Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

It rained the whole afternoon I spent at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, and I cannot now imagine eating there in any other weather.

The room is exactly what you want it to be: Texas grand-hotel scale, hushed and serious. We were seated near the back, given menus we hardly needed, and brought a small bowl of olives without being asked.

We started with bone marrow with a small salad of capers and parsley, which set the tone — generous, unfussy, and confident enough not to crowd what was coming. With it we ordered a Chianti Classico Riserva I wrote down in my notebook, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: 44-day dry-aged ribeye, the dish that puts Pappas Bros. Steakhouse on every short list. The crust was the colour of dark mahogany, and the inside was a confident, even pink the whole way through. The signature touch — the sommelier list, longer than the menu — is not a gimmick; it is the reason to come.

For sides we asked for wild mushrooms in butter and pommes Anna. Both arrived hot, both arrived early, both were exactly large enough to overdo it. We overdid it.

Dessert was key lime pie, mostly because the waiter raised an eyebrow when we hesitated. He was right to.

It is not cheap. It is, in this case, worth it.