02/27/09

Valentine's Day Prix Fixe

by snax5

We went here on Valentine's Day expecting something extra special. Have definitely had a great steak here before. The steak was good, but all I can remember is the awful, awful lobster salad. The lobster smelled like death, and it didn't taste much better. I had no choice but to send it back. The staff had no problem taking the lobster salad back and substituted the soup that was definitely nothing special. The lobster was so terrible that my appetite was permanently ruined for the night. Not exactly the experience you're looking for on Valentine's Day. I'm shocked that a restaurant I used to have a lot of respect for would send lobster out that was spoiled. Another member of our party didn't think the steak lived up to previous experiences at the restaurant. It almost seemed like they prepared everything in advance because of the prix fixe menu and didn't bother to give the dishes much attention after that. The staff seemed very unseasoned, as well. I will not go back.

• Pros: Close to the Music Center and Disney Hall
• Cons: spoiled food

02/01/09

very dissapointing. food is far below average even by cheaper restaurants standards.

by tyro1

i am a food lover. i enjoy a great steak, and nick and stef's is far from that. granted, i did not order their "signature" steaks (they like to rave about their ribeye and new york), i had a sirloin but and it was VERY dissapointing. even their appetizers and dessert were "average" at best, so i will not be back to try their more famous steaks.

a big let down. only reason i didnt give them 1 star only is because the food is about a 2 star. but relative to the price, they probably deserved a 1 star.

• Pros: cant thing of anything to write home about
• Cons: price, average food

07/21/08

Great steaks, ugly restaurant

by txwno

I'm a big steakhouse fan and try them all. I'm a big man and love big steaks. We started our night in the bar which was crowded and fun. We moved into a dining room which was straight out of the 70's. So were the waiters uniforms. It took forever for the bottle of wine we ordered to show up. Considering the high price of the wine list, you think they would give great wine service. I found from the table next to us that you can bring your own wine in free of charge. If I return I will do that. The entire service staff looks to be going through the motions. If I were working in a dated space, I would be depressed too. One manager came by and visited with us but seemed distracted when we questioned him on the menu. On a good note is that the kitchen seems to be running quite a bit better. The food was delicious (side items are very expensive and small portions though). The coffee was slightly better than my hotel room when I travel. My pick for downtown will probably be Mortons for the show and the classic design.

• Pros: No wine corkage fee. Busy bar. Good steaks.
• Cons: Retro is cool but do you want to eat in the 1970s?

04/23/08

A completely unsatisfactory experience in every sense. Avoid.

by will9248

A friend of mine flew into town on short notice and was staying downtown, so we walked around until we found this place. We're two guys, it's not hard to please us - we don't need atmosphere, we just wanted a good steak, and if we're charged top-notch steakhouse prices, we expect commensurate service and quality. Oops!

We each ordered $40 New York strips (after the waiter took his time to come over) as it is what "they are known for." Some time later we got bread (which was the best part of the meal), and continued to wait for the main course. No check up on drinks from the waiter, nothing. Finally, the steaks come out. I ordered mine medium rare, my friend ordered his medium. My steak was medium (on the border between medium and well done!), and my friend's was even more over-cooked. This, although annoying, was not a deal-breaker. I was hungry, and determined to enjoy this meal. I cut in, and halfway into sawing (not cutting, SAWING) through the meat, I encountered what I can only describe as a vein running directly through the middle of my cut. It was a sinewy, circular, knife resistant vein of fatty sinew traveling the length of my steak. Great. I began to perform minor surgery on it, just to try to salvage something from this meal. My friend lost his appetite after 1/3rd of his steak. I made it to just almost half. The waiter came back and noticed how much we had "enjoyed" our steaks, and made a weak attempt to lighten the mood by asking if we wanted to "get crazy" and take a post-dinner shot. No thanks, buddy, just the check...the 125.00 check. Live and learn, I guess.

Why didn't I send it back? It would be too long of a story, but in searching for a restaurant in downtown LA near this location, we were thoroughly defeated for almost an hour, and faced with California Pizza Kitchen, or this steak house. I was beaten, and I had neither the time nor the inclination to wait for them to roll the dice in the kitchen one more time.

03/24/08

Not worth $200 for Dinner!

by Abbs629

I have been to many steak houses and always been satisfied with food and customer service....well, not this time. My boyfriend went out of his way to make reservations at a "nice" restaurant and have a nice, quiet dinner, and this was far, far from it. The service was ok, nothing special, my steak was tasteless and over cooked, the side dishes are too small, the creamed spinach was more "cream" than spinach...really gross and runny. I asked the server to recommend a martini and he was clueless...............he did recommed a red wine, the thing is I did not want wine! Also the dessert list is pretty crappy, .......bottom line is ....Don't waste your time and money there, go to Mastro's or Morton's instead, much better service, food and ambiance.

03/20/08

Big Fans!

by thedrunkenmonk

My wife and I dine out every night of the week and we have for the past five years since we've been married. Neither of us can cook to save our lives so we are forced to eat at restaurants whenever we're hungry! I'm always online checking out the reviews but have never written one myself and I know people have bad experiences sometimes in restaurants but we left Nick and Stef's happy and full!

The host was very polite and friendly. She asked our name, told us our table was ready and handed us off to a young man who guided us to the table and introduced us to our server, Heather. Wow this lady is something else! She was so nice and patient with us. We tend to be finicky at restaurants, we ask lots of questions when we like the place, and she took great care in answering them.

The meal was just fantastic! We are very happy to have found Nick and Stef's and we're going back with our friends next week! As for the bad reviews on the place, well...those people might be wound a little too tight!

03/15/08

Disappointing customer service, poor quality food, uninspiring decor

by summertime18

I went here on a business lunch and was excited because it is a fairly well known restaurant. The restaurant itself, is not as impressive as I expected it to be from pictures and descriiptions - it just seemed very...bland. The hostess was the only positive part of the experience. She was very friendly and helpful. After being greeted and seated, however, service wen't downhill. My guest and I both ordered salads and several appetizers. Our waiter, Nicholas took our order, very unenthusiastically, and appeared to be put out anytime we asked him for anything. It took over 10 minutes for him to fill our water glasses and once we received our food, that was basically the last time we saw him. Let me rephrase that - it was the last time he paid dus any attention. He walked by several times, but refused to stop long enough for us to ask him for ketchup, etc. We literally had to flag him down - twice - for our bill. Overall, I was not too impressed by the food either. Granted, the place is known for steak, which I did not try - but the salads were small (I think we each ate ours in under 9 small bites). It consisted of about one and a half cups of iceberg lettuce, 4 small squares of chicken, and 4 pieces of tomato. For $17, it definitely wasn't worth it. I have been to many restaurants in Downtown LA - and highly suggest skipping this one. Roy's is much better - outstanding, flavorful food and incredibly accomodating service.

• Pros: Great appetizers, great supporting waitstaff service
• Cons: Small portions, poor quality, disappointing service

02/20/08

Delicous food. Disappointing customer service.

by penguii

After reading the reviews, my boyfriend and I decided to dine at Nick & Stef's a day before Valentines. It was our first visit. Valet parking is free and only tip was required.

The food was delicious! I had a "Fillet Mignon with Red Wine sauce", while my boyfriend had the "Rib-eye Dry-aged Steak with Bernaise sauce" which was suggested by the waitress. We always have our steak medium-rare and it was cooked just the way we liked it! Per the waitress suggestions, we had a side order of the "Potato aged Cheddar Gratin and "Szechwan Long Beans with Pink Peppercorn. The potato was tasty, however I personally think the szechwan long beans did not taste as great as the waitress suggested. It most certainly did not worth $8. After a great meal, I always look forward to the dessert menu. Surprisingly the desserts here did not sound appetizing compared to the many fancy restaurants I've been to. Therefore, we gave the desserts a miss.

The restaurant itself featured nice views, formal setting and great atmosphere. A comftable place for wining and dining or to enjoy a couple of drinks with friends.

Unfortunately, the service was very disappointing, slow, unprofessional and not so friendly. Our waitress did not formerly introduce herself nor greeted us at all! Not to mention, the bus boys placed down and picked up our dishes in an unprofessional way. I would have expected better customer service so in the end my review for Nick & Stef's Steakhouse only deserved the 3 stars.

• Pros: Ambience, Parking, Food
• Cons: Service

02/19/08

Great Business Lunch

by thedoublem

I've only been to this restaurant once even though it is at the bottom of the office building I work in. I went in for lunch and was worried that I wouldn't make it back to the office in time, but the servers knew the meaning of a business lunch. Great steaks at cheaper prices than dinner...what could be better. OH, maybe the chocolate martini the bartender made me with Alchemia, an unusual vodka I'd never seen before!

Worth checking out!!!

• Pros: Service

10/18/07

Get new red coats! Good food. Cute meat locker. Horrible space.

by jericsmall

The cuisine at Nick & Stef's Steakhouse is great, fantastic even. And the wait staff was nice, though seemingly uncomfortable in the role of host for the evening. I had a steak, nicely prepared and the table of 8 of us did sides family style. The mashed potatoes with the funky name were amazing. On the picky side, the staff needs new uniforms, or else an iron. And the main dining room seemed crowded with no sense of privacy. A little more lighting and it would have bordered on cafeteria feeling. Overall, though, food rules out. I give it 4 stars.