Great service but that's about all I can say... The crabcake was the best thing that we had. I have to say the steak was one of the worst at a high-end restaurant I've ever had, the mashed potatoes tasted like they were instant, the green beans were flavorless and rubbery. There was totally no flavor to the mushrooms and the onion rings (that I had asked about previously) were nothing as described. Apparently they ran out and had to hand cut and bread them. The high-end salmon was dark on the top and still have the skin on it! For dessert we had crème brûlée and that just average. Overrated & overpriced! read more

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Tremendously underwhelmed and actually offended by the waitstaff. Went during downtown dining and Rare did put together what looked like a good 3 course meal for $12.95. I chose the frites, Rare Burger and Carrot Cake. First off, the waitstaff didn't indicate that the burger also came with frites; so essentially I sat with about 40lbs of potatoes in front of me once the burger was finally delivered. Second, when they asked us for our drinks two of us selected ice tea. When the ice tea arrived my co-worker joked that she hoped it wasn't a $5 ice tea. Wrong, it was a $7 ice tea, more than half the cost of the meal (and I've seen the same brand at Woodmans for $1.50). The meal itself was okay. Mind you, mine was primarily fries so that's a little hard to judge. The burger was okay; nothing special, Sobelman's and such are much better. Carrot cake was good but it isn't made there, purchased from a bakery. Overall, this rare combo of slow service, mediocre food and an unethical server make a restaurant we likely won't be seeing in business a year from now. Avoid this one. read more

Great service, good food, highly priced. I love Rare, with great service every time there has not been a bad experience yet. The steak is great, I got a giant porterhouse that was incredibly cooked to perfection. The food is however highly priced which is to be expected however a meal for 3 shouldn't cost $600, yes $600. The vintage feel brings you back, putting you in a dark, comfortable, relaxing headspace, making your meal much more enjoyable. There is one issue and that is the removal of the piano and piano player, this was one of my favorite aspects of Rare and with new ownership they have decided to remove the piano in order to fit more seating, I understand the decision but am highly disappointed by this and wish they would bring it back, it was the most enjoyable part of my experience. I will go back and recommend if you are looking for a fine dining location that you check out Rare. read more

5 stars for the food and 2 stars for the service. Timing has been off last 3 times there. Salad brought and have to ask for popovers. Staff on floor has an I don't give a sh-t attitude although, with tip they get $40-$80 tip per table. At the end of night staff walks around undressed. Yes, shirts untucked, not buttoned, pants hanging off a-s. This all comes down to poor management. If they actually walked the floor and cared about their customers it might be better. Cooks are outstanding, but who wants good food with poor service? read more

We dined here recently for a friend's birthday day as a party of seven. The guest of honor loves high end end steakhouses, and we were all looking forward to trying the latest in the city. Overall, the food was good; not outstanding. I have had a better steak for a comparable price at other Milwaukee restaurants (Capital Grille, Wards, and Carnivore). The lobster bisque had excellent flavor and consistency, however it was served room temperature and the lobster itself was chilled - which I found odd. My co-diners confirmed that theirs were also room temp. For dessert, we had the banana foster made table side. The presentation was entertaining to watch, and the dessert itself was quite good. My biggest issue with our experience at Rare was the service. Our main waiter lacked the professionalism I expect at a high end restaurant. He was not subtle in his attempts to up sell us on every menu point and the wine. We ordered a lovely bottle of Zin for our first round, and when we wanted another, we were told they were out and he brought us a Spanish blend to replace it. Although they sell this Spanish wine for more, he did make a big deal about giving it to us for the same price point. The wine list is quite extensive and a bit overwhelming - usually a good problem to have, as I love wine and picking the right bottle for a meal. It was a curious choice to bring a Grenache blend to replace a Zin - made me wonder if they were trying to unload it perhaps. We were told our waiters assistant was a Sommelier yet he did not speak to us about the wine at all. Other issues: the popovers were presented after our soup had arrived, and another basket after the bananas foster. They were also room temperature, not warmed. The waiter described a hollandaise as a blue cheese fondue, and our guest of honor ruined his steak - no attempt was made to replace the steak. We waited more than 15 min between courses despite our waiter repeatedly checking on his other tables during that time. Our entire dinner took over 3 hours. We will not be returning to Rare for any future dining experiences. I hope they can work the kinks out of the system over time, or they may not last long with counterparts such as Carnivore just a few blocks away. read more

This is a tough review for me. First off the other reviews are all five stars (so far). So I had unbelievably high expectations going in. That coupled with the cost to dine here so I set the bar very high. Like very very high. I waited a week to write this to see if I'd change my mind. Nope. Three stars. First the good (dare I say great). Service here is amazing! Our waiter was exceptional as was his assistant. Super helpful, friendly and engaging. This was the highlight of the meal for me. In fact everyone here was top notch. The good (good). The restaurant is quite nice inside. A classic steakhouse like you'd find in NY or Chicago. Exceptional wine list as well. Nice woods. Cool piano bar. Wine lockers for a steal! The not so amazing (but still ok) should have been the star of the show, the steaks. My steak was cooked perfect as was my wife's. That said they didn't wow me. I live for steak. I dream steak. These were sadly just ok. Not the most flavorful. Cooked perfect but ......not memorable. For a meal that costs well over $200 without drinks I expect steak nirvana and sadly it was simply ok. Now ok is still pretty good but i could eat almost three meals at odd duck, morel, movida etc for one meal here so I had to set the bar high. And odd duck wows me every time. Now i appreciate steak houses are notoriously pricy. Still, tornado club in Madison or medusa in Lake Geneva serve a mighty fine steak for significantly less gold. Are they as nice inside? Nope. Is the service on par with our experience here? Not even close. But the star just didn't shine for me. Your mileage may vary. read more

Rare Steakhouse - Wedge - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Visited Rare for my boyfriend's birthday last night and were very impressed with the restaurant. Let me bullet some points: 1. Great service -- not pretentious at all, very friendly and helpful. 2. Atmosphere -- leather seats, chandeliers, live piano -- upscale, but approachable and comfortable. 3. Drinks -- great martinis. Great manhattans. Crazy huge wine list. 4. THE FOOD: oysters on the half shell for appetizer -- fresh, delicious. tableside Ceasar salads, bone-in filet (perfect amount of char and so tender), KC strip (amazing), whipped potatoes and asparagus w/ hollandaise. Everything was amazing, except for the asparagus, that was just good. :) 5. Cost: Guys. It's an upscale steakhouse... it's not cheap. This is a business dinner, special event, celebration place -- but worth the splurge when you can! Go -- tell people about it, enjoy! read more

When you go to a fine dining steakhouse where your bill comes out to $130/person, you have certain expectations. These expectations were not met at Rare. The food was ok...nothing too exciting. (Carnivore has a far superior steak for the price.) The lobster bisque was served at room temperature with cold spots throughout. If you like creamed corn, don't get this. It's more creamed-every-other-vegetable. The duck fat frites are great. The bananas foster were a hit with our table. But the service. The service was just bad. Dirty wine glasses left on the table, no crumbs cleaned up between courses, no butter knives. The pop overs came out after our soup course and the moment they were set down, our steaks appeared. At this point, the assistant waiter set down our friend's sauce, told him it was his blue cheese fondue, so our friend poured it on his steak. It was hollandaise. No attempt was made to correct this error, and now our friend had a $45 steak covered in the wrong sauce. Our waiter was incredibly non attentive, to the point that dinner took three hours. He would frequently check on his other tables and walk right past us, even when we were clearly ready to order dessert and coffee. We waited about twenty minutes between the dessert menu being dropped off and him taking our order. Will not go back. read more

Hubby and I had an amazing dinning experience for our Anniversary. From the moment you step into the restaurant, the elegant ambiance makes you excited to be there. Right away, the friendly staff makes you feel at home and work you through the impressive menu, and wine/liquor lists. Tim, the dinning room Captain makes a delightful guide should you want a deeper understanding on the fine art of steak dining. The Executive Chef has a love affair w/his food and it shines through in his dishes. I've got to add, that CEO Jack is a down to earth fellow; his passion and love for food and fine dinning makes the experience at Rare Steakhouse a definite repeat affair. read more

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Wow! What an AMAZING experience my daughter and I had tonight! She is a meat eater and I'm Vegan. The chef was kind enough to prepare a special dish for me. It was delicious. Once dinner was done we were presented with a table side banana foster! Then we sat and listened to Gio, the piano player. He played all our favorite tunes. Top notch Rare! Thank you!!! read more

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This was my first time at any of the Rare locations and I came in with a very open mind. The interior is beautifully appointed in that classic dark wood steak house style. I met the rest of my group (9 total) at the bar as we all arrived early for a cocktail. The bar selection is typical of a steakhouse in this price range and the bartender competent yet not really memorable, though that could be by design. We had a private room for our group and it was comfortable and well appointed as well, this is when the real treat started. We were team served by Andy and Katie and they were both top notch. Attentive without being overbearing (this is a huge pet peeve of mine and has turned me away from other steakhouses in MKE) knowledgeable and personable. Two things made them stand out to me: 1) They read our table quickly and adjusted to the fact that it was clear we're all long time friends (in our mid 30's) and the atmosphere was jovial and relaxed 2) they worked as a team very well, and had good rapport with each other, more than once I've seen a "lead server" belittle an assistant or pump himself up these two worked together as a team it was nice to see. The food, the food of course, the apps were on point: pork belly flavorful and the lobster bisque... wow just wow. I got the dry aged Kansas City strip with scallops, the scallops were lightly seared and of incredible quality, the steak cooked to order and executed well if maybe a little too simply for me, I usually forego any sauces at a place of this caliber but next time I think I will take up the recommendation from Andy/Katie about the brandy peppercorn sauce. Overall this is your standard issue high end steakhouse, everything was executed well but at this level you expect that, the thing that stood out was the service, it was clear they were well trained but also not cookie cutter or robotic, polished yet warm and inviting. I have my favorite steakhouse in Milwaukee and it's not Rare but the number 2 spot is definitely up for grabs and I'll be back soon to confirm the change in my personal rankings. read more

I went here the weekend it opened and it wowed. The service was impeccable and the ambiance was great. We came with a group of five and service was great. My steak was great. Like any of the other steak restaurants in Milwaukee. The Caesar salad and the banana foster is made table side - which involved families. So I was easily amused. We ordered a bunch of sides. The Brussel sprouts were extremely delicious. read more

My husband and I went in to celebrate our birthdays with a nice steak dinner. We were seated right away. Our waiter was friendly, but seemed very overwhelmed with his tables (he had only three tables that he was tending to). It took 20 minutes for us to order our food after our initial interaction with our waiter. After that, everything seemed to be slow. We had to ask for the bread that we saw everyone else being served. We we finally got our food, both our steaks were undercooked. We had both ordered then cooked Medium. Mine was Medium Rare (so I started to eat it), but my husband's was rare (still somewhat purple). It took our server over 10 minutes to come check in on us, and then additional time to get it re-cooked. By that point, we were ready to leave. They finally came back when we were done and offered us dessert for our birthdays. We ordered, and then had to wait an additional 15 minutes for them to go into the kitchen and cut the cake. Overall, the waiting and incorrect cook on the steak (which they specialize in) was definitely not worth the price. read more

Very elegant inside. Wait staff were professional. However I've had so many better steaks. The NY Strip was dry and chewy. Not much flavor. Very disappointed. Wouldn't order it again. The chopped salad was dry and flavorless. Overpriced. Go elsewhere. read more

It all starts with great Management, Danielle has a Welcoming manner that makes you feel you are important and you will be taken care of by everyone. At the Bar you have Becky who is very knowledgeable in various wines and drinks to mix for your enjoyment before and after dinner. Katie was our server and she was outstanding! Very knowledgeable about all the finest cuts of meat that is offered, she has a great style and presence while taking care of you during your meal. The steaks are given a special process of dry aging to add to their tenderness and delicious flavor. The Chefs prepared savory and unique types of steak like the Tomahawk and Bottleneck that were the best we've ever had. The presentation of this meal was great, the food was the best and the staff at Rare Steakhouse had us all feeling like family. I highly recommend Rare Steakhouse, you will enjoy every moment. read more

Really solid experience and food. Lobster bisque is awesome. Ask for the private room if you have 6-10 people. Great experience in there

I wandered into Rare mid afternoon after a two day marathon road warrior trek through 4 airports. I had not had a good meal in several days, and the dey-aged bone-in strip steak was exactly what I needed to fix that. Peter was my waiter and made the excellent recommendation to add the green pepper sauce on the side. A bit of popover to soak up the juices and it was perfect. Definitely will be heading back next time my travels take me to MKE. read more

Celebrated my nephew's birthday. We were given our own private dining room. The service was impeccable. Our glasses were never empty. We had a well mannered 8yr old with us and they never made us feel unwelcome. The bananas fosters is to die for. read more

Rare Steakhouse - 70oz steak - Seafood Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Rare is a great steakhouse in my opinion. The atmosphere is like a modern supper club, kind of. All the walls are mahogany, which gives it a very upscale ambiance. There's a piano you can sit around in the bar area, which is pretty fun too. Another cool part about this place is they butcher and dry age all of their own steaks onsite (in the basement). I don't know of any other steakhouse in Milwaukee that does that. They have an EXTENSIVE wine list, so if you're looking for wine this is a great spot. They have valet, but other than that parking is not great. You'd have to park in a nearby garage. We always Uber here. We've gone here 4 times and each time had good service and delicious food here. Worth going back to, even though our favorite Milwaukee steakhouse is close by. Good to mix it up now and then! read more

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I came here for downtown dining week for lunch. Atmosphere was great, service was great and food was good. I had the Caesar salad, the chicken, bacon, & avocado sandwich & fries with espresso Creme brûlée for dessert. My sandwich was probably my favorite...delicious. I didn't really care for the Creme brûlée. My coworker got the lobster bisque and the prime rib sandwich. She was hoping the sandwich would have come with some type of au jus sauce, which most do, but this one did not. She said her sandwich was okay. Overall it was a good experience. At least I know what to try and what not to try for next time. read more

My husband is a restauranteur and we were visiting Milwaukee. We had a delicious meal at Rare and our waiter was especially entertaining. Thank you Tyler for exceptional service. read more

Unfortunately, we were very disappointed with both the food and the service at this restaurant. Our waiter was extremely awkward and seemed annoyed to be there. He was unhelpful about everything from telling us where the bathroom was, to why menu items were listed on the menu at the hostess stand but not on our menu. Another waiter made a snide comment at the end of the meal saying "it looks like you clearly enjoyed your meal." We paid a fortune. Did he expect us to leave leftovers? As for the food. Our crab claw appetizer was part warm and part freezing cold. We had to ask for the popovers and when they came they were cold and thick on the inside. The steaks (fillets) were okay. Mine (medium) was charred though. And one of the shrimp on the top was undercooked. Ick. Finally, we ordered the whipped Yukon potatoes. They came floating in butter, melted sour scream and melted cheese. There literally must have been a stick of melted butter on top. We were really disappointed. We spent a ton of money on our food. We ordered a nice bottle of wine too. By the time dessert came we just gave up and left. read more

Service,appetizers,drinks and dessert was all spot on and great! My steak was not and my wifes was ok - for that reason we wont be back.

If Yelp would allow for half stars I would probably give 3.5 stars. The time between when we were sat down and when our waiter first got to the table was slightly too long IMO. Also, they were "out" of Foie Gras? The restaurant wasn't that busy on a Friday night, lots of empty tables, so that's hard to believe. It was about 7pm. However, once our server greeted us they were impeccable and so was the food. We had crab legs, steaks, lobster bisque, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and the loaded hash browns. Everything was excellently prepared. read more

First time at rare steakhouse, so not sure what I was expecting. The atmosphere is very pleasant. Our server was extremely personable as well. The lobster bisque was the best I have ever had, will definitely order again. I am giving three stars as I was disappointed in my filet mignon. It was cooked to order- tender and savory. The only issue was the amount of pepper that came on my cut. I did not ask for pepper, which normally that is fine. The pepper was all you could taste, and it actually was so overwhelming I choked. Other than that, the portion sizes for the side dishes is excellent and everything else tasted delicious. We also ordered the wagyu, highly satisfied with that cut. read more

Went there for dinner Friday. Menu selection was over the top. Food was outstanding as was the service! Wine selection was also top rate. Rich, warm atmosphere. read more

Pork belly...big and yummy. But who has ever messed up bacon, besides my mom. Everything else was incredibly overpriced for what it is. I had the bone in filet with foie gras butter. (Don't judge me-I was on the corporate account.). The foie gras was not good. Maybe even bad. I had a table of 5 and the consensus was--"meh". read more

This was merely average in terms of the food. Several in our group said the 'char' was way overdone for their taste. Service was great but cocktails were average also. The dessert and the puff pastry bread at the beginning were both really good. But not on par with other steakhouses in Milwaukee. read more

This was our second time at Rare, our first time was not so good. This time our meal was unbelievably good! We couldn't ask for better service, outstanding food and warm welcomes from the CEO and GM. Our servers were informative, and very attentive and so friendly! Each course was paired with different wines that were hand picked for our meal. It was an absolutely lovely evening with good food and great company. We recommend you give Rare a chance, you won't be disappointed!!! read more

This is probably the best atmosphere in Milwaukee. The dry aged bone in filet is the best steak I've had (I'm a filet fan) and the lobster Mac and cheese is a great compliment. Happy hour has the best entertainment (yay Gino!) I will return. read more

We were in Milwaukee to buy a car and decided to stay overnight. This restaurant was suggested as my wife and I both enjoy good food . Waitress was good , no complaints there .....only thing when we asked her if it was a 5 star , she basically knew it wasn't , or just didn't know and instead of either of those perfectly legitimate answers , she went on a long story about the economy and COVID , and never answered , not that that ultimately matters to either of us ......we were just making conversation as my wife's family has a five star restaurant. We both had lobster bisque soup , bone in fillet , mashed potatoes mushrooms and 1/2 pound of crab legs . No desert and my wife had a martini and I had a glass of wine . Drinks were excellent. Food was good , not outstanding, but overall , the experience was good . The thing that shocked us was the bill ....$ 236.47 Now we are definitely not cheap when it comes to a nice restaurant, but we thought this was over the top ........and we are used to Chicago prices . In our opinion this was a $150 / $ 160 dinner . I would recommend the food and drinks , but the exorbitant pricing will deter us to return next time we visit Milwaukee. read more

Our first time dining at Rare. Great experience! I have to give them Five Stars for atmosphere, food and service. Very friendly, welcoming and efficient personnel. I believe we had six different staff members attending our table. The food, although pricey was as expected - top notch. I ordered the small Wagyu Filet - medium. The Chef cooked my steak as I requested and not as he thought I should eat it. Kudos Chef!! First courses for us included Pan-Seared Foie Gras and Pork Belly (generous portion perfect for two people) and Ahi Tuna Poke. Both were fabulous and presented beautifully. My Husband ordered the Filet Mignon Tartare. He was delighted to see if was hand cut and raved about it. Both Frites and Onion Rings are cooked in Duck Fat. Be still my heart! The Wine List is so extensive, it will take you a long time to peruse. We will definitely return - as there were many items on the menu that drew our attention. Highly recommend - great restaurant for date night! read more

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Excellent meal for a business trip and happy hour. Went to Milwaukee on a business trip and were taken out by our local office to Rare Steakhouse for dinner. Absolutely fabulous meal. Had the table side Caesar to start which was wonderful, great classic Caesar with a great presentation to boot! Then got the 8oz filet for my meal. The filet is "wet aged" which is different than dry aging, so I got to learn something new. No room for dessert, but it was such a nice meal that I stopped by for happy hour on my last day. I got the Rare burger that comes with a PBR and it did not disappoint. There was also a pianist playing just off the bar so that was an added treat. Hope to return to Milwaukee for another meal! read more

I've been to this place three times and all were wonderful! We've ordered different food every time except lobster mac&cheese with special extra hot spicy . I don't like mac&cheese usually but this one is somewhat different ,have something special . They have lots of great wine and different type of cocktails, so we had sweet time always with lovely mariage . Lovely vibes ,kind staffs and great food ! This is the perfect place for dinner ! read more

The ambiance is really nice, and a total contrast to the sleek glass in 833. The food I had was really good. Certainly this is not an inexpensive night out - but a quality, pricey meal is really to be expected with a steakhouse. It is definitely a high-end experience and the service was excellent. I am not really a big steak person (I ordered a salad with salmon cooked nearly rare, just to my liking) so I don't see myself frequenting this restaurant for that reason alone. Only frustration is more with the building vs Rare - the self-parking rate was steep for MKE at $12 (albeit in the climate controlled lot but just over 2 hours time) and Rare does not validate. read more

Prices are very high and quality does not match. Very nice decor and attentive service BUT waitstaff forgot 1 of 2 tableside salads ordered and then forgot to take the other off the initial bill which is very annoying and had to redo. Uneven cooking temp. 1 medium rare steak was very rare and should've been sent back. 1 salad served 10 mins. Before others soups served. For these prices this is inexcusable service. Other temps were fine. No truffle flavor on fries. Lobster macncheese is forgettable. Creamed spinach should e more accurately described as steamed spinach with a little cream. Hash browns and whipped potatoes good but Brussels sprouts needed salt. Least expensive steak is $38 then jumps to $45 and then $50! Beef flavor was fine but not great. If you want to charge $8 for valet parking then they should disclose that on a sign before you park! This place is only for expense account types who want to impress with good prices and not taste. read more

I was born and raised in the big city so I am used to valet parking. I have been to RARE in Madison and from the second I pull up i feel important to the time I leave. I see the same goes for RARE in Milwaukee. The valet are polite and always smiling which is what sets the tone for my experience at my table. I forgot to ad that I am a traveling food critic, the ambiance and feel inside was perfect. My meal was presented perfectly and the drinks were spot on. I encourage you to try this place. People to look for: James one of the nicest valets I have met was smiling the whole time even in the rain, Jessica was extremely helpful and made sure I was taken care of, and the GM who's name skips my mind I can tell he takes pride in his location. Keep up the good work you have a perfect team. Visited August 2016 read more

Ate here when they first opened a couple years ago; food was good if a bit pricey. Ate there tonight for the first time under new ownership and menu. Won't be back. Still kinda pricey. Wayyyyyy salty. The bartender whipped up a nice from scratch rye Old Fashioned. He called it "Chicago-style" at my request for no soda. The popover was salty, which was a first. The crab cake was not as salty. By comparison. The lobster-mac side was very salty. And it was lobster-mac only in the sense Manhattan-style is clam chowder: ya know, somebody dips a bit of shellfish in the pot as it goes down the assembly line. Did I mention it was very salty? The 10 oz. filet was OMG salty. (You detecting a theme here?) And the medium rare initially arrived very rare. While I recognized the au jus flavor I couldn't quite place it; it wasn't full-on soy sauce but it may have been Hoisin. Regardless, by now I couldn't choke down more than half of either briny serving. The server was surprised I declined a to-go box. At least the espresso Creme Brule was an interesting novelty. And - along the coffee and Bailey's Irish Creme - was not salty. But hey, at least sitting at the bar I was privy to the the unobstructed view of the employee dressing closet - located between the public privies. Plenty of other steak joints downtown to spend your money at, don't waste it here. read more

Went to Rare for my husbands birthday. The service was AMAZING!! That is where the 3 stars come in out of 5. I felt as if I could not tell them how the food was honestly because of how nice the staff and management was. Now the food... we ordered the crab cake and lobster bisque for appetizers which were good but the steaks (dry ages rib-eye and porterhouse) we HORRIBLE! One of the worst steaks I have had. I ordered my rib-eye medium and I could hardly cut through it because of all the fat and veins/ligaments. My husband ordered the porterhouse rare and it was extremely fatty. The flavor was also extremely salty. We did order sides as well (brussel sprouts, lobster mac and cheese and mushrooms) mushrooms were not edible as the salt flavor was to much. The brussel sprouts were so hard you could not bite through them and the lobster Mac was ok. All in all if I could take the staff and put them at Carnivore instead it would be the perfect experience. read more

It is easier for me to sum up the experience with pros and cons. pros service was excellent bar area is very nice piano music enjoyable appetizers, salad, poppers and dessert were good cons steak was good but not great for the price lobster was tough read more