The last COOLinary season excited me most unnaturally (you’ve probably noticed) because there aren’t that many new places opening, and of those, not many that interest me, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to visit places of long standing, and maybe some new ones that have made me curious.
I was a little surprised to see Charlie’s Steakhouse on the list. It may have been there in years past, but Charlie’s is a place I’ve never been to much. Tom had a thing going with a friend who was the best man at our wedding. They would sit at the same table downstairs under a particular picture, and every visit they’d turn the picture over to see whose turn it was to pay. Maybe Tom’s vivid description of the sizzling butter making for greasy walls kept me from going much, but I believe I only ate at Charlie’s less than a handful of times.
For the COOLinary, I checked for a reservation, and they were wide open, but when I arrived, there was a wait. Apparently everyone had the same idea to walk in. I had a few choices. I could wait at one of two high-top tables in the bar, but they weren’t serving there. Or I could wait for a spot upstairs. I chose the latter, though the bar at Charlie’s is kind of cool. Ken Jennings was presiding over a rousing game of Jeopardy.
I wanted to sit downstairs in the dining room, I remember, but after a long flight up the stairs I discovered that the second floor of Charlie’s is quite nice. Nicer than downstairs, with the same charm. It’s also surprisingly large. My waitress was from Down Under, and she was fun, helpful, and really efficient. That woman works hard!!! She handled her large quantity of tables with aplomb. The upstairs dining room was nearly full, and she was handling several large parties. My service didn’t suffer a whit. I wondered about her. How did she wind up here? But there was no time to engage her.
The menu for the COOLinary was much larger than I anticipated, with surprising things on it. Lamb and Crabmeat au Gratin, for example. All orders for COOLinary had really only one choice. Everything else was set in place. There was a first course of two house favorites: the fried onion rings and the wedge. There were five choices for the entree and more steaks for an upcharge. Spumoni was dessert. Three courses for $58.
The onion rings came out first and, yes, it was an enormous pile. But I didn’t want to eat them. They were greasy. Not slightly greasy. Greasy in that 70s way.
Charlie’s has been around a long time, and that was the way it came in the last century. But frying techniques have improved dramatically since then, and they should up their game. They were still thin and battered nicely, but the oil just sat there.
The Charlie’s wedge was always famous for its enormity, covered in an avalanche of Blue Cheese. In any previous visit I don't remember being impressed with either of these much-ballyhooed menu items.
I was so glad I opted for the Crabmeat au Gratin. Each entree came with one side, so I got the Scalloped Potatoes. I would have had a baked potato, but that wasn’t an option.
Both these dishes came in the familiar metal ramekins. I had heard that all the Charlie’s metalware was gone, but the large party next to me also had metal dishes for their steaks. I was happy to see that. It's tradition.
The Crabmeat au Gratin was outstanding. There was little au gratin. It was almost solid crab meat. It was all jumbo lump, but there was plenty of it. I also saw claw meat, so it was a very pleasing variety of grades of crab, and that made it more interesting and more flavorful. I absolutely loved this.
I had a similar dish with the Scalloped Potatoes. Both were blanketed in a layer of melted DayGlo yellow cheddar, as Tom liked to sneer. The potatoes were sliced a bit on the thick side, and they were irregular, meaning they cooked for different lengths of time. Occasionally one piece may not have been as completely cooked as some others, but it was not enough to really distract. This was wonderful as well.
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The Spumoni came with an Italian seeded cookie. I love those, and I loved the Spumoni with its Italian coloring and taste.
Despite its rough start, I thoroughly enjoyed this meal, watching the neighborhood folks meander in. They are clearly regulars getting their regular thing. It was all fun to watch.
As it turns out, Charlie’s, despite newer, hipper owners, remains much the same as it was nearly a century ago. And that made the COOLinary visit worthwhile. That, and the Crabmeat au Gratin.