Let’s face it, when guys are on a weekend trip with their buddies, the last thing on their mind is where to find a good curry chicken salad wrap or the finest quiche of the day. And even if you’re with your spouse, significant other or a group of couples, finding a good steak house is paramount for many of us. That is particularly so when traveling to another Southeast city for a game or an event.

With that in mind, our staff and many of our readers fired in their top picks of restaurants you will (or should) enjoy from D.C. to Miami and from Lexington to Fayetteville. We begin with detailed reviews of a few or our favorites, and conclude with a list of other suggestions. Enjoy!

Bern’s Steak House
1208 South Howard Avenue
Tampa, Fla. 33606
813-251-2421
www.bernssteakhouse.com
5 p.m.-11 p.m. daily, closed Labor Day and Christmas

The exterior of Bern’s is unassuming, but once inside the throng of diners awaiting a table in the bar area signifies you are in exactly the right spot for an ultimate dining experience. In fact, the experience can be a bit overwhelming because Bern’s has left no stone unturned when it comes to providing impeccable service, an array of exquisitely prepared foods and a welcoming atmosphere.

Since 1956 when Bern Laxer opened his restaurant, his belief that a “guest must always come back” is never more critical as it is today. The restaurant serves an inordinate number of guests on a nightly basis, but the wait-staff and assistants give their full attentions to every table and offer marvelous suggestions whenever they are asked. David Laxer has added to his father’s standards and inspirations by expanding the menu.

From the list of 24 types of caviar to the 200 selections of wines-by-the-glass or a favorite cut of steak, you may fully depend upon your servers for direct, yet thoughtful recommendations. The menu is unlike any you may have seen at any restaurant because of its depth and variety. To follow is a brief narrative of our experience.

After sampling a perfect martini, we began our journey with fresh Stone crab claws served cold with a delicious key lime mustard sauce. The shells are smartly cracked so diners can get down to business quickly. A tasting of three soups followed including French onion soup au gratin, Vichyssoise and Maine lobster bisque, all of which were sensational. For those of you who enjoy an authentic Caesar salad, make sure you order one here. The salad is artfully prepared tableside, and is without question the best we ever had.

When asked which steak to order, our server without hesitation suggested 1¼-inch strip sirloin cooked medium rare and served with a side of Bernaise. All steaks are aged out of the packaging for five to eight weeks as great beef continues to become sweeter and beautifully tender with time, according to the Bern’s philosophy. Approximately 70 percent of the beef originally purchased by Bern’s is trimmed away or loses its moisture during the aging process. That ensures you’ll only be biting into the beef itself, not fat or gristle. Even some of the T-Bone and Porterhouse bones are removed before being served.

Choose an accompaniment for your steak, such as a baked potato, the house specialty — the Hawaiian Red Salt baked Okinawan sweet potato — grilled asparagus au Poivre, spinach or the exotic white truffle macaroni and cheese. All herbs and vegetables are organically grown locally on Berns’ own farm without pesticides or other toxins.

If it is seafood you seek, you’ll find it at its freshest at Bern’s, which has a 2,500-pound live fish capacity container in its kitchen.

Choosing the perfect wine for your meal is a daunting task at Bern’s, if only for the 6,500 unique labels, which includes approximately 5,500 reds, 1,000 whites, more than 200 sparkling wines and more than 300 Madeiras, ports and sherries. Bern’s is a perennial winner of the Wine Spectator Grand Award and features the largest wine collection of any restaurant in the world.

After dinner, (it is advised to save room or visit again after a lighter meal), the Harry Waugh Room is an absolute requirement. Located upstairs in the quiet, relaxed area, Bern’s serves coffee, more than 50 desserts prepared by a team of 20 pastry chefs, fresh fruit, great aged-on-site cheese courses, aged Cognacs, liqueurs, sipping whiskies, Champagnes and dessert wines from around the world. Even if you can’t enjoy these offerings, at least ask for a tour because it is amazing the thought and care that went into the construction.

Bern’s is simply the best steakhouse we have ever enjoyed — anywhere — and is among the top-5 of all restaurants we have visited in the past 20 years.

Shula’s Steak House
“The Original” Shula’s Steak House at Don Shula’s Golf Club
7601 Miami Lakes Drive
Miami Lakes, FL 33014
305-820-8102
www.shulas.com

While not as modern as some of its locations throughout the Southeast, the Original Shula’s is packed with nostalgic photos and memorabilia of former Miami Dolphins and other NFL players on every wall. The restaurant has an old, classic club feel with veteran servers on staff to make your first visit a memorable one. Located within a few miles of Dolphin Stadium, this location is a great place to unwind after an afternoon game, before the FedEx Orange Bowl or Super Bowl, or before or after a Marlins’ game.

After you are seated, your server brings an authentic NFL football on an orange tee to your table. A tempting assortment of steaks and lobster is presented for you to choose from, and Shula’s partners (the Graham family) are proud breeders of certified Angus Beef.

Again, we began with a delicious vodka martini and decided to try a lobster tail as our appetizer followed by a Caesar salad. The lobster tail was sweet and seasoned to perfection, and the salad was good. I chose a 12-ounce filet while my assistant scout chose Don’s favorite: the Porterhouse. The filet was melt-in-your-mouth good. A note to Coach Shula: stick with the filet, it’s awesome! The baked potato was as good as it gets and the asparagus was cooked to perfection.

We finished our meal by ordering apple cobbler topped with vanilla Haagen-Dazs. We advise you to split this sweet morsel because it’s rather large.

If you’re in south Florida or elsewhere, a visit to any Shula’s location is worthwhile.

New York Prime
Donlan & Greenbaum’s
3424 Peachtree Road, NE  •  Atlanta, GA  30326
404-846-0644
www.newyorkprime.com

On any late Friday afternoon, New York Prime is hopping with after-work revelers who can’t wait to see a few well-dressed beauties lingering around the bar for Happy Hour. This restaurant is as upscale as its proximity to the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead might indicate, and it has become one of our favorites in our home city, despite the presence of the more venerable and well-known steak houses nearby.

When it comes to entertaining a client, taking your best gal to dinner or pre- or post-gaming with your buddies, New York Prime fits the bill nicely. Managed by CentraArchy Restaurants, this New York Prime location is one of three in the Southeast (Myrtle Beach and Boca Raton are the others).

Begin your dining experience with a glass of red wine, a martini or a glass of single malt scotch. Your meal should start with a seafood platter, which may include stone crabs (in season), oysters, lobster, shrimp or lump crabmeat and is perfect for sharing. Follow the appetizer with a chopped Italian salad or beefsteak tomatoes and onions served with “Brooklyn French” dressing.

The center cut filet or bone-in rib steak are two of our favorite cuts, and please be sure to ask for the cheese mashed potatoes, southwest creamed corn or onion straws to share.

Save room for the authentic cheesecake, which is flown in daily from the Carnegie Deli in New York, as there is none better.

New York Prime has the feel of an authentic, old school steakhouse despite its relatively new digs. The atmosphere is as delectable as the food, and cigar smoking is permitted in the bar area, yet it isn’t noticeable to diners in other areas of the room.

While it is 15 minutes away from the arena-stadium area of town, it’s still a great place to hang out or dine before or after a game.

Jimmy Kelly’s Steakhouse
217 Louise Avenue
Nashville, Tennessee 37203 
615-329-4349
www.jimmykellys.com

Owner Mike Kelly has sustained the legacy that his grandfather John began back in 1934. Now, in its third location and in its third generation of Kellys, the restaurant is close to the Vanderbilt campus. Jimmy Kelly’s is quintessentially Southern in manner, execution and hospitality. A visit here is like slipping on a comfortable pair of slippers because Kelly and his staff make you feel at home from the moment you enter.

The main dining room is dressed in sepia-colored walls and rich wood. A tempting fireplace glows inside, but during warmer months a porch and patio allow guests to enjoy al fresco dining. The waitstaff, adorned in white dinner jackets, harkens us back to simpler times as our drink orders are taken and hot corn cakes are brought to the table. The delicious corn cakes are an authentic recipe from the original chef summoned by John Kelly from the Maxwell House Hotel shortly after Prohibition ended. In fact, the original Maxwell House coffee blend, founded in Nashville, is still served here at Jimmy Kelly’s.

John was a bootlegger and even after the act was repealed he needed a place to sell his fine liquor. A friend suggested he open a restaurant to sustain his livelihood, and 73 years later that idea is still going strong.

We began our meal with barbequed prawns stuffed with basil and wrapped in bacon. A house salad with homemade bleu cheese dressing followed. While we both chose the filet with a side of wonderfully spicy Béarnaise, the Chateaubriand for two comes highly recommended, as does the bleu cheese stuffed filet. For those who wish to go down a slightly lighter path, a half-filet is offered with either lobster or shrimp.

Add a twice-baked potato, asparagus, creamed spinach or stir-fry vegetables to your entrée. To accompany your meal, 17 red wines by the glass are offered, or you may select from the complete list of wines.

A list of truly Southern desserts includes blackberry or apple walnut cobbler, pecan pie, lemon chiffon cheesecake or Key lime pie.

Like many SEC fans or teams (Mike said the UK basketball team dines here every year), a regular visit to Jimmy Kelly’s is a necessity for those who enjoy old-school, Southern hospitality and great steaks.

State-by-State Listings