Old Money, Steak, and Malbec

Restaurant Week in Boston, a great time to try a place you're curious about!

My snazzy friend Meg, who loves a good steak, had suggested we go for a nice slab of meat; she, I, and her awesome friend Eleanor wandered out to Morton's in the Back Bay.

The space feels very traditional-steakhouse-power suits-and-bankers, with booths, velvet seats at the bar, cabinets with wine, and a big ol' tray of raw meat so you can see the cuts that you're ordering. It's in a basement, but you don't really notice the lack of natural light.

We started with a wine-based cocktail, the Morton's Spritz, with Lunetta Prosecco (I used to pour this--just light and easy sparkling wine) Aperol (an apertif that is similar in flavor to Campari, but with less alcohol), a little orange juice, and sparkling water. Very light and a perfect pre-dinner cocktail. (Also a steal @ $6 at the bar...I have to say, the Morton's bar menu is very well-priced.)

From there, we all ordered our salads and filet mignon. I got a glass of Trapiche Broquel Malbec, a deep, inky glass of balanced fruit which went very well with my steak (which was excellent, by the way). The wine struck me as a perfectly cut navy blue suit--nothing flashy, just pure class, through the length of it.

I have no complaints about the wine selection at Morton's, but the prices were outrageous. Morton's seems to have about a 5 to 1 markup from the RETAIL price (going rate for a bottle of the Trapiche Broquel Malbec is as low as $11; my glass was about $14). I verified their markup with another wine I know, the Segura Viudas (regularly listed as one of Boston.com's choices for sparkling plonk at less that $10 a bottle--and $9.00 a glass at Morton's). According to Food and Wine, a reasonable markup to expect is 3 times WHOLESALE (with sparkling wines tending to be a bit higher). I shake my frugal fist at you, Morton's!

After enjoying our steaks and getting into dessert (a disappointing, chalky cheesecake and a decandent chocolate mousse), I thought it'd be fun for us girls to continue to look for the best steaks in Boston...thus we have THE STEAK PROJECT, a monthly quest for meat! September's assignment: great steak frites. Stay tuned :)