Carson’s Prime Steaks & Famous Barbecue – Deerfield (North Shore) — Restaurant in Deerfield

Oh boy, where do I even begin with this culinary catastrophe I experienced at what I'll generously refer to as a "barbecue restaurant"? From the moment I walked in, the air hung heavy with the faint, unsettling aroma of something vaguely smoky but undeniably...off. It was like the ghost of barbecues past, and not a friendly ghost. We were seated at a sticky table that felt like it hadn't seen a cleaning cloth since the Mesozoic Era. The paper menu, crinkled and stained with the remnants of countless unfortunate meals, offered a depressing preview of what was to come. I bravely ordered the "Smoked Brisket Platter," envisioning tender, smoky slices of beef that would melt in my mouth. What arrived instead resembled something salvaged from a dumpster fire. The brisket was dry. Not just a little dry, mind you. It was Sahara Desert dry. Each bite required the determined effort of a seasoned explorer hacking through tough, leathery terrain. I suspect it had been "smoked" sometime last Tuesday and then left to contemplate its existence under a heat lamp ever since. The flavor? Well, let's just say it tasted vaguely of sadness and regret, with a hint of something metallic I couldn't quite place (old pennies? despair?). The accompanying "BBQ sauce" was an equally traumatic experience. It was thin, watery, and possessed a sickly sweet flavor that tasted suspiciously like it came straight from a bargain-brand bottle that had been languishing in the back of the fridge for far too long. It did nothing to salvage the desiccated meat; in fact, it seemed to amplify its inherent awfulness. And the sides! Oh, the sides. The "creamy" coleslaw was anything but. It was a watery, vinegary mess with limp, lifeless cabbage that had clearly given up on life. The "cornbread" was dense and crumbly, tasting like it had been baked sometime during the previous presidential administration. I genuinely feared chipping a tooth with each bite. The only thing remotely edible on the plate was the single, forlorn pickle spear, which, in its sour solitude, seemed to be silently mourning the fate of its plate-mates. The service was about as enthusiastic as the food. Our server seemed actively annoyed by our presence, grunted when we asked for more water (which, by the way, was desperately needed to try and rehydrate the beef jerky they dared to call brisket), and vanished for extended periods, leaving us to contemplate the sheer disappointment of our dining choices. Honestly, this experience was an insult to the very concept of barbecue. It was an affront to taste buds everywhere. I wouldn't recommend this establishment to my worst enemy, unless my worst enemy had a particular fondness for chewing on shoe leather and weeping into watery coleslaw. Save your money, save your appetite, and for the love of all that is smoky and delicious, go anywhere else. This place deserves zero stars, and if I could give it negative stars, I absolutely would. Consider...

My family and I have been eating at Carson’s for almost thirty years. We’ve been ordering 25+ times per year for decades. Unfortunately, never again…

I received food poisoning from Carson’s yesterday. Not the end of the world, just some typical food poisoning symptoms. A rough night, shake it off, and then move on. No biggie.

The reason for my one-star review though is not because of the one-off food poisoning. It’s because of how Carson’s management has elected to handle this incident.

This morning, I called the restaurant to inform them of my issue with the food (my first such issue ever with Carson’s).

Management responded by offering incredulity that I was sick in the first place and if the illness was caused by them. Instead of saying, “Sorry”, they highly insinuated that I was lying about being sick.

I explained that they could check my order history and will see that myself and family order constantly from them and that we have never, ever reported an issue previously.

Management responded by offering me a partial refund.

I explained that I did not think a partial refund was adequate given an entire night of being sick from their food. I asked very politely for a full refund.

Carson’s management responded by doubling down, accusing me outright of lying about the food poisoning and suggesting I am trying to shake them down for money.

At this point, I became upset.

Dean Carson, the owner of Carson’s, over the phone outright accused me of lying about being sick from their food, claiming that I got sick from either something else or from somewhere else.

I can’t even begin to describe how disappointed I am in management’s handling of this. I love Carson’s food. Carson’s food is typically exceptional, far superior to most rib and burger restaurants in the area. A number of the waitstaff and bar staff are excellent servers. And on numerous occasions I have highly recommended the restaurant to friends and family. But after nearly thirty years as a patron, my family and I are going to cease eating there. It’s just really disappointing as one of our favorite restaurants to be treated this way.

Customer service is not about accusing people of lying and then biting their heads off. Mistakes happen in business, but it’s about how you react to them...

We had a party for 47 ppl. They made us pay in advance. $45 for Mediterranean Chicken or ribs. $67.50 for 10oz filet mignon. Order taken at 9:15ish. Food wasn't received until 10:45. Since we had a present menu, my waiter would not bring me cheese, even if I paid. I've had dinner at Del Frisco's where we had set menus, and when I asked for some extra cheese, I received it. We were told they would not be serving us liquor since we are in the party. Smdh! Husbamd goes to the bar and gets 2 drinks.....my aunt had a drink and came to ask me since i order drinks is it normal for gratuity to be added at yhe bar. I told her not at all. When my husband came back I said did they charge you for gratuity he said, I'm not sure, but I tipped him. 2 drinks costed $32.84, which included a 20% gratuity.($5.00) When I brought it to there attention, I was told it was due to the large party. I said I get that of our servers were taking our drink order and serving the drinks, but they are not. I said how can you thknk of charging me gratuity when I have yo walk to the bar and get my own drink. He said they would take it off, but they didn't. He said going forward they wouldnt charge us gratuity. He also stated the bartender should've told us about the gratuity. Ribs are boiled then baked in my opinion. I like Ribs from a smoker or grill. Mediterranean chicken was dry and very oily. Filet mignon was good, but very small for $67.50. I had Carson's back in the day and I wasnt impressed. This was my 2nd and final visit to this restaurant. Restauranteurs need to understand people pay for good food and will always come ba k. Then you have ppl who eat at restaurants just cause it is famous or trendy. When you have as many ppl as we had. Staff has to be on point. Part of the kitchen staff should be dedicated to our party. To aarive as earlt as we did and not even have bread was unacceptable. If you want ribs, try somewhere else. If you want steak, go to Texas de Brazil. When my husband and I spend 150 on dinner for two we expect great service. I gave them a 2 because the steK and cornbread were really good. Any Greek restaurant weather fancy or not is better than the Mediterranean chicken here. They attempted to give us all free shots, but the drink qas...