Carlo & Johnny By Jeff Ruby — Restaurant in Montgomery

First, let me say it disappoints me to have to round down and rate this 4-stars. In summary...service was professional and the food was fantastic...but there are some misses in the service and the food that just shouldn't exist at this price point.

After attempting to make a reservation for this week for three people and being unsuccessful (they were booked), we decided to arrive early and try the bar. We arrived and valeted the car, no issues to note here. We entered knowing we didn't have a reservation and asked if there was space available at the bar. We were kindly pointed to open seats and we sat down.

Our server introduced herself and asked if we were here for drinks or to eat. We said we would like to dine and she gave us a minute to read over the cocktail/beer menu while she fetched the menus. She also asked if we would like to start off with bread/butter, to which we said yes. I was surprised and disappointed we weren't given a wine list as well, or even asked if we wanted one, I had to ask for this after my main meal arrived.

We decided to start by ordering some items from the raw bar. With Ohio being inland, you're going to pay premium for quality seafood, and that's okay. We ordered shrimp, specialty oysters (east and west coast), and Alaskan King Crab. We also ordered our main meals at this time...I went against the grain and ordered the Sea Bass Forte with a side of asparagus. My dad opted for the burger and my brother ordered the filet.

The bread arrived with mixture of sourdough and salted rye...a piece for each person. The butter was half truffles and have demi-sel (?)...it's important to note the butter was room temperature, which is good since that allows the butter to spread and it's flavors to come forward.

The seafood then began to arrive, first the accompaniments (cocktail sauce, horseradish, vinegar, and a mustard mayo) which were explained to us and then the seafood. Since the table was small our waitress kindly placed the seafood on each person's plate so to not overcrowd the table. The shrimp were huge...my father semi-jokingly said he could buy 3-4 of these and pair them with a salad for a meal. The Alaskan King Crab was already cut through for us, which is nice. The oysters were a bit of a disappointment, the meat/flesh they contained was rather small from what I am used to, almost like they weren't ready for sale. For comparison, I've had quality oysters in the middle of France for around the same price (a little less) but 3x the flesh inside of them.

Then the mains arrived and this is when I had to ask for the wine list. My sea bass was excellent...a nice sear on the outside, a moist flaky interior, and a nice simple seasoning. The shitake, crab, and beurre blanc complemented the sea bass and had great flavor. My ding with the beurre blanc was that it was a tad thin. The asparagus was cooked to perfection with a nice give and appropriate seasoning.

But this is where the service seemed to trail; our server's check-ins became less frequent. During this time the establishment was much busier and our server seemed to be pulled in many directions. It's almost like they needed one more server to help out.

We finished the entrees and were asked if we would like to see the dessert menu. We said yes and we ordered Remy 1738 for each person and I also opted for an espresso. The cognac came out in snifter glasses...personal preference aside, I would have appreciated if I would have been asked if I wanted it in a snifter or a tasting glass.

After enjoying our cognac, we were given the bill. We seemed to wait for ages for our server and had to flag her down to come and take the check.

In all, an enjoyable meal and I would go back. But like I alluded to earlier, for the price that was paid per person I wouldn't have expected service to trail off or the oysters to be as small...

Overall, this place is a bit overrated and expensive for what it is. The seafood "tower" was great! The king crab portions were nice, and the oysters were good, too. Although my wife thought the shrimp was a little fishy & couldn't eat it, I enjoyed the shrimp & the sauces were a perfect pairing. The sushi was fantastic! Highly recommend the roll with tuna salmon and yellow tail. The ambiance was enjoyable, and the decor was fun!

However, where the meal went south was with the main courses, sides, and desserts. I ordered the Australian wagyu medium. It arrived closer to Med Rare, which I could eat, but it's not my preference. The meat was over salted and very chewy, to the point that I couldn't even chew every bite to completion, and had to spit out the boot like pieces.

My wife got the pork chop, and it was cooked to the kitchens recommend temp, but it came out dry. It was overcooked on the outside and tasteless without the sauce, which made it edible.

My son got the lobster tail, and it was so tough that he couldn't cut through it with his steak knife. It was one of the worst cooked tails I've ever seen.

Sides: We got the creamed corn, Brussel sprouts, and Mac & Cheese. The corn wasn't anything special, so save your money on that. The sprouts were VERY salty, and my mouth hurt after consuming so much salt between my steak & the sides. And lastly, the Mac & cheese was kind of bland. It had a bite to it from one of the 6 cheeses, reminded me of blue cheese. My son loves Mac & cheese, and hated this one. I didn't hate it, but I expected better.

Lastly, our desserts. My son got cookies & cream ice cream. It was probably the best version of the flavor I've ever tasted. He devoured it.

My wife and I split the baked Alaska. Probably the biggest disappointment of our night, and we were so excited to try this...The meringue wasn't cooked through properly and was burnt in certain spots due to the sad attempt of "flambéing" the dessert table side. They poured so much flaming alcohol onto it that the graham craker crust absorbed it, and it was inedible. They put the flames out with a kahlúa ganache, but it was so thick that it kind of just slide out in a giant glob, which looked like someone just pooped on our dessert. Not appetizing at all. It was bitter. The ice cream inside was great. The rest sucked. Save your money & get something else.

The staff wasn't the best, but not the worst. Our waiter was good in certain areas and really dropped the ball in others. My biggest issue was the guy who boxed our food, he grabbed all the silverware on the table (there were 5 of us in total), and DIVIDED IT ON TO OUR PLATES WITH OUR LEFTOVERS. He didn't bother to put it on empty plates!! Who does that?! Overall, it was average. I expected better.

The bathrooms upstairs aren't labeled, but there's multiple doors with no signs. It's confusing. My wife almost got hit in the face by a door on our way out when staff were exiting the kitchen because there's no space between their entrance/exit & the guest walkway.

The meal for 5 was $1,000.00. There were 2 meals I didn't review because I'm not sure how they felt about their food.

Unless I was given a gift card, I wouldn't come back...

As much as I love steak, it's shocking that I'd never been to a Jeff Ruby's restaurant . . . until now. Last Christmas, they offered a gift card sale, and my friend and I each bought $100 worth for $80. We finally - in September of the next year - were able to make reservations and go to Carlo & Johnny. We picked this spot over the downtown location and The Precinct due to it being literally in the backyard of my friend's childhood home.

We were seated immediately and greeted by the assistant server who introduced herself to us. She offered us different types of water. While formal, the atmosphere and attitude never felt stuffy. Our server, Greg, came to the table to introduce himself, ask if we wanted any other drinks and promised to return with bread for the table.

Greg was about as perfect a server as I've ever had. He knew precisely when to check in, was appropriately engaged - but never hovered, never interrupted, and had an air of professional confidence that was just lovely. He brought the bread, fresh from the oven, with both regular butter and mushroom truffle butter, which was actually quite good.

We both started with a half-size Caesar Salad, which was huge. I can't imagine what the full size would have looked like. I had the 12 oz barrel cut filet, with blue cheese butter and mac and cheese. My friend ordered the petite filet and sides of both Brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. (She was planning her menus for the weekend.) We finished off with dessert; my friend had the cheesecake and I had the creme brulee.

The steaks, cooked perfectly medium, were so tender you really could cut it with a fork. Twelve ounces is a lot, but I ate every bite. The mac and cheese was rich and cheesy and decadent, with a crust of cheese on top and a gooey center. I didn't sample the Brussel sprouts, but the portion was gigantic. The mashed potatoes were nice, but I was pleased with my choice of mac.

I asked Greg which he would prefer over the Peanut Butter dessert and the creme brulee and he didn't hesitate to say creme brulee. He was right. It was the best creme brulee I've ever had. It was a large portion, the carmelized top was delicious, and the raspberries were a nice accompaniment. The cheesecake was lovely, but not really special. Still, there was nothing wrong with it and if that was all they offered for dessert, we would both have been satisfied.

We joined the Ruby's loyalty club after dinner. My friend had trouble making it work on her phone, but I was registered within minutes. Super easy, free, and the rewards seem worthwhile. I have every intention of returning to Carlo & Johnny, but I also want to try the Precinct and the new downtown Ruby's spot once it opens.

The experience definitely lived up...