"The Kobe sliders were definitely the highlight; the lamb quesadilla, on the other hand, was dry and lacked the rich flavor I typically expect from lamb. It just didn’t match up to what I’ve experienced elsewhere. As for the fish sticks, they aren’t the typical Van de Kamp's or Blue Plate special, but they were well-cooked, light, and tender. They were battered rather than breaded—akin to tempura, if you will. The tartar sauce was tasty and could have benefitted from a lemon wedge; I sometimes use ketchup when tartar isn’t available, and that worked fine too.
In my opinion, the only salad that pairs well with steak is a wedge salad. It’s crisp, bright, and a classic choice. Here’s where it gets tricky: with a name like "8 Steers," you’d think steak would be the main attraction. However, they offer a decent variety of seafood and other dishes, like a three-mushroom risotto, which complicates the decision to just go for steak. Many diners seem to find the steaks overcooked and prefer the seafood, which is unusual, so I kept giving the steak a chance. Each visit, I alternated between steak and seafood.
My favorite cut is the bone-in NY strip, although I also appreciate the ribeye despite its higher fat content. When dining out, I generally order my steak medium-rare, but at steakhouses, I’ll ask for it rare. If it’s a reputable establishment, I may even request it cooked black and blue, which is about the rarest you can get. On this visit, I opted for medium-rare for my NY strip. It arrived medium, which isn’t a huge issue, but anything more than two levels off from my order is frustrating. The portion size was decent, with good grill marks and presentation. The flavor was alright; it tasted dry-aged but likely only for a few days—not the month that some top-tier steakhouses offer.
Many believe a good steak doesn’t need sauce, and I largely agree. However, I sometimes like to be unconventional and add a bit of au jus or French onion soup on top. Is that a sauce? Perhaps! A few visits later, I ordered the ribeye rare, and it came out medium-rare, which is still two levels off. The flavor was good, potentially a bit dry-aged, with nice grill marks and a heftier portion than I expected. This time, I asked for some sauce—my preference is Lee & Perrin’s, but A1 works too.
I also tried the buffalo ribeye; it’s a bit contradictory to have a naturally leaner animal as the fatty choice. While I ordered it medium, it was cooked correctly. It had a smaller ribeye size but decent marbling along with a more robust flavor and feel. The crusted lamb chops didn’t seem seared enough for my taste, and overall, I found them overcooked. Lamb is delicate, so I can’t blame the chef too much; it was still better than the quesadilla's filling.
New Zealand and Argentina offer a wealth of amazing seafood, and my first seafood dish here was the snapper. Unfortunately, it was small, overcooked, and overly seasoned—too flaky and poorly presented. The Wild Alaskan salmon, however, was cooked nicely: light, firm, flaky, and lightly seasoned, though the plating could’ve made it more appealing. Chilean sea bass, while popular, doesn’t impress me much—the grilling and baking are fine, but frying it doesn’t yield great results. I was disappointed by the generic seasoning; it didn’t really enhance the dish.
The seared scallops looked milky—indicative of a lack of infusion for plumping. They had an excellent sear but no seasoning, which is a missed opportunity for scallops that can hold more flavor. I’ve seen U-8 scallops that are much larger compared to these, which were about half the size.
This place has a lot of potential—easily overlooked, undervalued, and with plenty of room to improve. Very few restaurants excel at both seafood and steak (beyond the typical surf and turf). They could really stand out with their sides, salads, and appetizers, particularly since many diners enjoy seafood at a steakhouse. The service was great as well."
