A change of plans on a recent dinner date took me to an unexpected place: a steakhouse in downtown Milwaukee called Rare Steakhouse.
I’ve been a lifetime resident of Milwaukee and only just heard about Rare Steakhouse after that night, but I’m glad I found out! I’m not sure how long it's been around. A few years at least I’m guessing if a look at their long list of Google reviews is any indication.
So as I mentioned, when I was told the change of dinner plans without much time to research, I really wasn’t sure what to expect.
When you first enter and sit down you feel like you’re in an upscale restaurant - one you might see when visiting other popular Milwaukee steakhouses. Their booths feature a welcoming velvety deep red seat and the walls are adorned with classic decor atop even more of the deep red velvet to continue the dramatic look.
When it came time to decide to look at the menu, I was amazed. There was only one, two-sided menu, which I guess if you tend to fall victim to the paradox of choice, this should be a relief to you.
I’m not much of a steak person, so if you were to ask me how it tastes, I can’t help you there. They were, however, extremely knowledgeable about their steak offerings. The waiter I had was Justin and he told my date and I the intricacies of the difference between dry aged steak (more flavorful) and wet steak (your typical steak).
To start things off we had to see what their Rare hashbrown was all about, while also going for the oysters. The hashbrown came out bigger than expected taking up the entire plate - a “rare” hashbrown indeed! The oysters were also very delicious and a great start while waiting for our meal. Just look at that thing!
For dinner, I ended up going with their scallops that came with a side of pasta. This was absolutely delicious and I have to give it five stars! Scallops are no easy dish to make. My date went for a wet-aged filet that looked great as well.
When it came time for dessert (and you know you have to get dessert at a new place), the bananas foster was quite the surprise with a “flaming hot” tableside show! Our waiter Justin explained how bananas foster came to be and how he was putting the dish together - a truly unique experience that I thoroughly enjoyed to end the evening with.
All in all, for my first “fancy steakhouse” experience in Milwaukee, Rare Steakhouse did not disappoint. It was beyond what I expected and the food and atmosphere was top notch. If I had the option, I would definitely go there again. Make sure to ask for Justin! :)
By: Rachel Howe