Michael Jordan's Steak House - Mohegan Sun — Restaurant in Montville

Hubby and I decided to dine at Michael Jordan‘s for brunch, continuing our anniversary celebration. When you walk in the restaurant gives a warm and inviting feel. We were sat at a four-top table in the middle of the dining-room. Kinda odd because there were some open booths directly across from us that would have given a more private and intimate feel especially because we let them know it was our 14th wedding anniversary, but they weren’t offered to us as an option. Nevertheless, we sat down and we’re greeted by a pleasant busser by the name of Miguelina. I already went in knowing what I wanted, which was the crabcake! I never pass an opportunity to try a ‘top-tier’ crab-cake. So I ordered it along with a wedge salad. My Husband ordered the New York strip with eggs and potatoes. I have to be honest and say that this crabcake has taken my #1 spot for ‘best crab-cake’! It was filled with sweet morsels of jumbo lump crab-meat (no filler) with a lemon aïoli, and a pesto drizzle. I added some fresh lemon juice and of course, Tabasco and it was an absolute delight! Now please note, the menu indicates MP (MarketPrice) and the price tag on this crabcake is $45. Definitely on the higher end but worth every penny! My wedge salad was also super delicious. Cold, crisp lettuce with a delicious house made blue cheese dressing topped with tiny bites of thick cut bacon. All it needed was some fresh black pepper and we were in business. Very yummy and nicely portioned. My Husband’s dish, was average at best. Yes, it was the $61 New York strip, but there was nothing to it, even with the chimichurri on the side. It literally came with two standard eggs and about a half of cup of baby Redskin potatoes. I was looking forward to the steak being beautifully seasoned as well as the potatoes, but both of them missed the mark. He also ordered it medium rare and received it medium. For a premium Steakhouse… unacceptable. If you’ve noticed, I haven’t mentioned our server. That’s because he had such limited interaction with us that neither my Husband nor I could remember his name. What was the most disappointing was that we looked around and every other table had bread service. We did not. We stopped the busser and asked her about it, and she said that it was a new complementary bread service the restaurant just rolled out and apologized that we were never given any. This was near the end of our meal by the way. I asked her for it anyway because everybody else seemed to be enjoying it. I am very glad I did. Once again it was a hit! The bread service consisted of miniature, buttery croissants served warm with a trio spread of cinnamon butter, blueberry compote, and apple chutney. One word - Delightful! And it really did accentuate the ‘brunch feel’. We would’ve loved to have received it without having to ask. It was uncomfortable and led us to wonder, “why not us”? I also wanted to note that hubby’s entrée came with a complementary mimosa. Unfortunately, it was not consumed because it was served to us in a dirty champagne glass.

This experience was one of the ones I was very torn with because while my food was exceptional, our service, which means almost as much to us, was disappointing. Even more so because when you go to a “premier steakhouse”, you’re expecting “premier service.” We did not get that. Hence my score. Now, I did stop at the host desk and speak with the GM - Dallas. I wanted to inform him of my experience. I think it’s super important to let management know when service is lacking, especially when you’re trying to put forth a premium product. The casino is filled with restaurant choices, and we chose to celebrate our anniversary at Michael Jordan‘s. Unfortunately, the poor service will leave an unpleasant taste in our mouth. Dallas apologized and handed me his business card and told me the next time we come in to text him or email him. We’ll see… At this point, the ‘crabcake’ would be the only thing to...

I have to preface my comments and review by stating that I am admittedly a steak snob. I have mastered grilling filet, tenderloin, ribeye...etc. at home and rarely order steak when dining out as I am usually disappointed with my experience.

In the case of Michael Jordan's Steakhouse, I have dined on the Pub side a number of times but chose to dine in the Steakhouse twice in the last month. Two weeks ago, I went to dinner with my son and we had one of the shared platters that included a 16oz boneless ribeye, a 7oz filet mignon, a 20oz (I think) NY Strip and some grilled sausage. This feast cost $170, without any sides, and it was prepared beautifully, as ordered medium rare, cut in perfect strips and accompanied by several sauces which were nice additions but I would never use. As to be expected, the Ribeye was the most flavorful and while all three cuts were cooked perfectly, there was no "wow" factor relative to the Filet or the Strip. All in all, the meal exceeded my expectations (which were admittedly very high) but was not spectacular. Based on the menu pricing for each of these three pieces of meat (forgetting the sausage), at $170 I found it to be a good value relative to what you might expect to pay dining out.

I decided to give it another try last night as my brother came to town and he joined me and my son. We thought long and hard about ordering the same shared plate and then adding something and/or a few sides but chose to create our own shared bundle with the help of our waitress - Nicki - who was excellent. In the end, we opted for the 32 oz Porterhouse for Two and the evening's special which consisted of a 20oz bone-in Ribeye which came with three grilled shrimp and mashed potatoes - but they offered up asparagus as an option that we took instead.

The Porterhouse obviously includes filet and NY Strip and I found the Filet to be overcooked and without much flavor and the NY Strip side was actually cooked closer to medium rare but was just not great. The biggest disappointment was the bone-in Ribeye special with one side being too rare and the other end being medium-medium rare and the entire piece lacked the flavor of the boneless ribeye I had the previous time. The three of us ate most of the meal and the asparagus was cooked perfectly, the Street Corn was amazing and the mac&cheese was pretty good.

The service was terrific - both times - and the setting is very nice with soft lighting and you can hear eachother talking at the table without raising your voice. If I average the two experiences together in terms of the food - I rate it a 4. The service was a 5 both times and the atmosphere is a 4/5 - we were in a comfortable booth this last visit. Value is a tough one for me as I find that the cuts of meat I purchase are more tender and flavorful as prepared by my own hands - forgetting the fact that the price is triple or more dining out vs. grilling at home. As someone who loves the dining out experience, I expect to pay 3-4 times the actual cost - especially today. However, at those prices, the meal should be spectacular and that was...

So... Last night went to go see Matt Rife stand up comedy act at Mohegan. I purchased these tickets July 2023.. been planning this day for over 6 months. A few days beforehand, we thought it would be a good idea to make dinner reservations. So my date chose Michael Jordan Steakhouse. Our reservations were for 4:45pm and the show was scheduled to start at 8pm.

Due to traffic in Providence, RI. it set our eta back about 30 minutes past our reservation time. I probably shouldn't admit this but I definitely hit over 100mph several times on the highway to try to make up for lost time and be on time for our reservations.

As soon as we got to park the car in the Riverview garage, we went straight inside to the restaurants area of the casino. I knew we were about 20 minutes later than the grace period given, but I remained optimistic.

Given that this was an extremely busier evening dining inside the casino than most nights, due to the Matt Rife show, many people had to be accommodated and unfortunately, not all were able to find a restaurant in the casino with a available seat immediately.

There was one employee working the front end by the name of Kaci. (I told you I was going to leave you a good review). At first, she shared the bad news that we had missed our reservation. I explained the entire situation to her and I know how hectic and busy things can get especially on a night like that. I've worked in food and beverage as well and I understand how hard it can be to accommodate last minute changes. I asked her if anything became available to please just consider my situation and try to help me out.

Well...... After maybe 30 minutes ⏰ of us standing outside trying to make some last minute miracle occur, KACI came through extremely clutch!!!!!!

We got seated. The food was amazing. It was our 1st and definitely NOT our last time here. Shrimp cocktail and raw oyster appetizers were bomb dot com. Tiger shrimp and filae mignon is what she had for her entree and I had the miso glazed salmon 🍣 because she ordered the most expensive steak and left your boy pinching pennies 🤷.. The trio mashed potatoes were good too but I was too full to eat anymore...

Someone please HEAVILY thank KACI for SAVING MY ENTIRE EVENING LAST NIGHT!!! 🙏🙏🙏 WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR US!!

Definitely coming back... Next time we're getting the larger portion app with the lobster...