Steak 954

Ambiance: Great, I loved the Jellyfish tank, very cool.

Price: Overpriced. @ this price point I would expect to be writing a excellent review with a five star rating.

Food: Horrible. I _ rarely_ send food back especially meat. At first I thought they had given me a salad knife as I couldn't figure out why I couldn't cut into my steak. 1.5 bites later I realized the quality of the meat i was served was poor at best. I ordered the Rib-eye med.-rare as it is my favorite cut of beef. Worst Rib-eye I have ever tasted. Let me list the reasons:

- Outside was burnt.. Hot ovens blah blah blah... Take a cue from Ruth Chris. Even the large chains do it better.

- Meat was extremely hard to chew. I might as well chewed on my shoe.

- Seasoning? Did not taste properly seasoned or cured.  

- Marbling was poor

- Too thick for me 2". Should only have been 1 1/4 inch thick, IMO

Given the price, ambiance, reviews (??), I was shocked at what I was served.

So, I sent it back and asked for a Filet. It was edible but still poor quality.

Mashed Potatoes: @ $10 they better be awesome. Sorry to report they tasted horrible. My wife made the remark , "This tastes like the instant box potatoes I remembered from growing up as a child".

Chopped Salad: Good

Oysters: Meh,.. Not impressed. Presentation was good.

My wife had the snapper and said it was very good.

Unfortunately, we did not have a good experience at Steak 954.  First, it was tremendously loud.  We were sat in the middle of two other tables.  I couldn't hear one word my wife said all night.  I intentionally started saying odd ball things really loud just to have fun.  She couldn't hear a word I was saying (nor could anyone else).  The food, for the price, was not even close.  We both ordered 8oz filets.  They were dry and I had to chew it like I had gum in my mouth.  For $40 something dollars, I would expect much better.  The only positve was that the sides were good (Potatoes and Asparagus).  We got out of there as fast as we could.  It might be better for a larger group.  Not recommended for a dinner date night.

This "luxury boutique" steakhouse used to be exactly that - and was my go-to in the beach area, having had numerous exceptional meals here. It's been nearly two years since my last visit and after recently having two back-to-back disappointing meals I simply can't give it the ringing endorsement I once did.

Upon arrival, the hostess attempted to seat us at what was supposed to be a table for four that had mysteriously become a table for two. She apologized and I said, "it's okay, it happens." Her response - "but it shouldn't happen here." That sort of sets the tone for this review. She's right - at this "luxury boutique" steakhouse charging this kind of money, located in an upscale oceanfront hotel, I really should reasonably expect perfection - or pretty close to it.

After 5-10 minutes of watching the jellyfish, we were seated outside. This was a mistake on this particular evening as the patio heaters, which appear to be mainly for show, were not sufficient in creating a comfortable environment. We were too hungry to wait the quoted 15-20 extra minutes for an inside table. Also, the table itself appeared to be close to breaking - the finish was worn off and it looked pretty beat up, easily bending several inches back & forth. Another eyebrow-raising detail.

Our server was surprisingly casual and deadpan, offering his introductory "spiel" as an option (!!!) and lifelessly rattling off the uninteresting specials (perhaps it was his delivery that made them so). Waters weren't kept filled to the brim, cocktail glasses lay empty for long periods of time.

Cocktails, however, were a bright spot. I absolutely loved the Southern Exposure and liked the Eastern Philosophy and Pear Martini.

The $58 seafood platter for two is a waste unless you LOVE cold, plain seafood. It consists of a 1/2 lobster, three shrimp, six oysters (3 east & 3 west), four four-inch crab leg pieces, a medium bowl of ceviche and three dipping vessels (a mayo base, a cocktail sauce and a vinegar base). It sounds like a lot but you're really better off ordering two appetizers, spending half as much and doing much less work.

A few minutes later, a runner brought a steak split onto two plates. It looked bigger than the 12 oz. split filet that we did order, and the timing seemed terribly off. I mindlessly poked it with my fork, waiting for the table's third entree to arrive so I could begin eating. Eventually the server noticed and removed the plates. They didn't seem to go in the direction of the kitchen. That was rather off-putting.

When our meals did arrive, the 12 oz. medium rare filet was fine as usual - hard to visually check for doneness due to the orange LED lighting - but properly seasoned. It was sliced into an odd number of pieces, a thoughtful touch for a split steak, but in a "luxury boutique," a split steak needs to arrive with an even number of pieces.

That third entree was surprisingly greasy lamb chops. They tasted fine but weren't $40 lamb chops. In steakhouse fashion, we ordered three side dishes to share: the crispy baby bok choy, Brussels sprouts and stuffed hash brown. The Brussels sprouts were AWESOME. I repeat, AWESOME. The stuffed hash brown was delicious as usual and the baby bok choy was nice, perhaps a larger portion than was necessary. They appear to be deep fried and tasted a bit gingery.

I was the only one who wanted dessert. Had it not been so cold out, I'd have revisited the Baked Alaska but chose the warm apple galette instead. It was fine. Ultimately, at $100+ per head (and that's being judicious as we were), I expect more.

Despite the lackluster experience the prior night, convenience and familiarity won out. We were thankfully seated inside this time, but the food and service were still lacking. I noticed many of the same faces as the night prior. Typically a restaurant will staff itself with the A-team during its busiest times. Typically. Again, the waters were not refilled and other cups sat empty for too long.

Although the eggs on my salmon Benedict were poached perfectly, they were ensconced by a salty potato pancake and salty dill Hollandaise. The potatoes were salty as well while the lame, very basic Romaine salad seemed out of place. My Vietnamese coffee - which had been the subject of daydreams in the past - arrived layered, not very hot and far too sweet. The omelets my companions ordered were also salty and unfortunately overcooked.

Turkey sausage and bacon should be served on smaller plates. The last time I ordered bacon here, twice as much arrived, it was nice and crisp and far less greasy.

Will I give Steak 954 another chance? Sure, but it'll probably be smaller plates and cocktails at the bar. The hostess at dinner was the only person that appeared to give any effort into making this place live up to its pedigree.

These two meals unfortunately equate to a double-Starr downgrade. The ratings over time are even trending downward here on Yelp. Sorry, Stephen. Get it together.