By Dave Begel Contributing Writer Published Nov 12, 2012 at 8:01 PM

Eddie Martini's has long been one of my favorite special-occasion restaurants. It has always featured great steaks, wonderful atmosphere and service that I think is unmatched in this city.

I have eaten there on birthdays and anniversaries, I've hosted job interviews there and I've had political luncheons in the place.

That's why I'm so surprised at the dinner I had there Friday night.

My wife and I were there for our anniversary dinner. When you go to Eddie Martini's you order steak, and that's what we did. My wife had a filet and I had a porterhouse. I also had escargot for an appetizer, snap peas with dinner along with asparagus Hollandaise and sauteed mushrooms.

Whenever I've eaten at Eddie Martini's I always left raving about the meal. Not so much this time.

The service was still outstanding. But my wife's filet was very dry. Even a steak that is ordered medium well done should be moist. This one very dry. My porterhouse was good, but not great. The texture of the steak was much more limber than it should have been. A great porterhouse should have a bit of firmness to it.

Neither my wife nor I drink and our bill was $158 for two. That's a lot of money to me and I expected an outstanding meal. Let's just say I was very surprised at how ordinary it was.

I hope it was a momentary failing.

Dave Begel Contributing Writer

With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.

He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.

This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.

Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.