"This was my first visit to Morton’s. My sons were in town for the holidays, and we decided months ago to celebrate Christmas dinner out—a tradition we’d never tried before. We chose Morton’s for its convenient location and my hopes for a memorable Christmas Day dinner. Unfortunately, my expectations were not met.
We didn’t get the booth I had requested, which wasn’t a deal-breaker, but worth mentioning if you have specific preferences. I made reservations well in advance, and on the day of, the only explanation given for the seating was that they were fully booked. We were seated at a nice table in a lovely ambiance.
We ordered a bottle of wine and some appetizers, and a round loaf of bread with cold butter was brought to our table. The bread was unappetizing—cold, dry, and crumbly—making it difficult to butter without it falling apart. Eventually, our appetizers arrived: bacon-wrapped scallops and wagyu meatballs. The scallops were good, but the meatballs were just mediocre. Yet still, we had no drinks.
I noticed the tables around us, all seated later, were receiving their food and drinks from different staff. After 45 minutes of waiting, our waiter informed us that they “couldn’t locate” the wine I had chosen. This was puzzling since the wine list includes bin numbers. Regardless, waiting this long was unacceptable. He attempted to upsell me on a bottle double the price, of a blend and type I wasn't familiar with. I asked to see the wine list again, which didn’t seem unreasonable. When he finally returned, he still didn’t have the list and instead insisted on taking our dinner orders. The restaurant didn’t seem overly busy, so it felt like we were being rushed rather than allowed a relaxed dining experience. I kept my patience intact, and we proceeded to order our main courses.
Finally, the waiter brought the wine list, then returned with the bottle he had recommended. I told him we opted for individual glasses of wine and a cocktail. Our salads came shortly after, but still no drinks. My sons had Caesar salads, while I opted for a wedge salad that was rather bland. After an hour and 20 minutes, we finally received our drinks—just as our entrees arrived at the table.
The steaks were the highlight of the meal. I ordered the filet mignon with béarnaise sauce, while my sons each chose ribeyes with different butters and sauces, which they enjoyed. They also ordered sides—mushrooms and onions for one, and grilled shrimp for the other—and found them satisfactory. The steaks were the best part of our meal. We ended up with over half of a dry rub ribeye and the filet leftover, which our waiter said he would box up for us to take home.
We ordered dessert, which was not comped on the bill as promised. After everything that had happened, I decided not to inquire about it—I just wanted to finish up and leave. The final bill was over $700. I was aware in advance that the meal would be expensive, and I don’t mind spending on special occasions like Christmas. However, with the price point, I expect exceptional service and food.
To top it all off, when we got home, we discovered that our waiter had forgotten to include the leftover steaks in the bag; we only had the leftover desserts. Perhaps other locations of Morton’s provide a better experience, but I won’t find out, as I don’t plan on returning to the one in Crystal City or visiting another location. Morton’s needs to improve. If you want to position yourself as a high-end establishment, it’s crucial to enhance your service and better train your staff. Despite my dissatisfaction with the service, I left a 20% tip—it was Christmas, after all."
