Rodeo Grill Restaurant Review, Palma

Some friends had been to visit, and to say thank you they offered to take the Canadian and I out for dinner. The Canadian had been asking for a good steak since she arrived in Mallorca two months ago but in the summer heat I had always felt more inclined to have salads or tapas out doors. However, the other day we stumbled across the Rodeo and thought it looked like a smart restaurant with a good selection of steaks. When a local friend said that it was indeed a good place to eat we decided to visit and when our visitors offered to pay we decided that the visit should be immediate.

Rodeo is decorated in a clean but warm style. Wooden panels and exposed brick work as well as a copper-clad ceiling give the place an almost autumnal glow that is broken by the sparkling wine glasses and crisp, clean napkins. There is a seating on three floors and the restaurant can accommodate about 200.

We were seated by a very friendly waitress and we began with our usual greeting;

"Hola, Hablas Ingles?"

She did not. But no matter, the menus would be in English. They were not.

This did cause some concern as picking a steak in a new restaurant is fraught with difficulty. I have shown less interest when choosing clothes, friends and even places to live than when I pick a steak. Not all "mediums" are alike and sometimes "rare" in one restaurant means still very much alive in another. Added to this conundrum was the issue of translating the different cuts into Spanish. Chateaubriand was still chateaubriand, but what was a "Solomillo"? Panic washed over me.

Luckily our waitress had seen this all before and indicated that we could come with her upstairs to choose our steaks. Upstairs the grill is laid out for all to see, and in front of the grill is a butchers display with some of the best looking cuts of meat I have seen since I arrived here in Mallorca. Huge T-bones and fillets like baseballs were on display in front of us and we picked our steaks with renewed excitement.

We managed to translate enough of the starter menu to order four starters which we shared in a tapas style. The fried Camembert, spinach croquettes, jamon iberico croquettes and calamari were all very good with everyone agreeing that the spinach croquettes were a surprise hit and favourite all round.

As delicious, and filling, as our first course had been I had come to Rodeo to enjoy a steak and I was not disappointed. Our meat arrived all at once on separate salvers and were transferred carefully to our plates along with their natural juices. My fillet was cooked to perfection and seasoned with a rubbing of rough salt that made it one of the best I have ever had. I chose to have my meal with a side of grilled asparagus, aubergine, zucchini and tomato and I helped myself to some of the Canadian's fries. Our friends' chateaubriand, which is a portion for two, came with green beans and potatoes and both agreed it was excellent. Everyone was in agreement that the meat was delicious, tender and full of flavour except the Canadian who had requested her steak well done and found it to be a little dry.

We chose a bottle of white to go with our starters and the red to accompany our meat. The white wine Mar de Frades 2011 Albarino sported the DO quality symbol and was fruity and sweet and a big hit with one of our table who opted to stay on that when we chose to move over to the house red. The red, a 2007 Lagunilla Reserva was the perfect accompaniment to our perfect steaks.

After starters and steaks we were too full to try deserts and asked for the bill feeling that whatever it came to was money well spent on an excellent meal. The total for our evening of steak heaven was €175 between the four of us.

If I was asked to recommend a steak house in Palma I wouldn't think twice before sending friends to Rodeo, I'd just make sure they had a phrase book.