Lemon Grass Restaurant — Restaurant in City of Syracuse

My girlfriends went out to Lemongrass last night for the Downtown Dining Week special. This was my first time here. I want to say up front that while everything was delicious and service was great, I don't see myself going and paying full menu prices. First let's start with environment. This is a very intimate restaurant. Small dining area, warm colors, fresh linens, and candles all set the mood ideal for special occasions and celebrations. The service is impeccable. Our server recommended some wine bottle specials, there was always a guy filling our water glasses before they were empty, there was a different guy filling our wine glasses before they were empty, people clearing your empty plates so they didn't sit there too long, and our 3 course meal was timed out so we had space between each course and were not rushing to finish anything. I usually don't go to fancy places so this was all very nice. Now let's talk food. As I mentioned above, we were eating off the Downtown Dining Week menu. At Lemongrass they offered 3 courses for $30. Appetizer, Salad, Entree. Appetizer: I ordered the Shrimp Dumplings. 4 large dumplings were served in a chili soy vinaigrette. This had a little bit of a kick, but was really delicious. K ordered the Lobster Dip with Shrimp Crackers. This was not a typical lobster dip. It was not creamy and cheesy but more like a chili. The shrimp crackers were puffy and melted in your mouth. Overall the dish was excellent. M and J both ordered the Moroccan Fritters. 5 small ball shaped fritters were served with a sweet chili sauce. This is not something I would normally order but the flavors were incredible. Almost has similar flavors to a falafel but they were not as dry and a bit of a sweeter flavor to me. Dipped it in the chili sauce and it was so good. Salad: Mixed greens, a couple of tomatoes, and peanut dressing. Nothing real exciting but the dressing was great. Entree: K and I both ordered the Roasted Filet. I ordered mine medium rare and she ordered it medium. Both were cooked to perfection. They were juicy, tender, and had more flavor than I've had in a filet. They were served with a couple of pieces of zucchini and a small scoop of mashed potatoes. Both were good but obviously not the star of the plate. M ordered the Swordfish with chili sauce and said it was fantastic. J ordered the Chicken with sauteed forest mushrooms and said it was good but it was just chicken, nothing exciting. We paid a little extra to try a couple of the desserts. This is recommended as they were a fantastic way to end the evening. A Taste of Honey is not a dessert I would read off the menu and decide to order but now that I've had it, I would order it again. Local honeycomb, yogurt honey ice cream, and hand made granola. The perfect amount of sweet and the textures of the honeycomb, ice cream, and granola together made it an incredible dessert The Red Balloon is just fun. It's fun to read the description, fun to look at, and fun flavor combinations make this really special. Flavors of Rasberry, lemon, and rose all come through in this liquid nitrogen frozen masterpiece. If you have the money or have something special to celebrate, this is your place. If you can't usually splurge on a night out, then check it out during dining weeks. Guy ou will get a great meal for a portion of the price! Make a reservation because...

There were seven of us who just had dinner there for the second time. We ordered three courses of hors d'oevres and so got to sample some delicacies which, if I'd had to pay for them myself and also diinner for seven, I wouldn't have attempted. It is a little pricey for people like myself but we were guests of a person who could afford it. In any case, I'd had occasion to dine at many restaurants in places like NYC, San Francisco, or in Europe where the fare was much more expensive and made prices at the Lemongrass look very reasonable. So yes, it is expensive for people with stressed incomes but no, it's not expensive compared to restaurants with similar culinary objectives.

The hors d'oervres were delightful in taste and in presentation, as were the main courses and the desserts--duck, kobe beef, and those other things I can't pronounce but know what they are. It is true as someone said that there were concessions to the American palate-- in that some Thai food is hotter and other Thai food (froglegs, for example, which I like) is more exotic , but our main courses were delicious, cooked to perfection in one's choice of sauces, while the desserts were colorful, tasty, and even somewhat entertaining. One chocolaty thing, for example, was presented in a shape of a woman's stilletto while another depicted an upside-down leggy showgirl diving into something sweet. One of the people eating with us asked for an additional dose of habanero etc but that was inadvisable as his hair nearly caught on fire. .

I was impressed with the wait staff, efficient, cordial, but not obsequious. The service was excellent and the server graciously answered questions we had about the preparations, the sauces, the level of "heat" or spiciness, and the usual "what the heck does that mean?" She had great attitude and deportment and after a glass of wine or two I thought maybe I had been transported to Paris. Moreover, she must have had a photographic memory to have covered so much menu ground in such complete detail.

All in all, it's a very good restaurant, a good place to go for those special times, or perhaps regularly for those who can afford it. We'll surely go there again, just the two of us. Aside from the dinner fare, the ambiance is pleasant and...

My partner and I had been looking so forward to trying Lemon Grass.

I have to tell you, it was one of the worst experiences that I have ever had. From the moment we walked in the door, I was soured. I have never met such a rude and snotty hostess in my entire life. The way she spoke down to us was completely inappropriate and uncalled for. It's amazing to me how the owners of Lemon Grass would allow someone like that to be the first person you interact with. She should not be the face of Lemon Grass.

We sat at the bar for a few minutes before our table was ready. We had a beer and cocktail. Then the rude hostess said our table was ready and another rude person took us to a table for two. The tables were so crammed together I could have reached over and picked food off someone else's plate. Very uncomfortable when you are trying to have a romantic meal with your partner.

Then a rude server came to the table. She did not smile once the entire service. Stone cold and ignorant.

I looked around the restaurant and not one employee was smiling. They were all miserable, snobby and rude. I have never been to a restaurant before where not one employee said hello; or welcome; or how are you this evening? or thank you for coming, etc.

I agree with some of the other reviews. The food was subpar and pedestrian, at best. $88 for a steak that was overcooked on one side; and we actually had to ask for a steak knife🤦

I am certainly not complaining about the price. I knew it was going to be an expensive meal. I have no problem paying money for a great meal, but Lemon Grass was certainly not worth it.

We had to wait over 15 minutes for our server to come back and offer us a dessert menu. The ONLY good thing about this restaurant were the desserts. They tasted amazing and the presentation was beautiful. If only such care had been given to the entrees.

I will probably never return to Lemon Grass. I will stick with Pastabilities 🍝 (down the road) where the wait staff are amazing and the food is 💯...