Z's Oyster Bar & Steakhouse Downtown

I have been eating now for 29 years, only about 22 of which I can remember.  In 22 years of eating out the service myself and the rest of my party received was Undoubtably, Undeniably, Unmistakably THE WORST. I would further elaborate on other areas such as ambiance, food quality, price, but I cannot.  My experience was so negative the entire meal was void.  I gave an extra star because I assume the (2) $57 Crab Legs were good, I was far too distracted at how terrible, horrible, awful our server was in every way that I blacked out whilst eating.  

If for some reason you go here by mistake and are served by a dark-haired woman with glasses, run away!!

Awful.
Took a group of 16 to this place during the Derby and ok, it was busy.  But these clowns should be ready for that during the Derby.  
Took an hour to salads, the ones of us that we're lucky enough to get salads.  Many didn't.
The next thing was unbelievable.  Took between an hr and a half to 2 hours to get our entrees.  
If u got a steak as a dinner u were SOL cuz they didn't have steak knives.  Luckily the steaks were tender and moist so we could use our butter knives.  
What finally put us over the edge was au gratin potatoes that were raw.  In 3 hrs these clowns couldn't cook potatoes.  Sent the potatoes back and they sent out raw potatoes 2 more times.   If u have all night to go here for dinner, I wouldn't suggest au gratin potatoes.
My steak was good.  My wife's lobster tail was like a piece of rubber.  When she finally got butter after 10 minutes, it was almost edible.
When the manager finally came over after repeated requests, there was no apology and he really seemed to not care in the least.  Said "it's Derby time and we're busy.".  
Save to say that none of us at our 2 tables will ever go to this place again.  Although, I assume it will be closed soon enough with service like this.
Pathetic

I was a big fan of Z's Fusion and was shocked to find it replaced by the steakhouse. I just recently moved back to the area, so I didn't hear about the switch. I'm wondering why this was considered a smart business move, as Jeff Ruby's, Eddie Merlot's, and Morton's are all about a block away from Z's location. Who looks at that market and thinks, "Gosh, what this place needs is a steakhouse?"

The interior has not been renovated that I can tell, not that it needed it. The beautiful tile work behind the bar, the glass work along the walls, and low lighting all work together to give the place the feel of a modern underground bar. The windows have all been covered with wood blinds, blocking any outside views and lowering the light levels to a point where it is difficult to see the menu. Despite the lack of changes visually, the place is definitely hoping for a fancier clientele. Two years ago my group ran in from the rain during Thunder and comfortably ate in our blue jeans and polos. Now it's mostly people in suits and we felt very out of place in our game-day attire.

I don't know if Z's is still on the Urban Bourbon Trail, but I do know that a) they don't have a cocktail menu and b) they can't make a proper mint julep. The bartender, who was new, made one that was close but just a little too sweet. She asked one of the servers to show her how to make one and, while it was pretty, it was not sweet at all.

The food we ordered wasn't bad per se, but I won't be back for it. The salad my mother ordered was mostly lettuce, with one little piece of celery, one artichoke heart slice, two cucumbers, and some red onion. Yes, it was the house salad, but one would expect something a little more interesting than that for the prices. My lobster bisque was nothing special and was a bit heavy on the celery salt. The ahi tuna sashimi was anemic and the amount of tuna for the price was ridiculous.

The only thing going for this place was the friendly service. Everyone was kind and chatty. Food came in a reasonable amount of time.

I miss the days when you could walk in and get an awesome plate of sushi for a reasonable price and the drinks were strong and inventive. I suppose I just have to let go of the glory days.