Connors Steak & Seafood — Restaurant in Sarasota

I just want to pass along my compliments to your staff. My family is staying at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota for Memorial Day Weekend and my wife picked your restaurant for our Sunday dinner. First off, your young ladies at the entrance are attractive and moderately dressed. For some reason some restaurants dress their greet staff in very suggestive clothing. It creeps me out.

The first impression of your restaurant as we walked in was this was a classy place. The dining room has a modern feel, but also some thick wood accents. It's comfortable and fits in with the environment in Sarasota. I was wearing dress shorts and a polo shirt as many men in the crowd were. I didn't feel under dressed, but would have felt just as comfortable in a sports jacket. It was clean and the restrooms were also.

Daniel was our server and did an excellent job. He wasn't pushy or slow. He allowed us to order at our pace. The drinks and food came at the right intervals and were presented well. Your food runners knew where the food was supposed to go and picked up dirty dishes as they left. (That rarely happens anymore).

Now, let's talk about the food. The only complaint I have is I'm trying to be on a very strict diet and I couldn't eat more. We started with the truffle deviled eggs appetizer because we love deviled eggs. The brown sugar bacon was a nice touch. Each one had a large piece of perfect bacon. The eggs were perfect. Sometimes they taste rubbery or just don't have a great flavor. Yours are probably the best I've ever eaten.

I was getting excited. I'm from Okahoma and I like great steaks and I know how to cook them. A great steak will melt in your mouth. Because of my diet I ordered the small filet. Filets are not my 1st choice, but it was tender and cooked medium rare just like I ordered. My wife on the other hand had hers cooked medium well. (I know, why even order a steak, buy a hamburger) but here is the deal, it was cooked properly. It never happens when we go out that both of our steaks are cooked correctly because she wants hers burnt and I don't. It didn't happen at Burn's and it didn't happen at Charley's in Tampa and both places are supposed to know how to cook steaks.

I had the ceasar salad and asparagus with a side of mushrooms. The ceaser was good. I prefer a bit creamier dressing, but that's my preference. The asparagus was perfectly cooked large pieces. The mushrooms were really the only thing that I feel could use some revamping. They were sautéed fine, but they would have been better if they were simmered in a wine sauce. My wife had the mashed potatoes and the creamed spinach. Both were perfect. They both had great flavor. My son had chicken linguine. He's not much of a steak eater, but he enjoyed your pasta.

Again, thank you. It was a truly great experience from top to bottom and I will definitely come back and try a proper dry aged ribeye when I get off this hideous...

My recent dining experience at Connors Steak & Seafood presented a mixed impression. The ambiance was indeed very pleasant, contributing positively to the evening. For diners primarily seeking a step up in atmosphere from casual steakhouse chains like Outback or LongHorn, Connors may certainly fit the bill.

However, a closer look at the decor revealed some choices that felt more for maintenance than customer experience. For instance, while the booths table were bare wood, our table featured a vinyl-covered 'tablecloth'. This detail, along with others, suggested that while the initial impression of the ambiance was good, it didn't quite match the refined feel expected for a truly special occasion.

In terms of overall value and quality, especially for a special occasion like our 52nd anniversary, I found Connors offerings to be only a step above casual steakhouse chains like Outback or LongHorn. This was particularly noticeable given that their standard menu items, which were USDA Choice cuts. Priced comparably to those establishments. If one is expecting the caliber of cuts and dining experience found at high-end steakhouses such as Fleming's or Ruth's Chris, they may, like I was, be disappointed.

For my meal, I opted for the Prime New York Strip (listed as a Kansas City Strip with a hint of mesquite), which carried an $18 upcharge over the menu's Ribeye. This premium cut, offered on a small, select menu by the server, unfortunately had a significant portion – approximately 15% of the steak – as inedible fat and gristle. This was quite disappointing for a premium cut and detracted considerably from the enjoyment of the meal.

Beyond the steak, there were smaller details that contributed to the overall impression. My Yuengling lager arrived with no head and was not as cold as preferred, suggesting it might have been left on the bar too long before being served or started with a dirty/greasy glass?. These minor service lapses, combined with the other issues, led me to leave an 18% tip, noting on the bill that it "was not a 20% evening."

While the atmosphere was enjoyable, the quality of the "Prime" steak, particularly the high percentage of waste, and these service shortcomings did not align with the expectations set by the pricing or the restaurant's positioning for a truly...

Love the vibe and lay out of this place.

The shrimp appetizer was delicious. Shrimp were nice sized, fresh, well fried and spicy sauce was not too heavy on the mayo.

The butter for their bread was unusually wonderful perhaps they make it in house. All the dairy products were pretty amazing. Truffle butter for the steak is worth ordering, more than enough to share among three people. Whipped cream on the dessert was unbelievable!

We ordered a filet and prime rib. Both were tasty but not nearly as tender as steaks from some of the other premier steakhouses in town.

However, this is probably the best value for a steakhouse around town. The amount of food that you get for the money is unbelievable and the quality is probably in the top 95%.

The prime rib came out lukewarm. I had them reheat it. It was the same piece brought back to me so it was slightly more cooked upon reheating.

Ideally, they would have served me a warm piece not a cool one and not reheated the cool one resulting it being more cooked than I ordered.

The service was good, not offensive, however there were a number of small things like the salad coming out before we finish the appetizer, the wine not coming out until after the appetizer, and the prime rib coming out cold.

Our waitress was wonderfully friendly more than making up for any hiccups and service. It seemed as though she may have had too big of a section to work.

Someone who appeared to be a manager stopped by several times to ensure we were happy with things. I think checking and trying to make things right can be more important than everything being perfect from the get-go.

Small mistakes are opportunities to make things right, as I see it.

Worth going, give it a try, and it seems like anything dairy-based is going to be out of this world. I wanted to try the chowder or bisque on their menu but did not have enough room.

One more side note, the roasted cream corn was not something I cared for in any way whatsoever. Due to the corn being roasted, it had a smoked essence that to my taste, was reminiscent of cigarette. Might just not be my kind of taste. However I do like smoked food...