Stab's Prime Steak and Seafood — Restaurant in Baton Rouge

My wife and I had dinner at Stab's on December 22. Let's start with the good. My wife and I started with an appetizer of a very tasty crab cake, though I thought it was under portioned for $20. We followed this up with an excellent house salad and wedge salad between us, which were the high point of the meal. Everything about these salads was good and if we'd stopped there, it would have been a good experience.

For our entrees, we got the 12 oz filet and the red fish. While the filet was cooked to the correct temperature, it was was hardly seasoned. I understand that the restaurant sells toppers such as bone marrow and seafood to enhance the steaks but that is hardly an excuse to make a poor steak if you don't get an add on. The red fish was very poorly scaled and inconsistently cooked. While some parts were cooked perfectly, the majority of the fish was overdone. We finished our evening with the bananas foster and it was a disaster at best. The sauce was incredibly undercooked and all you could taste was the alcohol. After the waiter extinguished the flames of the bananas foster, he unceremoniously plopped a scoop of ice cream into the cast iron pan, which melted the ice cream almost immediately.

That brings us to our experience with the staff. I don't know if our reservation was lost or if the restaurant is normally in the habit of seating couple's at a small half table in the corner of the main dining room, but I feel confident that we were seated at the worst seats in the house. Our server was inappropriate when present, which would have been a much bigger issue if he was anywhere near our table most of the night. When he delivered the filet, he barked, "hey, the kitchen normally gets the steaks cooked great but cut it open and check to make sure it's done right." I understand he wanted to check the steak for doneness but he did so very rudely and didn't really inspire any confidence in the kitchen staff.

Before he lit the bananas foster, the waiter told us that the last time he did this he almost burned his eyebrows off and if he did it this time his girlfriend would be pissed. I know he was trying to be funny but he made me feel like he was annoyed that we ordered a dessert where he had to do more than leave it on the table.

Lastly, we had a very long wait time between each course of our meal and didn't have any explanation from our server about it. I saw several large parties that sat down after we had ordered got a lot of their food before we did. We had one steak and one order of fish, both fairly quick dishes to cook. I can honestly only assume that our waiter forgot to give our order to the kitchen and didn't realize until other tables dishes started arriving. The floor managers stopped by I believe every table but ours in the 2 hours we were there to see how everyone was doing. Overall your staff made us feel like we were the least important customers in your restaurant. I don't know if you were understaffed, if we had an inexperienced waiter, or what the issue was, but we felt like an unwelcome inconvenience.

While we only go to restaurants in Stab's price range every few months, we have never felt like this before. I have never left Fleming's, Ruth's Chris, Sullivan's, or Louisiana Lagnaippe feeling like the least important people in the room. No matter the ticket price, no matter the tables around us, no matter if we were dressed in our finest clothes or something a little below the occasion, we always felt like there was someone who's entire job when we were there was to keep an eye on us and make it the best night possible. We never felt that way at Stab's. We felt like an afterthought you couldn't wait to see out the door.

I believe the food needs some work but is within reach of the above restaurants. Good service could have made up for it but instead fell far short. I don't know if the staff is still too inexperienced, it was just a bad night, or what happened. No matter what it was, I expect much better treatment and a much better evening at your...

Dear reader,

I am saddened that my highly disappointing experiences at Stab’s has brought me to the point of ethically being obliged to share the terrible customer service that was administered to me on 10/10/21 around 7pm.

I am writing this horrid review through the lens of objectively. I want it to be known that Stab’s has a lot of work to do with social economic profiling, whether it be regarding gender, age, dress, credit/debit card categories as an example, (a black card in comparison to a regular debit card), etc.

I am a professional/licensed therapist, entrepreneur, and writer. Furthermore, I aim to treat people fairly whilst thoroughly analyzing my own thoughts subjectively and objectively. (I am never looking for trouble or to create something from nothing. This is my first time ever writing a review!!! So, believe me, I am deeply disturbed by the waitress’s inappropriate comments to me and the general manager’s too).

I was accompanied by three other eyewitnesses to an egregious remark administered by our waitress. Upon completion of our meals, I asked for the bill. I called the waitress over to the table and asked for the bill, stating, “May I have the bill, and I am paying for everyone.” (None of the people who were with me objected to my kind overture).

To my surprise, the waitress looked perplexed and shocked, as she asked, “Are you sure?” (Her countenance was appalling).

Taken aback by her comment, I responded, “Should I not be sure or something? Why shouldn’t I be sure?” (I was hurt).

She stumbled over her words without acknowledging that she was insinuating that I couldn’t afford the meal. She never apologized and she was at a loss of words. When she brought the bill back, she proceeded to stand next to me while I signed the bill as though she wanted to observe my countenance—to confirm her inaccurate profiling of me. (It is highly unusual for a waiter/waitress to stick around without being prompted after they bring out the bill, they usually walk away and say, ‘Take care of this at your leisure.’)

Most importantly, I left her a 21% tip on principle, which was undeserved. My bill was $245.00 for four people plus tips, totaling $295.00.

After wrestling with my thoughts on the matter, I called Stab’s the following day, requesting to speak with the GM. Hence, I spoke with the general manager, who instantly pulled the race card; however, I never mentioned my race—I only focused on complaining about their poor customer service. Was the general manager voice profiling me?

I was lucid in what I wanted during our telephone parley as well. I wanted the girl to be talked to and I just wanted us all to be better. Unfortunately though, this did not happen… Instead, the manager proceeded to play ‘Devil’s Advocate’ with me, totally dismissing my very hurt feelings. He mentioned that he would call me back later that day after speaking with her—and that never happened!! (It has been a week.)

I conclude this way: Would a waitress have asked me, ‘If I was sure’, if I was just paying for myself at an expensive restaurant? And if not, then why?

The same reason why she wouldn’t have asked me if I am sure if I was playing for myself, is the opposite of why she asked me if I was sure, when I covered the bill for four. She implied that I couldn’t afford he ticket, so she confirmed by asking me, ‘Are you sure?’ If I went to buy a car and asked to see an expensive car, the only reason someone would ask me ‘if I am sure’ is if they are profiling me, whether it be gender related, age, appearance, or sadly even race related.

Ruth’s Chris and a plethora of other exquisite venues have never asked me ‘if I am sure’ when I asked for the bill—before the waiter/waitress had a chance to bring it out.

Stab’s you need some new leadership and it needs to happen fast! Dear future customers’ and present ones’, I would stay away from this place. I will never eat here again!! Thanks for reading my heartfelt review.

Warm...

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER*

I took my friend here for her birthday last night and the waitress suggested we should order the crawfish cornbread salmon. So of course I took the waitress suggestion and my friend ordered the fish of the day. We received our food I was in the middle of booking a flight, so I didn’t try the food upon arrival. The waitress came by a couple minutes after and asked if we needed anything and I said we’re okay. 8 minutes in I tasted my food and the fish made me nauseous because it didn’t taste “fresh”. She didn’t say anything she just took the food and boxed it and returned to me and said she can’t do anything about it. I explained to her that I couldn’t take the chance of eating a fish that wasn’t fresh and getting sick. She said they have a 2 minute grace period upon the food’s arrival & if you don’t say anything within those 2 minutes you have to pay for the food lol. Mind you guys I only had a bite out of it. I asked to speak to a manager. The manager Chris was on duty and he came up to us at the bar and told us it’s nothing he can do, I proudly let him no I didn’t have an issue with ordering another entree because I was starving because I waited for dinner to eat all day for my friends birthday. He said he couldn’t accommodate me and that’s my problem. He said I can order and pay for another meal. He offered to give us a free appetizer or a drink, I told him I just want another meal made fresh because I never experienced anything like this before. I did not want a free meal or any incentives, I just wanted what I was paying for “a high quality meal”. So of course I declined the offer because I knew the fish wasn’t right. So the situation escalated and one of the owners came out and told us he wasn’t losing money tonight because my taste buds are messed up lol , and he proceeded to yell at us and put his hands in our face because I explained to him I just wanted to be accommodated with another meal didn’t mind paying for it. Mind you guys I was so calm and nice. THIS MAN HAD NO REASON TO PUT HIS HANDS IN MY FACE AND YELL AT ME. I asked him kindly to get his hands out my face because that was disrespectful and unacceptable. So at this point they ganged up on us and made us pay the bill. We were TOTALLY HUMILIATED AND EMBARRASSED. My friend cried at the bar because she couldn’t believe they were treating us this way. If YOU’RE A BLACK WOMAN OR BLACK MAN PLEASE DON’T PATRONIZE THIS RESTAURANT, THEY ARE VERY RACIST AND THE OWNER IS AN A$$HOLE. DON’T GIVE THESE HUNGER MONGERS YOUR MONEY BECAUSE THEY REALLY DON’T WANT US AS CUSTOMERS & YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THEIR DOING TO THE FOOD IN THE KITCHEN . I am so dissatisfied AND DISAPPOINTED!! & WILL NOT BE RETURNING! I wish I can leave 0 stars. They made me pay $169 bill & I left hungry and disrespected.

Thanks Stabs for ruining my friend’s...