12/16/08

THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES!

by BalletMomof3

I went to Morton's on a whim last week after a show at Keller Auditorium. Bad idea. I have never been to a restaurant that so reminded me of the tale "The Emperor's New Clothes". Let me preface this by saying that I have no problem paying premium prices for premium food. However, this is the most OVERPRICED FOOD I've ever encountered. DON'T FALL FOR IT! It's a joke! All of the meat choices are at least $40 and come a la carte. All of the samples of meat and fish are "presented", as they call it at Morton's, on a tray raw for your inspection. It is just plain tacky. All I wanted was a menu for me and a children's menu for my daughter. No luck on the children's menu. There is NOTHING special about the food. Nothing. It is average but they try and make you think it's special by saying it's "mid-western grain-fed" and charging outlandish prices. The potatoes are "hand-picked" our server informed us. I guess that's why they charge $8 for a baked potato. The woman who greeted us was wonderful as were the bus staff. Our server was very average and not very attentive, only helping us if he thought I was about to ask him for something. Do yourself a favor and go to HIGGINS or CARAFE which are right in the neighborhood, really unique, have great service and support the local farmers.

• Pros: Good location.
• Cons: AVERAGE FOOD and INCREDIBLY OVERPRICED!

09/27/08

Not worth it....

by 4course

The food was OK. Our server was decent enough. I would not say that either was worth what we paid. Our bill for four was $404 and change. There was nothing over the top bad, just a lot of small 'stuff' that detracted from the whole. It should be a home run every time.

For $100 per person guest check average, details should be attended to. The maitre d' was in need of a shoe shine. Maybe not too important but certainly indicative of the attention to detail in this location. Two bread plates missing from the table. The maitre d' should have noticed. He did not and neither did the server. I had to reach accross to an empty table to get a bread plate. No butter knife. We had to use our large steak knife to butter the bread. The bread was not very good. The crust was, in my opinion, over cooked. The caesar salad was drenched in dressing and was nothing but the dark green outer leaves of the head. The lump crab cakes were salty. The mashed potatoes had the consistency of puree. The steak was good. No complaints there. Desserts at these prices should be made in the restaurant. Maybe they are but they looked and tasted like a frozen product.

Our server presented the check, we signed the receipts and he picked up the signed tab while we were still sitting at the table a few minutes later. Tacky at any level of dining.

The experience was not memorable for the right reasons.

I really wanted it to be good but I was disappointed. I should have looked at city search first. I wonder if Morton's knows what guests are writing? Out of 31 reviews, seven give this location one out of five stars and a total of 14 give three or fewer out of five. Many complaints about the lack of butter knives. GET SOME BREAD KNIVES!

Good Luck to anyone who tries this restaurant.

08/12/08

Mediocre food for expensive price

by Sagecinnamon

During my most recent visit, I found myself unimpressed. I agree with an earlier poster who complained that they lack appropriate silverware -- I do not understand why we are expected to use our steak knives to butter bread. Beyond that, however, the food was lackluster. I had their 5 onion soup (which is just a fancy way to say french onion). The bread in the soup was tough and hard to eat, and I didn't enjoy it at all. The french onion at Red Robin is far superior in quality and price. I also had their crabcakes, which were just terrible. I've never eaten such bland crab cakes before in my entire life. Furthermore, when the waitstaff boxed up my leftovers, they failed to include the mayosauce, so I didn't even have that to dip the bland crabcakes in later. Needless to say, I threw out $40 worth of food last night because I just couldn't make myself eat them (no matter how expensive they were). The cheesecake was moist and delicious, and my tablemates tell me the steak was great. Their Lyonisse potatoes were too salty, and something you could have ordered at Elmers. Overall, not worth the price. I will not be returning.

• Pros: Great cheesecake and yummy lemon drop
• Cons: Bland food and very expensive