Jakes Fine Dining — Restaurant in Deadwood

This was my first time to Jake’s. As I am a local and have heard mixed reviews from friends about this place. We first started with drinks. I ordered a fresh margarita with no syrups or premade mixes, it was just okay. A little tart. My friend ordered a semi dirty martini. It was basically all olive juice. You could barely taste the vodka. We then got bread which was “made fresh” that day but it was very hard. The middle was decent but this did not taste like fresh bread. It tasted like it had been sitting out for several hours under a heat lamp. So that was a bust. Then our crab stuffed wontons came out. The presentation was great but the wontons tasted like canned seafood, and the wontons tasted old. Like that old dough you throw in the fryer one too many times. So that was also a bust. We were frustrated with the quality of the food, not to mention they are not worth the price. It could honestly be sold as bar food downstairs for half the price. We politely ask for our ticket. Michelle asked if there was a problem. My friend told her exactly as I mentioned above. No sorry, no, let me get my manager, nothing. Brought us the ticket, did not comp a single thing, (now, let me just say we do not expect anything for free, but she could clearly see that the martini hadnt been touched, the wontons 1 1/2 out of 6 were eaten and the bread only 2 pieces were gone) then telling us that “this never happens. The bread is fresh and the wontons were fresh too.” Again, no apology, nothing. Sad to say but we will not be dining at...

I greatly enjoyed the food and drinks. I had one of the custom cocktails (the melon spritzer) and my husband had one of the custom non-alcoholic beverages (huckleberry lemonade), both reasonably priced and delicious. We shared the sesame tuna for an appetizer (never had wakame before so that was fun!), and then I got the filet oscar (so tender and cooked to perfection!), and he got the duck breast. The sides were so well plated and perfectly cooked too, it really was a fun dining experience with all the little extras the kitchen puts into the meal. The ONLY thing keeping us from dining here again in the near future (we're local) is the service. Our server for whatever reason (maybe because we're younger?) was abysmal and made all the more obvious by the fact that she gave the table right next to us easily twice the service she gave us. Never offered us another drink after we finished ours during the appetizer, never spoke to us beyond our orders, and we had to actually flag her down several times for service. We still tipped 20+% (over $30!) because I hoped it was just an off night for her, but it really did put a damper on an otherwise enjoyable "upscale" meal. Aside from the poor service, it was also odd that everyone else was dressed professionally and yet she had her hair down, shirt untucked, and appeared to be wearing leggings. I want to note this was a complete 180 from the service I have received here before so don't let this deter you from giving Jakes a try, the food...

I was excited to learn that Jake’s was open again. My husband made reservations for our anniversary. We got to our table and they left a card for us; it was a really nice touch.

We ordered the crab and lobster wonton as an appetizer. It wasn’t much more than a frozen appetizer we could get at the grocery store. For dinner, I decided on the pheasant gnocchi, expecting a warm and savory dish. Unfortunately, The dish was lukewarm, and overpowered by canned, stewed tomatoes. The pheasant was dry, squash undercooked, and the flavors didn’t match well at all. I took about three bites but didn’t finish it.

The server offered to comp a dessert but with five different crème brûlée options for someone who’s not a fan of crème brûlée, I politely declined (they did have other options but at this point, I was already immensely underwhelmed). Our server just flipped her hair said “Ok!” and left the check. One would expect for a $44 dish, that at least a portion would be removed or the manager would come to apologize.

Overall, the atmosphere was good, but it just isn’t what it used to be. We were in and out in under an hour. Gone are the days of fine dining in an establishment that used to honor gastronomy but is now nothing more than casual dining for a really high price. I can’t say that we’ll be back, which is...