Dean's Steakhouse
Okay, so y’all know I love me some Steak48, but if y’all want an equally incredible steak and a slightly more casual atmosphere, Dean’s Steakhouse is the spot for you! And I should know; I’ve visited this spot twice in the last week. Yep. Twice.
Don’t worry. I’m going to tell all, starting with my first visit.
Visit #1: the details...
Here’s the rundown of what I ordered this first time:
Fluffy Bread - This comes complimentary at the beginning of your meal, but this isn’t your typical free bread. These are fluffy, light, tender rolls, topped with a garlic butter and served with whipped salted butter. PHENOMENAL!
French Onion Soup – It’s missing something. Like the sharpness that traditional French Onion has, maybe from sherry? Frankly, it tastes like a thin beef gravy. I’d skip it.
Beef Tartare - Very basic, but good. The beef was tender, but in my opinion it would have benefitted from added texture with onions or capers or something. It was served with tasty wood-fired bread, though, so that was nice.
Burrata - Apricot mostarda, truffle honey, Marcona almond. The mostarda was nice, but I wish it was puréed rather than chunked. The cheese itself was just okay.
Lobster Scampi - Very simple, very light. The fresh tomato permeated the entire dish, and the lobster was perfectly cooked. Nice butter taste in the finish. If I had my way it could have used a bit more garlic; when I eat scampi I’d like to be able to kill a vampire with my breath. Just me?
Dean’s Filet - Butter-poached lobster on top of a domestic wagyu filet. Let me tell you: this thing cuts like butter. Literally. I cut it in half using the blunt backside of a butter knife. It had a little pepper-seasoning crust, with a slight truffle flavor from the bearnaise sauce. In a word: EXCELLENT. Reason enough to come back on its own.
Baked Mac and Cheese - Great flavor, but the texture was off, unfortunately. The cheese sauce was thinner than I like, so it ran to the bottom and made the top dry out a little as it cooked. Regardless, it was still pretty solid after mixing it up.
Parmesan Asparagus – I mean, lemon and cheese; what’s not to love? The flavor was incredibly well balanced, and it was perfectly cooked: tender, but still had the slightest crispness. Yum.
Back for Round #2
Yeah, I came back. While the apps were just okay on my first visit, that steak was so good it was haunting my dreams, so I had to book another visit ASAP.
Here’s what we got on our sequel visit...
Shrimp Cocktail – A standard shrimp cocktail. Simply good, can’t fault it.
Wagyu Meatballs - Super tender meatballs with light Italian seasoning. In my opinion these had a great flavor: pure wagyu without the spices overwhelming everything.
Crab Cake - GREAT crab cake! Very fresh, TONS of crab, with a thin little crunch on the outer layer. Yep, it’s the best crab cake I’ve had in CLT, no question!
Scallops – Sweet and super tender. The bacon and sauce give it a nice creamy saltiness. I mean, the steak is better, but it’s a solid option nonetheless.
Center Cut of Strip – Pittsburgh-style. Absolutely beautiful crust on the outside, and perfectly cooked.
Bone-in Ribeye – Once again, a great steak! No complaints whatsoever.
Limoncello Pie - (not pictured) Y’all, y’all...are you listening? Don’t sleep on this! This incredible stuff had a super tart PERFECT lemon flavor and light sweetness with a nice creamy meringue on top. PHENOMENAL crust. I highly, highly recommend it!
Come for the steak, stay for the sweets
I think the Filet is still my favorite, but honestly? You can’t go wrong with any of the steaks. But my biggest and most vital tip: save room for dessert 🤤
