P.S. Steak — Restaurant in Minneapolis

Ps steak was one of my favorite restaurants. I’ve visited many times before with friends and family and absolutely love the ambiance and the food, which is why I decided to have my birthday dinner there. I’ve tried to reach out to management to discuss this privately but it was unsuccessful. I made a reservation for 15 people 1 month prior. I spoke with a gentleman over the phone and told him the number might go up or down depending on rsvps he let me know to call in a week before to confirm the number of people. I called in 2 weeks before to confirm my reservation. I was told that my party was too large and that I needed to speak with the events coordinator. I was confused why this wasn’t told to me before and they changed my reservation to 12 without informing me. I worked with the events coordinator Kelly who was amazing. She was very professional and helped make sure we could get everything to work since it was only a week away and I would have a difficult time finding another restaurant to host a large party at such late notice. She had me put down my credit card in case of cancelation. I was fine with that. She gave me a call a few days later to inform me that the manager wanted a contract signed and a minimum of 2,000$ to be spent. I was informed of this just days before my reservation I signed the contract. The minimum was reasonable and so were the rules but this should be communicated to customers when they first book a reservation not a few days before . When I spoke with the manager Mark I explained to him I was not made aware of any of this he told me that’s just the rules. I asked if I minimized the group could we avoid that contract since we would be seated in the same space if it was 20 people or 14 people. He told me at this point no matter the number of the group he needs a signed contract from me. He was rude and dismissive over the phone and could not understand why I was frustrated over these last minute changes. On the day of my dinner my group arrived. We sat in the lounge it was very loud which is understandable since it is a social area. The area where we were seated had 1 large table and 3 booths. The group was separated and we weren’t able to mingle as much as we would have liked. I feel that if contracts and minimums are being involved we should be seated in an area that is more accommodating but it didn’t bother me so much since we were celebrating a birthday. Things went left when our server came out and was very dismissive with us. We were asked to keep the volume down even though we were seated in the lounge and other groups were being very loud and at times louder than us. I had to ask my guests to stay quite which was very awkward for me. We certainly were not screaming and I felt it was an appropriate volume level for such a large group. We all felt uncomfortable at that point and I just wanted to leave as soon as possible. A friend brought a cake for me but was told the restaurant doesn’t allow outside food which is understandable. Multiple friends asked to order a slice of cake for me for my birthday none of those were brought out. We ordered a large magnum bottle for a toast. The bottle was not presented but just sat on the table. We all watched the server at the table across from us being so friendly with his large party and I was confused why we were not getting the same treatment. The assistant manager came out to wish me a happy birthday which was nice of her but the overall service was not ok. The food was delicious as usual and the valet was quick and professional as usual but the service from moment of reservation to leaving the table was absolutely awful. I have always had great experiences here and felt bad for putting my friends in such an uncomfortable situation. If you have a large group I would definitely avoid having dinner at Ps steak. Great food. Poor management and...

Finally, a Steakhouse that doesn't disappoint.

Finding great cuts of meat isn't the hardest thing in the world.

But finding a steakhouse that doesn't let you down on either cooking, service, value for money or atmosphere is a lot harder than it sounds.

From the chains like Fleming's or BOA or Ruth's Chris where you can get standard but pricey steaks in with a chain store template feel to service surrounded by people on expense accounts to local favorites that either lack polish or an attentive educated (about the menu) staff I almost invariably walk away from a steakhouse disappointed or not feeling a value for money.

In general, the best beef I have eaten has been in Japan served in ryokan or yakiniku places and I'd almost given up on finding a satisfying chunk of beef in the states choosing to eat steak at home and save myself a 3 to $800 disappointment.

We went to P.S. Steak on a Monday evening and got a great booth. The Host was lovely and informative.

P.S. Steak does something I haven't seen done successfully which is to have a setting that would satisfy both the old guys with corporate expense accounts as well as young couples on a date.

While there were only 3 couples in the dining room that evening, the waitperson was careful to advise the customers on things and portions that were appropriate and to the customer's tastes rather than up-selling to upsell which is a very delicate and professional balance that leads to perhaps lower profits for the evening, but a much better more personalized experience for the diner which is an excellent way to get repeat customers.

The appetizers were perfectly executed and timed.

The meat some of the best we've ever had, prepared with care, perfectly seasoned and well rested but served at the perfect temperature.

The drink menu was humored and youthful but with steakhouse nods as well.

Because they carry Japanese wagyu, their international whiskey selection included some very good Japanese offerings not generally found on local menus.

We opted for cocktails and later saw a review from a local food reviewer who panned earlier offerings and who seemed to be lack of understanding of a type of culinary humor that takes a place from "grandfather's steakhouse" to som accessible to different generations.

So for venue, service, and food and value for money, this is quite possibly one of the best steakhouse experiences I've ever had, hands down better than the generic but pricey upscale chains.

If you're in Minneapolis and craving great meat, taxi or Uber here, it...

Overall, this was a disappointing experience for a fairly high cost meal. The ambiance truly is wonderful- interesting decor and dark leather make the interior unique. Overall food was very good, the chopped salad was fresh and tasty. The simple rolls were a highlight.

The service on the other hand was surprisingly poor. Given that were there on a Sunday night, it was not tremendously busy and yet our server seemed to work on an exceedingly slow pace, disappearing for long stretches of time. I understand the desire not to rush diners but it was not a good balance.

The waitress did spend time describing just how amazing the Denver steak would be- I believe she even said it is one of the best cuts she has ever experienced. On her recommendation, that was my order. She came back a number of minutes later to say that there were no Denver steaks left and I would have to order something else. We heard her describing the Denver cut 45 minutes later to a new couple that sat down at the table next to us which was truly bizarre.

When we ordered, she asked us if we wanted to place our food order along with our appetizers and she would take care of timing it out. Unfortunately, I feel this was a mistake and the reason our dinner food seemed lukewarm (both steak and scallops). It was brought out by someone else. By the time we finally received our meals, we were hungry enough and did not want to deal with sending anything back. The waitress also never stopped by to ask how the food tasted. She also never asked about our drinks or stopped by to ask if we wanted more after our first ones were empty, we would have had to track down someone else. On the other hand, the rest of the staff we interacted with were friendly and engaged.

Overall, I would have a hard time recommending given our experience but I imagine we had bad luck and this was the exception to the standard...