Touch Steakhouse & Lounge

Still Trying to Find an Identity!

We came here on a Saturday night by mistake.  The old place had sold out to the new owners, and they are trying to establish something, but the direction is totally confusing!  When we had visited, they had been open for 6 months.

The entrance is still a hidden door, and there is barely any signage to let you know this is a restaurant.  When you first walk in, you have to walk through the bar to get to the dining area.  It was poker night, which we had no idea until later what that meant.  As we walked through the bar, 20 sets of eyes stared at us, thinking we were their competition at the poker table.  It was incredibly intimidating.  Half of the people were dressed in shorts and ripped up dirty jeans, not the kind of dining experience we were hoping for.

The music they were playing was 80's rock and roll-Billy Idol, The Cars, etc.  Definitely no elegant dining music.  It was more catered to the poker crowd.

They sat us in the dining room, and the features are the same:  the art painted on the walls is beautiful, the fire place, piano, chandeliers and brick oven are still there, which adds to the ambiance.  But, an artist convinced them to hang some of his modern art, which has absolutely NO place with the old beautiful decor, and clashes to the point that you are ready to ask the servers to take them down.  They add nothing to your dining experience, except in a negative manner.

The food is very good!  Chef Michael Steinberg takes pride in his creations, and puts his touches on both new dishes like Asian calamari (super! Never tasted anything like that!) and American staples like double cut pork chops in a reduction sauce (excellent!).  The desserts are mostly brought in, but a few are made in house, and I would stick to those.

One major problem was the poker participants were in the next room, but the yelling and the noise was extremely loud.  They come through the dining room to get drinks or to go out to smoke, and they act like they are in a dive bar.  There is a room upstairs that would be perfect for this kind of activity, instead of bothering diners who are there for a nice meal.

Hint:  Make sure you call ahead to find out what is going on at the restaurant before you make a reservation.  VERY IMPORTANT!!

So as promised my family & I went back. To my surprise the owner & waiter remembered us. We had a new waitress & she was delightful. The food was cooked to order &the lobster mac n cheese was so good ordered it for dessert! I never ordered a side for dessert before! My daughter had the carrot cake & it was my favorite, my son who ordered my normal dessert, cheesecake, was good & my husband who never orders dessert got the chocolate cake... Yum.... You gotta try this place