Shula's

For a special occasion steak, there is one place in Tallahassee that I immediately think of: Shula’s. Now, I am normally a guy who prefers to dine at locally owned and operated “mom and pop” restaurants, so the large chain restaurant Shula’s, located on the lobby floor of the renovated boutique Hotel Duval, would not normally be my first choice. However, my fiancé had a Groupon for fifty dollars for the restaurant, so we decided to have a date night on a random Wednesday night.



First of all, reservations are required. While not a small place, there are still limited tables and on a Wednesday night we had to wait a few minutes, even with a reservation. Once seated, the waiter came over and took our drink orders and then recited the specials to us. My fiancé and I decided to try the crispy garlic shrimp to start, and we were certainly glad that we did. While they reminded us of the popular Bonefish “Bang Bang” shrimp because they were tossed in sauce and served crispy, we really liked Shula’s because they were not heavily drenched in a mayonnaise-based sauce, and they were a good portion for an appetizer.



We decided to share both a Caesar salad and then the filet mignon for our entrée with smashed potatoes and grilled asparagus as our side selections. The house salad was fresh, and the dressing tasted homemade. One salad split between the two of us was plenty, and we were glad we had decided to share because at the end of our salad’s we were starting to feel a little bit full.



But not too full! The steak was brought to the table and the server asked us to cut in the middle of it to see if it was cooked perfectly- he even brought out a mini flashlight to shine onto the filet so that I could see it better. We ordered it rare and it looked awesome- now it was time to see if it was worth all the hype. This was the best steak that I have ever had in my life. It melted like butter in my mouth, and my fiancé was just as much in heaven as I was. While the steak was absolutely delicious on its own, the Shula’s steak sauce was a perfect complement to the beef. The smashed potatoes were also amazing, and it made me glad I decided against the baked potato in their favor.



While I ate every bite on my plate, I felt satisfied when I finished my meal- I didn't feel like I need to be rolled out to my vehicle so I am very glad we shared our entree. Shula’s in an expensive place, so it isn’t someplace that I would recommend going every week. But as a special occasion restaurant, the steak just can’t be beat.