Sundance The Steakhouse — Restaurant in Palo Alto

This was a disaster. The only reason I gave this place even 1 star is because our waiter was very nice. Everything else was terrible. First, we made reservations and still had to wait 30 minutes for our table. When I made the reservation I indicated it was for my husband's birthday. This restaurant has many romantic booths and seating spaces but we got sat at the literal crappiest table in the whole place. It was tiny and my seat backed up to the alcove with all the silverware. Non-stop metal clinking the whole time and since there were servers in and out of the alcove I had to be very careful because my seat was practically in the walkway. We ordered our food and then the table next to us was seated. To our surprise their food came out first. They had more people than us and basically ordered the same thing we did. We waited an hour for our food. They did nothing to rectify this. The food was ok but way overpriced. You could go to more upscale restaurants like Morton's, Alexander's or Flemings and get better service, updated decor and way better food for the same price. Who serves Prime rib without the rib cap?!?! For a place that's known for its prime rib, it was pretty flavorless. The other table in our area was so loud and obnoxious that the table next to them complained on their way out. I will never come back here. It's very dated and the menu feels like it hasn't changed since the 1970s. Do yourself a favor and...

It's probably heresy to say this isn't a 5 star restaurant...and even more so to say the prime rib isn't 5 star...but it's not. Based on my experience where I work, where we serve the prime rib with a different preparation each week. (seasonings, marinades etc)

The service is excellent. Plenty of staff and you are never left unattended. A couple times our server got a little too familiar, but not to the point of being offensive. No doubt he was just trying to build a sense of family. He easily handled any question we had about the dishes and even daily specials. Very clear that he was completely familiar with the items and not just reading back a script that had been studied.

Dark ambiance with nicely decorated wood paneled walls. It feels a bit claustrophobic as you walk in, but once in your booth, you feel you are in a suitably private space. Attentive staff- we had two different bussers quickly attend to us when we needed more bread or drinks.

Pricey of course, but portions were suitable. If you're one of those people who really likes horseradish, I'd ask for some of the creamed horseradish AND some straight horseradish on the side.

I take off one star because I wasn't totally impressed with the prime rib. But this is only because I have well over 15 years experience making it and I'm sure it is just fine for most people. Everything else is excellent and I'm sure it would be a fine experience for...

Came here for the prime rib! With a reservation, we had a brief wait since it was during the weekend.

Once seated, our waiter was helpful in sharing about the place and getting our drinks. We tried:

Medium rare prime rib: This was tasty. The au jus is served on the side along with horseradish. We gobbled this up. Lobster bisque: Tasty, but not my cup of soup. Clam chowder: An excellent way to start the meal. Dip the bread in! Bread: The bread was great! It was soft and delicate in the middle, but crispy on the outside. Mud pie: This is their famous dessert and it was delicious. An Oreo crust with coffee ice cream? Heck yeah! The whipped cream was a tad runnier than I would have liked

Ambiance: I feel like this is the larger part of their appeal. It's a dark and mysterious restaurant with just enough lighting. Unfortunately, we were seated next to a large party that had probably too much to drink. Their volume and constant cussing dominated the space our entire meal.

Parking: this can get tough. You might need to park a few blocks away to snag a spot.

Dress code: to be honest, I usually check pics for dress code at steakhouses, but upon arrival, I saw plenty of customers in casual clothes (basketball shorts, hoodies, etc). I even saw a few tech workers shuffling in with their backpacks, so I don't think any specific attire...