Kreis' Steakhouse & Bar — Restaurant in Frontenac

UPDATE— the general manager Jeff contacted me after my original review and worked to understand the situation. Then made an effort to improve! 👏 we went back after 5 months and it was night and day difference. We sat in the front room and the ambiance is totally different. I think the windows and some floral arrangements really made for an open and less stuffy setting. We had ample room around our table and a spot to put our coats/ purse.

Our waiter was kind and attentive yet not overly so that it felt bothersome. He did an excellent job timing our courses and his assistant helped remarkably with keeping the dining room happy/ catered to.

I ordered the special which was a lovely Broiled Grouper over orzo and sautéed vegetables. Everything was seasoned perfectly! The Kreis Caesar was better this time too- ample dressing without being soggy. Perfectly buttery and crispy croutons that crumbled with ease 👌

The house cheesecake is also very lovely. More fruit sauce or some macerated berries with mint or lemon balm would take it over the top.

Our second visit really changed my option and I’m willing to come back a couple more times to see if the changes stick. Nevertheless, I recommend getting the specials and a glass of dry red wine for the best experience!

Original review— I had high hopes for Kreis’ Steakhouse, but was unimpressively underwhelmed.

We had reservations fairly far in advance for our party of 5. They called us day of and asked if we were fine sitting in the lower banquet level. We agreed it was fine, when we arrived they sat us in the secondary dining room upstairs.

The tables were so close together it was almost uncomfortable. You could hear every single word spoke and breath taken from the tables around our perimeter. Because it was cold, everyone slapped around their coats and bumped into chairs while entering and leaving.

As a woman, I also find it incredibly inconvenient to have no place to put my purse. The back of the chairs were sloped and don’t accommodate a wide variety of purses (clutches, small handles, chain crossbody, etc). I literally needed to sit with my purse on my lap or either on the table and move it when different plates arrived or were taken away. I saw other women were able to utilize an additional chair at their table but it was not possible for us or two top tables.

Our server seemed exceptionally unhappy to be at work. Never told us the specials, forgot one of our drinks, only took half the tables drink order to begin with, never checked on us, and would always bark his words at us in a really rude way.

The only saving grace for customer service was the exceptionally attentive and hardworking man who was tending to the entire dining room, but was not dressed like the other waiters. He kept our waters filled, plates removed, brought silverware when my entree was served and I had no utensils, etc. Honestly wish I got his name because he truly made our experience.

The food itself was pretty good. I got the seared tuna appetizer, Kreis’ caesar salad, and the cod special with a side of green beans. The tuna appetizer was pretty average and nothing special or memorable. The salad was pretty good but not traditional, which is fine. That days cod special (which I overheard from another table) was exceptionally delicious. Cheesy polenta and blackened cod with a coconut basil sauce. Yummm!

The only issue our table had with the food was the side of broccoli was practically raw. Like unable to cut through with even a steak knife. But that was fixed by the other man I mentioned before.

I must also bring attention to the fact that when there are special occasions (birthdays or anniversaries) the staff lights a sparkler. This is absolutely atrocious! The smell of it while being lit and the even worse smell of the air after it is blown out. I had a killer migraine and felt ill because there is very little circulation or ventilation in the restaurant and this really was adding to the issue. Those who are sensitive to smells should avoid this establishment...

I have a story to share. It's called Birthday Dinner at Kreis'...EPIC FAIL!! I made reservations for my husband and I to have dinner at Kreis', for his birthday. We invited our best friends, another couple, to join us. We all frequently patronize fine dining establishments. None of us had ever been to Kreis', and we were excited to enjoy a new dining experience. Upon arrival we were not greeted warmly, and my husband was asked to remove his dress hat. He complied, however no one offered to check his hat. ( I did observe another patron that was wearing a baseball cap, while dining.) He tried to balance his hat on the back of his chair. Everytime anyone came to our table, his hat was knocked off the chair, and ended up on the floor. Throughout the night his hat was kicked and stepped on, numerous times. I wondered then, if we looked differently, would the staff have offered to check his hat at the door? When we were finally acknowledged by our sever, we started to order, and my friend told him that she and her husband were on one check, and my husband and I were on another check. This is when we were told that we couldn't do separate checks??!! We had never been told this at other 5 star restaurants. I ordered crab cake appetizer, it was mediocre. I ordered a Ceasar's salad with anchovies. The Ceasar's dressing was horrible, it tasted like a Miracle Whip based dressing, and I was only given three slivers of anchovies for my salad. My husband and I ordered Filet and Lobster. The Lobster tail was dry, hard and slightly burnt. I sent mine back. My husband was hungry and suffered through eating his. Surprisingly the Filet was cooked to perfection. The atmosphere, and customer service in the restaurant did not make us feel wanted, nor appreciated. The only people of Color that I saw, were employees. Kreis' atmosphere did not appear, nor felt like they welcomed nor wanted to service people that are not Rich, Wealthy, and White. In my opinion Kreis' caters to a specific group of people , and does not welcome patrons of diverse ethnic backgrounds. I will never recommend this restaurant to ANYONE, especially people of Color. Shame on this establishment. Our bill was over 200.00 what a waste of time, money, and Birthday Celebration Dinner. We would have had better food and service at Bristol's, Fleming's, Kemoll's, or Spiro's, to name a few Truly Diversified and Welcoming 5 Star restaurants. In conclusion, Kreis' is not for Everyone, Especially those people that are Non-Caucasian. Kreis' could definitely use some diversity training. I doubt our horrible experience even matters to them, unless of course, you have that complexion for...

First of all, I’d like to say I am a huge supporter of local owned steakhouses and Kreis has been on my radar for a couple years now. We were finally able to make a visit for my own birthday dinner & unfortunately had a bad experience which was surprising to me as I’ve heard so many good experiences through friends. We ordered the garlic shrimp for an appetizer which was not bad, but not great (the quality didn’t replicate the $17 for 4 pieces of shrimp served in a bowl of butter.) Then for my entree, I got the $75 “Odd Couple” which consists of a Filtet Mignon & Lobster Tail with a side of potato, which I chose a twice baked potato. I honestly did enjoy the lobster tail despite it being very lightly seasoned/buttered like 99% of other places do, but it was still flavorful, no real complaint there. The twice baked potato was decent, but I’m almost positive there was no butter, garlic or seasoning added so it was very bland but I did like the texture of its twice baked form. The filet is where I was extremely surprised that this was able to leave the kitchen looking this way. I am a pretty experienced home cook myself, especially with high quality cuts of steak such as Japanese Wagyu & and this filet was not even something I would have given my dog to eat. It was clear that it was cooked hot and fast due to the thick, dry, sear on both sides and undercooked in the middle (I ordered medium rare). It was so bad that I wanted to ask for bearnaise sauce to be able to finish the steak, but the server didn’t come back in time for me to ask so I just toughed it out. I literally had to eat it with just a fork because trying to cut it with the supplied knife was just not working due to how the steak was cooked. I am a quality over quantity person and as much as I despise chain restaurants like Texas Roadhouse, I’d put this experience worse than TR. I would like to make a point that every worker we dealt with was very nice and professional & I really enjoyed the free Amaretto Cheesecake I was given for my birthday, they did great on that, if they make it themselves. However, I felt so bad for the 4 others that came with me that I paid my own birthday dinner bill because it was just a bad experience overall & didn’t replicate the $300 bill at the end of the night. I am truly a good person that understands quality control slip ups happen but when every dish is just simply not good, it’s hard to want to come back and try them again. I have attached the picture of my entree, and if you zoom in, it’s very clear how dry and overcooked...