I’ve lived in Tampa for 15 years and FINALLY made it to Bern’s for the first time, last night. My husband and I went to celebrate our 23rd anniversary! So I finally put my figurative foot down and made our dinner reservation 3 months to the date I needed it. Which worked out perfectly, hubby couldn’t say no if I already made his life easy and planned our special occasion, right?!

I categorize this legendary steakhouse as a bucket list restaurant destination. Pre-Covid you get a tour of the kitchen and famed wine cellar but that was not offered during our visit, understandably so. Hey, it just gives us an excuse to go back for the next special occasion! We did feel the special uniqueness as soon as we pulled up to the valet. The 1950s ambiance exudes from the red carpet the moment you step foot through the grand double doors. You really step onto a red carpet in the entry. The reception room, where they take your reservation details, is all aglow from the red wall sconces and the regal chandeliers. The hostess directs you to have a seat on one of the many red velvet chairs or Edwardian style couches or you may slip off to the bar and enjoy a cocktail. We sat and admired all the art and sculptures surrounding us. But it wasn’t long before a hostess came to escort us to our table. As she led us down to the dining quarters closest to the stairs of the dessert room, she asked if we were celebrating a special occasion…. Of course I announced it was our anniversary.

We were led to the nook where our dining area was, it was very spacious and very socially distanced. There was one couple finishing up & paying their bill and another couple just starting their salad course when we sat down, otherwise the room was very quiet and private. We received paper copies of the traditional menu and wine list and all of the servers and hostesses were wearing masks and gloves. A+ for covid-19 safety precautions!

Our server greeted us promptly and wished a happy anniversary and then proceeded to take our drink order. We ordered a couple of waters, a Jack and Coke for my husband and a Coke with a lime twist for myself. I don’t drink alcohol, I’m definitely a cheap date, except for tonight of course!

Our server brought back our drinks and asked if we had any questions about the menu. I told him that I did my research, refraining from letting him know I’m a food blogger/ reviewer and Yelper, he then replied there was no need for him to go over anything with me. I replied that I still wanted to hear what he had to say but I think he was a little annoyed with me and my Bern’s “research”! This was only one of 2 hiccups last night.

After much due diligence, my husband and I both ordered the 10 oz Filet Mignons, his medium rare and mine medium. Our server asked if we’d like garlic butter with our steaks in which we gleefully replied YES!!! All afternoon I anticipated adding the Bearnaise sauce to my filet but forgot about it until my steak arrived. The only reason I remembered is the steak seemed a little dry and in need of some salt & pepper and seasoning and I realized we had not gotten our garlic butter on our filet mignons. In hindsight, I wish I had asked our server for some salt or even would have liked having salt & pepper on the table. This was hiccup number two. Mind you these were minor hiccups, still a five-star evening! Our dinners included an amazing French onion soup served with garlic and honey wheat toasts, a fresh garden house salad with every added touch including avocados, hard boiled eggs, sprouts (through my research I found that they grow the sprouts directly in their kitchen!) and celery. The hardest decision of the evening was choosing a salad dressing!! I had heard amazing feedback regarding the macadamia vanilla bean vinaigrette and knowing that my husband’s not a salad eater and I would inherit his I decided to choose a different salad dressing and see which one I liked best. Our server kindly suggested the white balsamic Italian and it was an amazing selection, so tangy and satisfying with chunks of olives and garlic in it! But I have to say, my favorite of the 2 was the macadamia vanilla bean vinaigrette!!! It was a tough decision, reminiscent or Coke vs. Pepsi in the 80s, but the macadamia vanilla bean vinaigrette was the clear victor of the salad dressing competition! It sounds like a unique combination of ingredients for a vinegar based salad dressing but it works and worked well it did and it was so gratifying!! Our buttery soft filet mignon were cooked absolutely to perfection. There was a steak knife at our table but it was truly unnecessary for this meal. My only regret was not calling the server’s attention to the missing garlic butter or requisite salt but otherwise it had a great beefy flavor and well worth every penny that the 10 oz of quality beef cost us! I can’t forget to include the scrumptious loaded baked potato with sour cream, butter, chives and bacon bits as well as my husband’s favorite, the perfectly crispy onion straws. Like any good meal should have, there were fresh vegetables… citrusy carrots almondine and smokey green beans. All were the perfect compliment to the phenomenal filet! Of course we ordered larger portions than either of us could eat in one sitting so we brought half of our fillets home to our 19-year-old. He gobbled it up as if it was a Big Mac from McDonald’s, as soon as the take out container hit the table! I lovingly coached him on the fine art of savoring a good quality cut of beef! Insert sarcasm!

Once we settled our bill we were directed upstairs to the Harry Waugh Dessert Room where we had a reservation to finish our anniversary celebration.

We were immediately led to our private booth. Again I had done my research so I knew about the telephone and being able to request music but sadly on this evening, thanks to covid-19, there was a sign advising patrons not to use the phone. Our Dessert Room attendee left us with paper menus, which was a limited selection to their normal dessert offerings. After much deliberation my husband and I decided to choose something shareable so we went with the Brown Sugar. The Brown Sugar chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake, a cookies and cream ice cream sandwich and a warm Blondie. This was ordered to my husband’s liking because I was very much full from our dinner moments ago but how could we go to Burns for the first time and not enjoy the Dessert Room experience?!  I also added a “Cafe Con Leche” Bern to enjoy with my dessert.

When our server brought our mouth wateringly delectable dessert platter out, she also brought us a mini cookie dough truffle with a candle on it wishing us a happy anniversary! The speak easy ambiance of the Dessert Room is unlike any dining experience I have ever had! The Dessert Room was the exclamation point on the evening!!! The vibe alone of Bern’s was pleasurable to all five senses and worth every extra penny we may have paid to celebrate our anniversary in style!

Have a great foodie weekend!

Rachel