Don't fear the Cajun Ribeye at Morton's

Maybe I'm old school but when I go to a nice steakhouse, I prefer to avoid the frills and add-ons for steaks. ​Blue cheese? Rather have that stuffed in an olive and soaking in my dirty martini. Peppercorn? Oscar style? Not like I would turn down a steak with some bonus coverage but if I'm paying $50+ for a piece of meat, it shouldn't need all of that fluff. Only caveat being the sizzling plate of butter from Ruth's Chris, but that doesn't count.  This past Tuesday night I had the pleasure of dining at a classic Chicago steak institution, Morton's. Our waiter Winston, provided quite the educational rundown of steaks. As he wrapped up, he highlighted the "Cajun Rib-eye", describing it as "BAD Good". Of course, I asked him to elaborate. After he reminisced about the many times he savored on this piece of meat I became intrigued... Was I really going to order a cajun flavored steak from Morton's? Not the Filet? Not a Classic bone-in rib-eye? I started questioning myself. I felt uneasy. I decided that I was definitely going with the regular rib-eye. Then Winston returned to take our orders. I had already put so much trust in him with the apps (bacon wrapped scallops and the jumbo shrimp cocktail - although those choices didn't require much selling). I was the last to order from our group. "What's it going to be", Winston asked... I paused, surveyed the table, and then it happened. "Let's go with the cajun". As the steak arrived, my concerns had turned into excitement. I knew Winston would never lead me astray. I wasted no time. I cut into the juicy piece of cow and took my first bite. I was anticipating a huge wave of flavor crystals to rock me. I had already been thinking about the TUM's I would be consuming afterwards. But to my surprise, it was quite subtle. Enough to notice and thoroughly enjoy but not so much that it would cause me to belch this flavor for the next 12 hours. It truly was "BAD good". I know my food and seasonings decently well but I'm not going to pretend that I detected everything that was in this cajun rub. But of course, I looked it up (https://www.mortons.com/recipe/cajun-ribeye.php). Nothing too wild. Cayenne spices it up just the right amount. The rub is charred in very nicely giving it a very slight crisp.  My coworker sitting next to me wasn't feeling as adventurous and ordered the standard bone-in rib-eye. This allowed me the opportunity to do a direct comparison and make sure I made the right call. It was also delicious but as a follow up to the cajun, it seemed very bland. I was feeling quite proud of my bold decision. It paired up nicely with some sour cream mashed potatoes and sauteed brussels sprouts (not a huge fan but gotta mix in something green) and of course a few old fashioned's. I kept it simple and went with Morton's Old Fashioned from the cocktail list. (Bulleit Bourbon muddled with Angostura Bitters, Orange, Italian Amarena Cherries and Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curaçao Liqueur, served over Ice). Decent but definitely not on the same level as the steak. I knew I was asking for trouble when I saw the word muddled. Never been a fan of a muddled old fashioned. I also prefer a big ice cube or two, not a bunch of small cubes like Morton's served up.  Overall, a very solid meal. The Cajun Ribeye and I will reunite again one day.  Steak - 4.2/5 ​Old Fashioned - 3/5