CHEF SAMBRANO: RAVENS DEN STEAKHOUSE

Monday, August 21, 2017

RAVENS DEN STEAKHOUSE

Today I had to ask a couple, those lost looking visitors on honeymoon here on Maui, all smiles, in love, crossing the street looking into each other's eyes and nearly getting hit by a cab. Yeah those guys. It's that time again, I ask them where they are from, and where do they like to eat. In this case, asked them where's a good steakhouse where they are from.

It went down like this, I had a gig in Paia, on the north shore of Maui, a once quiet plantation town, now a bustling tourist mecca, with surf and sun in abundance! So I was done with my gig, I start walking to my rig that was in a parking lot up the street on Baldwin Avenue. I spot this dude with a light blue t-shirt and kaki shorts, and flip flops, he looked like a skinny Danny Bonaduce, with black framed glasses. And holding his hands was a slender woman with shoulder length brown hair, she too wore black framed glasses. I was wearing my wire frame glasses. Like that fucking shit matters right? OK- let's carry on.

"Hey dude, you guys visiting?" I asked.

"Yeah, we are just cruising your island, it's beautiful here," says the dude.

"Cool man, where you guys from?"

"We're from Vermont."

"Oh the east coast, cool bro."

"Yeah long flight, we got in three days ago, we got four more, then we fly to Honolulu for a week, we are staying in Kapolei."

"Alright, that's nice."

The wife smiles and says, "So where's Mama's Fish House?"

"Oh, you gotta drive north about less than a mile, it will be on the left hand side."

"OK, we heard they got awesome fish."

"Yeah, good stuff."

We bull shitted some, then I asked them the ultimate question. "So back home, where's a good steakhouse in Vermont?"

I was thinking that was a dumb question, what if they didn't like steaks?

Then the guy goes, "Raven's Den."

The wife smiles, "Yeah good food."

"OK, Raven's Den- what's so good about this place?" I asked with curiosity written all over my face.

"The food is fresh, it's just good, we aren't like foodies, taking pictures with our phones on everything we eat, we are simple people, kind of boring, but Raven's Den is really good," said the man.

At this point I felt stupid, I didn't introduce myself, so after I did, I find out the guy's name was Phil, and her name was Pam. (No pics or last names for obvious reasons).

So I get out my iPhone 6s, and I dial in on Raven's Den Steakhouse, all three of us are looking at my phone, at this point I'm thinking, "Shit I should get the iPhone 7 Plus, the screens bigger.

Phil is a skinny fuck, but this dude can eat, we are looking at the menu, and if you go to the website you'll see what I mean. He starts pointing at..

"Oh man, that Double Thick Rib Pork Chop is killer! And the St. Louis Style House Smoked Ribs are killer too! It's huge, sometimes we'll share it, or we'll order our own entree and take home the rest, sometimes the dog gets our leftovers."

Hmmm, now my friends, you gotta go to the website and check this shit out! www.ravensdensteakhouse.com

Pam likes to have the 7 oz. filet mignon, and sometimes she will get the Shrimp Scampi. The dinner menu is simple which I like. I hate restaurants that have too much shit on it, and you get all dizzy you know? So that was it really. I mean, that's all they said. Not much.

However if you look at the site, this place has been written up by the likes of Wine Spectator, that's awesome. It's like if I was a first round draft pick for the LA Rams, and Sports Illustrated did an article on me. Haha.

The prices are pretty good, I mean it would be for a special night out for me kind of place, the prices are in the 20s to high 40s. I want to try the Bison Ribeye, $46.00, char grilled, cooked medium rare, served with Wild Mushroom Demi Glace.

What I did not see is Wagyu on here. However Black Angus will do.

Until next time, tell me where you are from, and where to eat if I go and visit.