Marie W.
Yelp
A popular downtown destination for business travelers and special celebrations.
So, I've been to this steakhouse about 5 times while staying as a guest at the JW Marriott. Why then would I give it just 2 stars? The stars are for the ambiance, the cleanliness, and the wait staff. The staff are impeccably trained for service. They are attentive and friendly. They give you 5 star service each and every time. Although reservations are preferred they will sit walk ins quickly with a smile. The tables are set with clean fresh linen and the glasses and silverware are spotless. The clean and inviting ambiance is both elegant and modern and the kitchen and grill are visible at the back of the restaurant with a very professional cook staff, all dressed in clean whites and blacks. There is an excitement to the environment and it's clear that the staff are proud of what they do and what they have to offer.
The food is very expensive, not obscenely expensive but pricey, as a nice dinner for two with a couple of cocktails can be about $300 with tax and tip. The staff is so friendly and professional (and in more expensive restaurants that's not always something you can say in the same breath) it's hard not to give them the max tip which I have always done at this restaurant.
Now for the food. My husband is a steak man. Given any choice of two or more foods he will always choose steak. He always also chooses the highest quality steak available. I also enjoy steak but I like the vegetable sides as well. When you order the steak, there are no sides. Just steak. It's the focal point of the whole dinner and reasonable to expect that if all you get is steak at $80-90 a plating that this should meet your expectations of a gorgeous mouthwatering steak.
My... steak... expectations...have...never... been... met.
The steak is always always always always always overcooked. I gave it 5 ALWAYS because that's how many times I've tried. We thought in this town, for these prices, and for the foot traffic this steakhouse gets, this is the best you can get in Charlotte (soooo wrong on this-- see my other steakhouse review). Plus, when you're a guest at a hotel and you've just had a long plane flight and you've subsisted on airline fare, all you want to do is have a solid meal and sleep. Usually when you're that hungry, everything tastes good. Each time I've gone back I've tried different cuts: The big meaty Rib Eye (good God, people how can anyone ruin a juicy rib eye and make it not so juicy!?), the petite cut steak, the New York Strip, etc. I usually order medium rare and each time I cut into the first dry bite of every steak I've tried, I keep cutting through the steak to hopefully find the juicy center and I never find it. One time, in disgust, I sent my large rib eye back. I had ordered the biggest cut because I'd figured they couldn't possibly overcook every part of that large a cut but they did). They offered to redo it so I asked that they perhaps cook it rare to medium rare and that time, the outside was cooked, but the center was cool....like they had taken it out of the cooler and not allowed it to reach room temperature before again overcooking it on the outside. We finally tried one last time and my New York strip was again unpalatable with overcooking. Let me describe my medium rare: It was slightly charred on the outside (not always a bad thing if the center is tender and juicy). Warm to touch on the outside. My medium rare for the first 5 cuts was medium well to well done with no bounce to the meat when a fork is pressed against the cut end, and minimal to no juice with each cut. There was no steam or heat coming from the meat. The inner part of the meat was cooked at a firm medium. The flavor was bland and it was over salted. I suspect they must keep the meat under heat lamps while the dishes wait to be picked up by staff or their idea of a medium rare is not the same as most restaurants: I was so unhappy with my steak and so reluctant to send back yet another meal that I just sat there and picked at my $80 steak complaining bitterly to my husband which has basically ended our trial and error days at Dean's Steakhouse. If you want to go somewhere special for a dinner date or a business meet up, Deans is the right place to go. I think the prices reflect the experience.
Just don't order the steak.
