Last Updated on Tuesday, 31 May 2011 12:40

Restaurants - Steakhouses

Morton's The Steakhouse

CBD: 365 Canal (Canal Place Mall). 504-566-0221. Map.
Nice Casual
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Morton's is one of the leading chains of high-end steakhouses, a segment of the restaurant industry that has become overgrown in recent years. By focusing on its USDA Prime steaks (not all of them are; be sure to ask about this), they give the rest of their menu and service game panache. The standard Morton's steak cookery is the simplest possible: they broil, then plate them up without sauce or garnish. Regardless of the quality of the beef, that's not good enough anymore, and you can now get bearnaise, peppercorn, and other sauces. Simplicity and quality characterize most of the rest of the menu, which includes lobster, crab cakes, big shrimp and scallops, and a few chops. To a great extent, the prices and offerings are most appropriate for people on expense accounts, or those who just hit it big at the blackjack tables at the casino across the street.

WHAT'S GOOD
Everything at Morton's is designed to be visually impressive, from the pillow-size loaf of onion bread you get at the outset, through the imported crabmeat (!) and shrimp (!!) in the appetizers, to the oversize steaks. The Prime cuts are the best, particularly the sirloin strip and the porterhouse. (The filets are not likely to be Prime, not are most of the steaks on their promotional menus.) Most of the time, all of this is at least pretty good; sometimes it's excellent. It's almost enough to justify the prices, which are on the high end of an expensive spectrum.

BACKSTORY
Morton's is to Chicago what Ruth's Chris is to New Orleans, founded in the Windy City in the late 1970s. Chicago is one of the great steak towns, and the standard was high--higher than now, truth be told. Morton's first came to New Orleans--another great steak city--in the late 1980s. That one--where Landry's in the French Quarter is now--died quietly a few years later. The present restaurant opened in 1999 in Canal Place, taking over a handsome restaurant of the 1980s called Parker's.

DINING ROOM
Every major city has a Morton's, and they're all the same. Once you're inside the door, there's no telling that you're in New Orleans (or New York, or San Francisco, or Phoenix. The dining rooms are masculine, elegant, comfortable, even beautiful--as the one here is. Any of them could as well be a fancy French restaurant. Most bars at Morton's are equally posh, and the bar menus make them good places for a romantic interlude.

ESSENTIAL MENU
Starters
Crabmeat cocktail
»Crab cake
»Broiled sea scallops (appetizer or entree)
Lobster bisque
»Sliced tomato salad
Entrees
»Sirloin strip (large, split for two),
»Porterhouse for two
Filet mignon au poivre
»Shrimp Alexander (broiled gigantic shrimp)
»Double-cut lamb chops
Maine lobster
Sesame-crusted tuna
Broiled salmon
Hash brown potatoes
Creamed spinach
Grilled asparagus
Desserts
»Hot dessert souffles
Carrot cake
Cheesecake

FOR BEST RESULTS
Morton's most distinctive specialty is its hot dessert soufflees, made consistently well. They are among the only ones in town. The wine list is very good, but very expensive.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The beef was better when it was dry-aged. The quality of the beef in the discounted specials is noticeably lower than that of their signature steaks. The service dips when you order from that side of the menu.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

• Dining Environment +2
• Consistency +1
• Service +1
• Value -2
• Attitude +2
• Wine and Bar +2
• Hipness -1
• Local Color -1

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

• Romantic
• Good for business meetings
• Many private rooms
• Open Sunday dinner
• Open Monday dinner
• Open some holidays
• Unusually large servings
• Free valet parking
• Reservations honored promptly