Dave G.
Yelp
I always try and rate a restaurant for what it's trying to achieve, I never judge a diner against The French Laundry, and I always try to center my reviews around for what the restaurant is aiming at.
All that being said, I had wanted to try this place for a long time, there are not too many higher-end restaurants in The Tavares area, so this was worth a shot. I immediately really like the decor, and figured steampunk was definitely an interesting choice, but everything in the plaza seems to be themed in some kind of steam punk vision.
We were seated rapidly, and our server was very quick, friendly, and attentive
I ordered the the bacon appetizer, prybar old fashioned, as well as their signature New York strip with a caesar salad and carrot cake. I tried to get everything they considered to be their signature dish to get the best feel for the place.
The cocktail was excellent, mostly just an old fashioned but very well done with a large steel ball instead of ice to avoid watering it down.
The main issue I had was the level of pretentiousness, and corresponding price, for many of the dishes. Their signature NY strip under a smoke cloche was good and well seasoned, but also slightly overcooked; their grilled Caesar was really fresh, but probably didn't need the grilling, the bacon and Maple appetizer was also extremely good but a messy and a pain to eat when it's hanging from a laundry line with an old pair of scissors. (Seriously, the bacon was really good and different and worth the try even with the mess). Even the bread we ordered to the table had a "butter candle" which seemed wholly unnecessary and more of an excuse to charge more for bread. It screams of recently graduated culinary student trying way too hard.
Overall the food was quite good, if a little overpriced. If a little more care was placed on actually making the food rather than unnecessary bells and whistles it would probably be a little bit better experience overall. I do plan on stopping in again to try their tomahawk and hopefully get slightly better result.
If you're already in the area, it's probably worth the stop if you're looking for a solid steakhouse.