AJ's OldTown Steakhouse & Tavern — Restaurant in Homer

Never been to Alaska, Homer was destination stop. Friends recommended the Ribeye steak. I read the reviews and the mission statement. I was excited for some prime beef, after a week of eating Halibut and salmon that we had caught. My friend’s Ribeye was a Filet, but he ordered a Medium Rare Ribeye. He told our waitress he’d wait for what he ordered. I ordered the same plate. The steak came to the table in a nice presentation. When I cut into the steak it was medium. The waitress came and asked how everything was? By this time I had placed my knife and fork across my plate. I told her the steak was medium. I have never asked to return my food. My thought was, any restaurant of this caliber and price would see my dissatisfaction. That being said, I waited for the waitress to demand to replace the steak with a properly cooked steak. My bad for assuming. I had a couple more bites of steak, the other end was medium well. The owner came to our table and apologized for the disappointing meal. He asked if the waitress had offered to take the steak back. I told him she did. He again apologized, left our table. My friends steak was cooked to order, medium rare and much thicker than the steak I was presented with. We had to wait for our second drink order and had pretty much finished our meal. For the price I paid for the 2 meals, the Neet bourbons were very skimpy. I must say it was a disappointing meal after a long day. I should of gotten the Rueben. There was a discount on the bill, but not enough for me to come back if I ever take another...

The manager was playful and accommodating when we arrived without a reservation. We were seated immediately, and our server, Catherine, came to our table shortly thereafter. We received our drinks, and waited for our food. A table seated after us received their food while we still waited. Maybe ours was “forgotten” at the window. It finally arrived. Both of our meals had fish (mine in a delightful sauce), grilled asparagus, and lukewarm baked potatoes. Once the food was served, no one approached our table. I had to flag the manager down for additional butter and sour cream. I would have ordered another drink, my husband was never asked if he wanted a refill for his ice tea:; and when we were finally acknowledged, we just asked for the check. I typically tip 25% in cash, but not for poor service. When I told the manage how disappointed we were in our dining experience, I was told someone called out so they were short staffed? This is Wednesday night, not a Friday or Saturday even. There were young girls standing around who were running food and clearing tables. Since they probably want to eventually serve, why not utilize them? Either way, that’s a poor excuse for poor service. The manager who had been friendly when we entered the restaurant “apologized” although it was insincere and literally brushed me off. Would I return? Absolutely not! I’m paying for dinner out, and was made to feel that we weren’t valued as customers! The bill was $100 for the two of us. Rather pay more, and be treated as...

Well.... we walked in and asked for a table for 3, he said "name?". When I said we didn't have a reservation he growled at me in frustration. WOAH!! We are tourists in a tourist town during peak season, we did not know to make a reservation. But he found a spot for us. The server congratulated us on a great table/booth which was very uncomfortable and not made for more than two people. So my knees were bumping the other two the whole time. I have been to "fine dinning" places and never served water from a mason jar there! The prices were high, which we expected, but it was not worth it!! The server, as he was taking our order, said "this is going to take a long time to prepare so do you want to add a salad or soup".... add it??? Correct.... the steak dinners came with a veggie and mashed potatoes for $45-$60 each. No salad or bread either. So there we sat for 75 minutes waiting on our food. Not all the tables were full and the place wasn't even that big so what in the world could have taken that long???? By now I'm thinking, this better be some amazing steak.... well mine was overcooked and dried out. The husband and sons steak was cooked less than what they wanted so underdone. There wasn't a lot of flavor or seasoning so they were dipping this $50 steak in A1 sauce. I had better steak the night before on the spit for half the price. Total bill came to $175 for 3 people (3 streak dinners, a side of grilled shrimp...