It was a big deal: Morton’s invited us in to sample some of their food. Yes, Morton’s—the big chain, serving steak coast to coast.

The whole affair started with a big menu presentation. The server brought a big cart to the table and essentially walked through the menu options, offering a visual display of meat cuts, vegetables, and more. What we remember most were a big lobster (averaging four pounds that evening) and a big potato (which looked like it could feed a family of four).

A big loaf of bread made its way to the table, along with our appetizer: jumbo lump crab cake. Big nods of approval from us. Moist and crab-meaty, but with a big pricetag ($16) for just one on the plate.

One of us got the classic surf-and-turf combination, which started with a (big) salad, followed by a plate featuring a single-cut filet mignon, a lobster tail, and big spears of asparagus. The other got a big-ol’ bone-in ribeye steak with Lyonnaise potatoes. No doubt about the winning dish: the ribeye was both big in size (Flintstones big, said our server) and big in taste, with lots of flavor coming from the marbling and the bone. The filet mignon was big in texture, but no match for the ribeye in appeal. And while the lobster tail was swimmingly big, it was not so big in taste.

The big question, then: does size matter? You’ll pay big bucks for the privilege of eating at Morton’s. You’ll get nice service on your big night out. You’ll have big choices of big ticket items that range from big time to, well, big whoop. Choose the right steak and you’ll get a big payoff. And dessert can be a big ending. One gets a big billing: Morton’s Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake. You’ll need a big stomach to eat up all this food. Maybe that’s why we saw a lot of big doggie bags as people walked out the doors.

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