Prime25 — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

I've heard of this place. Not good things. I heard that it's a poor and disappointing attempt at fine dining. I checked reviews online and they were not half bad. Some were off but overall positive. I went in with an open mind. We had a party of 7.

Immediate first impression - the place was cozy and neat. There's an upstairs so it isn't too small. The ambiance was classy with dim lighting. Many people dressed up, but no apparent dress code. I wore a shirt and jeans. When Im paying hundreds of dollars to eat, I'm not too concerned about how I look. I'll likely never see these people again.

The menu was disappointing. I was looking online and expected a bit more of a selection, but it was one page and that's what you get. Settled on a fillet mignon, grade salad, and some Mac and cheese. The table had a little mix of everything. Again, the menu is not big so 7 people could probably order each of the main dishes and that's all they serve. Note that you don't get sides with the dishes, they are ala carte. So, you walk out spending $50 on a steak + another $10-$12 for each side, and that's on the low side.

No salt and pepper or other condiments on the table. Hope your dinner has enough salt on it. No soft drinks on the drinks menu. I only cared for water. The refills would disappoint anyways. No dessert menu. It's all in the waiter's head.

They no longer serve bread. What a disappointment.

The salads took at least 30 min to come out. I had honestly even forgotten I ordered one. Then, when I bit into mine... it just wasn't good. It was bland. The blue cheese was too strong and just overall wasn't what I had expected. A member of our party ordered a caesar salad and they too were fairly disappointing. The amount of dressing was on the light side and tasted too much like miracle whip. He agreed that even his salad was not tasty.

French onion soup... we've been to Europe. the in-laws lived in Europe for 5 years and were with us this night. This was anything but French. Don't even get me started on the creme brulee - It was hard as a rock and was absolutely disgusting. Needed to be sent back. Beyond disappointing...it was embarrassing for a restaurant that prides itself on such a dinging experience and actually caused a debate at the table.

Others at the table said they enjoyed their drinks though.

It took over an hour for food to arrive. I will say that my steak was perfect. It was not dry. Very moist. Was NOT burnt and was perfectly seasoned. Honestly, a very good steak, and for that reason, I cannot leave a 1-star review. It was small and pathetic though. I left this place hungry.

The service was not terrible but wasn't great. I would say middle of the road. The drinks could have been filled faster and we could've been checked on more, but when you're just waiting an hour for food then I suppose it doesn't really matter.

The manager did come over and offer "Dessert on the house" for how long the wait took... that was very nice of them and almost instantly cured much of my disappointment. Then, they later said just kidding... they would only give us two cheesecakes... which is NOT what she said. We did not argue. We chalked it up as poor communication on the part of her and the waiter and moved on, but will forever be remembered

I will say that this was def not the worst steakhouse I have been to, but I don't think it deserves a spot on the top list.

Many of us agreed in our party that we will not be back. For many of us this was our first time in the restaurant. We'll just go across the bridge to Edelviews... it isn't steak but they have NEVER disappointed...

Last night my wife and I had the opportunity to go to Prime 25 to celebrate her birthday. I had heard a lot of negative reviews online so we held off a long time, but I can tell you that almost everything I heard was dead wrong!

Service: from greeting, seating, ordering, and timing…I was incredibly impressed. I think we may have had one of the most energetic servers I’ve ever had but everyone that checked in on us seemed proud to be there and actually seemed happy to be serving us.

The order: appetizers: orange glazed duck wings and Million dollar bacon Main: 40 oz porterhouse to share, truffle Mac and cheese, duck fat crispy potatoes, and asparagus. Dessert: flourless cake, 6 layer chocolate cake, and crème brûlée. Drinks: Sazerac and a Daiquiri

The Good: Everything was cooked to near perfection. The porterhouse was slightly under but still was spectacular. The quality of the food was spot on for the price point. Portion size was much better than I expected for the price. When they say sides are shareable, I would 100% agree with the exception of the asparagus. Desserts options were plentiful even though some were really traditional steakhouse desserts.

Live music was a nice touch to our evening didn’t know it was happening when we made reservations but it was a really nice surprise. The stand out dessert was the flourless cake with a touch of sea salt and crushed red pepper…yes it made for an amazing combo I was not expecting!

The Bad: The crème brûlée was seriously awful. The over caramelized the sugar and it became very bitter. It wasn’t served chilled so it didn’t have the sweetness or texture it should have. This was mainly disappointing because it’s the only dessert they make in house.

The Ugly: The pricing. And this is only a minor complaint. Drink prices were a little higher than expected. I think the Sazerac was $18 and the Daiquiri was $14 or $16. As long as you go in with the expectation that you are going to spend a lot due to the a la carte ordering you won’t regret it.

The Verdict: Although the price point really takes this place out of “Favorites” category it was a nice change of pace from a lot of places in town. The atmosphere, quality of food, and service really stand out. Will we go back? Yep! Will it be anytime real soon? Probably not unless it’s to celebrate something special. It’s not a place you go for a regular meal.

I apologize for not having pictures…just wanted to enjoy the evening...

If you are dining at Prime 25, you're doing it because it's a pleasant ambience, you will be treated well and will have a nice evening. I had an absolutely lovely time, I was seated to the right of the dining room with the beautiful modern fireplace to look at, and I had a very lovely server who was knowledgeable and timely. I felt the wine list had a wide array of options and price points, I was dismayed that many of the images I had viewed online in regards to the menu were not available, (Bison) and I was sad that they had removed any indication of current lead chef's from the menu. For those of us that try to research our restaurant choices and like to follow along with our restaurant industry locally, by not listing where food product comes from or who are chefs are this really diminished my enjoyment and review. My companion and I both ordered high end steaks; my 16 oz dry aged New York Strip steak came in at $59, and my companion had an equally pricey filet mignon. All sides are individually priced at +$10 each, and you pay for your sauces individually also +$4 each. I enjoyed the duck fat crispy potatoes, but they were quite far over done and I would be hard-pressed to tell you that they were anything other than smashed potatoes in the oven. I did think the cream spinach was quite novel... It still had a bright green chlorophyll coloring and was not overly creamed or cheesy. I enjoyed a glass of Riesling, that I felt was actually a decent price point. I shared a creme brulee with my companion and that was beautifully presented. Sadly, it had been heated all the way through and that thinned the texture of the custard unpleasantly. The highlight of the meal would have to be a double order of oysters. The presentation was very lovely and what made it unique was that they were truly a shucked and trimmed oyster... Every possible bit of tendril, chew, or hard muscle had been removed, which made them very petite and perfectly smooth. I definitely think they could have come with more sauces/presentation/options, but I was delighted at the beauty of the shucking/preparation. I would absolutely recommend Prime 25 for anyone that wants a special dining experience, but I think most of that really comes from a beautiful interior and...