Last night Lisa and I went to dinner at Brother Sebastian’s. This steakhouse has been in business since 1977, and was rebuilt after a fire in the mid 1990s.
I remember going to dinner there in the late 70s – there was at least one pre- or post-prom dinner there. I remember it being a really nice place with great food. I was interested to see how well it’s held up over the years; some of our old favorites really have not aged all that well.
The decor is a bit dated, but of course that’s kind of part of the charm. It seemed a little tighter and more dimly lit than I remembered, but honestly it’s been so long I could well be wrong. The menus listed their reviews as “best steakhouse” from 2013, which may have been when they were printed… no, those weren’t 2013 prices. The prices weren’t bad, assuming it really is a great steakhouse.
I was a little disappointed in the lack of higher-end Scotch available; Macallan 12 and Lagavulin 16 are about as fancy as it gets. I’d hoped for some Macallan 18, maybe, but it’s not a big deal. I don’t really know enough about wines to comment on their wine selection. I ordered their perfect Manhattan, which was pretty good – much better than my own previous attempts. Their prices for drinks were very reasonable; I think the Manhattan was $12.50.
It’s definitely a steakhouse of the old school. You’ll hike through the restaurant on your way to and from the salad bar, sharing (and occasionally competing for) space with other patrons as well as wait staff.
The salad bar is not bad, but nothing amazing. There was fresh spinach, iceberg lettuce, half a dozen or so toppings (bell pepper, black olives, shredded cheese, chopped onion, etc.) and a pretty wide selection of dressings.
I ordered a 6 oz filet medium rare with wild rice and linguine. Lisa ordered the walleye with vegetables. When the food arrived, I found the filet cooked medium well. There’s no excuse for that. Lisa’s fish was OK, but there were several bones that were impossible to see in the very dim light. Her squash was pretty badly overcooked. To their credit, when the manager stopped by to ask how we were and Lisa told her that, the manager comped her dinner. This illustrates why I very, very rarely order the generic “vegetables” side – and never if it includes squash or zucchini. Those seem to be the most frequently murdered dishes at nearly all restaurants. Broccoli steamed into mush runs a close second.
All in all… I can understand why some people like it and they seem to have a loyal following. That said, I honestly think we’d have gotten a better meal at Outback or Texas Roadhouse. It’s not on our list of places to go back to.
On the plus side, it’s not terribly expensive. The filet was $36, and the walleye was $26. That included the salad bar and sides. We skipped the appetizer and dessert; had the fish not been comped we’d still have been out of there for just under $100.