Anniversary Dinner at Morton's The Steakhouse

December 9, 2012

• Baked Five Onion Soup
• 6 oz. Center-Cut Filet Mignon
• 6 oz. Filet Mignon with 3 Grilled Shrimp & 2 Bacon Wrapped Scallops
• Grilled Jumbo Asparagus
• Chicago Style Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
• 2010 Mirrasou Cabernet Sauvignon

When I called to make our reservation for dinner at the San Jose Morton's The Steakhouse, I hesitated when they asked me if this was a special occasion. After a pause I said yes, it was for our anniversary. The hesitation came because our anniversary was three months previous and we were just getting around to celebrating, in part because Diane was out of town on our anniversary date. I'm glad that I said yes as we were greeted with "Happy Anniversary" several times. We had special menus which also celebrated our anniversary, they snapped a photo of us and presented us with a print, and we got a free dessert. They went out of there way to make our special dinner special and we appreciated their efforts and the very good service that we received.
 
I love onion soup (I need to try and make it at home, I have several recipes to try) and so ordered Morton's version to start my meal. Diane, having ordered a mixed-grill platter, felt that her entreé effectively included her appetizer. The delicious soup of caramelized onions and rich broth was topped with a thick layer of Swiss cheese and slice of bread. I enjoyed the soup and bread and cheese but I would have preferred there to have been more broth and perhaps less cheese. 

A round loaf of bread was part of the meal. The bread was soft with a soft crust and it was garnished with poppy seeds and sweet caramelized bits of onion. It had a slightly sweet flavor enhanced by the onion which I enjoyed as it provided a pleasant side note to the savory meal. It has a yellow crumb, probably from the use of egg and/or butter in the dough, and so might be related to brioche. We didn't finish the loaf and asked our server to pack the leftovers for us to take home. Rather than do this, they generously gave us a whole new loaf which we enjoyed with several dinners this week at home. One complaint is that they only provided one knife, a steak knife. The knife was poorly suited to cutting the bread and to spreading butter (which was served at the perfect temperature, it makes no sense to serve frozen pats of butter that you can't spread without destroying the bread).
 
Our dinners were both very good. We both ordered our steak medium-rare and that is how it was delivered. The filet mignon was very tender, it hardly needed a steak knife to cut. The seafood was also very good, especially the scallops which Diane noted as being very sweet.

Side dishes are ordered separately at Morton's and we chose two. The portions are generous enough so they easily serve two people. The grilled asparagus was nicely cooked and served with a balsamic glaze. (Though Diane preferred the steamed asparagus served with her entreé.) The horseradish potatoes went very well with the beef. We ordered a bottle of wine, one of their lower-priced bottles, and we were very pleased with the very smooth and drinkable Cabernet Sauvignon. The sommelier who served it shared some stories about visiting the old Mirrasou winery in San Jose. It is only a few miles from our home and we had visited it often before it closed when the brand was acquired by Gallo.

For dessert there were many delectable choices. Diane and I both love chocolate and there were several tempting dark chocolate treats. However, our anniversary dinner included a complimentary dessert which this night was a lemon soufflé. So we controlled ourselves and shared the soufflé wondering if we could return some evening just to try the double chocolate mousse or hot chocolate cake.

Morton's is a restaurant we would return to. It was a very expensive meal so we would only come here for a special occasion, but the pleasant atmosphere, excellent service, and the special attention they gave to us for our anniversary leave us with fond memories.