Brass Door — Restaurant in San Ramon

While I respect that this place has survived for almost 70 years (est 1955), I’m not exactly sure how. It’s basically a diner for seniors charging those of us without our AARP cards fine dining prices. I had lunch here, alone, with only seltzer water to drink & it was NINETY BUCKS with tip. Granted It was a “fancy lunch” but…no…just…no.

$2.95 for seltzer out of the bar gun? Check. (Also had to change my glass as she noticed the first one had lipstick on it…charming). Free refills tho, so…

$8 for a “side salad” that was MAYBE 2 cups of iceberg lettuce (literally) with a single microscopic sliver of red onion & a paper thin slice of carrot (singular), 5 croutons (yes, I counted) & maybe 1/4 cup of the most watered down Bleu Cheese dressing I’ve ever seen (this was after the waitress brought my first dilapidated salad w/ the dressing mixed in when I expressly asked for it on the side…not a huge deal, but kinda annoying when I’m 1 of 2 diners in the joint (that grew to about 9 by the time I left).

Prawn cocktail was 5 decent-sized shrimp & some cocktail sauce, which showed up as $20 on my bill. I went back to the menu as I was pretty sure it was listed at $18 (it was…& that’s already pretty damn high for 5 shrimp, $4 per medium shrimp is COMPLETELY insane). After going back to the menu to confirm I asked the waitress “the menu says $18 for prawn cocktail, but the bill says $20. Did you guys raise your prices?” She’s like “oh, yeah. We must have”….cue pregnant pause…then I said “well, since it says $18 in the menu, that’s what you’ll charge me, right?”…another slight pause “…sure”. She was fine about it, ultimately, but I shouldn’t really have to suggest what the correct price to charge a customer is. Your menu dictates that. Raise the price, change the menu.

I got an extra helping of the creamed spinach as my side, instead of the mashed potatoes. It was a large portion, & pretty tasty, tho it was almost more sweet than savory, so I added a bunch of salt & pepper to get it to where it tasted good to me.

My main (which included mashed potatoes & creamed spinach) was the “gourmet cut” of Prime Rib, medium rare. To their credit, it was a thick slice, & cooked a true medium rare, with au jus & horseradish on the side. BUT easily 4-6oz of the 16oz “gourmet cut” was just pure fat. Not marbled thru the meat, but rather HUGE inedible chunks that I had to saw off & put on a separate plate. I’m glad I ordered the largest portion, or I would have likely still been hungry. It was also completely flavorless/ unseasoned. The outside “crust” tasted like literally nothing. Cut to me adding a ton of salt/ pepper, au jus & horseradish to get it “up to snuff”. This entree was $41.

Service was polite & amicable, my server (also acting as hostess) was nice, & the food was brought out fairly quickly. She checked on me during the meal & seated me quickly as well (it was only 11:30am, so there were mostly just old dudes at the bar chatting & drinking & watching TV when I arrived). I’m no spring chicken, but I likely brought the median age down a bunch just by walking in (again, this is a spot for seniors & retirees who maybe knew this place in its heyday…I believe it has new owners as of a few years ago).

In a nutshell, you can get far more for your money at much better establishments. Maybe folks come for the memories/ sentimentality? Whatever the case, I won’t be...

If you want a good dining experience, I hope you don't get Rod as your server. Worst dine-in service of 2022!

I thought I would wait a couple of days before I posted this, however the experience still lingers in my mind. My wife and I have been excited to try this place for some time now; as many of the locals have raved about the prime rib. We made reservations 1 month prior and arrived 5 minutes early the day of. Standing there admiring the atmosphere, no employees ever greeted or acknowledged us. Instead sat a couple, who cut in front of us, despite our reservations. We were invisible.

Eventually we were placed at a booth in the very back. 15 minutes went by and we had our first and last interaction with our "Waiter" Rod. He rudely asked us "whad ya want"; as if we were in a New York Deli. We ordered the Chessy garlic bread and 2 of the 12oz prime rib dinners. I'm glad we ordered both items at the same time; as we never saw Rod again.

The cheesy bread was decent, it was chewy and sour, and reminded me of something I would make at home. The prime rib was great and the side mash potatoes and creamed spinach was amazing, but small portions.

During our meal, the only people who checked on us were the bussers, who frequently refilled our waters and cleared our plates. The waiter (Rod) was nowhere to be found. After our meal was finished, the wife and I were ready for dessert(chocolate cake). We waited 15 minutes to try to get the attention of our waiter, but he refused to look our way, continuing to check on others. I stared at him, hoping to make eye contact, but he was good at ignoring us. I eventually flagged down a busser and he said he would grab our waiter. 15 minutes pass by and.....nothing. By now, I was noticing that all the other servers were helping their tables and we were the only patrons sitting there with no service. I was fed up with the lack of attention and just wanted the bill and go elsewhere for dessert. At this point I was livid and I refused to spend anymore at this establishment. I waited yet another 15 minutes to get the bill, but just like before; nobody ever came.

Frustration kicked in and my core temperature was heating up. I marched right up to "Rod" and demanded he closed us out. He gave me the receipt and noticed I was angry. He apologized for the service (little too late). I would have been more understanding if he apologized during the service. He only apologized because it was time for gratuity. Its a shame I spent that much money on a terrible experience, as I had such high hopes for this place. Its sad that I received better service the next day at a "hole in the wall" taqueria. I have an inkling of why I was treated unfairly, but don't want to make those assumptions. Food was good, but if I decide to return, it will be for...

I don't understand how this place has been rated so highly. A humorous first step through the brass door provided the observation that my party of three were far out of place as we were the only non-senior citizens in the restaurant. The food reflected their patrons however so maybe a one star review is a fault of my own as opposed to their food actually being awful. The food was however, awful. If you do not collect social security, this restaurant is not for you. With that being said, if you are on a diet that restricts salt, whole vegetables, hope, or flavor what so ever, this IS the place for you. We were served the blandest prime rib I have ever eaten accompanied by an overcooked, soft baked potato, and creamed spinach (I'm still laughing about the creamed spinach as it was highlighted on the menu as if it were a truffle coated brick of gold wearing a tuxedo.) When the food was set on our table, I soon realized that I possessed far too many teeth to eat this meal. If I could have just taken them out and placed them in a cup of warm water next to me, it would have been perfect. They should post sign on the door that reads who should eat in this establishment. It would sound like the contraindications at the end of a Viagra commercial (do eat here if you are taking nitrates for blood pressure, are not healthy enough for sexual activity, have had a recent stroke or heart attack, etc...) The restaurant itself is nice but is just as loud as a high school cafeteria meets N'Sync reunion concert. Since none of the patrons can hear each other, they just scream over the table and repeat themselves four times until they give up out of frustration or get winded from speaking too much. An incredibly poor wine list rounds out this "steakhouse" which is sad since there is such good wine produced all over the area. I'm assuming this is because the head sommelier can't drive after dark, or has lost their driving privileges completely, which limits the range to try good wines. Unless you're on the who's who list of Medicare or have hypertension issues, I'd shy away...