I decided to take my wife to The Lodge for her birthday. The food was decent, but nowhere near worth the $300 price tag it carried. Let me preface the rest of the review by saying that my wife and I love food. We have had the privilege to dine at some of the finest restaurants in the world head up by chefs such as Ferran Adria, the Roca brothers, Heinz Beck, and others. With that said, we did not expect The Lodge to surpass or, even compare to those experiences but, we were at least hoping to leave feeling like we got what we paid for.
I want to get a few complaints off my chest before I talk about the food. First, we were asked if we were celebrating a special occasion. We were. We told them. They did nothing. I've never experienced that before. Next, we waited for 10 minutes in the lounge before we were offered anything to drink. By the time our drinks arrived, our table was ready. Next, we were seated and given a brief explanation of the menu which was fine except for how often Chef Jason Dady's name was mentioned. It had a bit of a cheesy feel to it. As though Dady's ego was the main course of the menu and we were lucky to get a taste of it. Next, the wine was not presented for our approval before serving. It just showed up in a glass and placed on our table. Very unprofessional. This is a courtesy extended at most mid-level restaurants. Next, our wine glasses were only filled a 1/3 of the way. When paying $16 a glass, you should at least get 1/2 of that glass filled. Next, the service was a circus. We had 5 different waiters/waitresses throughout the night. At one time, even the hostess served us food. Once again, I have never experienced this before at any restaurant. Next, our bread was served an hour into the meal right before our main course. What's the point?
We started off with the seared diver scallop, which was adequately cooked but, a bit boring. The seasoning did nothing to inspire your senses. Unfortunately, this would turn out to be the theme of the night.
Next, was the foie gras. This was one of the best dishes of the night. It was elegant and creative.
Next, we were served an alfredo pasta with corn dressing. The entree was gratis, but I would not have paid for it anyway. It was salty and thrown together. Something you might cook for yourself one of those nights that you have to get creative with a bare pantry.
For the main course, I had the cast iron seared beef tenderloin (although it was more crusted than seared). The flavors were simple but tasty. There were a few burnt spots on the pepper crust and the tenderloin was cold and raw in the middle. A few of the vegetables scattered around the plate were also burnt. Not what I would expect from a chef with Dady's reputation. My wife had the rabbit wrapped in pancetta. This dish was nearly flawless. It could be best described as great comfort food. I wish that I would have ordered it.
For dessert we had the ""souffle"" inspired nutella chocolate cake with a peanut butter mousse and caramel. It's hard to screw up chocolate and peanut butter. It was yummy. Not sure how it was ""souffle"" inspired though? As my wife put it, it was like a deconstructed Snickers bar.
All in all it was a disappointing experience. Food of this caliber is supposed to transcend your palette. It should be more than just a combination of ingredients on a plate. The food seemed to lack creativity and passion. I'm not sure if this is product of Dady's inexperience, or his ego. He seems to be a bit of a big fish in a little pond. Many people in San Antonio sing his praises, and his food seems to suffer for it. At the end of the day Dady's food was good, not great, and certainly not Michelin worthy. If the prices were cut in half, I would recommend The Lodge. Otherwise, I would check out Bin 555. Another Dady restaurant priced more to his ability.
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