PORTERHOUSE Steak & Seafood Restaurant — Restaurant in Little Canada

Review of Porterhouse in Little Canada, Minnesota Note: you should not have to grab your server and convey things a professional kitchen should have down by now.

High Notes The visit to Porterhouse in Little Canada started on a high note. Our server was exceptionally kind and professional, adding a personal touch that immediately set a positive tone for the evening. I ordered the Salted Caramel Martini, and she prepared it right at our table. This little flourish of shaking the cocktail in front of us was delightful, enhancing the experience and heightening our anticipation for the meal to follow.

The cocktail itself was a standout. It perfectly matched its description, with the sugar and salt rim around the glass complementing the vanilla and butterscotch flavors beautifully. The presentation included leaving the shaker at our table with nearly an extra pour left, effectively giving me two martinis for the price of one. This thoughtful detail was much appreciated and a highlight of the evening.

The Decline Unfortunately, the positive experience took a downturn from there. My dad's rum and coke arrived with instantly melted ice, diluting the drink significantly and rendering it less enjoyable. A fundamental aspect of cocktails is the ice, and getting it wrong can be a disappointment.

The Salad The salad, while not problematic, was underwhelming. It was small, with large chunks and very few flavors, and it arrived somewhat warm. This type of salad should be served chilled, especially given that we were among the first reservations of the day. This detail left me concerned about the overall freshness and preparation standards of the restaurant.

Main Course Both my dad and I ordered the 9 oz filet, yet our experience with the main course was baffling. My dad received a sirloin cut instead of the filet, indicating either deceptions or insufficient training among the staff. My filet was severely undercooked, showing purple in what should have been a medium steak. Frustrated, I decided to cook it further at home due to time constraints.

Sides The side dishes also fell short of expectations. The onions, while decent on their own, had a sweetness that clashed with the steak, and the mushrooms were among the worst I’ve had at a steakhouse. They lacked the rich, earthy flavors typically expected. The mashed potatoes were particularly disappointing, lacking the promised flavors and tasting more like a bland, frozen product than a carefully crafted side dish.

Overall Impression Overall, the meal was profoundly disappointing. It was clear that the food lacked flavor and attention to detail, suggesting a reliance on frozen ingredients rather than fresh, well-prepared dishes. The only saving grace was the cocktail, which left me longing for the same quality and care in the rest of the meal.

Recommendations For those looking for a better steakhouse experience, I highly recommend exploring these alternatives:

Lindey’s Prime Steak House in Arden Hills - Known for its consistently excellent steaks and warm, inviting atmosphere. Texas Roadhouse - Offers great value with a lively environment and reliably good steaks. Baldamar in Roseville - Provides a more upscale dining experience with a modern twist on classic steakhouse fare. Manny’s - A top-tier option renowned for its high-quality steaks and impeccable service.

In conclusion, while Porterhouse in Little Canada had a promising start with excellent service and a standout cocktail, the rest of the dining experience was severely lacking in quality and flavor. There are many other steakhouses in the area that provide a far superior...

Took my girlfriend there for her birthday on 6/3 and was overall very disappointed with the night. The food was mediocre at best, and I doubt I will come back any time soon.

First, the good. The waitress was extremely attentive and was always on top of things. The service alone saved it from being a terrible night.

However, everything else provided a mediocre at best experience.

My biggest complaint is with the steak; both of our steaks (top sirloins) were way undercooked - we ordered them medium rare and medium, and both received rare (mine seemed like it had maybe been on the stove for 30 seconds per side to get a crust on it). The steaks were also both extremely under-seasoned - we both ended up adding salt to the steaks at the table to add some flavor. I also ordered the scallops for a combo, half of which were undercooked and rubbery.

The explanation given to me by who I assume was the lead hostess was that they had just gotten new stoves, and they were having trouble getting the heat right. I was also told that we were not the first people to complain of undercooked steaks that night. In my opinion, if I'm paying $60+ for a steak, there should be no issues with trying to figure out how to cook the steaks during a dinner service.

In all fairness, the hostess did the best she could to try and rectify the situation-she offered to throw both of our steaks back on the grill, and did offer to comp one of the meals plus a $50 gift card, which was extremely generous. However, even with the meal comp I still ended up paying $80(!) for an experience that both of us were extremely disappointed with - the quality of the food is something I'd expect if I was buying a $20 steak at Applebee's, not from a well respected professional steakhouse.

Overall I'm super disappointed with how the night turned out - the quality of the steak was sub-par to say the least, and I was apparently not the only one who shared that complaint that night. Honestly, I should have used the gift card that same night because I doubt I will ever go back, and I do not think I could recommend this restaurant to...

Extremely bad customer service.

We give a gift card to my mother in law, aunt and cousin every year for Christmas to have a nice dinner. Last Christmas, since we do not live in Minnesota, we bought it over the phone for my MIL to pick up. When she got there, they said no, we don't have it and it's not in the safe. Embarrassing. My husband had to call them and she had to go back again. They gave her the card, said it was in the safe and did not even apologize. A couple of weeks ago, they were finally able to go to the porter house and use the gift card. They went to pay after dinner and there was nothing on the card. Embarrassing again. They had to then pay themselves. Everyone in the small restaurant could see what was going on. Again, embarrassing. My MIL had to go back again the next day to show her gift card receipt. The reply from the employee was "oh, you bought it on December 20th, that's our busiest day". And again, no apology. Like being their busiest day somehow makes it ok so no apology required. They offered her another gift card. That's crazy. No. She asked for her money back that they had to pay the night before due to the porter house's mistake. Which they gave her, but was only a total of $180. The gift card was for $200. So the porter house made a $20 profit. I hope this profit was worth it for you porter house. Our family will never be back and will go to a different local steakhouse from now on, and we will be letting friends and family know about these horrible experiences. On another note, the day the gift card was purchased, your register should have been off by $200, so you either didn't care to figure out why, or you had an employee that took the $200 gift and replaced it with a empty gift card, or one of your employees gave it away to another customer. If you had apologized for any of these situations or treated my MIL with dignity, you would have still had us as customers. Maybe something to note for the future and train your...