Bexley: The Top Steakhouse

Today was the grand finale of Dine Originals week, and to celebrate, my friends and I decided to celebrate in style at The Top Steakhouse .

The Top is located on the edge of Bexley on Main Street.  It is totally a rat-pack feel; deep, sunken booths, a wrap around bar, and even a piano player belting out the hits while you shove your face.  Tonight, I decided to take the Dine Originals challenge, for $30:

Course 1:

-lobster bisque (i got this) or french onion soup

Course 2:

-Caesar salad (i got this) or the house salad

Course 3:

-2 5 ounce lobster tails (i got this), a pecan salmon, or a prime rib

Course 4:

-cheesecake (i got this), chocolate cake, or creme brule

On this chilly, end of winter, spring forward day, my friends Kellie (as seen before in the Molly Woo's review),  Joy and Bret decided to venture to the East Side to dig in to a Columbus staple.

Kellie and I both started with the Lobster Bisque:

The lobster bisque had a very-tomato base.  Almost too tomato-y.  Like, very reminiscent of Due Amici's tomato bisque, with lobster pieces in it.  My soup was also lukewarm, which was kind of a bummer as I feel that soup should be hot to really enjoy the flavors.  There was a nice cream flavor,but the tomato was really overpowering.  I will stick to Lindey's lobster bisque from now on.

Next, Kellie and I both got the Caesar salad:

 

This was your pretty typical Caesar salad.  Romaine lettuce, shaved Parmesan, croutons, and a Caesar sauce. There was nothing really exciting about it.  I love Caesar salads, but this was nothing to write home about (actually, if I told my mother i was eating out this much, she would not be very happy with me!).

Now, the main deal, big show.

I ordered the two 5 ounce lobster tails:

For the price I paid, this was a great deal.  The lobster was succulent, delicious, and melted in my mouth.  And my baked potato was perfect.  Bret explained to me how they prepare the baked potato: the potato receives a nice bath from extra virgin olive oil, is coated in sea salt, and is baked in the oven for almost an HOUR.  the skin on the potato was crispy and delicious, i was eating it plain instead of focusing on the actual meat of the potato. But wow, what a great main meal for the price.

Kellie had the surf and turf, with a filet and lobster tail:

Kellie also enjoyed her baked potato much,and said that her steak was cooked very well. However, she just told me that she received the wrong leftovers from our waiter (who may or may not have been obsessed with Joy), and that makes me deduct 10 points from the meal.

Bret also had the surf and turf identical to Kellie's except his steak was done medium well instead of medium rare.  And, instead of the baked potato, he had potatoes au gratin.  Bret also ordered a side of sauteed mushrooms, which were fantastic.  The mushrooms were in a brown sugar-soy-Worcester-some unidentifiable brown sauce which complemented them very nicely.

Both Kellie and Bret said that the onion rings on top of their steaks were delicious, too.

However, Joy switched it up from everyone and went for the crab legs.  Joy loves crab legs, and is pretty much the resident expert of my friends on seafood.

Joy ordered the pound of crab legs with mashed potatoes.  She was impressed because the crab legs were already broken for her to easily eat.  I mean, who wants to put in the work when you're trying to enjoy a dinner!  Joy was really impressed by the Frenching work that she made me take a picture of the succulent piece of meat that she normally would have to work hard for, but could easily enjoy:

I really think it is because our waiter may or may not have had a crush on Joy so paid extra attention to her order...as our bill wasn't correctly divided and Kellie received the wrong leftovers.

All in all,everyone was pretty pleased with their entrees. I cleaned plate,as well as Joy and Bret, but unfortunately Kellie got stuck with someone else's prime rib, instead of half of a lobster tail and a filet.

Dessert: my Dine Originals dinner came with a dessert.  I chose a piece of cheesecake from Carnegie's Deli in New York City.

Carnegie's cheesecake is world famous.  The slice i had tonight was phenomenal.  It was firm, not runny, and I could get a great texture in every bite.  The cheesecake also has a nice tang, perhaps from the lemon juice the recipe calls for.

Bret ordered the Creme Brule.  I feel the best part of the a creme brule is breaking the sugary shell.  I can only imagine a pastry chef's excitement in using a blow torch on a surface of sugar, watching the sugar burn and caramalize to create the hard shell.  Bret was generous to let me crack the creme, and it was great. The surface was perfect.  The custard was was cold, and had a smooth, delicious vanilla texture. It was definitely one of the better creme brule's I've had in a while.  Also, the ramekin was a double serving, which is very rare!

CONCLUSION:  The Top is a Columbus staple, and packed every night for a reason: they know what they are doing, and they know how to serve a good meal.  Minus Kellie's leftover snafu, this was an excellent meal, and if you have $50 to blow, I would recommend taking the drive out to Bexley and having a great time.  Try to sit by the piano player so you can be obnoxious like Joy and I and sing along.