Tartan Room — Restaurant in Orange

My daughter and I were together this evening to celebrate her 22nd birthday We were trying to decide where to go for dinner She was suggesting the bungalow in Newport Beach as I had said a steak sounds marvelous I asked google to find me steakhouses near me and the Tartan room popped up My folks dined here once a week when we were kids and I remembered the plush maroon booths from the the few occasions they included us kids When she saw the picture of the bacon wrapped asparagus the decision was made When we arrived the restaurant was buzzing with activity the smells were amazing and we were sure that this was the right choice A table was a few minutes out so we asked about the waiting at the bar and were escorted to some open chairs by Janie the very courteous hostess The chairs were actually being used but everyone moved around to provide two seats together for us We ended up having a wonderful conversation with all those that made room for us They said that this is the way it’s done here at the Tarton Room In about 10 minutes our table was ready and we sat in a very comfortable booth Our waiter Andrew introduced himself telling us of the specials being offered and then asked about starters My daughter and I said bacon wrapped asparagus at the same time Andrew brought bread and the asparagus to the table and WOW wow WOW was it delicious Whoever decided to put these two flavors together along with the blue cheese is a culinary genius So incredible in fact that we had another order delivered to our table Simply amazing !!!!!! The birthday girl ordered the beef brochette with the filet and the teriyaki glaze I chose the bone in filet and our salads were also spot on I am a lover of beets and was pleased to see that this tasty treat was included The house entertainer was playing his guitar and had people in booths and on barstools singing along with selections that not only a 60 year old dad but also a twenty two year old young lady were both familiar with When our dinner arrived…… again WOW wow WOW we were both VERY pleased with our choices The smells tantalized the senses and I was sure that the taste buds would be next Literally EVERYTHING that we had was delicious At the end of our amazing meal Andrew presented my daughter with a slice of cheese cake that was drizzled with all of their flavors and that treat did not disappoint I was VERY happy that my daughter chose the Tarton Room for her celebration dinner we had a wonderful time from the moment we walked in being greeted by a gracious hostess and made to feel welcome by friendly accommodating patrons seated at the bar to the libations the appetizers most notably the bacon wrapped asparagus, the salad to the main course to the cheese cake “finale” I was VERY impressed from start to finish with the whole experience As we were walking out my daughter read out loud the sign on the door saying “Thank you come...

This review is only about the Tall Male Bartender/Manager We don't know his name and do not care too, he is rude and disrespectful. We have been going to The tartan Room for over 45 years and have brought 5 generations My Wife's Grandparents, Parents, us, our kids and Grandkids also lots of Friends and Family. My wife started going there with her family her mother just died and we came to the tartan room to bring the announcement and celebration of life invitation. We ordered the special from our favorite waitress who I'm not going to give her name because she's a sweetheart that has nothing to do with this. We ordered the bone in rib eye we were going to get the prime rib but we thought what the heck let's get the bone in rib eye it's got a bone. The rib eye came it was perfectly the way we ordered it which was rare but there was no bone. We said we ordered the bone in rib eye the waitress said let me go check with the manager and find out what happened. She said the manager was going to come by and speak with us which would have been fine we were just going to order the prime rib because it didn't matter if there was no bone in with the prime rib. Instead by the instruction of the manager who happens to be the bartender she said OK we'll make you a new one with a bone in it. And at this point the waitress didn't listen I said we'll take the prime rib because we didn't want to go through the hassle I told my wife now it's going to come back over done small because we ordered it twice I knew what was going to happen I called it my wife said no have a little faith we've been coming here forever and it's our favorite waitress. Lo and behold the rib eye comes back with a bone in it and it is so overdone that we can't eat it because it's tough now if we would have cooked it longer we could have probably made fajitas or something like that but we came for a $40 steak and it was supposed to be rare with a bone in it I didn't think it was too much to ask and I actually didn't even want it because I thought they were going to mess it up and we'd get yelled at or ridiculed. Well I told the waitress hey this is overdone she said OK well let me talk to the manager I thought to myself Oh no what's going to happen now my wife was shrugging but she said the same thing this is ridiculous exactly what you said was going to happen. She says the managers swamped but he will look this over because the new one is overcooked, Our Waitress said it wasn't overcooked but my wife took over and said yes it is. We just wanted a steak that was rare with a bone in it . Nevertheless bartender approaches our table abruptly. He says to US I'm not giving you another steak you eat it or you get nothing. We had wine at the table and he said I'm not giving you this wine either and he picked up our wine and took it away.

Our Steaks are below and yes they are bone in, rare and...

Used Google Assistant to make a reservation for 5. That worked very well. When we arrived, they had a table ready for us.

Everyone who served us, from initial host (or manager, not sure), to server, food delivery person, and busser, were all positive and attentive.

The food was great and priced just right. I had the Texas style prime rib and the flavor/taste was awesome. It really is a different taste than normal prime rib.

The beef stroganoff was awesome (better than my mom's). It had what seemed to be a wine based sauce (I could be wrong) on it, which made the flavor so good.

The filet, shared by two folks, got great praise. I didn't try it, so can't give personal comment.

But, here's why I really loved the Tartan Room.

Authentic, old. Which is great. This is not a downgrade comment. The interior is not some faked up, modern retero chain restaurant. Tartan Room has genuine dark lighting, red dining booths and a bar. It's all real. It's simple. It keeps it real and the prices manageable (guess). Geez, it's even got a nondescript front door in a strip mall, which is double awesome. These types of places are so rare now. To the owners: as long as possible, don't change the environment and do a bunch of hip or modern upgrades. Keep it as is.

To top it off, live music. This was an unexpected treat. When the band, The Killer West, was setting up, we had no idea what we were going to hear. Turned out, it was perfect. 3-piece (guitar, upright bass, and percussion). I don't know how to describe the exact genre, but I loved it. Felt like a mix of blues, jazz, surf, and maybe some 50s rock, or rockabilly. I was thinking Robert Cray, hints of Dick Dale, Chris Isaac guitar. The drummer sang, played harmonica, maracas, and drums...wow. The band was really tight and all are great musicians. I could have listened much longer, but family had to get going.

I'll certainly come back to the Tartan Room to eat, drink and listen to The...