BJ's Steakhouse

Tried BJ's based on the recommendation of a local person.

Ordered strip steaks with baked potatoes and salad.  Steaks were excellent and prepared as requested. Potatoes were served with a side of "spread cup" or something to that effect. Everyone at the table had the same reaction to this mystery spread: to go out and spend a good bit of money for a steak and potato dinner, can't you expect butter or margarine for the baked potato?  The mysterious butter substitute seemed to cheapen the whole experience.

Our server was a bit aloof. Didn't seem like she really wanted to be there.  The beer I ordered wasn't delivered with my food...I had to remind her that I ordered it.

All in all, it was a great place for a steak, but marred by cheap condiments and a so so server.

So I made it to BJs, and I have mixed feelings.  What they do good is pretty darn excellent.  What they do bad is really has nothing going for it at all.

I ordered a steak to share with my wife, and I got a burger for my boys to share.  The steak was excellent.  Really tasty.  Not much in the way of marinating, but it was grilled well, tender, and juicy.

My kids' burger looked pretty crusty, though.  And the salad I got with my steak was positively nasty looking to me.  My wife gladly ate it, but I couldn't believe they thought it was worth serving.

On top of that, the place is pretty much a bar with some tables pushed off to the side and blocked off by the walls of the booths.  On top of that, the booths display bottle after bottle of whiskey and bourbon.  So even in the non-bar area of the restaurant, we're still assaulted with lots of booze.

Some of the food is really good, but the rest of the experience left a lot to be desired.

I've been to BJ's several times. Some good, some just OK. This last visit was simply OK mainly because they just didn't manage the size of our party very well, despite the fact that we had actually had the party room reserved for 2 weeks.

First, for a party of 25, you'd think they'd have staffed it better with more than just one waitress. Second, from the moment of arrival and order to the actual serving time of food was an hour and fifteen minutes. There could have been a little better planning involved in regard to large parties.

Otherwise, BJ's is a good restaurant in a limited market of Bardstown's size. Decent to good food, with fairly good service. Just keep your parties below 8.