Bern's Steakhouse
I wasn't dying to return here. My first visit was less than stellar. But friends were dying to go, so off we went.
For those not in the know, Bern's is a Tampa institution. It makes "Best US Steakhouse" lists. Forbes declared Bern's one of the world's best steakhouses.
Forbes lies.
Bern's is best known for its wine cellar. 500,000 bottles featuring 6800 individual options. It's the largest in the western hemisphere and 3rd largest in the world. COVID prevented a tour on our last visit, so this is one thing I was definitely looking forward to.
Everything about Bern's is old school. You realize that as you walk in to burgundy velvet everywhere. It's as if they refuse to budge from the old mafioso steakhouses you see in the movies. I don't say this to criticize. They know who they are and they stick to it. For Bern's, it works.
That said, their service is extraordinary. Our server Lily was stretched thin, which caused some delays on things like water refills. But she could not have been more friendly and attentive when we had her. She leaned way in, going to the kitchen to confirm with the chefs that Teresa's selections avoided her allergies. She was delighted to guide us through the menu and discuss the difference between the 3 ribeyes on the menu, giving you the distinct feeling that she was as invested in your choice as you were.
They have a lengthy and in-depth training program allowing someone to climb from a busser to head waiter over time, with many tests and accomplishments along the way. I asked one young man - clearly on the first rung of the ladder - about it and he gleefully explained the process and his excitement. "With all of that time and investment, it seems you plan to make working at Bern's a lifelong career." "I sure do", he replied.
Impressive.
Every steak here comes with french onion soup, a house salad, baked postato, onion rings and a vegetable. It is a lot of food. Slightly disappointing because there are so many appetizers that looked enticing, but there was no way to pile them on top of what is already a built-in multi-course meal.
My friend and I upgraded our house salads to caesar. We shouldn't have done that. The caesars were disappointing - overly dressed with way too much acid in the dressing. The French onion soup is excellent but everything feels fine. Good, not great.
With the exception of that steak. The ribeye was absolutely fantastic. Perfectly cooked. Generously seasoned. Exactly what you hope a ribeye to be. Not every main dish hit such high marks, however, Teresa's scallops were a pretty solid disappointment. Fairly bland and cooked well beyond an attractive sear.
The true highlight of Bern's follows dinner. After the wine cellar tour (which is downright impressive), get yourself a table at the Harry Waugh Dessert Room. Do not pass this up. Live music accompanies an incredible list of dessert which are all absolutely out of this world. There are ways to visit the dessert room without a reservation at Bern's, but it's tough. So take advantage while you are here.
Bern's is a landmark. It's an institution. It's incredibly well run and is the must-do spot in Tampa for many. If you've never been, sure - dive in and see what it's all about. But, with apologies to Forbes, this is not a pinnacle of a steakhouse nor of fine dining.
It'll probably be another 4 years before I return.
Bern's is an institution. Not just in Tampa, but it's known nationwide and makes "Best Steakhouses in America" lists such as this one and this one. So I was very excited to bring my family and enjoy a meal here for the first time.
The initial impression does not disappoint! The valets meet you with excitement and professionalism and immediately make you think "Whoa. This place is going to be terrific!" The building itself is an impressive old-school steakhouse. Red velvet, an enormous Christmas tree, gold stair rails. And it was packed. People everywhere.
Our waiter was perfect for the environment. A middle-aged gentleman who had been doing this so long, it was in his nature. Smooth, easy, friendly. We loved him immediately.
Dinners here come with a ton of food - their French onion soup, salad, green beans, fried onions. "It's a lot of food" we were advised. Too bad, because the appetizers looked fantastic.
The onion soup was truly spectacular. It lived up to the sky-high expectations the water gave us. Unfortunately, that's where it ended. The steaks were...fine. Good quality but way underseasoned. I wondered whether they were seasoned at all. There were 4 of us, we ordered 3 different types of steaks and all were underseasoned. We asked for salt. How does that happen at a steakhouse of this quality? It was a huge disappointment.
In addition, the "bone in 14oz grass fed" strip steaks arrived...with no bone? How can that be? The cook on the strips were also strange. I've included a photo of it. It was well done around the edge and properly medium rare in the middle. If you've ever eaten a steak like this, it's not enjoyable. Your mouth continually wonders whether the next bite will be juicy and unctuous or chewy and dry as a bone.
Following dinner, you move upstairs to the dessert room. Everyone who ever visits Bern's talks about the tour of their 500,000 bottle wine cellar (you read that right) - which are no longer available due to COVID - and the dessert room. It lives up.
It's a terrific environment, the dessert and post-dinner drink lists are impressively large and every single one we saw being delivered (and those we had ourselves) were beautiful. Other than their signature banana cheese(?) pie which was bland and banal, the other desserts were as generous as they were delicious.
I'm disappointed to say I won't rush back. I was hoping this might be a staple for me. But I can grill (and season) a better steak at home. No need to travel here and drop the coin. I'll look to Tampa's other steakhouses to fill the bill.