Forbes Mill Steakhouse — Restaurant in Los Gatos

Disappointing experience both food and service on a Saturday night.

Our family has lived on both coasts, the center of the country, and the south. We have frequented many restaurants similar to this across the country. We are pretty easy going and don’t leave reviews often, but we felt compelled to in this case as it was such a disappointing evening at the Forbes Mill Steakhouse despite the high quality reputation and reviews. We didn’t complain - just said please and thank you and paid our bill. We won’t be going back. Here was our experience.

Service: 25 minutes before someone came to our table to greet us and provide water to the table. Server didn’t offer a drink order, to review the menu, the evening special, or try to create a connection to the dining party. 100% transactional interaction. We ordered our evening selections immediately given the above and flagged someone down later to order a drink. Waitstaff was not present to order another drink during the remainder of meal service. Water service was refilled at the end of dinner. No one came to our table to check on the dining experience. Food: Mains: 3 of us ordered the bone in ribeye. All three were bland and unseasoned. 2 were ordered medium rare and were cooked drastically different. Meat quality was lacking - tough with sinew like strains throughout. It did not come close to the standard of certified angus beef that was aged for 28 days the website menu describes. Kids buttered pasta was dry and barely warm. Sides: Mac & Cheese had good flavor, but the noodles were overcooked. The dish was covered in a clump of half melted cheese rather than a crispy top shown in some of the reviews photos here. Neither the mac & cheese nor the au gratin potatoes spent enough (any?) time in the oven/broiler to produce a satisfying crust. Mushrooms were cooked unevenly which was likely due to inconsistent size / cut. Brussels sprouts were decent. Dessert: We didn’t bother. Other: The menu posted on their website is well out of date both in terms of offerings and price.

This place has a great reputation and we were looking forward to a great meal and experience. Our experience indicated they are relying on their reputation rather than execution & delivery. Poor front end service, poor kitchen quality, poor customer engagement … all combined suggests poor management … which likely explains how a restaurant of this class doesn’t manage to keep the menu current on its website current.

There are many better options to chose from...

Yay!!! We are fans. Ok, we are great fans since we are only able to come down here every 5 years or so but we love it every time we eat here. This time with our friends and last time was when our daughter could stay seated long enough to finish dinner. This time around they had a wonderful kids meal portfolio for the kids to order their own filet. Once the kids were gobbling their filet we didn't hear another peep. They washed it all down with the house special lemonade combo (OJ, apple, and Mango?) We also had a starter of calamari - so delicious and tender. Crispy outside and nice and tender inside. We had a combination of Waygu and the prix fixe meal. The prix fixe starter sturgeon was tasty but drowned in a sauce that covered everything. It would have been nice to have the protein stand up alone with a lighter sauce but I did end up licking the plate clean. I was a Nanarita and 2 glasses of wine into dinner and by now the entree came. I wish I could remember more of it. I had a bite of Waygu which just melted on my tongue. The prix fixe filet took a little nibbling but not much. I love short rib and was happy with the prix fixe portion. The piece of seafood in the middle kind of got gulped down and missed the few still sober taste buds. We finished with a couple of chocolate desserts but after the wine; I don't remember. Yay!!! I am a fan and will be coming back .... hopefully...

Honestly speaking- I wish I could give Nick a 10 star review. Let’s just say he puts the H in Hospitality. Last night we celebrated my fiancé birthday and boy were we in for treat. We even received a friendly reminder phone call to confirm our reservation and best places to park. I thought that was such a nice touch. When we arrived Nick greeted us with a warm smile. He also asked if it was our first time dining at Forbes and welcomed us to the restaurant and said I’m happy to answer any questions. He was extremely knowledgeable, he was kind and the service he provided was unmatched. We visit several steakhouses, but it was his bubbly personality and kindness that made us feel so welcome and the food was amazing!! The steaks were like butter and the sides were the icing on the cake, we got cream spinach, sautéed mushrooms and asparagus, we loved every drop lol!! We also asked if he could take our picture for memories and he said of course! I know the perfect area near the wine. Nick it’s because of you Forbes now have a customer for life and I plan to tell as many people as I can about this Steakhouse! Nick you are incredible and thanks helping making my fiancé birthday...