In retrospect, I suppose we should have known when we pulled up that any place with a valet is probably going to be above the per diem limit. You see, we are restricted to a certain amount each day. We went in anyway, and quickly found out that while there were things on the menu that we would be able to get and still be within limits, but an actual steak would be out of reach.
Even before that, we had another chance to punch out, and that was when the hostess looked us up and down, made a face (slightly, but it was there), and told us that she "could not seat us anywhere except the bar area". Then we were shuttled off into the furthest corner of the bar. The servers were polite, but in the sort of way that said "pleas hurry and order, eat and GTFO".
In any case, we ignored all these warning signs and pressed on. Revealed on the menu was a 10oz Sirloin for $59. Wow. OK well I am a firm believer in "You get what you pay for", so we continued, even though the price of the steak was nearly over our allowable limit. That's when the server dropped the bomb. The sirloin was a normal everyday sirloin. Available, however was Kobe and Wagyu beef for only $10 per ounce.
Oh sure. Because I want to spend 100 bucks tonight on the appetizer sized steak. Now don't get me wrong. I am not opposed to spending 100 or more on a good dinner. We all know its less about the food and more about the fine dining experience, right? Right? Well if "Fine Dining" includes having two servers that we hardly ever saw, and a trainee that came around to refill drinks (apparently they weren't allowed to talk to customers), then that's where we were.
Obviously nobody ordered steak. Danny and Alex got a lobster pasta dish, and I opted for grilled salmon. Alex asked the server how much actual lobster was in the dish, and she said 7-8 ounces. She must have meant 7-8 ounces split between Danny and Alex, because that's pretty much what it was. So basically they got a bowl of noodles that might have had a few ounces of lobster in it for $35. For my part, I spent $32 on 6 ounces of farm raised salmon. Seriously. I'm live in the Pacific Northwest. I catch wild salmon from the beach near my house. Even if I didn't want to do that, I could have gotten about 6 POUNDS of fresh (not farm raised) salmon for $32. And yes, I can tell the difference by the taste. In the NW, farm raised applies to cows and pigs, not fish.
Heres a hint, Ranch Steakhouse: If you're going to charge top dollar, what you put on the plate had better not be substandard in any way. That did not happen here. Save your money.
Service: 2 out of 5
Food: 2 out of 5
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