In a school offering champagne education at a beer price, it is no surprise that most students favor cost effective eateries. However, even the thriftiest student splurges occasionally, and the excellent Tornado Steakhouse provides an ideal location for such a blowout event.

Passing through the entrance of the Tornado Steakhouse, one is transported not through space, but in time. The decór is straight out of an episode of Mad Men, technicolor wallpaper bathed in the warm glow of light bulbs turned low. The proprietors of the Tornado have no doubt heard of modernity, but they aren’t having any of it.

The menu is similarly old school. In place of the elaborate nouvelle cuisine of Fresco or Harvest, the Tornado Steakhouse focuses on the ancient standby of serving a huge chunk of meat on a plate. While a selection of fish is generally available, strict vegetarians should be warned: at the Tornado Steakhouse, vegetables are what you find on toothpicks in your alcoholic beverage.

The menu is fairly simple. Choose a cut of meat, choose how much you want it cooked, and, at your option, whether to have the pan deglazed into one of several sauces. Although the menu varies from night to night, there are constants including the house specialty of a bone-in tenderloin weighing in at a pound and a quarter. In addition, the beef cuts of pork, chicken, and venison are all available for consumption.

Assuming this carnivore’s cornucopia is to your liking, the food is absolutely fantastic. The beef fillet with a peppercorn brandy sauce was superb, as were the crab cakes served as an appetizer. My brother, who ordered the titanic tenderloin, expressed similar sentiments. At the prices asked, one should expect nothing less than perfection. At just under $40, sans appetizer, my order was perhaps the most expensive dinner I will have this year.

An issue of note is the relaxed pace at which the dinner is served. At the Tornado Steakhouse dining is something to be slowly savored. Despite receiving only a brief sear, my steak did not reach my plate until over an hour after ordering. While this does allow for a pleasant evening of marinating in the restaurant’s many alcoholic beverages, it may be problematic for those in a hurry.

The Tornado Steakhouse works via a classic formula. It takes a truly amazing cut of meat, adorns it as little as possible, and serves it in a decór unchanged from the Eisenhower administration. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you enjoy this combination of mild kitsch and major meat, you won’t be disappointed.