The Pines Modern Steakhouse — Restaurant in San Bernardino

If you're looking for a Steakhouse that Consistently Fires on All 12 Cylinders, look No Further than The Pines Modern Steakhouse, Inside San Manuel Casino.

Alex and Frank KNOW Their Business VERY WELL!! These two gentleman exude respect to their Staff, which as anyone knows, always trickles down to Us, the customer. Never have I dined in a restaurant where I've been made to feel like I'm a V.I.P. Every Single Time I dine there, however the Pines makes it happen Each And Every Time! Communication and Consistency are Huge Keys to success in any business, however moreso in an environment such as a restaurany. The fact that both Frank and Alex Lead by example tells alot about these two Gentlemen as well as The San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians.

As far as quality at The Pines, just imagine the nicest steakhouse Anywhere and multiply it by 7! You Will NEVER GO wrong at The Pines! Keep up the Amazing Work, All Of You!!!

And as an Added Note, San Manuel was

VOTED BEST BUFFET, STEAKHOUSE AND CASINO!

2/8/19

Tonight was different for me, as I dined Solo here (my first time doing that at a True Fine Dining Establishment). First off, service was Perfect. The Lobster Bisque, although being a Very small portion, was as Flavorful as my Own personal homemade bisque. The A5 Grade Japanese Wagyu was impressive as they brought out a Miyabi knife for the cutting service of this high quality piece of tenderness. If you don't know, a Miyabi is forged in the Ancient tradition of Japanese Sword making, where since the 13th century bladesmiths have honed their craft and developed an almost mythic reputation. Back to the Meal. 5 ounces is Not alot, but what this entreé makes up in Quantity, is Quality. At this time, I am Not sure if this cut is true Kuroge Washu Wagyu, which is genetically predisposed to the fine grained intramuscular marbling which has made Japanese beef so famous. Being such a small, but Amazing Dish, Chad quickly and promptly had a Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass whipped up for me. Now this dish impressed Even Me! I've had many Chilean Sea Bass in my day, but Nothing, up to This Dish, has caused me to put my fork and knife down in Awe. The glaze was spot on. The three asparagus below the Sea Bass were tender and flavorful. Despite The Pines being a 'Steak House', where One Should typically Order A Steak, I would be in the minority and order the Sea Bass again and again. In my opinion, If the rating system Google and others use were more 'fair', The Pines would be a Solid 10 out of 10 stars!! Huge thanks to my Executive Host, David R. for making my reservations and meal a possibility. Also to Anthony, the assistant manager, for stopping by and ensuring my Complete Satisfaction. Much Appreciation to you both 👍! If I could make just one recommendation; Allow Your wait staff/bus employees to enjoy the deliciousness Their kitchen produces night after night. They are your backbone! They deserve to enjoy the Fine Quality that many pay soo much for. I guarantee it will Help them ensure your overall customer satisfaction, in that they too can be as excited and 'Wow'd' as your customers are at the product they see coming in and out of your kitchen daily. Just my 2 cents. ‐------------------------------ Fine Dining at San Manuel? Oh, yeah! VERY FINE DINING! Arrived quite late, due to our Gambling ways gluing us to those darn machines! We were pleasantly greeted by the hostesses and shown to our table (no booth available at the time). Water and bread service instantly appeared. Our waiter Fil was very cordial and communicated the house special (Pork Chops, I believe), as well as the Wine Specials, Which were Excellent. Food does take a while, but quality does take time. Alex, who happens to be one of the managers at this Steak House was Amazing! Give them a try and you Won't be sorry! Keep up the Unsurpassed Service you provide! You Will have Lines Out of those double doors! (Review Truntacated due to...

Your dinner starts with a bread service of cheesy herb pull-apart rolls served in a cast-iron skillet. Get your hands on one before they disappear! Your dining mate may fight you for them. They are so good! Rating: 4.9/5

Hurricane ($12) features their own blend of fresh fruits and Zaya Rum and is served in a frosted tiki glass. If you have ever been to Pat O’Briens in New Orleans, you will absolutely love The Pines version. It is tropical in flavor yet packs a punch with the Zaya Rum. Rating: 5/5

Crab Cakes ($18) are made with jumbo lump crab and roasted red pepper, and served with a creole remoulade and mango foam. The crab cakes are amazing! Lots of crab meat and not a lot of filler. The only thing that doesn’t really match is the mango foam. The flavor is too sweet and seemed to overpower the delicate, succulent flavor of the crab. Sample a little first before utilizing it on the crab cakes. Rating: 4.7/5

Veal Meatballs ($12) are served with organic Pomodoro, parmigiana reggiano, and basil. The sauce has an excellent balance of sweet and savory. But the veal may be a little too delicate of a flavor for the bold sauce. Maybe a mix of veal and beef or pork and beef might be better to lend its flavor to the mix. Rating: 4.3/5

Farmer’s Market Salad made with certified 100% organic kales, California oranges, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), and sherry. This is a refreshing salad for summer, but instead of grapefruit, blood orange might be a better citrus fruit to use. It will provide contrast with the deep green kale in both presentation and flavor. The bitterness in the grapefruit enhanced too much of the bitterness of the kale. Rating: 4/5

Longbone Ribeye ($80) is a 32 oz. bone-in steak that will inspire “oohs” and “ahhs” not only from the table, but from the entire restaurant as it carried through the dining room from the kitchen. An extra length of frenched bone is served with this ribeye. The steak is tender, juicy, flavorful, and perfectly grilled to your liking. It could use a tad more salt on the grill. Rating: 4.7/5

Prime Rib ($32 for 12 oz. or $38 for 16 oz.) is traditionally served with au jus and creamed horseradish. It is tender, juicy, and seasoned to perfection. The perfect temperature cut is selected just for you. The au jus is full of rich beef flavor. The horseradish is well-balanced with a creamy and spicy kick. Rating: 4.8/5

Cold Water Lobster Tail (market price) can be served either steamed or broiled. If you choose broiled option, a garlic butter is added to the lobster. It is broiled to perfection with succulent buttery flavor. The garlic works really well with the sweet lobster. Rating: 5/5

Red King Crab Legs (market price) can be served steamed or garlic roasted. If you choose the steamed option, the crab meat is perfectly steamed and served in sections for easy removal. The meat comes out cleanly indicating the crab is very fresh. Rating: 4.7/5

Signature Mashed Potatoes ($10) are like a twice-baked potato without the skin and mixed with bacon, cheese, and chives. The cheesy bacon flavor pairs well with the mash. The potatoes are very dense. It might be better whipped to provide a lighter consistency. Rating: 4.3/5

Cannoli ($8) is artfully filled and the ends are dipped in chocolate. Pistachio and mocha almond fillings were served. The ends are dotted with almonds and pistachios and sprinkled with powdered sugar. The cannoli shells are perfectly crisp. The fillings are creamy and rich with flavors of pistachio, chocolate, and coffee. Mama mia! Rating: 5/5

Pines Chocolate “Peak” ($8) is an amazing dessert to share, especially if you are celebrating birthday or anniversary. The inside is a wedge of chocolate layered cake flipped up to make a “mountain peak”. It is encased in a chocolate shell and the “peak” is sprinkled with powdered sugar to emulate snow. It will pull at the heartstrings of any...

Last visit on 2/13/22 was a nightmare. Bday weekend, staying at Yaamava (the hotel had a great team of people and the hotel was great), Pines however was horrible.

My boyfriend and I couldn’t fit the booth they sat us at and I immediately had to ask to be seated anywhere else more physically fitting to our hostess but she immediately said no. I pleaded a few times and it was a hard NO, then had to ask for a manager. Josee’ the manager came over a few min later and immediately went into giving me the excuse that the tables are pre reserved and we couldn’t be seated elsewhere. Mind you the entire venue between 730-8pm (during our visit) was 75% empty. One side was fully open, the middle for big parties was vacant (we just needed a 2 person table) and our side of the venue was 60-75% empty, with several 2-4 person tables and 3-4 big group tables, all open. I pleaded one last time and commented I just don’t understand if the room is this empty and the “reserved guests” are not currently present why we couldn’t just switch tables. After 15 min of trying to move tables, (otherwise we would have had to leaveand not dine there), Josee went to “check and see what she can do”. She came back and moved us to my suggested 2 person table. So we had to plead for 15 min to finally get moved. :( wow

Why did I have to plead with their hostess and management team member to sit in a more fitting table. Why were we discriminated against? I say discriminated because I submitted a review on this experience for the survey they sent me and Jorge the manager called me to go over the situation and maybe apologize but instead during our conversation I got a lot of “I back up my team”, “I’m sure they meant well”, “WHAT YOU DONT KNOW IS BEHIND THE SCENES THE BIG TABLES ARE RESERVED FOR HIGH ROLLERS THAT CAN SHOW UP ANY TIME”. Apparently telling me this was supposed to make me feel better about the horrible service me and my boyfriend endured but instead I was belittled and I had to remind him we weren’t looking for a big party table, just a better fitting 2 person table and the manager including the hostess didn’t mean well because this issue should have been resolved when we asked for different seating the moment we realized the table doesn’t fit us. Instead it went to manager level which didn’t make it any better. I can’t tell you how horrible this made me feel, I was offended and upset because common sense for this team didn’t kick in acknowledge our complaint and just simply move us so we can enjoy our valentine/my bday dinner.

The food was also spilled by accident on our table as it was being served, the servers seemed a bit nervous and I assured them it’s ok accidents happen. The issue I have with the spilled food is they didn’t clean it off our table so it just looked like we were sitting in a pig sty. Btw, Jorge managed to agree with me that the spilled food should have been cleaned up, the only thing he seemed to agree with me on.

Bottom line, my boyfriend is 6’5, 350 lbs and I’m also heavy set but a much shorter woman and my leg was hanging out the booth and the table while pulled up close to my boyfriend had about a 12 inch gap between me and the table which was going to be hard to eat at.

Pines management, if you read this review. Talk to your team to be more empathetic and not respond NO so quickly before you actually check the books to see if there is something that can be done to favor your guests that are currently present at your establishment. I’m in shock still that this happened. It was my bday weekend and Valentines weekend and you ruined my night and all I’ve been thinking of doing is making sure upper management hears about this visit (especially about the high roller comment) and takes the appropriate action to teach your staff what not to do.

I will never visit...