What a disapointment! Went last night for darling wifey's birthday, because they advertise ""best steak"" and ""great value"" with a free steak on your birthday.
Upon entering, we were impressed with the attractive decor and the enticing smell of wood smoke, along with a friendly greeting. We were taken to a nice booth, but as we settled in the trouble began. Apparently the dish washer was on the other side of the wall, and soon our table was shaking and we were assaulted by loud bangs and crashing sounds. We asked the waitress for a new table, and were moved to a back corner, which solved this problem. I will warn you that if you are a normal sized person the booths are VERY tight, almost uncomfortably so, so you will be better off getting a table.
Upon perusing the menu we were a little shocked at the prices, for a place that advertises value. Steaks range from $27 to $50, and are ridiculous sizes. A three pound steak? Really? My wife received the 18 oz. T-Bone as a free birthday dinner, and I ordered the next smallest cut, a 24 oz. Ribeye. Both were ordered medium rare. When they arrived, they were both about 1/3 fat. Both were cooked properly, but flavor was average. No crust on the outside, although they advertise how great their wood fired grill is ""burning three times hotter than charcoal."" In my opinion this is all hype. I do a much better job on the backyard Weber.
The disapointment comes from the hype they dish out, which sets a certain expectation, which they don't come close to delivering. Everything was mediocre at best, but at high-end prices. Cost for two (with a ""free"" steak for my wife's birthday) was $61, and this was with only one glass of house wine and two botles of beer, with no other extra's (no appetizer, no desert.)
Service was slow, and they add the tip (18%) onto the bill (I'm guessing because most people do not understand that you should tip on the total value of the meal (including the free item) and undertip based on just the final price.) Obviously, this ""guaranteed"" tip means the wait staff doesn't have to try very hard (and they don't...)
Overall, this was a disappointing experience and we will not go back. Average quality steak with a lot of fat, below average service, high prices, and nice decor. (One final peave- the restaurant looks nice and upscale, but the wait staff wear these ridiculous giant cowboy hats. Very low-class. Loose the hats and it be a better presentation.)
Bottom line, there is no such thing as a free dinner. You pay for the birthday steak by the overly inflated prices on everything else. This is obviously their marketing strategy, because when the waiter greets you the first question is ""are there any birthday's today?"" It is now apparent that they must do this to survive, becasue there is no reason to go there otherwise. Even with the free birthday steak, there are many better choices in Tampa Bay, so do yourself a favor and pick any of those over the Texas Cattle ""Car"".
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