Council Oak Steaks & Seafood — Restaurant in Cincinnati

I hate to give less than the best review for what most consider a top-notch restaurant but, well, there were some flaws. First, let's begin with the staff / host / servers: top notch; very nice; attentive. Obviously, they were well trained and have been around a while because they knew how to have a conversation, smile, anticipate needs, and do a dinner service well. I have no complaints about the staff at all. Then come the flaws ... to begin with, I was expecting a very nice, very high-end place. While the prices reflect higher quality, the real-life story is not the same. Right off the bat, the restaurant is located in a casino. Let me repeat that: a casino. I should have been more vigilant in my due diligence because being in a casino means casino everything. So while I was expecting a high-end dining experience, most people were not dressed to reflect the fine dining label. Most people had on clothing that was at best daily wear and a goodly number had on shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops: I felt waaaaay overdressed in business casual, and that is disappointing because people should dress to reflect the atmosphere and give the respect to the food being prepared. Judging by the dress of the other diners, I would have guessed I was at an O'Charley's on a Friday night. The decor of the place, while nice, didn't match the prices of the food --- a TV at the bar in the middle of where the fine dining is supposed to happen? Speaking of food, I'm sure those in-house aged steaks and such command the higher prices, but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe my tastebuds were off that night, but I didn't think the steak nor porkchop were seasoned very well, nor were the sides, for that matter. Granted, the portions are large -- no, HUGE. The shrimp cocktail as an appetizer could have been a meal on its own and the lobster entree was massive. Perhaps the other diners equated quantity with quality is the best I could come up with. Now, I realize this sounds like I hated the place -- no. I liked it: it was clean, a great service, decent food, and the wine list is excellent (Cakebread Cabernet is worth every penny of the $295 per bottle). The problem is that I didn't realize the establishment was in a casino and was expecting something far different in terms of, well, everything. For what Council Oaks does and for whom it is designed to serve, it does well. I put the blame for this less-than-stellar review on my expectations and not the restaurant. If you're looking for an upper-end casino place, this certainly fits the bill and is worth the money. In this instance, I was looking for something totally different and that is my fault. A solid 4 stars...

OK we have been to a LOT of restaurants inside of casinos. We just moved to the area and decided to give Council Oak a try for my wife's B-Day weekend. It helped that I gamble a little and got a few dollars off-not comped yet. It never ceases to amaze me that (high end) casino steak houses will let anyone come in wearing anything. Shorts and t-shirts are welcomed here FYI. (and that alone pisses me off) The table settings are really nice. We went to order and the waitress didn't get out a pad and so I figured she was going by memory? So gave her my order and then had to repeat the whole thing again as she DID need something to write on. Told her about it....and she didn't seem too pleased I called her out on it. We had the crab cakes, NY Steak, salads, mushrooms and a few other things. Service was IMO lacking for the prices that they are charging here. I mean at these prices, you can eat at Jeff Ruby's and dress up (mandatory). Plus JR's is a step above here and just about every other restaurant in Ohio. The waitress took about 5 minutes to greet us and get waters. The water girl said she would bring bread...never did. Got our drinks and the crab cakes and finally got some bread. Then I was trying to use the PEPPER on the table and it had ZERO pepper in it!? So not that big of a deal and they brought me a new one. Then entrees took a while. Hadn't seen waitress or anyone in a while. Then I guess our waitress was busy and some other guy brought out everything. Plopped it on the table and started walking away. I said "hey sir....hey sir louder" and was ignored. I actually followed him towards the kitchen and grabbed a manager. He HEARD me, but maybe our waitress said we were difficult to him/others...IDK...IDC....I never got a freaking steak knife for my STEAK...and he was acting like he didn't hear me? I SW Josh the GM after the manager and he apologized. I was just being honest with him. "At THESE prices, it should be better and smoother. We told him we weren't trying to get a discount/free food or anything...we just are used to better service for THIS kind of $$?!" He agreed and we let it go. They did comp us a B-Day dessert. The GREAT news is that the FOOD made me still give them a 5 star rating! Everything was fresh and fantastic! We will be coming back for another experience to see if this was just a bad night...

This is an upgrade, for sure! I've eaten at Prism many times but was very excited when Hard Rock Casino announced a new upscale dining experience as part of their grand opening. Council Oak Steaks and Seafood features an open flame kitchen, an in-house butcher shop, and some of the most luxurious dining in Cincinnati.

Ludo, our server, and his assistant Kemar were delightful. Ludo has returned with the new brand; he's a true professional, remembers my preferences from visit to visit, and genuinely made my friend, and I feel valued. He seemed happy to see me. I know I was thrilled to see him.

The food was stellar. Our meal started with the complimentary bread service, warm from the oven and served with salted butter, to the oversized Caesar Salad. Kemar and Ludo both checked on us and were very friendly. We caught up with Ludo since it'd been forever since we'd seen him, and we got to know a bit about Kemar, his home country of Jamaica, and they were careful not to be intrusive while being personable.

Our 8oz filets came, cooked perfectly. My friend requested no black pepper on hers; that request was honored with pleasure. The char on the steak from the open flame might make it my favorite steak to date. We split the Mac and Cheese, which is creamy and spiced excellently. I also assembled my Loaded Baked Potato, which was huge and came with cheese, bacon, sour cream, and butter. Everything was perfect.

We had a visit from the manager, as well, and just truly felt as if we were VIPs. I suspect everyone leaves feeling the same.

Go check out Council Oak; it's...