"I was expecting a good experience, but Vic Anthony's far exceeded my expectations. They are one of the best steakhouses I have ever been to. I would put them right up with Bavette's Bar and Boeuf in Chicago, or Dominick's in Scottsdale. Our waiter, Victor, is also one of the best I've ever had the pleasure of being served by. His pacing was perfect, his appearances were unobtrusive, he knew when to ask questions, and what to ask, and he was genuinely enthusiastic about his job, and the menu. He seemed to be as excited about serving us and sharing the experience, as we were to be there. I was not surprised when I asked how long he has been doing this and he said 15 years. His experience shows, and the fact that he has maintained his enthusiasm for the job after all those years is remarkable. The food was magnificent. I ordered the humble 16oz ribeye medium-rare. I could cut it with my fork. It practically melted in my mouth, and the light salt pepper seasoning was a perfect blend with the steak. I have experienced steaks that were over-seasoned before, and this most certainly was not. The calamari was good, but maybe a bit heavier on the breading than I like. It wasn't overly greasy though, and the breading was nice and flaky. The bone marrow was delicious. The caramelized onions really added to the flavor, if onions are your thing, but the marrow is enough on its own. The crostini was made perfectly. In fact, I wish every restaurant made crostini like this. I typically find crostini to be an afterthought at most restaurants. It is often too hard, and burned. Vic Anthony's has figured this out, and I was impressed that Victor, our waiter, was able to describe the process by which they prepared it from start to finish. My wife had the Alaskan King Crab legs. She was very happy with them, and said they are as good as you expect them to be. She found their price to be surprising, perhaps 30-40% higher than at similar restaurants. I tasted her dish, and was pleasantly surprised that the meat from the knuckle of the leg wasn't fishy, as often happens. We both got lobster bisque. It was really tasty, but I can't say I've ever had a bad lobster bisque (thankfully). If you like lobster bisque, you won't be disappointed. The food is extremely filling, so be warned. We were unable to eat much of our sides, but what little we did eat was fantastic. The wild mushrooms are cooked and seasoned to perfection. The Au Gratin potatoes are very tasty, but also very rich, and extremely filling. The Mac cheese is creamy, and about what you would expect from the dish. I had the old fashioned, which was fantastic. My only wish would be a luxardo cherry. But the drink was perfectly executed, and a single drink has the same effect on me that I normally get from two, so be warned. Lastly, we brought our 5-year old daughter. She has eaten at places like this before many times and is always well-behaved. But I can't say that any fine dining restaurant has made her feel so welcomed. Granted, not every kid her age is well-behaved at such restaurants, so I understand why restaurants are so times wary of children. But, Victor (our waiter) brought my wife and I both glass flutes with prosecco. For my daughter, he brought a matching glass flute with Ginger Ale. A nice touch, so the 3 of us could toast our 7-year wedding anniversary as a family."
