Amy X.
Yelp
Ambiance:
This place feels like they have a hierarchy way of seating people. They seem to put the very young, attractive people in the front of the restaurant to show they're hip and cool, and the rest of the people in the back. I could be wrong, but it was a pretty big restaurant and we were placed in the back with a lot of older people.
They had a guy playing music, which was cute. They had table lamps that changed colors. During our stay, they changed it to this orange color that they claimed was more romantic, but it wasn't a soft orange. It was like emergency workers on the road orange. We changed it to a softer bluish white.
This isn't a quiet place, but it isn't like your local sports bar. You'll have to raise your voice a little to hear people you're with. Everyone was dressed really nicely.
Service:
Now, I really wish I didn't give this review, but dear lord, I really hate being scammed and i feel like people should know. I'm going to start off by saying I don't mind spending money on something i feel is worth it, but this server was another level.
Our server, Luis (Luiz?) was such an upselling snake. First he comes to our table and asks if we'd like sparkling water. Doesn't tell us that it's an extra charge. Every one of his tables starts off with sparkling water, but he doesn't ask later if we want more. He just gives you regular water after - so he knows he's selling you extra. I've been to enough restaurants where they offer still or sparkling and it's on the house (because they make their own). Wasn't an option. First upcharge.
My friend orders the house wine and he tries to sell us a bottle and my friend goes, "no, I'll just have whatever glass since I'm only having two." Luis replies with, "oh so you want the 8oz?" "Sure, whatever's on the menu." Second upcharge. There wasn't an option for the 8oz on the menu. There was only one price on the menu for $17.
Luis tells us about the special, which is a larger cut of steak, topped with 2 foie gras, some side stuff, and costs somewhere in the $340 range. (Again upcharge) We say no thanks, it's too much food, and he presses again for the upsell. No thank you. It's not what we want.
We finish our food and we wait 20 minutes to order dessert. When he brings the dessert, we ask for the check at the same time because at this point from the time we're seated and the time we've gotten dessert, it's been 2 hours.
We get the bill and see the sparkling water charge - that's super annoying, but whatever, it's a few dollars. My friend just wanted the two glasses of wine - when we looked at the check, he goes "wait, why is it $54 for 2 glasses of wine when the price stated $17 each glass?" Luis replies with, "oh it's because you got the 8oz one instead of the 5oz. Was this not what you wanted? I can go talk to the manager to see if you want it changed?" (My friend didn't see the option for another price. He just saw one price on the menu for wine.) And of course Luis relies on people not wanting to make a scene, which we didn't and just paid the difference on the bill.
Food:
We got the brioche (because i saw people getting it on other tables and it looked so good!), Ribeyes, side salad, foie gras, and creme brulee.
Brioche: for this alone i would come back. They bring it over whole and use two forks to pull it apart. The outside is flaky and crisp, the inside is soft and chewy. It comes with a side of whipped butter and lobster butter - both of which i practically licked off the plate. It's so good.
Ribeye: we ordered it med rare, and i felt like it was overcooked. The inside looked more medium than rare. The meat was tough and didn't feel like a $100 cut of meat. I've definitely spent less at other restaurants and gotten much better quality. For a steak place, they really need to up their game. (I also come from a family of butchers, so I may be biased.)
Foie gras: seriously wonderful. Nice, crisp edges, while remaining buttery smooth on the inside. (Was a little cold to the tongue on the inside though.)
Creme brulee: good, but nothing to really write home about. The burnt sugar topping was a little thicker than my personal preference, but it was still good.
Summary:
So all in all, is $30ish upcharge worth a crappy review? Likely not, but it is one of those places where I felt like I got scammed and would honestly prefer to spend my money on another place with more honest staff. I'm sure all this guy cares about is his percentage tip at the end of the day. I can't tell you if other servers at this place practices this, but I wouldn't risk it for the food.
Maybe come here for the brioche. It's super good. Hats off to the bakery chef. I would get super fat from this if i lived here.