Description: I have this tradition of a steak dinner for my birthday, so we did some investigating and decided that we’d go to Morton’s in the Carribe Hilton just down Condado Beach from our hotel.
The funny thing is that I’d never even been to a Morton’s in the States, so it was an entirely Puerto Rican experience for me. We didn’t have a reservation, but they treated us well just the same, seating us quickly and making us feel at home.
The waiter took our drink orders (water) and brought us this huge loaf of onion bread and butter. It was very yummy, but a bit unwieldy. It wouldn’t cut very well and who wants to rip into it with their hands at this fairly swanky establishment.
We took a look at the menu – I knew right away that I’d be getting the filet mignon. But we let the waiter sound off with the specials and so forth. He rolled a big cart over to show us all the different things we could order. The New York strip, the pork chops, the filet and – oh yes – the lobster. This is when I noticed that this huge lobster on the silver platter was moving! Scared the bejeebers out of me! We all got a big kick out of the surprise, but I mostly felt bad for the lobster. His claws were all bound in blue rubber bands, but I took solace in thinking that he was just the display lobster. The next time the cart rolled by, however, there was a lobster with different colored bands on his claws. Thank goodness I’m allergic to shellfish.
As for the meal, it was quite good. As I mentioned, I got the filet mignon and it was cooked just right (well done, please, not burnt). I got a side of mashed potatoes, which were very creamy and delicious as well. My (traitor) friend had the lobster bisque, which she enjoyed, and also the filet. Hers was a bit underdone, but mostly good. We shared the birthday dessert of chocolate soufflé, which was served with a big dollop of whipped cream. Quite sinful, but the good kind of sinful.
The price wasn’t nice, though -- our bill was $100 for two of us. But we knew that going in, and hey, it was a birthday dinner. I feel if you’re going to pay that much, the food has to earn it. And I’d say Morton’s succeeded. The service was a 10, the food a 9, and the atmosphere an 8, only because I wanted to free the lobster the entire night.
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