801 Chophouse — Restaurant in Omaha

I just want to take a moment to share my experience about 801 tonight. We made a reservation at 7:30 pm tonight and we arrived on time. We got sat prompted. It took at least 10 minutes before someone stop by our table to recognize us and asked us if we would like anything to drink. This was the manager of the restaurant. We got a drink prompted that was brought out by the manager and she told us that our waitress, Katie was going to be with us shortly. We sat around and enjoyed our drinks for about 5-7 minutes until our waitress showed up bread. We went over the menu and asked us if we would like to place an appetizer. We asked her a question about the pricing and she told us that she is not sure and she will get back to us. We got our pancetta wrapped scallops.....it was terrible, it tasted fishy. One of my scallops was overcooked and the other was undercooked. Overall a bad dish. It took her an additional 5 minutes before she returned to our table to give us a chance for us to order our main entree. We never got an answer on the price of an entree that I am interested in. After we sat for another 15 minutes waiting for our main entree, our food finally arrived..........We ordered a medium rare Delmonico steak and medium NY strip. Both of our temperature on the steak was wrong. We both got a rare temp on our steak. His steak was cut in half to check the temp and the waitress offered to throw steak back to bring it to temp. The waitress even mentioned that our steak usually runs on the rare side. THIS IS NOT OKAY IN ANYWAY. First of all, you are a steakhouse and if you cannot get your TEMP right then you should not call yourself a steakhouse. Second of all, the steak was cut in half, this would ruin the steak if it was thrown back on the grill to bring it to temp. Thirdly, I would not want another person steak cooking on the same grill (just like bringing out someone eaten food). Fourth, you are paying a premium price for these steaks and the steak should cook to perfect temperature. In addition, there was a lack of basic seasoning of salt and pepper on my steak. It tasted bland. We asked to speak to the manager and it took our waitress over 3 minutes to get the manager. The manager offered us to cook us a new steak. However, we started at 7:30 and now it 8:50 pm. We were applauded that they would refire a steak. We lost our appetite and decided to leave instead of waiting for another steak.

Lastly, we have been here before and really enjoyed our experience and quality which prompted our return rather than going to another steak restaurant. Overall, this experience was disappointing and we left...

Summary: overpriced average steaks and even more so sides in a nice upscale steakhouse atmosphere

Best dish: garlic mashed potatoes Dishes (- negative / = ok / + positive): dry aged porterhouse medium-rare: so the first order came overcooked, basically well-done. This shouldn’t happen at the cost of $165 excluding sides. We returned it and got a new one, cooked medium rare. The steak quality was ok but I make better steaks at home. The meat was medium-rare but cold in the middle as they described it on the menu. I don’t know why they would cook it cold in the middle. From my point of view the art lies in cooking a steak medium rare and getting it warm at the center, what I do at home. It takes a little patience. The flavor was bland and the tenderness was ok but not high quality for the value. lions mane mushroom: we went for the daily recommendation for this topping of mushrooms. We weren’t informed but the price was $30 for a tiny tiny portion. Most other toppings cost around $7. it’s simply shameless to recommend that without mentioning the price. And the worst thing is, they tasted horrible, just sour. Of 6 people at the table no one liked them and we didn’t even finish them. macaroni and cheese side with extra lobster: ok mac, bad lobster that tastes fishy (so it’s not fresh) broccolini side: very well-seasoned with a touch of spicy asparagus side: tasty flavoring = wet meat: boiled steak in its broth; it’s ok but not a must have; I prefer a traditional steak with a roast flavor

Service: = ok service, no questions asked about returning the porterhouse. My impression was the waiter clearly saw it and apologized. I noted that my concerns about the mushrooms and that they weren’t tasty, unfortunately no deduction or any offering of any kind. the hostess doesn’t make the welcoming a very nice experience. She’s a bit snappish.

Price: bad price for value

Atmosphere: nice upscale steak house atmosphere

My rating system - I focus on the food first and foremost. I aim to be truthful and try not to be biased by friendly service or other circumstances. 5: excellent - I am rigorous in handing out 5 ratings 4*: good 3*: ok 2*:...

Restaurant located downtown Omaha, inside The Paxton Hotel. They offer valet parking for 801, we didn’t realize this until parking at a meter and walking a few blocks!

Food 5*

Everything was cooked perfectly! We started with Fried Calamari and Zucchini. I prefer my calamari in thinner strips, but was still delicious.

Sourdough Bread came out nice and warm, we really enjoyed it. Asked for a second loaf with our meal.

Petite Filet has a crisp outer layer, juicy and flavorful on the inside. Medium Well cook was executed perfectly.

For sides we of course had mashed potatoes. It’s a staple for our steak meals. Really enjoyed the thicker texture.

We struggled deciding on our green veggie side, there are so many great choices. Our server suggested the bacon lard and caramelized onion green beans. So glad we took his suggestion! The dish had a smoked flavor throughout, onions just added to the dish!

For dessert we chose chocolate soufflé. This fell a little flat in terms of taste, the chocolate flavor didn’t shine through. It tasted like more of a bread pudding with different flavors of toppings (Chocolate sauce, Crème anglaise, or berry compote).

Old Fashioned was smooth and well made.

Service 4*

Our reservation was at 7pm. We were seated a few minutes before. Request for a booth was honored! Enjoyed being by the kitchen, I like watching the dishes come out!

Our service started a little slow. I think he was trying to give us time to look at the menu and maybe got busy doing other things. But once we ordered he was on point with refills, asking how the food tasted, suggesting items as we asked.

Believe the manager came around and asked us how our meal was as well. He didn’t introduce himself but was in a suit and came by multiple tables.

Atmosphere 5*

Restrooms were clean, glasses were clean and without smudges. Lighting is low just as an FYI to you. I don’t mind the low lighting, but know some people do.

Overall great first experience dining here, believe the husband and I will be back to eat the steak, green beans, and hopefully carrot cake if they...