[August 03, 2011] Shula's 347 Grill aims to tackle St. Louis steakhouse market Tweet Jun 30, 2011 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- With a losing record only twice in more than 30 seasons, pro football coach Don Shula's teams were legendary for their competitiveness. With at least half a dozen high-end steakhouses within a few football fields of his new restaurant, the team at Shula's 347 Grill is going to need that same kind of drive. The foundation of the restaurant's game plan is something called the Shula Cut, a strategy of setting up its own meat-grading standards, allowing Shula's steakhouses to finesse the issues of choice vs. prime, wet-aged vs. dry-aged and other common quality assessments for beef. The restaurants claim that the Shula Cut has coloring, marbling, blood line and other criteria that are better than prime beef. To scout these claims, we ordered a bone-in rib-eye "cowboy steak" ($33) and a 24-ounce porterhouse ($42) and asked for each to be prepared rare. On both cuts, the beef was excellent, with visible marbling where it was expected and a uniform color and texture. The steak was red and cool on the inside with no intrusive pockets of fat in the interior and only a small line of fat around the edge. For the cooking, however, the restaurant executes something of a trick play, searing just long enough to mark the steaks with grill marks, then finishing them in a convection oven. For rare steaks, the faces were just about all that was cooked, which highlighted the lack of a nice salt-and-pepper crust on the cowboy steak. The porterhouse's exterior fared better, but it still had less seasoning than I would have preferred. The selection of Shula Cut steaks is supplemented with seven entrees, including a rotating selection of fresh fish. One of these was blue marlin ($22) with a pan-seared, mildly spicy coating that made it "blackened blue," perhaps as a salute to defensive linemen. The dense, meaty fish held its moistness and was robust enough to stand up to the spicing. Our server took pains to tell us that the flat-iron steak ($24) was not a Shula Cut, which should have been a tip-off. This steak had a much more flavorful spice rub on the outside, but its texture was noticeably tough unless cut into very thin slices. Appetizer crab cakes ($15) were terrific, made with lump crab with a bare minimum of filler. "Crispy ravioli" ($9) was cheese-stuffed half-moons with a nice balance of breading, similar to our local toasted specialty, served on a bed of crunchy fried spaghetti. The other two appetizers we tried were honey-sesame chicken ($10) and sweet chili shrimp ($12). Along with the thinly sliced squash and bell peppers, sauteed green beans and above all, 'smashed" potatoes, these dishes pointed out the major flaw in Shula's 347: The menu seemed to be the same vintage as coach Shula's glory days about 30 years ago. Sure, he proved that hard work and sound fundamentals could lead to perfection, but the football and restaurant worlds have changed tremendously since then. Two things Shula's does have going for it are atmosphere and service. Unlike almost all of its competitors, it's comfortably casual, tastefully decorated but appropriate for boisterous office parties or families with small children. The outdoor space, on the plaza overlooking the Old Post Office, is gorgeous and much better removed from vehicular traffic than almost any other downtown restaurant with outside dining. And the service team has clearly spent considerable time in training camp, resulting in a high level of knowledge and attentiveness. The 347 in the restaurant's name refers to the number of victories Shula had in his head-coaching career, and I certainly wouldn't bet against one of the greatest coaches of all time. Still, he and his team may have to adjust their strategy to stay competitive in the downtown St. Louis steakhouse market. ------ Shula's 347 Grill One and a half stars (out of four) -- Where 411 North Eighth Street, downtown -- More info 314-241-7267, donshula.com, fb.com/Shulas347grillstlouis -- Menu Steakhouse -- Hours Lunch and dinner daily ------ Our food ratings One star Good -- Two stars Very good -- Three stars Excellent -- Four stars Extraordinary To see more of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stltoday.com. Copyright (c) 2011, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]