J.W. Heist Steakhouse — Restaurant in Bozeman

I wanted to leave a review that might contrast the everything-is-amazing ones that are up that might help you decide if you want to give it a go. TL;DR a solid 3.5 stars with room for improvement and promise. We had six guests with a reservation and were promptly seated. The atmosphere is western chic, with tasteful decor and intimate lighting. Although it was noisy, it was not enough to overwhelm any personal conversations. The total time was around 3.5 hours. The silverware, plating and physical size of the menus felt crowded. I'm not a fan of menus touching my plates and utensils, since menus aren't the cleanest of items, but there really wasn't any room for them. I would prefer to order then have the table serviced. Cocktails were out in about 30 minutes of seating (with our indecisiveness partially to blame), with appetizers not too long after. Entrees were about an hour after appetizers. It was an enjoyable time, though, so the wait didn't feel burdensome, and I never felt rushed. The food: I started with the Paloma cocktail (tequila, smoked tajin, smoked sea salt, grapefruit soda) - You could smell the grapefruit, but not taste it. It has two distinct tastes and mouthfeel - the smoked tajin on the rim, and the drink inside. Once it sat and mixed well, it was enjoyable without the disjointed tajin. The appetizer was an appropriately sized French onion soup. It was quite enjoyable, served in a handled stoneware bowl with a hearty bread and cheese layer, the right amount of onions, and a savory broth. The others' wedge salads were also lauded, served with a good pork belly-to-lettuce ratio, and an appropriate amount of blue cheese. My entree was an 8 oz. prime, medium rare, with a side of chimichurri. It was perfectly cooked to medium rare, as were others at my table, but I could not tell you how the meat tasted over the overwhelming char. I cut the edges off to taste just the meat, which paired well with the chimichurri. The char was unfortunate though - it overshadowed any taste of the meat. Perhaps that's someone's preference, but it was not what I was expecting. If I were to order it again, I would request as little char as possible. It could have been any cut of meat for all I could tell. Three others ordered the Chilean sea bass and said they "knocked it out of the park." It had a more delicate and cohesive taste with the parmesan, caper lemon butter and grilled sofrito. I ordered the asparagus as a side. They were a mature stock, very plump and firm. One of my favorite foods, asparagus can be rich and earthy mixed with sweet-bitter and grassy. I can't comment on the flavor since they tasted of nothing but smoke. It could have been a carrot, cauliflower, or green bean for all tastes are concerned. The smokey taste was spot on, but there was not even a hint of asparagus left. I guess it's one way to get some adults to eat their vegetables. A friend got the potatoes Anna, and they were unbelievably greasy and salty. Not like, "whoa ... that's salty," but like "you have to try this, it is so salty, I can't believe it's not a salt lick." We all got those two sides, so I didn't get to taste anything else. I finished off the meal with the pineapple upside down cake, and it was the star of the show. It was delicate compared to the smokey, salty, and char-filled entree, with a mild breading and Chantilly sauce to counter the sweetness of the pineapple and cherry. A friend was also impressed with the butterscotch budino. Their wine selection is incredible with varieties (and price points) for all palates. Overall, it was a solid 3.5 star experience, but I'll give them 4 since they have only been open a couple days. As a starting point, they are in a good place: the service and atmosphere were enjoyable, but some menu items need a little work so they translate from the chefs' visions to what is served. It has potential but didn't quite hit the mark. I'm eager to try it again in a few months when they've come into their own and the food is less blunt and...

JW Heist is a very nice restaurant, reminiscent of the Capitol Grilles, Ruth's Chris's, Morton's, Flemings, etc. that you find in larger cities. It's nice to have a place like this in Bozeman, finally. They JUST opened so I want to provide some constructive criticism, and I imagine they are still coming into their own. I am not a family or friend of anyone involved with the restaurant, so mine isn't going to be the "everything is amazing, 5 stars" review. I hope the owners read these reviews and take what they think makes sense to improve upon. I would bump this to four stars if I know they're reading customer's input. Food is so subjective, and reading reviews can be hysterical sometimes. This is really intended for the restaurant. I have enjoyed a lot of good steak, including at the restaurants mentioned above, and I don't think its up to snuff just yet.

To be clear, this was not a bad experience - it was a great experience and I am glad they are here. I will go again. I recommend you go and give it a try.

The staff was great, I think our table interacted with about 5 staff members. The atmosphere and environment is great, a little hard to hear people talk at a large table, but nothing some acoustic treatments in the ceiling couldn't fix. Great wine list.

Here is why I am giving three stars. The value proposition of a restaurant like this, where you are paying $65+ for a steak, is that you're at least going to get some food that was to die for, or food that you would not be able to replicate at home (unless you love cooking). This was not the case.

The sides were mediocre, we each tried other's sides and the consensus was that they lacked flavor or were too salty. The asparagus was cooked to a perfect doneness -- but was deadened by overwhelming smoke flavor (not the smoker kind of smoke). The potatoes anna was SO salty I actually tried my mom's potatoes anna, but it was just as salty. I thought maybe it was just me so I had two other friends try it, and they agreed. Reading some other reviews here I don't think I am the only one that experienced this either.

The steaks: I ordered the ribeye - came out perfectly cooked in terms of doneness - I will admit that. The other two people at my table ordered Filets and theirs were identical and cooked as requested. Their medium rare is actually medium rare - not rare like you find in most places in Montana. They do char the steaks here, hence the open flame, which I do enjoy - however all of our meat lacked the savory aspect of the caramelized fat and char, and instead a charcoal-esque smoke flavor overpowered the taste of the meat, deadening the flavor unfortunately. The other disappointment were the sauces. I had ordered a green peppercorn sauce - which typically has peppercorns in it, has a nice spice or bite to it, and adds some flavor. The sauce I got was a brown, bland sauce that didn't hardly have any flavor, I actually thought they brought the wrong one by accident, thinking it was gravy or something. Two other table mates had other sauces, and the chimichurri was good, but the other steak sauce was meh. We did not try the béarnaise, so I cannot speak for that one. It certainly wasn't bad, but it honestly was bland and definitely not $85 good. If I had paid 30-35 for it I would have been ok with it, but in either case would not order that item again unless someone told me they changed how they were cooking them, or dialed in their technique.

Another table member got the sea bass and was very happy with it, and I cannot vouch for any of the other seafood.

Dessert was good.

Going back to the value proposition - there is room for improvement. I do not think the steak is amazing enough to warrant the prices of the items - but I imagine they will get there with time and by listening to feedback from their patrons, as they have only been open for a little under a week. I would like to try another visit in a few months, but I honestly probably won't order steak, I will try...

Likes: Accommodating- We concluded our earlier business early and arrived well before our reservation time and they were able to seat us quickly.

Atmosphere- If you are looking for an upscale, beautifully appointed place with perfect mood lighting and wonderful big band music, this is your place.

Food is reasonably priced for a restaurant of this caliber - The price for a 10oz filet is the same for what I would pay for an 8oz filet in south Florida at a comparable restaurant. The excellent Cabernet was priced at least $4-$5 less than back home as well.

Despite the policy mentioned below, our waiter WAS able to pace out the various courses in a timely manner.

Food has generous portions and overall was good. My rare filet was slightly overcooked, which may be due to all of the order going in at once and the main entree having to sit under a heat source while we finish our appetizers(?) Caesar salad, which we split, had white anchovies and was delicious!

They have Béarnaise sauce- it’s getting harder to find these days. I love it!

Dislikes: Dress Code is not enforced- It is so disappointing when you take the time and effort to adhere to the dress code posted on the website only to walk in and see patrons wearing a wide brimmed yard work hat, a tank top and shorts. Several patrons in tees and shorts.

Tables for 2 are spaced too close together - If you are larger than skinny and are seated along the banquet, you will feel uncomfortable squeezing out to leave or use the restroom. You are right on top of the table next to you and it tends to make you feel like you are in a can of sardines and that they are packing as many patrons in as possible. Which I get, but it doesn’t lend itself to feeling comfortable or valued as a customer.

Process feels rushed - Their policy is to take the entire order at once (apps and entrees). I get this for large parties, however as a ‘general policy’ this makes the patron feel like the restaurant wants to move you in and out, expeditiously. At a restaurant of this caliber, I want to feel like I can take my time and enjoy myself.

‘Manager’ doesn’t introduce himself when asking about your meal - this is a huge pet peeve of mine. If you are not wearing a Name Tag, introduce yourself and your position.

Finally their biggest ‘fail’- Despite their reservation platform ‘Resy’ asking if there was a ‘Special Occasion’, which I responded that it was my daughter’s birthday, no one acknowledged the occasion. I thought…’well maybe this is one of those places that doesn’t do anything for special for occasions’, however 2 seconds later the same desert we had ordered was walked past with a candle on top. Not sure where the breakdown in communication happened, and I surely did not want to bring it up to management in front of my daughter, but I did write a brief note on the back of the check with an arrow leading to my much diminished tip.

Hopefully management will read this and take appropriate action so this doesn’t have to diminish someone...