09/22/08

best

by deanna1903

We have been to this restaurant a number of times with friends and we have loved it every time. The steak is great, we have visited almost all of the best steak houses in southern california and this one is the best. Sometimes people have a bad experience, sometimes people have good experiences ours were great every time! Try the bone in steak, it is prepared like no other steak house. Remember it is a STEAK HOUSE so try the steak, if not there is no reason to go to steak house to eat fish!

• Pros: Great steak! It is a STEAK HOUSE!
• Cons: Nothing!

07/18/08

Quiet and quaint atmosphere, delicious food & quality service

by FREDDIESMOM

I'M A 1ST TIME USER OF THE SITE AND HAD TO SHARE MY GOOD EXPERIENCE AT THIS RESTAURANT. MOST PEOPLE ONLY SHARE, WHEN THEY HAVE BAD EXPERIENCES. MY HUSBAND AND I DINE OUT OFTEN AND WE BOTH AGREE THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST STEAK HOUSES IN THE CITY! NOT ONLY ARE THE STEAKS DELICIOUS BUT THE SEABASS AND CRAB CAKES ARE MY FAVORITE. THE STAFF IS VERY FRIENDLY AND ACCOMMODATING. WHEN THEY FOUND OUT IT WAS OUR ANNIVERSARY THEY COMP'D OUR DESSERT. WHEN WE TOOK OUR MOTHER'S THERE FOR MOTHER'S DAY THEY PRESENTED THE WOMEN WITH ROSES! WE RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO MANY OF OUR FRIENDS AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATES AND THEY TOO HAVE HAD GREAT EXPERIENCES THERE. I MUST GET THEM TO WRITE A GREAT REVIEW, ALSO! DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT...GO CHECK THEM OUT FOR YOURSELF!

• Pros: BEAUTIFUL ATMOSPHERE, GREAT SERVICE
• Cons: NOT CHILD FRIENDLY, NO HIGH CHAIRS

07/10/08

Not worth a dime - Quality has gone DOWN!

by phoenix888

POOR!!! HUGE difference in food quality since LAST MARCH - must be some changes in management here. Dined at this restaurant just last March and had a great experience, place was lively and the food/steaks were fantastic - the kobe beef and foie gras was superb. Since then I guess the place is NOW AT IT WORST!!! Dined there on a Wed night - group of 8. WAITED ONE HOUR 1/2 for our food to arrive - mind you the PLACE WAS practically EMPTY. 4 of our Prime Ribs w. Foie Gras was DRY. 2 plates were returned - should have returned ALL 4. The other 2 Rib-Eyes were mediocre. NOT WORTH even spending $10 for a steak. Your chances of buying a nice cut from the market for $10 would be more satisfying. The manager took off a few foie gras - a whooping $30 bucks from our tab for the dry tasteless slivers of foie gras.(Such a shame the foie gras was cooked terrible - a waste) 4 desserts were comped but really not much compensation either - lava cake was the last to arrive and was COLD. Our bill totaled out to $1040+ with of course the 20% Gratuity included!!! If not for our good company and conversation and a great reliable bottle of wine this would go down as one of our wasteful experiences in LA - a definite write off on our LA dining recommendations. (My future learning curve for this ...Take notice in the future if a restaurant , once bustling, no longer fills at least 1/2 of the main dinning area at peak dinner hours and stick to the steak houses we know and trust.) - P.S. - I signed up on LA City Search just to add this feedback. It's worth letting you know to seriously consider another steak house but won't make up for the bad experience.

• Pros: Decor & Wine,
• Cons: Dry steaks, dry foie gras, long wait for food, poor prep quality of desserts

06/09/08

Cold sides, over-cooked steaks, terrible service

by Dinerinla

I am a frequent diner at many restaurants in Los Angeles, and I think people should be warned about the awful experience we had at The Lodge When I dine out, I try to go to places that offer good service, good food and a fun atmosphere, sadly The Lodge was lacking in all 3 areas! Nine of us sat down for what should have been a delicious meal, we had a good reason to celebrate and we were looking forward to some steak!

Rude waiter, made up own language, No water refills, Some dishes not appearing with no explanation/apology, Long wait between plates being cleared and the next course arriving, Waiter not available/ in sight when you needed him, Cold sides, Over-cooked steaks, One person's meal didnt appear until much later than everyone else's (a salad), Empty restaurant, no atmosphere, Bad management, Awful owner attitude.

I made the booking after receiving a $100 off voucher via email. If you've been sent one of these, dont bother going, they won't honor it! When the bill came we asked about the voucher. As we didnt bring a printed out version, despite having the email on my blackberry, we couldnt claim it.

The bill also had a 20% gratuity added on. 20% I willingly add for a good meal, but this one had been far from a pleasant experience. Surely a gratuity is something that you add to show your appreciation for the wonderful service/food etc.

I complained to the manager about both of these matters and she was rude, condescending and completely unhelpful. Eventually she went to speak to the owner and his attitude was 'Well you ate it, didnt you?". The worst part was after I mentioned I had previously booked several large parties at The Lodge and the manager tried to hug me! Literally seconds after she was treating us like dirt.

After 15 minutes trying to get a reasonable response out of the management we left in disgust. This was not my first time dining at The Lodge, but it will definitely be my last!

• Pros: Has seats
• Cons: Service, food, staff, cost, ambience, management attitude

04/29/08

Romantic atmosphere with great food and service

by MariaVeronica

My boyfriend and I went to The Lodge for dinner. We were a little concerned about some of the reviews but we were told that it is now under new management. From the moment we arrived, the service was impeccable and all of the staff was very friendly and attentative.

Our server David took great care of us and the sommelier Scott was very helpful.

We loved the atmosphere, very cozy with great booths, dim lightning and a fireplace.

Our filet Mignon was excellent and we enjoyed the mixed beets and sauteed mushrooms side dishes as well as a jumbo shrimp appetizer. It was all delicious and our bottle of wine was outstanding. We will definitely come back!

04/24/08

Best bone in...

by tsmfotp

I had the pleasure of dining at the Lodge this evening. Our server was attentive without being invasive. He suggested a great glass of wine which complemented the Cajun Bone in Ribeye incredibly well. My date a vegetarian who incidentally loves Steakhouses for their great sides put her faith in our server who recommended a plethora of great sides including the sweet potato fries, asparagus, and the mac and cheese. She had a fantastic salad for dinner with the sweetest balsamic vinagrette. Everything was delicious. David completely took care of us and steered us right at every turn. We'll be back. Kudos.

KB

04/20/08

great friendly service. good steak

by jroots78

Even after reading all the horrible reviews a friend and I decided to go out for a STEAK on Tuesday night. I have to admit I was a little nervous to check this place out but the menu looked good and we were hungry so we made reservations for 2 people . The place was pretty empty when we arrived and only a few people sitting at the bar and a few other's eating. We sat at a table behind the bar area and were greeted by 2 friendly wait staff that was very prompt and informative about the menu and such.. I ordered the bone in FILET which was great. It is a little pricey and not that easy to find at night if you have never been but I have to say I might go back. I don't think it is as bad as people think and the waitress informed us that it has just switched owner's so I would expect to see some change's in the future.

04/13/08

The Absolute Worst

by losangelesnative45

My wife and I went with another couple. I was suspicious when we got a reservation at 8 pm on a Saturday night with the reservation made 2 hours earlier. My suspicions were confirmed. This place is horrible. One of the rudest servers ever. I order a drink and my wife orders Pellegrino. The server then pours the Pellegrino for me and then for our friends. None of us wanted it, which we told him so he wastes the bottle on us and doesn't bother to bring another for my wife. He never asked if we wanted a second drink and we had to flag him down. Mind you the restaurant is half empty. We literally had to yell repeatable to get his attention to get our bill, while he with his back to the dinign room goofing off with his co-workers. Now to the food: I had the filet (bone in)...the worst...fatty, way undercooked. I have nothing good to say, other than I can't wait until this place goes out of business and a real restaurant that understands that when we drop $400 we want decent service and great food. Having never posted before on any site, I was compelled to today as this place should do all of us a favor and close its doors

• Pros: It will hopefully shut down soon
• Cons: it is still open

04/07/08

best coffee martini

by kandihill1

WE LUCKED UP ON THIS RESTURANT. IT WAS GREAT. THE BAR ARES THAT IS. THE REGULAR DINING AREA WAS TOO DARK. BUT AFTER WE MOVED IT WAS ON AND CRACKIN

• Pros: BAR AREA
• Cons: DINING AREA

02/20/08

Another Honest Review

by lafood123

Here we go again... I read a couple of reviews and will defend the Lodge but will then give a description of my dinner. First of all if you are a party of 8 and order 2 app's a bunch of sides and bring multiple bottles from home then STAY HOME!!! A restaurant is a business not your living room where you feel you can order a side and an app. If you can't afford to eat out and enjoy a full dining experience then stay home. This has happened all too often when I was in the industry and its frustrating and obnoxious for people not to see that it is a business????!!!!!!!

Anyway... My dining experience was horrendous. I was celebrating the retirement of a friend who is a professional athlete and brought a bottle of 1978 Penfold's Grange. If you know your wine you know this is an extremely expensive bottle. The server rolled his eyes when he saw this which was just plain rude. I asked him to decant the wine and again this was a major problem for him. I didn?t say anything because I never do hence why I am going to write reviews. When he returned he destroyed the cork and pushed it into the bottle!!!! As you could imagine I was now livid. I told him the bottle of wine was worth $800 and he didn't seem to care. The food was mediocre. The high light was my friends Filet Mignon which was the only highlight. The manager came over and asked how everything was and he could tell I was a little annoyed. I explained to him the server was rude and I wanted the wine to be filtered due to the cork floating in it. He said he would love to but had to deal with another issue. Guess what??? He didn't return. Dinner was $240 for two. The server was rude, the manager was dismissive and condescending No wonder they have employee lawsuits filed against them and its for sale!!!!

• Pros: Ambience
• Cons: Service, quality of food, staff are rude, rude management