Pacific Dining Car

10/21/09

Classic Steakhouse Feel

by Sheauen at Citysearch

I cannot explain how excited I am to live in a city where you can get a perfectly aged and cooked steak 24 hours a day. PLUS if you eat there they have a free shuttle to all the Downtown entertainment venues, pick up and drop off. And its a good place for star sightings.

Donald Sutherland sighting aside, I do want to balance my review with both pros and cons.

Its a steakhouse. Its old school. You don't get hurried out in favor of seating another party. Granted its not usually packed. I never found the wait staff absent or non-attentive, just discreet and unobtruscive. It's one of those places where they seat you, take your order, ask if you need anything else, bring that if it applies, and leave you alone with your date, family, business partner, etc. If you should need service, it isn't hard to flag down someone who can get your waiter to you, or a busboy to refill your water.

Its pricey. Don't expect to come here and spend less than $50 a person. its a steakhouse. Its a good steakhouse that dry ages their prime beef. You're getting what you pay for. Its a special dinner kinda place. Its not your weeknight dinner kinda place.

Their breakfast is good. I'd skip their afternoon tea though.

I've had the crabcakes and the shrimp with no problems. I have never ordered their fish, mainly because its a steakhouse. I don't order steak at McCormicks, I order seafood there.

Its an old schoo menu. I don't think its changed much. Its not fasionable cuisine. Think Humphrey Bogart...not George Clooney.

Its charming, I'd be sad if it ever closed. Nothing but good memories so far.

• Pros: Old School LA, Convenient to Downtown Venues
• Cons: Old School Food, Pricey

02/25/09

I was so disappointed...

by MMiller101 at Citysearch

I am just retuning from a dinner at the Pacific Dining Car restaurant and was extremely disappointed.

? Our server lacked adequate communication skills. He never made eye contact and was generally creepy. It is very difficult to hear him. He speaks too quietly and you have to ask him to repeat everything.

? If there were specials, we did not hear about them.

? Many of the people at the table had never been before. As we ordered out steaks, he made no mention of the various sauces available. Personally I forgot until the steaks arrived. At which point I asked Alex, because he was the only one around, for sauce which he brought promptly.

? Our waiter served our food. We had asked for a baked potato with everything on it. The potato was served plane?no toppings and no toppings were offered by our waiter. Alex, noticed that the potato had nothing on it as asked if we had ordered a plain baked potato?we said no and he promptly brought the toppings. If that is how things typically work, the waiter should have said, we will be right over with the toppings for your potato.

? Our waiter never checked back with us to see if our food was good, cooked right, etc. We did not see him again until he brought the dessert menus and offered coffee.

? We had to ask that the crumbs be removed at which point the waiter proceeded to swipe them on the floor. Alex did come by a few minutes later to get the rest of the crumb with the proper equipment.

? One of my guest had a gift to open. We had not really decided about dessert yet. As the person started opening the gift?paper half torn off?the waiter came over and said something like, ?Your not having dessert? and picked up all the menu.

I was so disappointed.

06/25/08

Not recommended

by whisky2a at Citysearch

I enjoyed this restaurant in the 70's and 80's before I moved from Los Angeles. Recently I found myself staying overnight downtown. I decided to return to the restaurant for old times sake thinking that L.A. icons like this never change. Big mistake. Our party of three noticed only four other tables occupied where 20 years ago it would have been packed. We thought this a bad omen, but forged ahead anyway.

It sure ain't what it used to be. Price to food value very poor. A wine list with very few bargains, most bottles priced over $100. I ordered a bottle of red. My wife wanted a glass of chardonnay. We had already sent the wine list back, but the waiter suggested the Berringer house chard and we went with it. Should have asked the price. I thought maybe $8.00. Would you believe $23.

The things I do for nostalgia. Never the Pacific Dining Car again.