Reviews

XO's steak couldn't be better!

Friday, August 18, 2006
Debbi Snook
Plain Dealer Reporter

Say all you want about what a steakhouse can offer; the ultimate test comes with that first morsel of meat. Juicy or dry? Tough or tender? Cooked as ordered?

You yearn for a deep flavor you'll remember, a flavor that will come to mind the next time the beef bells go off in your head and you need to answer them.

I watched my dad as his elegantly plated filet mignon ($29) made a swift and sure landing on the white tablecloth before him. Poised for attack, he lifted his fork and a cutting tool big and shiny enough for a knife-throwing daredevil. He poked. He cut. He chewed. "How is it?" I asked. He didn't answer. His head just jutted forward and back, roosterlike. It was as if talking might disconnect him from the pleasure of tasting. When he sliced a taste for me, I understood. It was one of the best filets I've ever had: pillowy at the knife, with the characteristic plush grain of aged prime steak, the right ting of seasoning and a deep, rich flavor inside.

XO had made its mark.

And more than once. Other great hits included a lobster tail ($20,when added to a steak) and shrimp cocktail ($12) that had all the fresh-sweet flavor and -- yea! -- the precise techniques for tender results.

So now you know the stakes for the steaks here. XO is vigorously priced, a painful act when the biggest red wine in the house is $12 a glass. But the food prices are not as surprising. The steak is special. That lobster was expertly cooked and the dinner version of shrimp cocktail was so big -- three scampi-sized treats -- it could make a dinner with a salad or side dish for an extra $7.

Other flourishes mattered. The lump crab cake appetizer ($13) might have had its lumps shredded, but it was dressed so daintily in an inspired tarragon aioli and preserved lemon peel that we wanted to curtsy in front of the chef. We could actually taste fresh crab. A lunch salad with grilled and glazed salmon ($10) surprised us with shaved fennel and green beans dressed in a hauntingly herbed sherry vinaigrette. A simple smoked-turkey roll-up ($9) went to town with a chutney ketchup on the side.

XO is located at 500 West St. Clair Avenue (at West Sixth Street), Warehouse District, Cleveland. Call (216) 861-1919 for reservations.