Del Frisco's Grille — Restaurant in Denver

An indifferent staff made for a disappointing meal. Del Friscos in the Tech Center has always been excellent. Del Friscos in Cherry Creek was an utter disappointment.

I sat at the bar on Monday for Restaurant Week(RW). I ordered a glass of wine, and then crickets: no one returned to take my order. A manager finally, with a frustrated attitude, came to take my order - not my server. The RW menu comes a three-course meal. I ordered the Ceasar, the Sirloin, and dessert. The manager informed me that they were out of Sirloin, but I could opt for the chicken or fish or upgrade to the Filet Mignon for $10. First warning sign: if I were at Capital Grill or Ruth Chris, they would comp the measly Filet upcharge.

When the salad finally came out, it was wonderful. The Filet took forever to arrive, and it arrived Medium Well, not Medium Rare. No one came to check on the temperature of the meat; I had to flag down another manager. To their credit, the new one arrived relatively quickly. I received a half-hearted apology, and a look in his eye like this was not the first time this had happened tonight. This Filet, like the other was not butter soft, had no flavor at all and took 3 passes with the knife to cut it.

I had to flag down a waitress to get a second glass of wine to wash down my meal. And, at no point, did the waitress ever ask, even with an empty glass in front of me, if I would like another. And, never once, did my empty water glass get filled.

The dessert was very good, again when it finally showed. When the bill arrived, the upcharge was still there and no adjustment for the overcooked meal given. This has never happened at any other steakhouse, even an Outback. Ironically, the server neglected to charge for the second glass of wine. But, not once, was mention made to the problem with the steak, nor any apology. Mistakes happen - own it and make it right! In my time at Del Friscos, I overheard two other parties complain about their experience as well. Again, the manager had a knowing look in his eye. This seems to be a pervasive story at this Del Friscos now that I've spoken to other friend and colleagues....

I reserved a week in advance for a party of 3. They had a party of 10 - 20? going on in another room, but the restaurant was more or less calm. First i asked for a wine i had there a few years ago and the waiter went to ask his supervisor. No such wine. I opened the wine list to look for another one and surprise, there it was. We ordered 2 crab cakes and a Ceaser salad, followed by entrees. After a long wait (about 45 minutes), someone came and put one crab cake and the Ceasar salad on the side of the table. We thought they would come with the second crab cake and accommodate our plates, but nothing happened for around 10 minutes. We finally got somebody's attention and the waiter admitted he made a mistake, he ordered only 1 crab cake, but now it would take a long time before we could get the other one, because the big party was being served and the kitchen was too small to be able to make more food. We thought if your kitchen is too small, why accept reservations? The end of our ordeal was not yet there. We sent the first crab cake back, because it got cold in the meantime and asked to have them both at the same time, whenever they could. 15 minutes later came one crab cake, obviously microwaved and held under the lamp, but still no second crab cake. We asked again about the second crab cake and finally it arrived after 1 1/2 hour in total. That was a relief, some food with that bottle of wine they didn't have... I had the second bite of this shriveled, dried out crab cake, when suddenly our entrees arrived! We asked them to keep it warm, since we were not finished with our starters, but warned them that one of the meats was asked for "rare"! Yes, you guessed right, my meat was not "rare" anymore after 15 minutes under the lamps. All with all, they didn't charge us for the crab cakes, but i had rather payed for a comestible one. The food was not bad (the warm food), but not great either. We wanted to treat our friend to a great meal, but it was a disaster! It was a shame, i had a really good memory of...

My recent visit presented a series of highs and lows that left me with mixed feelings about the dining experience. On arrival, the warm welcome from the very friendly hostess set a promising tone for the evening. Unfortunately, this initial impression was somewhat marred by a dirty water glass at my table, a small detail that nonetheless speaks volumes about overall attention to cleanliness.

The service, while amiable, underscored some operational challenges. Both our waitress and the bartender appeared to be stretched thin, with the bartender unexpectedly having to take our food order and the waitress occasionally mixing drinks behind the bar. Despite their commendable efforts and the waitress's evident knowledge of the menu, it was clear the staff was overworked, which impacted the fluidity and attentiveness of service.

The food itself was a similar story of hits and misses. The steak was a standout, cooked to perfection and delivering on flavor. However, an unexpected twist came with the side dish—lobster Mac and cheese—which I had not ordered. While some might consider this a happy surprise, it was indicative of the small mix-ups that seemed to permeate the evening.

Cocktails, often a highlight of dining out, failed to impress. Many were either too bland or excessively fruit-forward, and the use of extraordinarily tart, definitely unripe berry garnishes did not help their cause.

In summary, while the food quality (lobster mishap aside) and the earnestness of the staff were appreciated, the overall experience did not live up to the expectations set by the price point. For those considering a visit to Del Frisco's Grille, be aware that the price point may be a bit high for the actual value of food...