Woody's Steak House — Restaurant in Ottawa

So we had the absolute worst dining experience ever last night. We went to Woody’s for dinner last night and we will never go back. It started with a terrible drink and ended with a trip to the police station. An old fashioned was sent back. Please note, an old fashioned is not whiskey, water, and maraschino cherries. The bartender came out to the table bringing the same drink back and yet more maraschino cherries stating that’s all they had. Thank you but no thank you. The app was ok but then came the entrees. Oh the entrees. The marinated ribeye steak was a piece of shoe leather and gristle not fit to be eaten by our dogs slathered in glop which we suspect was sweet baby Ray’s. It was truly inedible. The other entree had spoiled imitation crab, a glob of possibly some cream soup instead of bernaise, however the steak under that mess was tender although flavorless. We sent the ribeye back at which time the check was dropped unceremoniously on the table. We requested that the ribeye be removed from the bill and the waitress said she couldn’t do that but would speak to the manager. Out comes the bartender. She starts loudly demanding that we pay the bill, we ordered it we are paying for it and it was a marinated steak. I hand her the credit card and tell her to go ahead and charge it but she keeps on saying you have to pay. I just gave you the card lady! At that time we ask to speak to someone else because clearly this woman is insane. She THROWS the credit card at us saying you have to talk to Woody! The next thing we know a very large and irate man comes barreling out of the kitchen. He makes it halfway across the dining room before he starts screaming that we ordered the steak and we have to pay for it. At which point we say we tried, your manager threw our card at us. He continues screaming at us that he has served millions of steaks in forty five years and that it was marinated and he’s never had a complaint. The entire dining room (ok let’s be honest the place never had more than 4 tables occupied on a busy Friday night - should have been our first clue to leave) is now staring. We tell Woody to stop talking and run our card and that we are never coming back. He snatches the card out of my hands and storms off into the kitchen. Our waitress comes back with packaged to go containers and the credit card slip to sign. She was apologetic and we did tip her in cash. This was not her fault. We then stand to leave. Out of habit, we had grabbed the to go containers but decided they were likely not safe to feed to our dogs at that point and set them on the floor by the door on the way out. You would think this horrible dining experience ended there. Alas, you would be wrong. That’s right, Woody comes slamming out of the place behind us! Screaming at the top of his lungs that he is going to get our plates in case we damage things. Excuse me? This guy is unhinged. He followed us to our vehicle screaming about his awesome steaks and 45 years of experience the entire way. We go to get in the car and he circles around the front and is still screaming. Now that I have the door open and my car between us I start filming this madman. As we are telling him to leave and stop harassing us or we will call the police I capture the epic finale of the evening. Woody flipping us off and telling us to “suck his balls”. No sir, no we will not. Not even if you “marinate” them in your gross slop. Or perhaps you marinated the steak in your balls, we will never know. So if you want an almost battery with a side of inedible trash for over $100 this is your place. Otherwise avoid Woody’s Steak House at all costs. We drove promptly to the Ottawa Police Department and filed a report in case this psycho tried to claim we damaged his rathole establishment or didn’t pay the bill. Zero stars. Do...

Visiting the area to check out the state park, we were looking for a good meal, and wanted support the local (non-chain) restaurants. This looked like a good option. The server did her best, but the food left us incredibly disappointed. I ordered my salad with dressing on the side, and good thing. I don't know what they put in the thousand island, but it wasn't like any I've eaten in other locations. My family ordered ranch for theirs. There was so much on each, their lettuce was drenched. The one good thing was a very ripe tasty tomato slice. The meal came with bread, or should we say rolls. The same kind of rolls we buy in the store, (Sister Schubert) except these were way over baked, and brown. My family ate them anyway because we were so hungry, and had to wait for more than 45 minutes for our entrees. Had we known what would come, we might have just paid and left.

Each of our meals came with a vegetable on the side. Most restaurants in this price range include a green vegetable such as broccoli or asparagus. Ours came with carrots, and not even well seasoned or presented carrots. They looked like they had been hastily peeled & chopped, thrown in a steamer and dumped in the bowls. Then there were the issues with our entrees. I ordered broiled shrimp. It arrived on a plate lightly seasoned with paprika, but lacking any other flavor. A side of cocktail sauce was included but nothing else such as a slice of lemon or small side of melted butter. My daughter ordered "Woody's Chicken." The description sounded good and the food looked tasty when it arrived. But the first bite left her wondering... The chicken was oddly crunchy, as if he had been drenched in the mushroom sauce to hide the overcooked, dry meat underneath. I tasted it and had to spit out half of my bite, as it was not edible. She ate some of the ravioli, but left the rest. My son ordered the seafood alfredo. The pasta and sauce were okay, but the scallops tasted like they'd been around too long. And then there's my husband's steak. He ordered the ribeye cooked medium well, as he does in every other steak place. Usually this means done with a light pink center. His meal arrived and the outside was clearly over cooked. He cut into the meat to find it dark throughout the center. Thankfully the server immediately took it back to get him a fresh steak. Another 15 minutes later his food finally arrived. This time the inside was at least cooked correctly. However the seasoning on the steak was odd. Each of us tasted it, with similar thoughts... it tasted like it was marinated in ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and vinegar. While this might sound good on a burger, it is not what we were expecting on a $38 steak.

Needless to say we didn't attempt dessert. We paid, gave our server a good tip since she was not to blame for the quality of the food, and left. And they charged a $5 credit card fee. Really? If you're looking for a good steak place,...

The meal and service I received at Woody's were good, but there were a few things I noticed that bothered me.

The food at Woody's is priced comparably to higher-end chain steakhouses in the Chicagoland area, but the dining room is in noticeably worse condition than those restaurants. Vinyl bench seats on the bar side of the restaurant have large patches applied to conceal tears. Springs in the benches are worn out and uncomfortable to sit on. The overall appearance of the restaurant does not match what would be expected at an establishment with this price point. Casual or rustic decor is not the same as worn-out decor.

There was a disclaimer in the menu saying the restaurant is not responsible for well-done steaks. There are two possible meanings to this disclaimer that I could think of. The first is that the restaurant will not take responsibility for the texture of a steak if the customer orders it well-done, which is a fair. The second and more likely meaning is that the restaurant will not take responsibility if a steak is overcooked. While I am fully against wasting food, at this price point, a steak must be cooked exactly as ordered. If it is overdone, it is the restaurant's responsibility to correct the situation. Comparable restaurants will cut into the steak as it is presented to verify it is cooked properly; if the steak is too rare or too well-done, it never even touches the customer's table. This method also reduces waste. Since the steak was not contaminated by the customer, it can be cooked more if it was too rare or re-used in...