Prime Steakhouse — Restaurant in Redmond

I've had the opportunity to frequent Prime on several occasions, trying to discover its charm, particularly during happy hour when the vibe is more relaxed. The appetizers and drinks, during those times, generally offer a decent dining experience, but I must express my reservations about the dinner service.

On my most recent visit on Valentine's Day 2023, I noticed a disparity in the consistency of the drinks. The initial Old Fashioned I enjoyed at the bar was superb, but the following ones served at our dining table didn't quite hit the mark. It suggests to me that there might be potential for enhancing the consistency between the bar and table service, ensuring that the quality and taste of the drinks are maintained irrespective of where they are served

Additionally, I had an interesting encounter with the waiting staff, who were always polite but seemed a little disjointed. An incident where I returned a drink to be remade only to have the same one brought back to me without any adjustment, slightly dented my overall experience. (I observed the waitress take my drink to the bar and return it to me without any alterations made or recognition from the bartender)

My dining companions and I indulged in a variety of dishes, including filets, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes. While the mashed potatoes were satisfactory, the other dishes lacked the warmth and flavor we expected. The filets were more cooked than we requested, and the casserole was unfortunately rather greasy and cool. It was a stark contrast to previous experiences where the green bean casserole was quite delightful when prepared optimally.

While I believe there is potential in Prime, I would recommend prospective diners consider visiting during less crowded times, preferably during happy hour. There's a certain bartender whose passion for his craft is noticeable and admirable. However, it would enhance the overall experience if this level of dedication was consistently reflected across the entire staff.

Despite my experience, I remain optimistic about Prime's potential for improvement, yet this visit has removed my desire to visit there in the future.

*Replying to Owners Comments:

Thank you for your response and the time.

Your 'keyboard warrior' remark got me chuckling, and yes, I can see how it might seem odd to pepper the web with reviews all in one go. But truthfully, this was an impromptu decision to voice my experiences at various establishments in our town over the past year. Rather than being about online grandstanding, it's about providing honest feedback to businesses and insightful information to fellow customers. I am glad to see it was received as such. Importantly, the majority of the 14 reviews I posted that day celebrated establishments with 4 and 5-star accolades. I praised these establishments that consistently outperform and create memorable experiences. Only a handful received negative reviews, these being the places that unfortunately left more than just a metaphorical bad taste.

I'm sure you understand the caution of not providing real last names online, which doesn't lessen the sincerity of my review.

My intention was never to detract from the hard work of your team, but to voice genuine observations that could pave the way for improvements. I understand that Valentine's Day is an exceptionally busy period, and occasional service and food inconsistencies are sometimes inevitable. It's encouraging to know that you've taken the time to investigate my review with your team, and I hope that my feedback will contribute to enhancing your future patrons' experiences. Feel free to reach out directly to me for more details as Feb 14th of this year was just one of a few dinner service visits that were below average experiences. As stated, I sincerely endeavored to uncover the allure of your establishment, but it consistently didn't quite meet the mark.

Once again, thank you for your response. I'm eager to see how your establishment continues to evolve and I wish you every success in your...

Prime is usually one of my favorite places to eat. Tonight I went in there and ordered the baseball sirloin cooked medium rare, oscar style ( on top of asparagus with bearnaise sauce and shredded crab) a side of cheesy polenta and roasted brussel sprouts....yum, right? Usually. My half a salad came out and was absolutely delicious, so I was waiting for the rest of my food to be just as good. When the server brought it out I noticed the brussel sprouts were a little more charred than I liked but I figured I'd try them anyways. My cheesy polenta was so dry and crumbly I couldn't even put it on a fork without using my hands. I had to add a Ramekin of whipped butter just to make it bind together so I could take a couple bites of it. The garlic mashed potatoes were okay but I could make those out of a box any day and they taste the exact same. Finally, on to the steak! I could not wait to bite into this big juicy looking steak topped with all that yumminess. However, my knife was so dull it was really hard to even cut the food. Once I cut my steak I noticed that it was super rare and not the medium rare I asked for, which I could overlook. But then once I tasted it it tasted like I bit into a raw bloody steak with absolutely no seasoning. It was the grossest thing I'd ever tasted. It tasted like straight iron, and to top it off, the asparagus was way too hard and was covered in the nasty blood juice so I couldn't even eat that. I'm not one to complain. And I hate even saying anything to the server but I couldn't let it go... not when im paying over $100 for a meal for 1 person. I understand it's really hard to find cooks and servers in the industry right now, so maybe the owners of the place should step up and help out until they find someone that can keep up with the menu. This type of food will definitely affect your bottom line, and your server/cooks pockets. I hadn't been in in a while and this experience will definitely keep me from going back anytime soon. I hope you guys figure it out. I'm really sad to see such a good restaurant go downhill.

I would like to give a huge shout out to my server Jess. She was amazing and went above and beyond for me. She comped the sprouts and polenta, which I told her no, but she was trying to keep a long time customer happy....

Not special - some nice elements.

Took a good friend here for a birthday dinner. Atmosphere is nice looking but small, noisy and exposed feeling. They could benefit from some space and dividers between the tables. Maybe some sound dampening. If you get placed next to the table of co-workers having drinks on a Friday night, be prepared to shout your conversation above their loud laughter and banter.

My companions each got a Prime filet and liked them. I got the prime Ribeye but didn't so much. It looked beautiful - charred and crispy, well-cooked. But it lacked flavor, and for a supposedly prime piece of meat, it had a TON of gristle and chewyness. Even the garlic compound butter and a liberal dose of extra salt didn't give it the depth of savory yumminess you can get by cooking a Costco prime ribeye at home. My fiance devoured the balsamic fried Brussels Sprouts. He said they were phenomenal. My potato was just ok - standard toppings, barely cut open, toppings dumped into the crack, not well buttered... the skin limp & moist -- as if it'd been baked but then held too long on a steam rack.

Dessert selections sounded incredible - we ordered some of the Pan Fried Banana Bread Pudding and a bowl of peach sorbet. None of us finished them. The Bread Pudding was tasty for the first few bites - since it was warm, buttery pan-fried bread with caramel drizzled on it (what's not to like?). But be clear -- this is not "banana bread" pudding. It is "banana" bread pudding. I.e. they make a fairly mediocre bread pudding with very large strips of bread, but then layer thick-sliced banana pieces between them such that when you encountered one - it's a chewy, rubbery, discolored and unpleasant surprise. I noticed at the end of the course, both my fiance and I had picked out all the banana pieces we came across and slid them to the side of the plate. Not a good sign. It was a nice few bites of sweetness after dinner, but not special and not worth $8 per dish. The Ice Cream accompaniment to the bread pudding was good. Kinda wish I'd just gotten a scoop.

This is NOT a premium restaurant, though the prices suggest they think it is. $54 for my mediocre Ribeye felt a little coarse to swallow by the time the check...