Rant: Restaurant Expectations Failed

Over the weekend, friends invited us to dinner, to celebrate our 30th Anniversary. We dined at a local high-end steak house, a restaurant that none of us had previously dined at. I've read some positive reviews of the restaurant, but was aware of a few complaints as well. I've been to many other high-end steakhouses, so I had big expectations for this restaurant, especially considering its high menu prices. However, would it compete on the same level as these other steakhouses? 

Overall, I wasn't impressed with the restaurant, and it didn't live up to my expectations. Personally, I don't plan on returning there again. There are plenty of much better options if I want to visit a high-end steakhouse. 

First, their customer service started off very well, when our friends were able to change our original reservation, moving it up a week, fitting us in on a Saturday night. That seemed like a good sign, and even raised my expectations ever higher. When we arrived, the restaurant was quite busy but we were able to sit immediately. I liked the look of the restaurant as well.

Second, as the restaurant was packed, it was noisy, making conversation difficult even just across the table. If it's tough to speak to my dining companions, there's a problem. Unfortunately, this seems to be a common issue at too many restaurants. Why should that be so? It doesn't seem that it would benefit a restaurant to be so noisy.

Third, there were a number of issues with the food. In general, they were small issues, but they weren't the type of issues I expect from a high-end restaurant. Their dishes should be close to impeccable, to justify the quality and high prices of the restaurant. For example, one of the salads included an inedible lettuce stem, the part of the lettuce you normally discard. Why would anyone include it on a dish? It didn't add anything of value to the salad.

In addition, my Arancini didn't possess the crispy exterior they should possess. It tasted fine in other respects, but I expected that a high-end restaurant would have ensured the crispiness of the arancini. My lobster tail was a bit overcooked, and thus a little tough. Overall, the dishes were generally tasty, but they didn't reach the quality I expect from a high-end restaurant. 

Fourth, there were service issues, with the main problem being that our table ordered a second bottle of wine but our server never brought it. There were a few other smaller issues as well, and the server didn't appear to be new. However, I also noted that at two nearby tables there were dishes/glasses that were dropped or fell to the floor, and our server was nearby at both incidents. 

In addition, although the restaurant was well aware we were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, the restaurant did nothing to commemorate that occasion. They certainly were not obligated to do so, but high-end restaurants commonly do so. It gives people an additional reason to consider such restaurants for special occasions.   

This restaurant isn't new, and has garnered some very positive reviews in the media, but my experience didn't live up to my expectations. With all of the other high-end steakhouses in the area, I have no incentive to return to this restaurant. Could it have been simply a bad day? Maybe, but I'm not going to spend all that money to find out. They had a single opportunity to impress me and failed to do so. 

What are your expectations for a high-end restaurant?  

By the way, I'm not going to identify the name of the restaurant. It's not necessary for the basic point of this rant, and before naming it, I would need to speak to the restaurant, to discuss their response to my complaints.