Jim's Steak House — Restaurant in Bloomington

Long review, so if it's TL;DR - let's just say it's a hidden gem and felt like I was transported in time with everything being fantastic, albeit quite pricey -

The atmosphere isn't for everyone, but when it's so beautifully laid out with very dim lights and an older clientale where ppl dress fancier and have a unique combo of having polite, yet engaging conversations, it's very soothing. The amazing bar area almost makes you feel like you're in the late 50s/early 60s, but in the best way possible. It's the type of place where a man orders a Manhattan or Martini, and you very well might see a woman slowly pouring a bottle of beer into a small glass to sip on. The service is fantastic and actually pays attention to you. They treat you as if they've known you for years (service that is sorely lacking in essentially almost every place post-Covid). It doesn't come off as phony and I'm sure some of it an illusion, but I geninely felt like wanted to provide a great experience even if you're just wandering in by yourself looking for something different. Their Clam Chowder (on Tuesday's and Friday's) is better than the famous places I've been to around the Boston area. Their steaks are usually fantastic, and for the Midwest, their seafood is probably the best in the local area.

If a dim-litted, charming and somewhat classy throwback to an era you didn't live in, with a delicious steak and stuffed sea bass where ppl make you feel at home is your style, and you can afford it, then I highly recommend it. They've gone thru slumps where things aren't up to par, but that was a long time ago and when I went there last night, it was the best restaurant experience I've had in a long time. The owner even came and spoke to me, when he no reason to do so, but wasn't like, "How is your experience going?" He just said a few words and humbly appreciated and nodded to my compliments. They sometimes have someone playing piano or other types of relaxing live music. And no, I don't work there or have a reason to be leaving a fake review. I've only been there about 5 times in 10 years, but they've really upped their game and I am definitely going back soon - the staff, ambiance, and food quality while maintaining a "Mom and Pop" like feel, makes it one of the few hidden gems in this area and I think I'm going to start going there more. I wish more places adapted this style. It almost feels like a fancy late 1950s nightclub while still enjoying a quiet dinner. It's the best restaurant experience I've had since pre-Pandemic. Whether it's for a date, a special event, or just somewhere to relax at the bar, it fires on all cylinders. When every place is either a major chain that's gone drastically downhill, or some modern fusion microbrewery...it's very refreshing to have a place like this nearby that still exists. Again, it's quite expensive. So you might think, "Ok it was pretty good, but was it That good for the price?" But you're paying for the whole experience. It's ran by older ppl and the ambiance has just always been that way. Usually I don't leave reviews, but I spent two hours there by myself and had multiple "regulars" be kind to me and had some very polite yet fun conversations, and the meal was delicious. Great...

Very old building with the oddest floors/stairs layout I've ever seen. Ceiling tiles were coming apart, and dirt was visible on the hvac ducts. Dark brown is the dominant color which gave a dingy atmosphere. The place looked like it needed to be scrubbed clean. Everything about the place felt old and worn out.

We were seated and then immediately (as in mere seconds later) moved to another table for some odd reason just after the waitress took our drink orders. There was no explanation given for this, but we were given a different waitress also.

Our new waitress was spread out to too many tables and didn't visit us much after our order was placed. The menu was somewhat limited but expensive. The food we ordered was bland and unexciting. Between the menu and the waitress, we either got extra unexpected or no side items with our meals. I did not finish mine, and the waitress didn't even ask if I wanted to take it home. She was more interested in clearing the table.

Seating was tight and uncomfortable. The chairs had arms on them, and the way they sat made me feel like I was leaning backward rather than forward in the correct position. The tables were all too close together and it became hard to hear sooner than later. The restaurant was packed and very loud. Later on someone started playing the piano, which just added more noise.

The bathrooms were downstairs, and the door getting into them was unusually narrow. It would be very difficult if not impossible for a person in a wheelchair to get into the bathroom easily. I was told that the ladies room stalls were so tight that opening the stall door would hit the toilet.

Based on observations of other customers, many of them appeared to be repeats. I honestly don't know what the draw is for them because we decided that we are never going back.

Not recommended at all. I expected nothing and...

This place was very hyped up to us, so we were really looking forward to trying. My fiancé and a couple of our friends went for his birthday and our experience was less than pleasant. For one, our waitress was a little condescending. She asked what I wanted to drink and I said “I’ll just do a water” to which she responded “I was asking what you wanted other than water” she had JUST sat the menus down so I didn’t have time to look and to be quick I asked her what the options were, assuming she’d tell me what brand of pop products, tea, etc. she responded by handing me a cocktail menu.

I ordered the stuffed chicken breast. The chicken was over cooked and so dry to the point the texture was unbearable to chew. I ordered a salad for my side and when asked which dressing I’d like I asked for Caesar. The waitress told me that would be an up charge (which I do appreciate) and when I asked her what other options there were that wouldn’t be extra, she was once again condescending and told me what came on the salad. I had to ask again “what DRESSINGS?”

Our friend ordered a ribeye that had a piece of rope cooked into it that he didn’t discover until taking a bite that he wasn’t able to chew. My fiancé and our other friend ordered au gratin for a side and out came a bowl of what were the thickest cut potatoes and what looked like velveeta cheese. Both of them couldn’t take more than 1 bite.

We were hardly checked up on. When the waitress DID check up on us, she seemed less than concerned that all of us still had full plates and refused boxes. It was like she knew the food was awful because she didn’t even ask how things turned out.

I just can’t believe we wasted $100 on such terrible food and lack of service. Reviews on this place are great so maybe we just went on an off night, but still most likely would not be going back...