The Londoner - Carte

Chamberlain's Steak Chop House

➤ 5330 Belt Line RoadTX 75254, Dallas, United States

Carte • Fish • Full • Steak • Seafood

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"I won’t go into too many specifics, but I had an extremely disappointing birthday dinner at Chamberlain’s. I’m honestly baffled by the good reviews, unless last night was just a one-off. The food was not good- certainly not fine dining steakhouse level. We visited because of the participation in DFW restaurant week, but even with the prix fixe menu, we didn’t feel it was worth the money. The “prime” ribeyes were covered in a weird pepper sauce (seriously, who covers a prime steak with sauce, unless it’s to hide something? and our steaks had to be sent back twice. Even then, the last time one of them came out, the medium rare steak was the rarest it could be and still be cooked. Like, RAW. They honestly did not seem like prime steaks, and were butchered incorrectly (thin, not properly trimmed. The creamed corn was terrible, the mashed potatoes mediocre. Even dessert was a giant disappointment. Tasted like frozen premade desserts from Sysco or Ben E. Keith. Cocktails were also not great. The only saving grace was our server, and the manager, who tried as hard as they could to make it right, but it just was not a good meal. We appreciated the extra freebie dessert, but we both hate coconut crème pie, so, it was pointless. We would have preferred to get our dry, bland bread pudding served with ice cream, like the menu described. The meatballs and complimentary bread and butter were good. It pains me to write this, because the FOH staff really did try to make it right, but even removing one of the steaks from the bill didn’t make it worth the money, and the owner/chef should be aware of this colossal failure in the kitchen. We tipped the server generously because he made the effort, but a better (and less expensive meal could have been had at Texas Roadhouse or Saltgrass. Spending half of the meal having to “speak to the manager” wasn’t exactly how I envisioned spending my birthday."

Grand Lux Cafe

➤ 13420 Dallas Pkwy, Galleria Dallas Dallas, TX 75240-6700, 75244, United States

Carte • Cafe • Chicken • Salads • Desserts

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"As usual I’m out and about with my family celebrating my cousin’s 19th birthday and he decided on Grand Lux. Now the first thing that came to my mind was cheesecake with strawberry topping It’s been a minute since I’ve been to GrandLux and I must say we were very disappointed. We waited almost an hour after our “reservation” to be seated and once seated everything went down hill. There were 9 of us as 2 of his classmates who work in the mall decided to join us. Our waiter took about 15 minutes to come introduce himself and still didn’t take our drink or appetizer orders. Finally he comes back and took our drink orders however it took about another 20 minutes to receive them and I had to inquire about my Grand Lux Margarita and other alcoholic beverages we ordered and he stated the bar was backed up. Finally everyone gets the drink they ordered and finally we placed our appetizer orders needless to say they took forever to arrive as well but we’re starving at this point so no one cared enough to complain. Our food orders were placed and keeping up with the pattern it took forever to receive our entrees and when we did the birthday boys order was wrong. At this point I was over it. My salmon was dry, flavorless and the mashed potatoes were cold many of the other guest weren’t pleased with their orders either but why bother complaining it would have taken two hours to reorder and receive our food. My grandson needed to use the bathroom and OMG I was very very shocked at the condition it was in completely unacceptable. Although the restaurant itself was clean and tidy there is no excuse for the bathroom looking the way it did. All in all we had a great time talking and celebrating and our waiter who I promised him would remain nameless states that the issue is they are understaffed and overworked and are in desperate need of more wait staff, kitchen/prep cooks and bartenders. He also stated he’s thankful to have a job but it’s stressful working under those conditions and not every table is as understanding and generous as we were. This chain can surely do better!"

Osteria PaneVino

➤ 5000 Belt Line Road suite 300 Addison, TX 75254, 75254-6741, Dallas, United States

Carte • Wine • Fish • Coffee • Italian

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"We reached a little late at around 9.15 with a reservation and they were open till 10.30. I would say probably try to go in before that because we felt rushed at the end at around 10.10pm so we packed and left. Didn't love the appetizer bread. We ordered the chicken goatcheese Flatbread which was good. We also ordered the Wild mushroom pasta which was truly amazing. The portion size is small for pasta but very rich so will fill you. The chicken crusted parmesan special was okay for us in taste! Not the biggest fan.. probably also because we dont like grits!"

Gyu-Kaku

➤ 5290 Belt Line Rd, #115 Dallas, TX 75254, Addison, United States

Carte • Cafés • Sushi • Seafood • Japanese

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"I recently dined at Gyu Kyu and had high hopes for a delightful evening, especially since we had made a reservation in advance. Unfortunately, our experience fell short of expectations, leaving us frustrated and underwhelmed. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a smile but then promptly informed that, despite our reservation, we would need to wait an additional 30 minutes for our table to be ready. While I understand that delays can happen, a wait of that length with a reservation is quite disappointing. After finally being seated, we quickly noticed another issue: the restaurant provided us with only one menu for our party of five. This made it difficult to browse our options, let alone make a decision in a timely manner. As we finally settled in and tried to enjoy our meal, the service continued to be slow. Our server seemed overwhelmed and was often absent when we needed assistance. It took considerable time to place our orders, and even longer for our food to arrive. By the time our meals were served, we were already feeling frustrated and ready to move on rather than savor the food. While the ambiance of the restaurant was pleasant and the decor inviting, the lack of attention to service and the logistical missteps overshadowed any potential enjoyment. Dining out should be a relaxing and enjoyable experience, but our evening at Gyu Kyu felt more like a series of inconvenience. In summary, while the food may have potential, the experience was marred by poor service and a lack of organization. I hope this restaurant can address these issues, as it has the makings of a great place to dine. For now, I would recommend exploring other options until improvements are made."

Antonio

➤ 4985 CircleTX 750013377, Addison, United States

Carte • Kebab • Cafés • Asiatic • Italian

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"Went with three others yesterday for Tuesday tasting night. This was their first in 2023 and we had done this several times last year and enjoyed it. We always arrive early to claim a table for 4 as one of us is impaired with dementia and gets anxious when confronted with people they are not familiar with. So we claim a table and head to the patio to enjoy a glass of wine and appetizer before the tasting. This had never been a problem previously. Yesterday, when we came back into the restaurant from the patio to claim our designated table, we found it was pushed together with 2 other tables to accommodate a larger group. I asked the manager, who turned out to be the owner, why this happened, he replied that the wine tastings were community tables and there was nothing he would do for us as more people came than were anticipated. So we were forced to a large community table and it got worse from there. Funny thing, there turned out to be several no shows throughout the room. We could have easily been accommodated with our own table but he was unwilling. The tasting itself was unimpressive. Past tastings included a description of the wines with each food pairing. Did not happen yesterday, so we did not know which wines were being served and why with the cold piece of pizza, watery pasta dish and chewy lamb chops. For the all inclusive price of $35 plus mandatory 20% gratuity. But the best is yet to come. When we left the restaurant I told the owner I planned to tell all my friends and to Yelp him about our experience. He told me to f* of and never come back. Antonio, the deceased chef/owners name sake is rolling in his grave. I have never been treated so shabbily in a restaurant anywhere. There are numerous superior restaurant choices out there, skip this one."