Shula's 2 Scores a Field Goal

Another night where cooking just did not appeal. Yeah, it happens. And it seems to be happening with more frequency. When this mood strikes us, we are making more of an effort to try new places (unless we walk to some place in our neighborhood). Last night we went to Shula’s 2. My hubby had been wanting to give it a whirl and the mail had graced us with a free appetizer coupon. So, what the hell? We traipsed up to the Sheraton on Broad. We found a big open room with a bar on one side, a number of booths hugging a couple of the walls, and tables filling in the rest. Not terribly busy except for the myriad of televisions with various ESPN channels (all channels were extremely clear). A few folks were smoking at the bar, but surprisingly enough the odor did not drift over to our table (no barriers whatsoever to block smoke).

The menu had the typical appetizers for a sports bar, a wide variety or $9-11 sandwiches and burgers, a decent salad list, high-end steaks ($30 range), and $14-24 entrees. We ordered potato skins for our free appetizer – lots of bacon, but the microwave missed heating up the middle of one of them and my hubby bit into cold potato. And the entrees came out before we had finished the skins (don’t you hate inept kitchen timing?).

We did order wine – 2005 Chateau Souverain Alexander Valley Merlot for $25. Very yummy and a decent price. Once we tasted the wine, we had to order steak of some sort. We nixed the high end filets and strips and opted for a sirloin ($21) and skirt steak with chimichurri sauce ($20). My husband said that his sirloin was the best and most tender of that cut that he had ever had. Scorrrrrrre! Unfortunately, the smashed red skinned potatoes were tasteless (even with shredded “parmesan” cheese generously topping the side dish). His sautéed mixed veggies remained neutral in the taste fray. My steak was tender as well, but had already been sliced, thus, it tended to be on the medium than medium rare side. The beef tasted like it had been marinated in the sauce and featured a strong garlic flavor with a hint of vinegar and greens. Very satisfying. My sides were black beans seasoned with chilies and plain white rice.

We had plenty to eat, so no dessert. Which turned out to be good. Right before we left a group of women were seated at a booth near us and they all started puffing away. So, I have no idea if Shula’s 2 even has a non-smoking section.

Bottom-line. They didn’t make a touchdown, but they did kick a field goal. If we go again, it would have to pass the odor test. And we would stick to the steak and wine – although, they do offer a mac-n-cheese entrée that could be intriguing…