Comments on: Steiner Ranch Steakhouse Reviews

By: Poster Formerly Known As

Poster Formerly Known As — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

PRIME BEEF???????
Went back recently after a hiatus, hoping it would be better. Been there many times, with experiences from good to bad and everywhere between. I noticed on the menu that there are no longer two categories of beef (used to be divided between “prime” and the lesser “heirloom.”). Wife’s steak was pretty good, mine was chewy. It didn’t really occur to me until after that the beef is now called “premium” beef. I e-mailed to ask what this meant, with no response. Iassume if it was prime, they’d call it prime. So are we now betting non-prime beef at a high-end steakhouse, at prime prices? Does anyone know?

By: Steiner Mom of 2

Steiner Mom of 2 — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Let me start off by saying we liked Steiner Steakhouse. We use to eat there several times a year, and we would bring people from out of town there with pride. That being said, they have really gone down since we had been there last. We got there, got a seat outside right away, and it still took 2 hours to eat. The service was so bad and the steak was awful. They also raised the prices, on one steak 8 dollars and took stuff off the menu. If you want to go there, have drinks and listen to music while enjoying a view then it’s a great place otherwise find another steakhouse for a good meal. We wont being going back anytime soon. What a shame!!

By: Poster Formerly Known As

Poster Formerly Known As — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

OK — we’ve had almost two years now to review it. We have eaten there several times in the dining room, and several times in the patio or at the bar. Though I know someone who had a horrible experience recently, the steaks, other than the first visit, have generally been well-prepared. That said, neither the quality of the meat nor the cooking is on the same level as Fleming’s, Perry’s, Sullivans, etc. The service is no where near those places.

The bigger issue I have is with the bar and wine. FIrst the wine: the last two times I have ordered a bottle (mid-range price, not the cheap stuff), the waiter has come back and told me they we “out” and suggested a much higher-priced wine. I happened to notice a posting on one of the review websites where someone had a similar experience this summer. Either they are not doing a good job of stocking wines, or they are just trying to make more money by steering us to a higher-priced wine.
Issue 2 — the bar. The bar pours the weakest drinks this side of the Oasis. My last martini glass was literally half full, and the drinks with mixers contain way too much mix. I’ll pay a premium price and always call the brand, but don’t short me! Even worse, last visit my wife ordered a drink with Grey Goose. I didn’t watch the bartender pour the first, but on the second I saw her pour from the “well” vodka. We were charged for the Grey Goose. When I asked, she had a “deer in headlights” look and didn’t argue. Last week, I found two other people that had a similar thing happen.
We’ll be back, but they really need to improve some things…

By: Jerome

Jerome — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

My wife and I had dinner at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse on our anniversary. Jason was outstanding at getting everything on the table just right and that included the excellent meal. My wife had the chicken fried elk and I had the fillet. Both were very tasty and prepared just right. We could not have asked for a more perfect dining experience. Thank you Steiner Ranch Steakhouse.

By: SAVE YOUR MONEY

SAVE YOUR MONEY — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Because we’re SR residents, we really want to support the local businesses. However, after multiple horrible experiences there, we will NOT be returning to SR Steakhouse. While the view is gorgeous and we enjoy sitting outside, the majority of their “signature” foods are saturated in salt and at times, inedible. The service is abysmal at best. And, if you’re in a group (we had 8 adults, 8 kids), expect the orders to be delivered in 20-minute increments.

On our most recent debacle of a visit, it was literally an hour from the time the first to last plates hit the table. The last to arrive was the sleeping 5-year old’s WRONG order… by the way, we ordered for the kids at 5:40. Her plate arrived around 7:15.-7:20. Of course, we paid for it, but she – being asleep – didn’t eat a bite. And, since it was the wrong order (for the second time, we didn’t ask to have it boxed up). When I told the waiter of the mistaken delivery (clearly I was getting annoyed, my daughter’s burger was literally the first order placed and the last to arrive) he SCREECHED at me “So, WHAT DO YOU WANT?” I didn’t say a word in response. I simply got up, walked to the hostess stand and asked to speak to a manager. I was told the waiter would be spoken with later. (A few minutes later, I saw the two gentlemen pointing at our table and laughing.) By the way, there was no offer to comp the meal or do anything to rectify the situation.

By the way, I am not the typical “Steiner Whiner.” I have NEVER, ever asked to speak to a manager. I always tip 20-25%, regardless. I worked my way through college and have waited many a 12-top. However, the experience we had that night would not have been tolerated at Burger King (and the food probably would have been better).

SAVE YOUR MONEY/TIME or go somewhere else.

By: High Expectations, Low Reality

High Expectations, Low Reality — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

By the way, I am not the typical “Steiner Whiner.” I have NEVER, ever asked to speak to a manager. I always tip 20-25%, regardless. I worked my way through college and have waited many a 12-top. However, the experience we had that night would not have been tollerated at Burger King (and the food probably would have been better).

SAVE YOUR MONEY/TIME or go somewhere else.

By: jf

jf — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

- Five Star Prices, Two Star Service -
As the other posts have stated the atmosphere is different from most steak houses – not bad, just different. The décor is nice and the views are great, but you might want to reconsider if you are looking for the traditional austere environment.
We ordered appetizers (she crab soup and jumbo prawns with extra horseradish) and a bottle of wine. The food came, no drinks. We waited for our drinks, and we waited some more. When the waitress did show up with the wine it was not what we ordered. We waited some more. Eventually she showed with the right bottle. We told her only one of us was having wine, she poured for both anyway. Then we discovered that she had not provided any spoons for the soup. By the time we were all set the soup was cold, had to send it back. I’m not completely positive on this, but I’m pretty sure they microwaved our bowl and sent it back out. The rest of the evening was marred with other similar flaws – each minor by itself, but added up to a sum total of service quality on par with Denny’s or IHOP. Strangely the place was crawling with employees, but most of the time they were standing around the edges of the room doing pretty much nothing – very aggravating when our table was littered with finished dishes and we were in need of something. In the multiple times I have dined at Sullivan’s, Flemings, Eddy V’s and the like I have NEVER had service anywhere near this poor.
The food itself was good. The steaks were tender, well cooked and well seasoned. The inclusion of sides (mashed potatoes and vegetable of the day) is a welcomed touch. As others have commented the cheese bread is fantastic, and goes nicely with the entrées. The dessert (evening special apple tart) was a great concept and was beautifully presented, but the crispy tortilla had a strong fried taste that would seem to indicate they haven’t changed out their cooking oil in quite some time.
All things considered it is unlikely that we will go back – the food (on par with other nice restaurants but not remarkable) paired with the poor service makes it hard to justify a $150 dinner for two. With our waitress knowing the multiple service gaffs she said the manager authorized her to comp our dessert – which was a nice gesture. I was however surprised that the manager never showed up in person, either indicating that our experience was not important or that our encounter was not isolated and they were putting out bigger fires.

By: NV

NV — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

My husband and I dined at the Steakhouse last week and had a great experience. We sat on the main level, actually at a dining table in the bar. This place is truely a Steakhouse atmosphere and does not feel stuffy at all. Our food was great. I love that the steak had that fresh off the grill taste. But also love Austin for all the resturant options. I love that we have a place that can give you a great view while sipping drinks and enjoying the sunset, great food, and feel lucky it is in Steiner. You don’t have that uncomfortable stuffy feeling just to have a nice dinner.

By: Tsm

Tsm — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Very, very disappointed.

The waitress appeared as if she came from IHOP and was extremely unprofessional and had this heavy twang of a voice….that I was expecting slap jacks as the special of the day.

We initially complained that we were the only people upstairs, and she said that it would fill up completely. We were there for 40 minutes and one other couple showed up.

While waiting for our “food” the waitress cleaned ever chair back…bottom….legs on the table behind us and then in front of us. Then she came back and she cleaned all the glasses. This was our waitress!! I was in complete shock.

I ordered my steak medium and it was burnt to a crisp. I waited 10 minutes to see if anyone would show up upstairs….so I gave up and ate the steak. Perhaps the worst steak I have eaten in years from any restauarant.

Finally the waitress shows up when we are done. I complained about the steak, and she did ask if I wanted a new steak; but, I said it was a bit late. I had hoped she would go back and get the manager. But, all she did was say sorry and walked away.

For the price this restaurant is not even close to being in the same league as Sullivans or Ruths; so, don’t expect the steaks or side orders to be in the same ball park. If you want to pay $38 for a steak to have a great view, this may be the place for you. If you want great meat and great side orders and service…….stay downtown.

Giant disappointment. Perhaps one of my worst dining experience since moving to Austin 15 years ago.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

We finally made it there last night, and I have to say that I was disappointed. I love a great steak, and Sullivan’s is one of my favorite restaurants in town, so I was really excited to get a high-end steakhouse right down the street.

Expensive? Yes. High-end? Definitely not. It felt like an overpriced sports bar. We were seated upstairs in a very brightly-lit room adorned with a large bar and big-screen TV. Not my idea of ideal ambiance in a suppostedly nice restaurant. It was also very loud, due to the bar patrons. Also, the wait station was right on the side of the room, so it created a lot of traffic and even more noise from the wait staff talking and yelling “where’s the peppermill?” In other high-end steakhouses (Sullivan’s, Ruth’s Chris, etc.), the bar is not even in the same room as diners, candlelight illuminates rather than bright recessed lighting glaring on the table like a spotlight, and the wait stations are no where to be seen.

To add insult to injury, there was horrible pop country music being piped in on the speakers. Rather loudly, I may add. Nothing screams class like Shania Twain.

My husband and I were looking forward to a nice romantic evening. Instead we got bright lights, country music, and college basketball on a big screen TV. We can easily find that elsewhere for a lot less than the $150 we spent. And we spent half the night repeating ourselves because we couldn’t hear each other talking.

The food, however, was excellent. But it could not make up for the other shortcomings. Next time I’m in the mood for a great steak, I will drive right past Steiner Ranch Steakhouse on my way downtown.