Seven Steakhouse – Minneapolis, MN

Gerd and I had driven by Seven a couple hundred times and always talked about going to this place. We had made reservations to go here the day after Valentine’s Day to celebrate the holiday. A lot of bad things have happened between then and now. To make a long story short, my nephew, the Delivery Boy, was going to be in town and I asked him if he would be weirded out by going to this place with me. He thought it would be a good idea.

Gerd loved steak. Any and all steak. She would pay (meaning she would make me pay) top dollar for steak if it was rumored to be good. I’m sorry she didn’t get to go here with me. She would have loved it.

The inside décor of this place was awesome. Attention to detail in the design and architecture really stood out. The bar is lit from the inside – through the marble. It’s VERY classy. The two-story vertical wine cellar is very eye-catching as well. Great use of uplighting and dramatic windows and curtains (I sound like an idiot, but it was truly top-notch).

We got greeted by a team of servers. The woman was very chatty (in a good way) and her assistant was super-service conscientious. Delivery Boy and I started with a couple of girly drinks. I stuck with the Flirtini and he got the Raspberry Teardrop or something. Both very good. I will also mention the bread they brought to the table. It was awesome, and I don’t even know what kind it was. Dark and sweet.

We asked our waitress if we should go with appetizers or salads. Depending on how hungry we were, she said to go with the salad. I chose a Steakhouse Cobb salad and my nephew got the Grilled Caesar salad. The Caesar was awesome. Whole romaine lettuce grilled slightly and covered with dressing and croutons. The Cobb was a perfectly displayed series of rows of romaine, tomatoes, bacon, hard-boiled egg, avacados, blue cheese, and chicken. Very filling but very tasty as well.

Here is the word of warning – due to an unexpected run on holiday diners the previous night (actual Valentines Day), and due to the fact that this was Sunday and butcher shops were closed, Seven had to bring in some cuts of meat from their sister restaurant. So very few items were actual “Seven” cuts.

Delivery Boy wanted the filet, but he said only to bring him one if it was actually one of THEIR cuts. No problem, she assured him. I wanted either a porterhouse or a Kansas City strip. Neither of which were “Seven” steaks. It didn’t matter. I knew what I wanted, so I went with the 21 oz KC strip. We also thought we at least needed to TRY the Mac and Cheese side since it was cooked in truffle oil.

I’m not even going to begin to explain how awesome these steaks were. We were laughing because we were cutting the meat delicately as if we would hurt it. If my steak wasn’t “Seven” branded, then I’m not sure how it could have been any better. Perfectly cooked, without sauce, and a sprinkle of sea salt on top. My nephew kept referring to some sort of magic seasoning they must have used, but I really don’t think there was anything on either of our steaks. Each bite was awesome and juicy. Almost no fat at all on these pieces of heaven. I could go on and on about these, but I shouldn’t.

The Mac and Cheese was in the top 3 I’ve ever eaten. It smelled delicious scooping it out onto your plate and tasted even better. Deliver Boy is convinced they hired Malaysian children to fill each piece of macaroni with cheese in a sweatshop out back (but he didn’t seem to be bothered by that, strangely). But it was awesome. Like I said, if you see Mac and Cheese on a menu in a fancy restaurant, order it because you know the chef has worked some magic on it.

Since you know I love to review restrooms, I took a quick peek. The bathroom is seriously dark, but in a really cool way. Large black tiles on the floor and halfway up the walls. Recessed sinks with classy hardware. Black urinals set into a hall-way-like alcove. Small video screens for adverts above the urinals so you don’t get bored. Little rooms for stalls with frosted glass doors. Wicker basket for a garbage can. This bathroom was pretty awesome.

If you go here, you’re going to pay. However, you are not likely to regret paying when you taste your first bite. Take my word for it.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Gerd. My nephew and I talked about how much you would have loved this place.

Top 5 things about Seven
1. Kansas City Strip
2. Filet
3. Truffle Mac and Cheese
4. Décor and Service (snuck in two on this line)
5. Restroom

Bottom 5 things
1. Gerd wasn’t here to make that face she always did when she took the first bite of something awesome
2. Price, but you’ll get over it
3. I’ve had better Flirtinis, but it was decent
4. Out of their own brand of steaks
5. ZERO room for desserts and they actually looked good to me, the anti-dessert person

http://www.7steakhouse.com