking. Viv had the scallops wrapped in bacon, which came with an apricot chutney. The scallops were sweet, but were a bit overcooked. The bacon on the outside was extremely crunchy and a bit burnt; that detracted from the dish. Viv did not like the apricot chutney since it had hints of horseradish. But I personally like horseradish and thought the chutney was good.

We ended up sharing the 4 side dishes amongst ourselves and they included steamed asparagus, steamed broccoli, french fries and a jumbo baked Idaho potato. The asparagus and broccoli were steamed just enough, so they still maintained a healthy green colour and some firmness. The vegetables were extremely fresh and sweet. They were accompanied by hollandaise sauce which was okay; but it would have been better with some more lemon juice. That would be the same for the Bearnaise sauce that accompanied the Filet Mignon too. The french fries were surprisingly good, being crisp on the outside, but maintaining a good potato taste and consistency on the inside. The baked potato was the biggest one I have ever seen before in my life. It was so fluffy and soft on the inside, it just melted in my mouth. It was the best baked potato I've even had.

For dessert, we all chose the Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake served with Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream. The chocolate cake was moist and very good. On the inside, there was molten chocolate oozing out. I liked the cake, but with every bite, it became a bit too sweet for my liking. Overall, the meal at Morton's was satisfying, especially at the price we paid. There were some issues with some of the dishes; but nothing major. The steaks, which is their specialty were outstanding and so was their service.

The Good:
- Steaks were excellent
- Service was outstanding and unpretentious
- Ambiance was classy and intimate
- Expediting of the food was spot on

The Bad:
- Some of the food, other than the steaks, has it's issues
- Parking is scarce or expensive (although the valet was reasonable at $7)
- Can be pricey if you don't have the dinner for 2 special

Morton's
750 W Cordova St
Vancouver, B.C.
(604) 915-5105
www.mortons.com

Business Hours:
5:00pm - 10:00pm (Mon - Thu & Sun)
5:00pm - 11:00pm (Fri - Sat)