Queenie's Steakhouse — Restaurant in Denton

When I go to Queenie’s, I look forward to an evening of excellence. Occasionally there are hiccups, particularly understandable as things get back on track after COVID. Our recent experience was so utterly mismanaged that I feel compelled to write.

On a recent Saturday evening, our party of six had a reservation. It was confirmed two weeks prior. The reservation owner called and specifically requested the dining room (vs. the bar) and made it clear that we were entertaining board members and needed attentiveness and a great experience. She was assured that the evening would be managed accordingly.

Things started poorly. Our party was seated at a tight, high-rise table in the bar, not in the dining room. We were told that dining room space previously committed to us was not available. This was in stark contrast to the several empty tables we saw and the original commitments made to us.

Our table was possibly the worst table I’ve had in a restaurant of Queenie’s supposed reputation. It was in the front corner near the busy entryway and directly in front of the wine and beer cabinets such that guest seats were a foot or less from those cabinets. As such, every time someone ordered a bottle from the cabinet, and all throughout our meal, various servers would have to walk around and behind us and open cabinets, leaving our guests no option but to move to accommodate them. This happened about 8-12 times throughout the meal. It was utterly embarrassing. The table itself was too small for for six adults, tableware and food. Because she could not make it to the distant part of the table, a server handed me a side dish with an iron pan and long handle and, trying to maneuver it into a tiny space, the handle knocked over a newly-filled glass of Caymus, a costly and disappointing situation not at all addressed by management.

What of the manager’s response? Early pseudo-apologies with no explanation as to why we were not seated where we requested weeks before. And then, nearly nothing. No offer to replace the wine, not even a glass. At the end of the meal the server told us that we were being offered free desserts. As you might imagine, filling dinners rarely result in dessert orders; indeed, we had one or two. It was a late and empty gesture from a manager who seemed, quite frankly, underprepared for the responsive customer service he should have brought to the situation.

I want to clarify that we had no issues with our server. While I forget her name, I do not forget her efforts. She was personable, collected and empathetic – by appearances, justifiably embarrassed – by our situation. While it was clear she could not impact the manager’s decision on our placement, she did her best to satisfy the group. Her efforts were very much appreciated.

Several of the guests were frequenters of Queenie’s prior to the pandemic and looked forward to this return. A board member in attendance specifically requested this restaurant. We all hoped this would be the beginning of a renewed relationship with the restaurant. At this writing, I cannot see...

My wife and I had a wonderful time at our first visit to Tim Love’s Queenie’s in Denton. No special occasion, just a need to eat something imaginative and interesting. First off, let’s get the pain out of the way. This is an expensive restaurant. With a moderate amount of booze, figure $100 to $125 a head - at least. Be prepared for that before you go in so that you can relax, enjoy, and not get nervous indigestion. The restaurant is very cool and comfortable inside and has great ambiance. Seating is roomy and the tables immaculate with linen tablecloths. So slow down, have a drink and let the evening Texas heat fade from your memory for an hour or so. My wife had some kind of martini that she said was very tasty and I had a draft Ommegang Abbey ale that was quite remarkable. It was very dense with a rich nutty flavor and creamy brown head. It was almost a meal in itself. We had lamb chops and yellow squash carpaccio as starters. The chops were tender, crusted with seasoning and came with a scotch bonnet dip that was not as scarily hot as you might imagine. Definitely a hit with both of us. The yellow squash carpaccio on the other hand was a bit lacking in any distinctive flavor, so I would say ‘meh’ was the general reaction. Still, you have to eat your veggies. Round 2 was another ale for me (where do they get this stuff?) and the butter lettuce which was very smooth and tangy. The wife had the gnocchi with the rattlesnake-rabbit-fennel sausage and tomato and she definitely smiled. It was obviously good, and I heard it was a Tim Love specialty but I don’t do snake so did not try it (maybe next time). Next up was the main course. For me it was the South Texas Venison which came with a few veggies and my wife had the 6oz steak. The venison was delightful and the wait person recommended a glass of shiraz to go with it, and she was not wrong, it was a great matching. My wife’s beef tenderloin was also very good. It came with 3 sauces one of which was cilantro based and the obvious favorite. The other two were less interesting. One tasted like bottled ranch dressing with chili and the other tasted like molasses. As a side she had truffle mac and cheese and I have to say it was a big disappointment. If there was any truffle in it at all, it was fighting a losing battle. The whole thing was flat and bland. Another negative was the dip that came with the bread. We were told it was based on virgin olive oil, but I very much doubt it. Good olive oil is green and tangy with a distinctive olive taste, but this stuff was clear and pale and didn’t taste of anything. It was not an important part of the meal and really not necessary, but if you do have to serve olive oil, then at least get the real deal from Italy or Spain. Despite these minor quibbles, it was a very nice evening and we will be coming back. Next time I will just have the steak with a few sides, and oh, a few glasses of that wonderful Ommegang Abbey ale. Well heck, I’m a retired senior...

9month update....I wanted to treat my daughter and her 3 roomies(All UNT) to an "upscale dining experience"- they're a great bunch and thought a Queenie's Tomahawk would be a good way to enjoy a meal while sharing the experience. Unfortunately, Queenie's lost 3 stars since my last visit... Here's what contributed to the reduced experience: confusion between a server & manager when we arrived relating to where they would seat us; we wound up outside which we didnt mind until the mosquitos showed up. Frankly, there was plenty of room in the dining room when we sat down as well as when we left. 22 minutes from the time we were seated until the waiter had time to take our order; he had showed up 3x's but was unable to take our order for some reason; 1st he brought water, 2nd he brought napkins & 3rd he brought bread, which 4of5 of us tagged as either stale or otherwise inedible NO $140 TOMAHAWK??- honestly don't think the waiter even knew what it was. I asked him how long it takes to serve; he stated he didn't think the chef had any prepared but said it would take 15minutes?? for a 32oz steak? we ordered 1 Ribeye & 2 Tenderloins & 3 sides; the steaks showed up- tenderloins were not cooked as requested & no sides, just the steaks and no steak knives when i asked the waiter for steak knives and inquired about the sides he responded "what sides did you order? oh ya I forgot to put those in, they'll be out in a minute":::If not for the guests i was hosting, I woudl've ended the meal right here over the next 15 minutes, one side at a time trickled out of the kitchen; as he was delivering the sides, he was collecting our steak plates i left a $24 tip on a $163 dinner bill I left 2 stars because it wasn't necessarily the quality of food that was poor although it was not cooked as ordered, just the service and overall experience was very disappointing. Lastly, two of the roomies are waitresses; I asked all 4of them what% tip they would leave without telling them how much the bill was; 10-13% were the responses. I also asked them to rate the service on scale 1-10; 5's &6's. On the way out, I asked to speak with a manager; his name is Thomas and frankly as useless as the waiter....Not sure if I'm coming back

Great a la carte style upscale dining where you can taste the freshness in every bite; NY Strip was perfect with a side of mashed & mac 'n cheese; good wine selection & the service was excellent. The folks at another table ordered the bone in Tomahawk 32oz- I cant wait to go...