Danes Steakhouse

Danes Steakhouse is located in the thriving Cincinnati district which has become something like a mini 6th street in El Paso. Danes is located in what used to be called Rol Ultra Lounge. This incarnation is a Steakhouse which serves prime steaks and the usual chicken, rack of lamb and fish entrees. They have an outstanding appetizer list. We tried the Crabtini, so named because it is a crab salad served in a martini glass. This was real jumbo crab meat (yes crab with a "C" not crab with "K"). The crab meat was dressed with a somewhat sweet vinaigrette (I have a think against sugary dressings) and a drizzle of chipotle dressing. The presentation was very nice with a small pile of greens at the bottom of the glass and a heap of crab meat. The chipotle dressing added just a right kick to the combination of the sweet crab meat and the slightly tangy sweet vinaigrette (I still think the vinaigrette is too sweet specially given the sweetness of the crab meat). We also ordered the Popcorn Shrimp, the Ruby Lola Steak cocktail and the Cheese Platter. The popcorn shrimp was cooked just right, cooked through but still had a touch of moisture left. The steak cocktail was a bit of a disappointment. This is described as "steam medallions, green chile, onion, mushrooms, tomatoes and avocado". We..ll the dish did match the description very well, but the steak was very chewy and stringy. If the steak was edible, this would have been a great dish. Everything was prepared well, but the meat made this dish very so so. It was the same the second time I ordered it, so I at this point am prepared to believe that this is the rule rather than an exception. The Cheese Platter was quite good. Cured meats were nothing spectacular, but they had a nice selection of a Brie, a Blue cheese (tasted like a Norwegian Blue) and water crackers.
Now to the meat of the matter (no pun intended). While the appetizers have some things that are on and off, the meat is definitely the star of the show. The steaks are served al a carte like other fine steakhouses. Translation : you need to order sides to go along with the meats for an extra charge. I ordered a NY Sirloin medium rare with sides of mushrooms and sauteed spinach. Some friends who were dining with us ordered Pork Chops and the 12 oz filet. They also ordered Bearnaise and Green Peppercorn sauce on the side.

The steaks were absolutely perfectly cooked (and have been every time I have been there) and were very "beefy" tasting ( as expected from aged beef) and perfectly tender. The spinach was just perfectly wilted with garlic and olive oil. The mushrooms were grilled, but they were slightly on the dry side, but still good and went very well with the steak. The two sauces were very disappointing and had a weird texture best described as "goopy" which led me to believe that they were probably bought ready made and heated up before serving. The pork chops were again perfectly cooked with the pork cooked through, but juicy and flavored with a seasoned salt which had organo, thyme and hints of rosemary and cayenne. We also split a bottle of wine which worked quite well with the food. Our waiter was not sure of the etiquette of wine pouring, but other times the staff has been quite good with pours.

All in all, this is a great place to go to for special occasions. It gets pricey in a hurry, but the food, the excellent service and the ambiance make this spot worth going to. Avoid the sauces and fried appetizers and go straight for the meat. These guys have perfected cooking steaks and this is also one of the few places where a friend of mine orders his steaks "well done" (I am still struggling with that one...) and gets a well done steak...which actually still has some moisture on the inside! Now that's cooking!