In the very trendy Back Bay steakhouse dining venue, if you’re out for a $40 sirloin and you’re looking for the excitement generated by a unique mix of business people and the upwardly mobile younger set, Abe and Louie’s the place to eat and to be seen.
Consistently named by critics and magazines as one of the finest steakhouses in the city, Abe and Louie’s is celebrating its 10th anniversary this October.
Owner Charles Sarkis named the restaurant after Sarkis’ father, Abe, and Abe’s best friend, Louie Fox. Sarkis was 24 when he opened his first restaurant, Boraschi’s Villa, in 1965, in the spot that became JC Hillary’s in 1974, and then Abe & Louie’s Oct. 4, 1998.
Sarkis wanted to reach the young, upscale customer. "Our aim has always been to put out great food, quality service, and a great environment at a very reasonable check average," he explained in a 1991 Restaurant Business article.
Run by Back Bay Restaurants Group, Abe’s tries to differentiate itself from other steakhouses by offering traditional American fare, served family style and in good portions, all made on the premises. More important, however, is how the guest is treated. “We don't say no -- that's not hospitality,” he has been quoted as saying.
When the guest first walks in, the maitre’ds, Tracey and Romeo, who have been with the restaurant nearly as long as it’s been open, will probably know you by name if you’ve been in a few times.
“We know everyone here,” says Raisis. “If they walk in for the first time we know they’re new….and that they’ll become a regular.”
Guests skew heavily on the local regulars, couples and families who may come 3-5 times a week. There are the ladies who lunch, the tourists and International crowd, and the high-powered business meetings.
The restaurant is old-school steakhouse, very clubby décor with large leather booths, bronze chandeliers, mahogany and cherry millwork, and natural stone.
The main dining room has multiple levels and an outside area during the warmer months, a long bar that nearly stretches to the open kitchen, and a noisy din where you can’t hear yourself talk. The music, when it can be heard over the nighttime buzz, is American standards. For a quieter dinner, diners are sent upstairs to the newly opened 80-seat area with windows overlooking Boylston.
For those who like the energy, that’s the fun of eating at Abe & Louie’s. It’s a place where many want to be seen, not heard.
Maybe you’ve seen one of the regulars, Mel Gibson, who discovered Abe’s along with Robert Deniro and James Cameron, in town recently filming “On the Edge of Darkness.” DeNiro liked the crispy pork special.
When you’re seated, you get freshly made bread crisps, including sourdough slices baked with cheese, and pumpernickel dusted in cinnamon sugar.
For appetizers, the crunch-topped crabcakes are lump crab bound by peaked egg whites, not bread crumb, for a light and moist crowd favorite served with mango salsa and house-made tartar. The king of the appetizers is a stunning $100 seafood tower that feeds a crowd on shrimps, crab mushrooms, clams casino, lobster tails, and oysters Rockefeller.
Friendly waiters will describe in detail the differences between a $45 barrel-cut bone-in filet mignon or a $84 porterhouse for two, or that the prime steaks are corn-fed, Midwestern cows with meat wet-aged 4-5 weeks and are cut fresh daily. The Saturday night special is a $40 Carpetbagger steak with oysters, wrapped in bacon. Most steaks are served with just seasoned salt, although sauces on the side include au poivre, chimichurri, béarnaise, hollandaise, portabella demi glace, and their house steak sauce (which is available online).
A 24-ounce bone-in ribeye, the top-seller because of its tenderness, charred top, is brushed with butter and fills the whole plate. Each bite melts in your mouth.
The executive chef, Bill Bramlett, says that a good steak is based on the quality of the meat, and “taking care of it.” He believes in just seasoning it and letting it rest to warm up to room temp. The cuts are from corn-fed Nebraskan cows, and wet-aged for 4-6 weeks by Kinnealey, their purveyor. “The climate, the room to roam, the cool weather, they tend to eat better,” says Bramlett.
Waiters are trained in all of the wine selections, which vary by season, and also politely ask about price range before making a recommendation. One waiter, Joseph, recommends a glass of the Cabernet Silver Palm, North Coast, for $10, to go along with a T-bone.
For a bottle, server Heather Sherwin asked a few questions, and decided that the best cabernet on the menu to pair with a great steak was a 2003 Shafer Hillside cabernet from Napa, which went for $350. “It has a great amount of structure to it, with very decent tannins,” says Heather. “When it opens up, it’s more velvety on the mouth, which complements the marbling on the steak. The tannins will offset the fat on the steak.”
For a spicier steak sauce, she would recommended a shiraz, the 2006 Torbreck, whose fruitier tones complemented the au poivre sauce.
Desserts include a huge 7 layer chocolate cake, a key lime pie with a crunchy crust, or a hot chocolate sundae sprinkled with fresh whipped cream and almonds. It’s made with a special vanilla ice cream recipe that Sarkis developed 44 years ago with a local vendor, and served with a heated pot of fudge on the side.
At night, it’s a busy singles scene of varying ages, from the 20s to the 60s range, and it can get crowded until the hookups seek more private space.
A good place to work
Abe and Louie’s is listed as the top in Boston sales by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine’s 2007 survey, and 27th out of 100 independent restaurants in the country.
That may be due to loyal customers who first come for a good meal, but come back for the service. Abe’s employs about 160, with most waitstaff who are career servers.
“You have to be the best of the best,” says Amy Daniels, director of marketing for the Back Bay Restaurant Group. “Good is not enough for us.” She referred to the RGPs, which she explained is short for the wait staff who are “really good people,” the keepers. Like other top restaurants in the city, they’ve enticed away top servers from other spots.
Tracey Raisis has been with Sarkis for 44 years, the second employee that he hired. Sarkis’ first hire was Paul Bussolini, a general manager for decades who is now doing IT in the corporate office. It’s a company that inspires loyalty.
“Their steaks melt in your mouth,” says Sherwin, who has experience working at other area steakhouses. “It feels like it’s one big family. I’ve been doing this for a very long time, and this is the best job I’ve had. When I wake up I look forward to going to work every day.”
Chef Bramlett has been with Abe’s for more than 9 years, 16 with Back Bay Restaurants. “I like making people happy,” he says.
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