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Tallahassee Restaurant Review: Shula's 347
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|  Let There Be Steak!
by: Pedro Sempertegui
& Lindsay White |  | | Every day I've passed by Hotel Duval with only a faint idea about the caliber of food that's offered in their first floor restaurant. Shula's 347 brandishes the title "Grill" but many seem to see it as more of a "Steakhouse" due to the great care they take in selecting their cuts of meat. The "Shula Cut" is the brand name of the choice cuts that Shula's 347 serves. Their website boasts that "The 'SHULA CUT' sits on top of the beef quality pyramid; taking only the most desired Custom Center Cuts of the Premium Black Angus Beef brand making The SHULA CUT - the best beef money can buy." It's apparently more discriminating than both USDA prime and choice.
With that bit of information in mind, my companion and I decided to pay Shula's a visit and see what makes it the destination for a delicious steak dinner.
I parked my car alongside Monroe street and escorted milady towards Hotel Duval. Upon entering the establishment, it is obvious that they pride themselves in having an impeccably modern design. Between the glass chandelier and chic black, metal, and marble color pallet, I was impressed how sharp everything looked.
The hostess gave us a friendly welcome and informed us that they offer complimentary valet parking for those who dine at Shula's. A nice tip that I wish I would have known about. | | Since the restaurant is a part of the Hotel Duval experience, it is only fitting that the interiors complement one another. Shula's decor plays a lot on dark wood furniture to cultivating a warm and intimate experience. Lindsay pointed out the glass decoration on the ceiling that ran above the main walkway into the dining area. "It's beautiful how they made the bottles ripple like water." |
| | Before we were seated I had to check out the bathrooms. It might be an odd thing to say, but they were beautiful. The modern aesthetics carried well into each stall. Lindsay compared the women's restroom to an upscale spa, complete with soothing music and semi soundproofed stalls. I usually rush myself in these situations but I didn't mind taking my time making sure my hands were extra dry. My only gripe with the bathroom situation was that they were outside of the actual restaurant and down a hallway.
The hostess escorted us to our table. There was ample seating in the main dining area with enough space in between the tables for the waiters and customers to move around comfortably. The waiter took our drink orders and, seeing out it was our first time at Shula's, he explained a little more about the Shula Cut. It turns out less than 1% of steaks make the cut, which means that I would be eating a delectably rare piece of meat, medium rare. | | | We started off with a few drinks and some crispy raviolis. Lindsay had a glass of Rutherford Hill Napa Valley Merlot and I had to try one of their signature martinis, so I went with the Arctic Grape Mojito Martini. For not being a fan of fruity alcoholic beverages, the martini was a lot better than I had thought. It was tasty and not overly sweet. The mixture of cranberry juice and Arctic Grape rum really balanced out with the crispiness of the muddled mint. Lindsay enjoyed the smooth plum flavor of her Merlot. I tried a sip was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was. The crispy raviolis were a fitter and friendlier cousin to the mozzarella stick, in the sense that they were lightly breaded and after eating half a plate of them you don't feel greasy and tired. |
| For the main course, Lindsay had a tender 8 oz Filet Mignon, cooked medium, with a side of lightly salted, smashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. I had the Surf and Turf which was comprised of a thick 16 oz New York Strip, cooked medium rare, accompanied by a dish of shrimp scampi, and a side of steak fries and a side of grilled asparagus. After the first bite, I felt like I fully understood the power behind The 'Shula Cut'. The New York Strip was so tender and flavorful that it made me think back to how select this cut was. I wondered if I had chosen this piece of meat, or did it, in fact, choose me. | Lindsay was hesitant in letting me try her Filet Mignon because she felt that if I had one bite I wouldn't want to finish my own plate. I offered her a piece of mine but she respectfully declined. "I found what I was looking for." Even though the steaks were the main attraction, the sides held their own. The smashed potatoes were light and creamy and the fries were a great compliment to the steak.
As for the dessert, we split a slice of chocolate cake topped with chocolate and raspberry sauce. It was very rich and had a strong dark chocolate flavor that was a little much for me. I could see the diehard chocolate fan finding spiritual awakening with this cake, but I was glad I wasn't the only one eating it. It would have been hard to finish myself. Next time I have my eye on something with warm apple pie and ice cream. | Her take away
+ The food was top notch and the service was spectacular. | His take away
+ I now look at steaks differently. The 'Shula's Cut' is the final word on top of the line steaks.
- The bathrooms were beautiful but a little out of the way. |
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Tags: Tallahassee Restaurant Review Shula's 347
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