As a steakhouse touted to be in the top 20 in the United
States (#18, to be precise according to TheDailyMeal http://goo.gl/s7YjSM) , I
had very high expectations when I entered Murray’s Steakhouse in my hometown of
Minneapolis for the first time. Murray’s
slogan is “the home of the silver butterknife steak” so the “butterknife steak
for 2” was clearly what I needed to order.
THE FOOD: (A) Let’s just say the butterknife steak highlighted
in Murray’s slogan is there for a good reason – it does not disappoint! For a guy who is used to having ribeye or
filet mignon at these types of establishments, a strip sirloin was a
significant (but welcome) change up. The
presentation and tableside carving of the steak was a really nice touch as well. Your waiter will slice the entire sirloin for
you, dividing it up between you and your guest, and then drizzle the juice over
the top of the steak before presenting it to you. The only downside about eating a steak for
two is you cannot cook it two different ways for different tastes so I was
forced to allow them to cook my steak to medium instead of my usual medium rare. While I might normally let this slip from an
A to and A-, the fact that we got two sides and a soup or salad included in the
price really bumped up the value. The
green beans with shaved almonds were the seasonal side when I was there which
was delicious.
THE ATMOSPHERE: (A-) Immediately
when you walk into Murray’s you’ll notice that it’s not your run-of-the-mill
steakhouse. As you walk past the coat
room you’ll arrive at the host stand and be seated in a much smaller than
normal dining room. The smaller size and
overall layout creates a much more intimate atmosphere – great for quiet
conversations with that special someone in your life. With
regard to décor, I felt very comfortable and relaxed in Murray’s, and maybe it’s
because I didn’t take enough time to soak in my surroundings, but I didn’t
notice anything that was particularly memorable to distinguish the interior of
Murray’s from other steakhouses in my mind.
THE SERVICE: (A-) While we made a reservation on OpenTable for
dinner, I ended up arriving more than 30 minutes early. During a busy dinner hour, especially at some
of the other steakhouses I’ve been to, I’m used to being welcomed into the bar
to wait for my table, however at Murray’s they welcomed us and sat us
immediately in the dining room. Perhaps
it was an unusually light night for Murray’s that evening, but it was a very
pleasant surprise nonetheless! During
the meal our waiter was very polite and attentive, but there wasn’t much about
the experience that was particularly memorable from a service perspective.
Overall, I would give Murray’s a strong “A-“ – the food is
absolutely delicious, the atmosphere and service are at least what you would
expect from a nice restaurant, and the value is very good compared to typical
steakhouse prices.
Overall, I would give Murray’s a strong “A-“ – the food is
absolutely delicious, the atmosphere and service are at least what you would
expect from a nice restaurant, and the value is very good compared to typical
steakhouse prices.
