Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill — Restaurant in Madison

As an avid J. Alexander's fan who dines there very frequently, I was very disappointed with Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill. A friend of mine told me about Stoney River and mentioned that it was managed and owned by the same company as J. Alexanders. Furthermore, he told me some of the menu items at J Alexander's were also featured at Stony River.

I initially made a reservation for my wife, her family, and my cousins on a Sunday afternoon. Initially, the ambience was very welcoming, and a similar tier of staff welcomed us in and to our seats. The hostesses experience was very similar to J Alexanders.

However, upon being seated, I noticed many waiters and waitresses standing around around. It appeared that looked like they were being attentive to tables, but no one was really doing anything. Once were seated, it took about 5-10 minutes for a waitress to come. There was not the usual introduction that takes place at J Alexanders and not much was provided about what would be good options regarding food choices, drink choices, or how the brunch specials were. While taking our orders she semeed thoroughly disinterested and provided little help. Through out the process, my brother in law ordered a breakfast item; however, his eggs were not prepared as the menu had suggested. The waitress initially told him he had misread this rather than confirming on the menu, and she did nothing to ammend this. My cousin's wife is vegetarian and no help was provided regarding any menu items that could be substituted. My wife asked for a straw twice and it never came out, and she asked for honey mustard that never came out.

My expectations would have been much lower if Stoney River were consider an inferior food place to J Alexanders. However, based on the pricing on the menu, it appears to be marketed on a similar tier or if not higher based on the inside upgrades.

Part of what makes me very upset and angry about Stony River is that the aesthetic appears to be a "modern" 'version of J Alexanders with marble counters, open concept dining, and a modern/new age Americana feel. Under this "aestheic" is really just a poorly managed restaurant with lazy workers and unremarkable food. It is really quite the opposite of J Alexanders.

My intention is not to be rude or bashful, but rather provide feedback so that management may address these shortcomings. Firstly, the staff at J Alexanders is very much the creme of the crop. They are very courteus, kind, respectful, and knowledgeable. Stoney River waitresses should be required to shadow or observe J Alexander's waiting staff. The staff at Stoney River as is not cut out for eleavted dining waiting. I understanding that hiring is very difficult at this time, but selecting staff suited for a partiuclar clientele is important. Second, the food was unimpressive. I must say when comparing food at J Alexanders, the food just was not that good. Every item at J Alexanders is a solid 8/10 or greater and seems to be consistent. I didn't get that sense from Stoney River, and I am unsure if this is because the cooking staff is still learning the recipes. Lastly, offer one vegetarian item. I know it is a steakhouse, but its 2025. Even J Alexanders, Ruth's Chris, Cotton Row, and Purveyor all have vegetarian items.

All in all, I will probably never go back to Stoney River. It seems unnecessary when J Alexanders is just that much better. The food, atmosphere, and drinks are always consistent there with very friendly staff. Ambience and decor can never replace good food and service at the end of the day.

The...

We chose this restaurant to celebrate my husband’s birthday. It was our first visit, and while we didn’t come in with high expectations, we were hoping for a polished, upscale experience based on the atmosphere and pricing. Unfortunately, it fell short.

The restaurant is visually stunning and clearly aiming for a fine dining feel. Upon being seated, there was some initial confusion about who our server was, but that was quickly sorted out. Everyone we spoke to was polite and friendly, so this wasn’t the issue.

The real problem was the service structure. Rather than assigning servers to sections, it seemed tables were split across the restaurant. Our server had tables on the opposite side from us, and as a result, we experienced long waits and a lack of attention throughout the meal.

Thankfully, the restaurant uses a team-based service model, which meant runners and other staff helped deliver food and occasionally checked in. Without that, our experience would have suffered even more. Still, the lack of consistent service was noticeable, especially at this price point.

Our food came out in a timely manner. My husband enjoyed his meal, but my shrimp and grits were overcooked to the point where the shrimp were rubbery and difficult to cut. Unfortunately, no one checked on us after our meals were delivered, so there was no opportunity to address the issue or request a fix until very late into dinner service. In my mind it doesn’t matter at that point. Also, My husband ordered the lobster bisque, and the wine wasn’t properly cooked off. The dominant flavor was strong alcohol, not lobster, which overwhelmed the dish.

As the meal wound down, my husband began feeling unwell and stepped out to the car. I waited a long time to get our server’s attention for a to-go box. My drink had also been empty for quite a while. I eventually had to flag down another server just to ask for help. Even then, it took additional time to get boxes, and when I asked for a bag, I was told “yes,” but never received one until asking again. The server returned with the check, wished me a good evening, and that was that. Not a huge issue on its own—but reflective of the overall inattentiveness.

What made the gaps in service even more noticeable was seeing other servers nearby regularly checking in on their tables. It was a stark contrast, and really underscored how little attention we received.

To be clear, I don’t believe our server was intentionally neglectful. He was simply stretched too thin due to how the restaurant assigns tables. But when you’re charging over $200 for a dinner for two—$30 of that just for one entrée with shrimp i didnt eat—service should not be an afterthought. At this level, the food, service, and ambiance should be aligned. Unfortunately, only the ambiance met expectations.

We dine at upscale restaurants often, and this was one of the rare occasions where we left feeling like the experience simply wasn’t...

We have eaten here twice with very similar experiences. We had a reservation both times, and both times we had to wait at least 10 minutes to be seated even though there were plenty of tables open. The first time, we ordered the deviled eggs as an appetizer. They were delicious and we loved them. I had the lobster bisque, which surprisingly didn’t come with a bread. I asked if they could bring me the toasted baguette that came with the crab dip. They brought me a soft bread that was not toasted in any way. I ordered the lamb chops, medium rare, with garlic mashed potatoes. The chops came out VERY well done and had to be sent back. By the time they came back out, my husband had eaten his food, so I took them home. He had the cedar plank salmon and said it was very good. We also got a piece of carrot cake to go and it was amazing. We each had a couple of drinks so our bill was about $250. On our second visit, we took our two sons with us. After a very long wait, even though the restaurant was nearly empty, our waiter, Edward, came and took our drink/appetizer order. We got the deviled eggs and the spinach Parmesan dip. The dip was fantastic. The deviled eggs tasted completely different than the first time we got them. They weren’t very good. After a really long time, our waiter came back by and said he was going to get us some more bread. We told him he hadn’t taken our entrée orders yet. We asked if the Gouda mac & cheese came with breadcrumbs on top and he said no. (They hate the breadcrumbs.) So both boys ordered the burger with the Mac n cheese. I ordered the lobster bisque and the wedge salad. My husband ordered the mushroom meatloaf. After another really long time, another server brought our food out. The mac & cheese had breadcrumbs on the top, so they got them fries instead. My wedge salad had so much blue cheese dressing on it that the whole thing was soggy and completely inedible. The lobster bisque was covered in green onions which it hadn’t had the first time and shouldn’t have had this time. I ate the bisque, but just set the salad aside. My husband said the meatloaf was pretty good, but they were out of the broccoli that comes with it. He got double potatoes. We had to keep flagging down other servers down because ours was MIA and we all needed refills. Again, we got the carrot cake to go and the boys got the Blondies. That was all excellent. Our total bill was $215. My feelings are mixed on this place. The service seems to be consistently very slow. The food is inconsistently cooked. It just seems like not much care is given in its preparation considering the price. We may give it another try sometime in the future. Hopefully they will have worked out their...