By
George Brozowski
I
normally don't write restaurant reviews but I have
certainly written my fair share over the years. I also don't
normally write wine reviews but I am willing to bet you bullets
to bucks that I have probably written hundreds and hundreds.
Which brings me to my review of one of the grande dames of
steak houses in America, The Pine Club in Dayton Ohio.
The Pine Club Steakhouse
A
short while ago I wrote a review of Buckeye Vodka which happens
to be distilled in Dayton. Apparently I didn't offend the
Buckeye Boys enough so that they would never have anything
further to do with me and they actually invited me back up
to their neighborhood for dinner. Being the new kid on the
block in Ohio I was looking forward to making new friends
and this seemed like a good opportunity to do just that.
The Pine Club is located in Oakwood, a truly lush suburb of
Dayton that is much like Grosse Pointe is to Detroit. I got
there early and drove around a bit and I must admit I would
love to live there. Oakwood is composed of a rich collection
of architecture with many of the houses constructed before
World War II and many more even older in design. These include
Tudor, Swiss Chalets, White Clapboard Colonial, and even gothic
architecture. The western end of the city features many large
properties and historic houses which tend to lie on well secluded
plots of land surrounded by trees such as the home of Orville
Wright. Think old money!
The
restaurant is a low slung, one story, building with a red
brick façade that is sandwiched between two other buildings.
Upon opening the first door I encountered a second door and
on that door was a sign that, if I remember correctly, read;
"Appropriate Dress". This made me stop and think.
Having lived in San Francisco for a number of years I have
encountered many cross dressers and I must tell you that very
few men look good in a dress and I pondered just exactly what
an appropriate dress might look like. I shook those horrible
images from my mind and hoped that my long black pants would
suffice and I pushed open the door.
Holy
Bat Cave Batman, the place was pitch black. Having just come
in from the sunny summer daylight I couldn't see a thing and
had to just stand there for a few minutes until my eyes adjusted.
The bar in the middle of the room came into focus first and
I headed toward it like a ship on a stormy sea headed towards
a lighthouse. The joint was old world wood and leather and
I would learn later had been in continuous operation since
the day it opened in 1947. There weren't even any TV's at
the bar!! I plopped down on a bar stool that I imagined had
been there for 60 some years because it was small and hard.
Back in the old days people's butts were much more compact
than they are today and if you want proof of that just go
to any Wal-Mart in America and check it out for yourself.
The
Buckeye Boys showed up shortly after I arrived and there the
four of them stood around my hard little bar stool all dressed
up in white Buckeye logoed polo shirts very much looking like
choir boys from hell. Guess what everyone ordered? The most
interesting variant was a dirty vodka martini served with
the dirty on the side. The dirty comes from the brine and
bits from the olive jar and sometimes even contains minced
olives and is quite yummy.
We
sat down in a booth and the food started coming. Appetizers
of Nantucket Cape Scallops were moist and tender and breaded
to a pleasing crunch on the outside, Blue Point Oysters on
the Half Shell were a bit smallish but also quite tender and
flavorful but were marred by a few bits of crunchy sand or
shell in them. The salads were quite good and my blue cheese
dressing was just right and not too blue and not too piquant.
The best was the house dressing which was vinegar and oil
based with a number of secret ingredients that gave it a flavor
all its own and was unlike any dressing I had ever had before.
Fortunately I can order it online from the restaurant directly
and will be able to enjoy it at home.
The
stars of the evening were the steaks. OMG!! These steaks were
gigantic and looked like they had been hewn from a Tyrannosaurus
Rex rather than cut from a steer. They actually had a steak
I had never heard of or tried before, a bone in Filet. It
was perfectly cooked and perfectly tender and perfectly juicy
and well, just darned perfect. The rib eye was right up there
with it.
The
sides were awesome as well. The asparagus was tender yet firm
with a bit of snap, the creamed spinach was balanced and lively
and then there were the beets.
Being
Polish, I happen to love beets and my mother makes a dish
called Buraczki in which she grates the beets and adds hot
horseradish and vinegar to it and it's to die for. Well it
turns out that Jim hates beets and when we started discussing
them he scrunched up his face like any 3 year old would when
facing much hated spinach and crossed his arms across his
chest and said emphatically he would not even try them and
nobody could force him to do it...so there....take that!!!!!
To emphasize that the conversation was over, with a still
defiant look on his face, he soiled his diapers and that truly
ended the discussion about the beets. They were really, really
good and I didn't even have to share......so there. The five
of us also enjoyed three bottles of Cakebread Napa Merlot
2005 that paired incredibly well with the steaks.
Pine Club Owner, David Hulme
The
owner of the Pine Club, David Hulme, dropped by our table
and sat down and regaled us with stories. Turns out the restaurant
doesn't take reservations and makes no exceptions, even for
then President George W Bush who was made to wait over 30
minutes for a table.
The evening ended all too quickly and a bit abruptly and quite
mysteriously. After dinner the bill was paid and Jim and Chris
snuck out for a smoke and never came back so the remaining
three of us left the restaurant and searched for the missing
pair for a bit but they were not to be found. Just like the
Lone Ranger and Tonto they had snuck out of town in the middle
of the night, rode over the ridge into the sunset and vanished
before the townsfolks could thank them for their generosity
and kindness. Hi Ho Silver and away, I wonder if I'll ever
see them again?
The
Pine Club
1926 Brown Street
Dayton, OH 45409
Tel: 937-228-5371
http://thepineclub.com/
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://thepineclub.com/
