this post is filed under Cuisine - American, Location - Boston
I've thought about this post for a very long time now. I know the people at this meal have been waiting for this too, and I've been thinking hard about what to write. About a month ago, Casper and his parents were kind enough to treat a large group of us for Casper's graduation dinner. The place was Grill 23, and based on my past trip I was eager to go. As it turns out, the meal ended up turning into a bit of a controversy. For some reason, discussion about Grill 23 isn't allowed on Chowhound (I assume there was some kind of incident before where people from or related to the restaurant got involved in conversations there). But here at Arthur Hungry, I make the rules, so it's time to talk. Read on for the most risque Arthur Hungry post yet! Note - I forgot to take a picture of their sign on the way out... there was a lot on my mind at the time.
Maine rock crab cake, beluga lentils, dijon crème fraîche - $13
The meal started out fine enough. I had trouble deciding between the crab cake or the Caesar salad, as steakhouses always seem to make the best Caesars. I ended up going with the crab cake, and it was not bad. The cake had perhaps a bit more breading than I like, but it was still pretty tasty. The beluga "lentils" were interesting - almost like small salty versions of tapioca. At the time, I noticed the apps in general seemed smaller than my last visit, but I didn't think too much of it.
Kobe beef delmonico, 10 oz. - $39
Then the steaks came. My first thought was hey, it looks a bit different than last time. I didn't worry too much though because a steak can look different on given days, especially over a year apart, even if it's the same place. And then I cut into it. Fairly tender, but extremely lean meat. Little marbling, if any. I took a bite, and if I hadn't ordered "Kobe delmonico" I would have guessed I was biting NY sirloin. It tasted alright, but nothing like the Kobe I had last time (or any of the Kobe I've had in many places). I turned to my left and looked to Mike - he agreed. It didn't taste like Kobe beef. Heck, it clearly wasn't even a ribeye cut - this was some kind of strip or sirloin. I found this to be the strangest thing.
So you're probably thinking now: Arthur! Flail your arms in disgust and call over the manager! Well, it wasn't that simple. This was certainly not the situation to make a fuss out of anything. We had about 15 people at the table - Casper, his parents, little sister, and 10 or so friends. I'd met Casper's parents for the first time only 10 minutes before we sat down. Who would I have been to complain about the $40 steak I was being treated to by someone I'd just met? On Casper's graduation night? Mike and I reluctantly decided to keep our mouths shut, and I didn't raise the issue at the table (though about 10 out of the 15 people ordered a Kobe delmonico).
I thought about it hard for the rest of the night. The day after, I talked to Keith, and he immediately brought up dinner. Yuen and Casper (both trying Kobe for the first time, I believe) had both said to Keith that the steak was hardly anything special. Keith told them it was very different when we went with my dad last schoolyear. I was relieved that Mike and I weren't the only ones who noticed.
I'm 95% certain that what we were served was not Kobe beef (and like I said before, not even ribeye at all). The only thing that makes me doubt myself is that I just can't believe that a respected establishment like Grill 23 would commit robbery on such a scale and think they could get away with it. Also, it would be extremely odd to try and fake a Kobe ribeye using another cut - wouldn't they at least try and use a cheaper ribeye? If the steak were just an average ribeye, I'd simply conclude that it wasn't the best Kobe steak I've had and not think much more of it. By blatantly giving us something else, the restaurant has caused me to seriously question their integrity.
Mike reasoned that the situation was the perfect opportunity to attempt such a crime:
1) We were a big group of kids that (they might assume) don't know anything about food, and would not know the difference between Kobe beef and the cheapest stuff you could find at Shaw's or Safeway.
2) Casper's parents were foreigners that didn't speak English natively.
3) If someone raised the issue, they could simply deny deny deny and there's nothing we could really do.
4) Perhaps most importantly, it was a graduation dinner, and they know that nobody would want to create a scene at such an event. This would prove to be true, as I thought it would have been completely inappropriate to say anything.
When you look at it like that, it might be possible that they'd try to pull such a thing. I have trouble believing they'd have the balls to do it - I mean with 15 people, is it really worth the risk? Surely at least one out of these 15 people, young as they may be, would know their beef! (As it turns out, at least 3 of us noticed immediately.) Whatever the explanation, there are only 2 possible conclusions to draw: 1) they conned Casper's dad out of a few hundred bucks by serving us average-at-best steak ($20 steaks from Brasserie Jo or Petit Robert are both superior) and charging us for Kobe; or 2) their "Kobe" steak sucks (which would be weird, because it sure didn't suck last time).
What do you guys think happened? What should I have done? I really was not comfortable making a complaint given the situation. If it were just 3 or 4 of us on a regular meal, I'd have made a scene. Now, the only reason I'd want to go back to Grill 23 is to order the Kobe beef delmonico again and see what I get. Perhaps with my dad or something... Am I being naive? Is it clear that we got ripped off?
I hope I didn't forget anything. I'm really curious to hear what you all have to say about this - please do comment.
I do think the restaurant served an inferior cut. But I am proud that you had the restraint and good commonsense not to make a complaint then. I am glad that you have this website to tell people about this incident.
posted by cangioli che on June 22, 2005 11:18 PM
That's a tough situation. I think you handled it well, though - there was no way that you could have made a scene without coming off as boorish. I'm not one to leave things be, so would be prone to writing a note to the management at a later date. I don't know if that is the best route but rather what I, the woman who can't let things go, would do. If three of you noticed right away, I have no doubt that they served an inferior cut. Be it that they were simply out of the Kobe, or if they wanted to take advantage of the circumstances, either way it was not the most upright of business practices.
I'm glad you mentioned it here, and hope that it encourages others to look critically at the meals that they are served.
posted by tara on June 23, 2005 10:14 AM
Oh what an awful experience Arthur! I really hope it's not the case that they were taking advantage because they thought your group might not know any better...
I'm not sure what the labeling restrictions are on Kobe beef. I had it once at Canlis (a fancy restaurant here in Seattle) and it cost something like $70 (!) and I swear it wasn't any better than an aged steak I'd cook at home. Maybe there are different grade that they're not required to disclose. For instance maybe they have Kobe prime, choice and select? Might be an interesting eGullet topic--not necessarily about that restaurant, but about people's experiences with Kobe beef.
posted by megwoo on June 23, 2005 03:23 PM
Clearly it wasn't a kobe. You know when you eat kobe and there is no mistaking one.
I think you handled the situation in the right way. The night was about your friend and his graduation, and time with his family. To complain about a meal that you were getting gratis would have been bad form.
HOWEVER...that said, if it was any other situation, I would hope that you would complain and raise hell.
What to do?
Enough people read this blog in the food world to see your comments here, so that is a start. You might want to consider calling the manager and speaking with him about it. Tell him that you have been thinking about it and you wanted him to know. Explain that you didn't say anything that night because it was a celebration for a friend. OR, you could go back and eat there again, order the same meal and see if your suspicions are true. It could be that the quality of the restaraunt has gone down and they are in fact calling it a kobe when it isn't. wouldn't be the first time a restaraunt did such a thing.posted by Colleen Vasconcellos on June 24, 2005 08:29 AM
This site will give a good explanation of the difference of real Kobe Beef from Japan, and the other Kobe Beef not from Japan. I've had both and the difference is huge.
http://members.tripod.com/~BayGourmet/wagyu.html#wagyuposted by HwyStar on June 24, 2005 04:22 PM
You might want to call the restaurant and follow up. I do freelance restaurant writing for the local alt-weekly, and I always call when something like what you are describing happens.
It's fair to the restaurant - gives them a chance to explain, or to make it worse by mistreating you on the phone. If they do that, then your suspicions about the fake steak are probably correct!
posted by tizzie on June 28, 2005 02:53 PM
I bet they were swindling you. I guess they weren't counting on a blogger in their midst. As for going back, I would say it's not worth rewarding them by giving them more money. Whether it was intentional duplicity or inferior meat, they shouldn't get your return business. The best thing to do at this point would be to write them a letter or call the manager.
posted by Lonesome Hero on June 28, 2005 04:50 PM
My name is Jason Babb and I am the General Manager of Grill 23. Arthur and I have traded emails. I will leave the content of them between he and I; as this is the gentlemanly thing to do. It appears a lot of the comments I have read seem to favor the option that I was swindling Arthur. I have never and will never mis-represent any item on my menu. Perhaps it wasn't good, sure and I am sorry, very truly, humbly sorry. There seems to be question if I discriminated against Arhur's party due to age and/or ethnicity. I am a 29 year old man. I could hardly imagine discriminating against anybody in my own generation. My staff is made up of people from Europe (who speak English with an accent), people of color and various backgrounds. Say what you will about us, but we will never discriminate against a person or mis-lead or "swindle" a guest. I hope I can make right by Arhtur, not because he hosts this blog, but because I value all of my guests. That is the right thing to do. On behalf of restaurant people everywhere (well most of them) there are some shady people out there, but most of us actuall love what we do and feel like we were kicked in the stomach when we hear of a bad experience; most of us put in a lot of energy in seeking out flawless product; most of us would never, ever try to mar a guests experience by saving a buck or two, this is our career and to get ahead, we need to set a standard of perfect experiences. Yes, in every occupation one has a bad day and I am sorry it happened here. Trust me when I tell you whatever happened, it was unintentional. I hope you all believe this. There are some unethical people in every business, including the restaurant business; but most of us just love our careers, our clientel and are actually pretty nice people.
posted by Jason Babb on July 6, 2005 05:59 PM
We took family friends to Grill 23. We are steak lovers and were excited to eat at this restaurant. I really really wanted to like this place. BUT - they made 2 mistakes. 1 - they gave the wrong dishes to 2 people - same steak cooked differently. Do restaurants at this caliber do this? 2 - the Kobe delmonico did not taste special at all.
Jason Babb needs to do some work in the kitchen and on the staff. No one was accusing him of discrimination but maybe his staff needs to understand how high his standards are.
Also, our experience was prior to Arthur's I believe.
posted by BACK BAY RESIDENT on July 12, 2005 11:19 AM
Thanks all for your great comments. Again, I'm not really sure what more to say. You regular readers might know that I'm rarely one to complain much about stuff, so the whole thing is kind of weird for me.
In all fairness, Mr. Babb has been very gracious in his handling of the situation and appears to be very dedicated to his work.
posted by Arthur on July 18, 2005 07:43 PM
I can tell you that you have posted a photo of a ribeye. Is that the steak that you ordered? I can also tell you that, due to customer complaints of fattiness, I chose to separate the dorsal muscle from the rib, thus creating two cuts. One - which you tried - is the eye of ribeye, and I personally would not recommend it. The other I call the capsteak, and it is everything that is delicious about the ribeye. Sadly, the bulk of our customers prefer a rib steak that eats more like a strip steak. As far as substituting for kobe beef: all kobe beef in the USA is raised either here or in Australia. The domestic product is better, but is often cross-bred with angus - an inferior beef breed. Check out www.snakeriverfarms.com for details. If you have had mishima beef in Japan, then yes, it's better. However, I would never substitute our prime beef for kobe. Had I done that, you would have preferred it. If you should happen to return, I would suggest our regular bone-in delmonico - it's much less expensive and makes for a much better eating experience. Besides, I prefer our beef to the kobe beef we serve.
Concerning Chowhound: a few years ago we had a couple of morons post false reviews - from the grill23.com server, no less. I was furious as I was a regular Chowhound contributor. But there's nothing I can do about it.
Jay Murray
Executive Chef
Grill 23 & BarPS I can tell you more about the beef industry that you'd ever want to know. Suffice it to say that I don't order beef in restaurants unless I know who raised it.
posted by Jay on July 28, 2005 03:11 PM
so let me get this straight. You and your friends were not impressed by a steak and therefore the only possible explanation is that the restauant intentionally ripped you off?
posted by mike on July 15, 2006 06:45 PM