Timmy W.
Yelp
I've been a local since 2009. I've been to this place for private dinner four times since then. Each time I've been disappointed in a different way. I only find that I really enjoy myself When I'm there in the back room for a large function, but I'll get to that in a bit. The reason I decided to write the review after today's meal is to remind myself to never come here again on my own dime.
Tonight, my wife and I were looking for a nice steak dinner. We made a reservation for 5:30 and were running late, so we called and asked if they could do 6:00 and they said 5:45 was the best they could do. This was very nice of them. When we sat down, the place was nearly empty. A couple groups at the bar and two tables were occupied. We also showed up at their old location, first, but that's our fault. We looked at their drink menu and it looked like it had been copied and pasted from Google: it had an old fashioned, Manhattan, margarita, martini, mojito, and a couple other cookie cutter drinks. Nothing original. I ordered a Hendricks negroni and asked for it to be served on one large ice cube. What I got was a "negroni" served on a bunch of small ice cubes and no orange garnish. Server asked if I was ok w/o an orange slice--can't really have a negroni w/o the appropriate garnish for scent and flavor but I was fine with it since they had already brought it out to me. I think the standard at any other restaurant would be for the waiter/waitress to come back and say they didn't have oranges and to ask if I wanted something different. I then asked why it wasn't served on one large ice cube and she said "oh we don't have those big ice cubes". Ok, so, not only does your bar lack ORANGES but it also knowingly serves drinks in ways that customers have specifically asked not to serve them? Phenomenal. I ordered an old fashioned, next. Equally unpleasant. Again, no orange (although shame on me for asking for another drink w an ingredient they clearly didn't have), and the maraschino cherry looked like it was plucked straight off a shelf at Harris teeter. Looked like it was made out of plastic. It was watered down, and again, served on a bunch of small ice cubes. I get equal-quality drinks at Shooters. I then ordered the house Cabernet right before I got my food. I finished my lamb chops and the wine still hadn't been served to me yet so I cancelled it--so no comment there. "Bartender was busy". Cool.
So, bar service was an F.
The food, however, was actually pretty GOOD! We started with spinach artichoke dip and that was pretty rich and they made a nice touch by serving the tortilla chips super hot. We also got a Caesar salad for my wife and I. It wasn't the best but also not the worst. Very little artichoke flavor, if any, and the lettuce leaves looked like they were wilted and several days old. She got the potato gnocchi special w chicken. I got lamb chops and fries, with the lamb served as rare as the chef would accept. To my surprise (I was already ticked off by the bar service) the lamb and my wife's gnocchi were pretty good. The lamb was indeed purple and cool in the middle--which is how I like it and oftentimes people are afraid to serve it that way. The lamb was fresh and juicy and served with some vinegar mixture on the side that complimented it nicely. The fries were so crispy and perfectly seasoned. Best fries I've had in a while actually; probably on par w vin rouge and nanasteak's fries.
Unfortunately, the restaurants bar service damned any positive opinion I could've formulated. Total price for my meal came out to about $145. I would have rather made the entire meal for my wife at home. 2 stars for this visit.
Now onto the pleasant experiences: The other more pleasant times I've been here were for formal functions or industry events. Open bar, prefixed menu, and individualized service. Never ever had any of the above issues (although the ice thing was a constant). So for times where we book out the entire back room, I'd say this place was pretty damn good. Food is consistently good, and they even had space for AV equipment that we used for presentations. Unclear how their new location will function in this aspect. So I'd give it four or five stars for these types of events.
Look, If you're in the mood for a steak dinner, there are at least two other steakhouses that won't break the bank but will serve amazing food: Bin54 and NanaSteak. If you're looking for a more old school vibe, then angus barn or Ruth's Chris. Even if I wanted a NY strip I'd go to vin rouge or one of many other places that serve one steak dish. Metro 8 has fallen to near the bottom of the list. I hope they do change for the better, some day, as I'd hate to see a local restaurant like this go under.