When you are looking for more than just a great steak, head to The Dark Room (TDR), the mysterious and swanky new restaurant hidden on the second floor of the Saint Kate hotel, for a memorable dining experience. It starts with a secret passage into a 26-seat intimate restaurant. The dimly lit room glows with the flicker of candles off the maroon walls and blue velvet banquettes.
Experience is the operative word, and not a single detail is missed. It begins with your name printed on the “Foreshadowing” drink menu—telling you that you are part of something special. That drink menu is comprised of classics with a TDR twist and made with precision and detail. The wait staff was impeccable and as inviting as the warm room as they welcome guests with a taste of a sparkling rosé and an amuse-bouche. While the bubbles teased our palate and prepared us for the lovely beef tartare with a hint of truffle oil and a crispy curl of potato chip, to my delight, house-made, hot, parker house rolls and whipped butter with crunchy salt flakes came to the table.
The menu arrives with a message addressed just to you. Needless to add, reservations are required.
Reading the menu in the dimly lit room is not a problem at TDR; in another thoughtful detail, the beautiful menu is back lit for an easy read.
Steaks and seafood are the show-stoppers, but all the menu items are made with high-quality ingredients, simply prepared and well executed to reveal layer after layer of flavors. The menu starts with “caught and iced.” We chose the Kumamoto oysters ($22 half dozen) served with a refreshing watermelon mignonette that paired well with the mild brininess of these petite gems. They also offer shrimp cocktail ($18) and 1-oz Ostera caviar beautifully presented with accoutrements ($50).
There are many choices for first course: shrimp scampi ($19), baked goat cheese with tomato chutney ($13), roasted king crab ($26) and several salads are all easily sharable. The TDR Wedge ($12) was crisp, with chunks of smoky bacon, very thinly sliced red onion and a lite ranch dressing with blue cheese crumbles.
The main course gave a well-rounded selection of both land and sea, including Amish chicken and grits ($29), salmon ($32), diver scallops ($39) or a simply prepared fish of the day. The house-made pumpkin ravioli ($28), with chanterelle mushrooms, sautéed greens and a shave of winter truffle in a brown butter sauce, was delicate, and all the rich flavors were balanced and remarkable.
The steaks and chops were all impressive. The CDK farm grass-fed angus New York strip ($46) is aged 21 days, and the 16-oz Strauss Veal Chop is aged 14 days ($50). The Linz heritage angus filet mignon comes in either a 6-oz or 10-oz cut ($40-$62), but we opted for the beautifully marbled 16-oz cut Linz prime rib eye ($48), served with a coin of herbed butter melting over the beautifully charred steak. If you want to really impress, they offer a 40-oz Tomahawk rib eye dry aged 35 days ($125). You can “Lay it on Thick” by adding a lobster tail or scallop, make it Oscar-style, add béarnaise, bordelaise or their signature TDR barrel-aged Worcestershire glaze, which is delicious and really brings out the flavor of the beef.
The accompaniments are large portions for sharing, and the cauliflower steak ($9) even makes a wonderful entrée for vegetarians. The TDR potatoes aren’t your mamma’s mashed potatoes and gravy. These off-the-chart potatoes are puréed with short rib and bordelaise. One of my favorites, Pommes Anna, was a lovely crisp wedge topped with parmesan. I loved the saltiness of the parmesan and crispness of the potato but wanted a little more seasoning in the middle layers.
There are four desserts to finish your experience. The Cocoa Nib Pave, with a toasted marshmallow, chocolate fudge and graham cracker “croutons,” was taken over the top with a spiral of homemade vanilla ice cream. The other desserts are banana cream pie, sticky bun cake with whiskey pecans and bacon butterscotch and an ice cream sundae.
And just when you think nothing could top this experience, your server arrives with your bill (lit like the menu), along with a beautiful red box of truffles for you to take home as a thank you for sharing the experience and making your mark at the Saint Kate.
