Day 33 of 365 Things To Do Around the Eastside: Steak Dinner at John Howie Steak Bellevue WA

I had the pleasure of eating at John Howie Steak two weeks ago and I am still raving about how fantastic it was!

I love Steak. When John Howie announced that he was going to open a new restaurant at The Bravern in Bellevue WA my taste buds started to salivate. I waited a few months before I checked it out; now that I have eaten there I am HOOKED!

John Howie Steak is definitely an upscale classy dining experience. Its decor is modern and well-lit – which is something I like – I want to see what I am eating. (El Gaucho in Bellevue was so dark we used small flashlights to read the menu!!!) There is a nice size Bar, but I can imagine it gets full during the week after work. The dining room has a nice wall of windows that lets in lots of natural light.

While it is a beautiful restaurant we came for the BEEF so here is a recap of our meal:

They serve some pretty tasty fresh made breads, crackers and rolls. There were 4 or 5 different ones. I liked the Rosemary Rolls – warm, light, slightly salty and tender.

We had 2 starters. The 1^st was one Fried Calamari and Baby Artichokes with Roasted Garlic and Lemon Aioli. This dish was the only thing that was disappointing. The Calamari was slightly soggy instead of a Fried Crispy treat. The serving size was ample enough for the 3 of us to share (we didn’t even finish it all).

The 2^nd starter we ordered was FREAKING FANTASTIC!!! Tempura Fried Kurobuta Bacon with a Spicy Maple Ponzu Sauce!!! This is on their Happy Hour/Bar Menu – lucky for us our server was able to snag an order for us. The Bacon was Thick and Salty. The Tempura was fried to a beautiful golden brown, it was crunchy and light. The Spicy Maple Ponzu Sauce complimented the flavor of the bacon and the crispness to the tempura. This very well could be THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER EATEN!!! My motto when eating is “Everything is Better with Bacon!”

On to the main event one of us had the Alaskan Halibut that was pan-seared with Morel Mushrooms, English Peas, White and Green Asparagus. It had a light lemon and butter sauce. The serving size was large enough for the 3 of us to share and we even had some leftover to take home. The fish was firm and tasted fresh. The Asparagus was cooked perfectly, which was a nice surprise since most of the time when eating Asparagus at a restaurant it can be overcooked.

Two of us had a USDA Prime Filet and an America Wagyu Beef Filet. Both Filets were 4 ounces. They were served straight up with no sauce or vegetables. The USDA Prime Filet is Omaha raised beef and grilled over Mesquite Coals. It was cooked to medium rare and was thick and juicy. Tender is not the right word for this steak. It was more than tender. The flavor was big and bold. It was what Beef should be. The Just the right amount of fat to give it a deep taste.

The American Wagyu Beef Filet was an incredible piece of meat. John Howie Steak gets their Wagyu Beef from Snake River Farms over in Boise. The meat from Wagyu Cattle is known worldwide for its marbling characteristics, increased eating quality through a naturally enhanced flavor, tenderness and juiciness. Once again tender is not the right way to describe these Filets. They were SOFT, soft like butter that has been sitting in the sunshine all afternoon. The Wagyu are equal in taste to a Kobe steak. They are rich, marbled, thick, juicy and SOFT. You will not have a better piece of meat. It was simply perfect. Cooked just right – with a warm red center. Using any sauces would have been sacrilege. Wagyu Beef should be enjoyed naked and in its purest form.

We also had 2 sides for the table: Asparagus Spears with brown butter and Meyer Lemon Hollandaise. Once again the Asparagus was cooked right it was young and tender. In addition to the Asparagus we had a Five Cheese Twice Baked Stuffed Potato with Bacon. This Potato was almost as large as a Nerf Football! Again it was awesome.

We didn’t really need desert, but we ordered it anyway.  It was a unanimous choice for getting the Flourless Semi-Sweet Chocolate Volcano Cake with warm Caramel Ganache, Vanilla Crème and two scoops of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was as expected – excellent!

I am looking forward to trying out John Howie Steak Happy Hour (Monday – Friday 3-6 and late night Monday – Thursday 9-11 Saturday 9-Midnight and Sunday 3-10).  If you would like to meet me at John Howie Steak for Happy Hour just let me know and I will be there. I want to try their Epic USDA Prime Beef Bacon Cheeseburger and the Beecher’s Flagship Reserve Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese.

John Howie Steak on Facebook

John Howie Steak at The Bravern

11111 NE 8^th Street

Bellevue WA 98004

425 440 0880

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Day 15 of 365 Things To Do Around the Eastside: Friday Happy Hour @ Matt’s Rotisserie & Oyster Lounge

Friday is the day for Happy Hour here at Things To Do Around the Eastside!

Today’s choice is @ Matt’s Rotisserie & Oyster Lounge located at Redmond Town Center. Matt’s was recently Voted Best Happy Hour in Redmond by the Redmond Reporter and I would have to agree!

The 1^st thing to know about HH @Matt’s is that it goes from 3-6 AND 9-Close Daily! It’s always nice to know where to go for a late night bite and even better if it is a Happy Hour.

The 2^nd thing to know about HH @Matt’s is THE FOOD IS PHOEOMIAL!!! All apps are $5.00 and Oysters are only .75₡ on the Half Shelf.

Sample menu:

Oyster’s Matt Spinach, pancetta & lemon butter

Flash Fried Calamari Spicy marinara & lemon-garlic aioli

Spicy Buffalo Wings With Maytag blue cheese dip, celery and carrot sticks

Crispy Prawn Spring Rolls Prawns, carrot, napa cabbage, green onion, ginger, seaweed salad, rice noodles, hand rolled in a spring roll wrapper dipping sauces

Hot Dungeness Crab & Artichoke Dip Dungeness Crab, cream cheese, artichokes & spinach

Cambozola Flatbread Warm flatbread, white truffle oil, honey roasted garlic, cambozola cheese

Prawn & Avocado Pizza Grilled flatbread, spicy pico, chili-lime cream

Pan Roasted Manila Clams White wine, lemon, tomato & basil

Rotisserie Chicken Nachos Diced peppers, tomato, scallions, three cheeses Guacamole & chipotle sour cream

Roasted Mushroom Quesadilla Jack & Manchego cheeses, crimini & portabello mushrooms roasted poblano chiles, red onion, cilantro & goat cheese with chipotle sour cream

Mixed Grill Skewers Roti chicken, large prawns, K-Paul’s andouille sausage with honey garlic mustard glaze

The 3^rd thing to know about HH @Matt’s is Go Now and Go Often!!! It is the Best Happy Hour in Redmond and maybe even on the entire Eastside!

Matt’s Rotisserie & Oyster Lounge

16651 NE 74th St.
Redmond, WA 98052

(425) 376 – 0909

Day 8 of 365 Things To Do Around the Eastside: Friday = Happy Hour

Happy Friday! WOW what a strange week, but now that it’s almost over it’s time for getting together with friends for a little Food, Fun & Drink! Happy Hour in downtown Bellevue is simply FANTABULOUS and easy.

You can find plenty of FREE parking at Bellevue Square and walk to over 20 different restaurants within just 1 ½ blocks. Today picks is:

The Cheesecake Factory Bellevue – yes, you read right! The Cheesecake Factory is now offering a HAPPY HOUR! The apps are just $5 each and there are over 40 Happy Hour Choices! Chicken Taquitos, Southern Fried Chicken Sliders, Buffalo Blasts (sorta like a chicken wing), Roadside Sliders, Hot Spinach & Cheese Dip, Avocado Eggrolls, Fried Mac & Cheese, Sweet Corn, Tamale-Cakes, Fire-Roasted Fresh Artichoke, Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Roll, Made-to-Order Guacamole, Tex-Mex Eggrolls, Fried Calamari, Chicken Pot Stickers, Crispy Crab Wontons and Factory Nachos. If you order a few apps you will leave FULL and most likely with a DOGGIE BAG J

Now for the FUN part – The Drink menu features: Mojito, Long Island Iced Tea, Margarita, J.W.’s Pink Lemonade and Cosmos for $5 each. Also they will offer $5 select well drinks; $5 selected wine by the glass.

This is just a sample of the menu, which may vary by which location you visit (there are 3 in the Seattle area).

Be prepared for a crowded bar and possible waits, but that’s what you expect on a Friday night happy hour at a hot restaurant.

401 Bellevue Sq

Bellevue, WA 98004

(425) 450-6000

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