Porterhouse Grill — Restaurant in Athens-Clarke County Unified Government

Based on the reviews, Porterhouse Grill seems to have a split personality. Given our recent experience (unfortunately on the not so great side) I'm guessing this may be due to the staffing levels at the time you visit. While service was probably the worst part of the experience, the individual team members were the best part, and came as close as possible to saving the experience. We visited for my daughters birthday after I encouraged her to pick somewhere "nice" for the occasion. This was a Wednesday night, at 7:00. The restaurant was barely occupied, but the bar was somewhat busy. This was unfortunate, as our server was also the bartender. My wife and the birthday girl arrived at 7:00 and I arrived with another daughter around 10 minutes later. When we sat down, the first two had already ordered their (soft) drinks but not received them. Over 20 minutes after I sat down, I still hadn't been asked for a drink order, and the first two had not been delivered. By the time our server arrived again, we were looking at nearby alternatives and thinking about leaving. In hindsight, I wish we had. After we eventually ordered, the appetizer actually came out quickly and was fairly good, giving us a bit of hope. Unfortunately we still didn't have drinks. Eventually, the hostess delivered our dinks, and I took the opportunity to ask if she could assist our server who was obviously overwhelmed and unable to get away from the bar. The hope after the appetizer didn't last long, the rest of the food took a while. The staff tried, they really did. But I only remember seeing three people, the hostess who I believe was also waiting or at least assisting other tables, the bartender / server and someone from the kitchen who helped deliver our meal. The meal was OK, not great. The biggest single issue was the steaks, ordered medium rare, were very rare, cool red center and bleeding out on the plates for the filet which probably should have been butterflied given its thickness. Given the experience to that point, there was no way we were sending anything back, and we just worked our way through it convincing ourselves it was as positive experience as possible.

I didn't say anything much, but I think it was obvious. I didn't want to embarrass my family, especially my daughter on her birthday, and the staff we worked with were obviously doing everything they could. They weren't hiding in the back or taking breaks ignoring us, they were with other customers constantly. They were nice, polite and apologetic. They are likely wonderful when there are enough of them to do the job.

What makes this experience so frustrating is the price and reputation this restaurant seems to be working with. For half the price, this would have been a disappointment, but not worth a page of review. This is supposed to be one of the nicer restaurants in Athens, my bill was just under $300 for the family of four with no alcohol, and one only ordered a salad. I expect decent service and fair food from any restaurant, in this price range I have higher expectations.

Based on my experience, save your money. Almost any other restaurant is going to proved a far better bang for your buck. For "steakhouses" Chop House or Chops and Hops are better than this for less money. Even chain restaurants, Rafferty's (assuming they can get the temp right), Carraba's, Long Horn sadly.

A few other thoughts...

Mashed potatoes were great.

I like the atmosphere better than some other reviews. It is dated, but almost to the point it has an old school upper scale vibe.

The Caesar salad is very fishy as others have noted. Yes, we know what is in Caesar salad dressing, and the daughter who ordered it eats them regularly. She couldn't eat it.

I know it is hard to get reliable staff, but at this level I assume you can pay a little more to your team, and there are higher expectations you must meet. Again, the two there were great and did what they could. They needed at least a...

The Porterhouse was a tradition for my friends and I for many years. We used to really enjoy coming here to eat during football season and it has been a staple for every home game. We especially have enjoyed the atmosphere since this establishment is one of the more adult venues in Athens and stands in sharp contrast to most of the other bars downtown. It has been our tailgate or our postgame dinner. However, things have changed and not for the better. It is like flipping a coin every time you go in because the experience varies so widely. And the bad experiences are not one-offs.

Recent Example: Big game day in Athens, battle of top-ranked teams, packed house with full reservations that have been booked out for weeks. People lining up out in front of the entrance waiting for the doors to open. No walk-ins on a day like this. Grand total of 3 waiters/waitresses for the entire restaurant. One of the biggest game nights of the year and if you are running a business it should be all hands on deck to handle the volume.

I realize staffing in the restaurant industry ebbs and flows, but every other steakhouse I have been to that charges $70 per steak doesnt seem to consistently be short-staffed every other time I walk in the door.

A few notes from the most recent visit:

It took us almost 30 minutes to get our tea and cokes from the time we were seated and the bread we asked for didn't arrive until the entrees appeared, over an hour after ordering. And we were the 4th group in the door after the restaurant opened.

The salmon was burnt black on one side and practically raw on the other (likely not thawed before being put on the pan to sear).

The Steak Frites entree (which I have ordered many times), advertised with hand-cut fries that are traditionally amazing, came out with krinkle cut fries from a bag. And they were soggy as if they had just been pulled out of a microwave.

The table behind us, seated 5 minutes after we were, never even received the appetizers they ordered and ended up leaving after an hour.

The Philly Cheesteak Eggrolls and Calamari were still as delicious as ever, probably the highlight of the food tonight. The only things we ordered that came out correct and timely were the appetizers.

Now, the service was still good in that they were trying. Honestly, they were being run ragged. Our waiter was knowledgeable about the food and polite and cheerful despite the obvious stress but with so many tables to cover people were getting lost in the shuffle.

Summation:

Food quality is highly inconsistent in recent years, as are the service times. You might have a decent enough meal or you might leave shaking your head in disappointment. Considering a meal for 2, without alcohol, will run you $150 this is just not acceptable. Its bizarre to consistently get a better meal for half the price at Longhorns.

Final Note: Back in the day the bar used to be open late on Saturdays even if the kitchen was closed. Its Gameday in Athens, people have money to spend and there was always a late game you could watch on the tv at the bar. This is when you cultivate clientele and everyone knows your highest profit margins typically come from alcohol. Now the door is often as not locked by 9 or 9:30, despite posted hours being open until 10. It...

Got married in January. No party, no reception. Just me and my wife. We went out to eat for the first time since COVID started, and we opted for Porterhouse. I hadn't been in 7 or 8 years, and didn't really remember much about it. We went RIGHT at open to avoid crowds. We were the only ones there for the first 15 minutes.

Their COVID protocol was top notch. Lots of barriers and distanced seating. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable. The problem was the food, unfortunately.

Now, to be fair, we got an appetizer that was phenomenal (seared tuna, super rare in the middle). No complaints there. We followed that up with a pair of new york strips with different toppings (one was the special, I think) asked for ultra rare (specifically, "as rare as they are willing to serve it"). What we actually got was closer to medium than it was rare, let alone ultra-rare. If it was at peak hours, I could understand a steak that sits on an extra minute or two by accident, but there were literally less than 10 people in the restaurant. Huge oversight, in my opinion. They also didn't seem like the best steaks out there. I know a strip is lean vs. a ribeye, but man, these guys were ultra lean. They came with some sort of butter cheese on top, which was tasty in it's own right (truly), but I couldn't help but feel like it was covering an otherwise subpar steak by adding some flavor and fat. Maybe the biggest insult on the plate though were the veggie sides. I got asparagus. I couldn't believe it was just steamed asparagus. No salt or pepper or balsamic reduction or glaze or something, anything? Just a total lack of creativity or effort from a top dollar restaurant in town. Finally, we got creme brulee for desert. It wasn't....terrible...but it was sickeningly sweet (the sugar on top was like...a quarter inch thick. I'm used to cracking the top with a spoon, but this was just comically overkilled with the amount of sugar, and was the obvious source of cloying sweetness.

Overall, it wasn't a terrible experience. Service and staff were great, and I appreciated their COVID efforts. It's just that I could do everything they had done food-wise from home, but better (except the tuna appetizer, which was exceptional). I guess I just expected better food for that kind of...