Seared — Restaurant in Toledo

We had a disappointing experience at Seared last night. My parents and my husband had reservations for four at 5:30. When we arrived, the restaurant did not appear busy. We were seated, promptly greeted, and drink orders were taken. Drinks arrived, and we ordered an appetizer of onion rings. House-made bread was delivered to the table, and it was the strangest bread; it was very soft, small, and had no flavor. It was a carrier for the flavored butter. Onion Rings arrived; we were not a fan; the coating was too thick, and the onions were too thick. I could hardly cut them with the table knife; they were flavorless except for the dipping sauce. Dinner orders were taken; we all ordered entrees, and both couples ordered wedge salads to be split. Now, that usually means two things depending on the restaurant. One, they are divided in the kitchen, or two extra plates are served with the salads, and you split them at the table. I clarified that we did not want our salads served with our entrees.

At this point, the service fell apart. The service was incredibly slow and unorganized. No one offered more bread, more water, more drinks, nothing. At one point, I had to flag someone down to get more water. We sat there for over an hour. Finally, the server came to our table and said your meals will be out shortly. I asked what about our salads. I told you we did not want them served with our meals. She had a panicked look on her face and walked away. I went to the hostess and said I would like to speak to the manager. When the manager came out, I told her we had been there for over an hour and had been served just bread and onion rings, and we had been told our meals were being served, but we did not get our salads. The Manager told me she was sorry, and the salads were entered simultaneously with our entrees in the POS. I am sorry, but most restaurants know appetizers, soups, and salads are served before entrees. At this point, I see the salads arriving at the table; with no extra plates, my husband is plating my salad on a small saucer. I asked the Manager for plates, and she offered us complimentary desserts for our inconvenience.

When our food finally arrived, it was just okay. I ordered the House Signature Strip Steak with Maître D’ Butter and a sea salt crust baked potato. My steak was served minus the Maître D’ Butter, and my baked potato had no sea salt crust. I figured out why their food was flavorless: they didn’t use salt properly. My potato was missing the sea salt crust, the bread needed salt, and the steak needed seasoning. I generally never salt my food at a restaurant and only add it to recipes when cooking at home. I am not one to reach for the salt and pepper, but last night, I did. Would I go back again? It is doubtful unless I just wanted dessert.

The best part of our meal was the complimentary desserts. I ordered carrot cake, and it was delicious; my husband ordered the crème brulee. My husband loves crème brulee and orders it whenever it is on a menu, and he said it was the best he has ever had at a Toledo restaurant. My parents ordered chocolate cake, and they said it was also delicious.

I had high hopes for this place because two of its sister restaurants, Sidelines Italian Grill and Smokehouse 734, are on my favorites list. However, the combination of long waits and subpar service was frustrating. I hope they can address these issues and improve their customer experience, as it has the potential to be a great spot if managed better.

In the end, we were there for over 2 hours, and our...

The food was great! The service... Well they tried...

I travel a lot for business, so I often end up eating alone. This doesn't bother me, though I know for many folks it's considered uncomfortable.

This restaurant, specifically the servers, seemed intent on, I don't know, punishing me? for being there alone. They sounded dismayed when I asked for a table. The server managed to greet and get drinks for a table of four that came in after me before I'd even been greeted. Multiple times during the meal I tried to order something and couldn't get a servers attention short of yelling out or going to the bar and asking someone to come to my table.

I get it, I really do. Single diners just don't spend as much money as a big group. I try to be an easy guest. I order a lot so I have leftovers, and I tip pretty well, usually in the 25-50 percent range. I'm not asking for a 5 star experience at every diner and drive bar.

But honestly, I've had better service at most of the drive bars and diners than at Seared. They smiled when they finally came by, but mostly I was just ignored. Couldn't put my order in, couldn't get some more water, couldn't ask for another cocktail. It took half an hour to get someone to take my dessert order alone.

I came here right after work, about 4:30pm (16:30). I checked out after 7pm (19:00). This was not a two hour meal amount of food. Every dish came out hot and quick. The only thing that took forever was the service.

Great steak, though. The veggies were on the small side, but I guess they're going for "elegant". The desserts were plain, but again, tasty for what they were.

All in all I spent over $100 after tip. Felt it was justified, as I don't think I'll ever come back. Not even when my partner comes to visit, and certainly not recommending it for a company function. Just not...

My husband and I went here in an attempt to have an anniversary dinner. The hostess was friendly, but that was the start to a terrible experience. I ordered a ribeye steak cooked medium well and my husband ordered a new York strip with the same cook. My husband's steak was fine, but mine was medium. I asked the server to have them cook it to medium well and when it was returned to me it was so well done it was rubbery, hard, and looked extremely distasteful. This is after I could hear the cook making very rude and derogatory remarks when the steak was returned to the kitchen. In addition, the place was not busy as it was a monday evening, still somehow the waiter never bothered to have me check the cook of my steak the first or second time it was brought to the table. She delivered the food to the table and walked away as if not to be disturbed by my needs or satisfaction. She did however ask the table behind me which was received as rude and exclusive. I have been to plenty of steakhouses both low and high end, and have always been asked about the cook of my steak before the waiter left the table after it was delivered. The manager was then asked to come to the table when she was on the floor for another couple who had complaints to be made about the cook of their steak. Although she apologized, it wasn't sincere, and that could be felt. The only sincere apology was from the hostess. Needless to say, we will not be returning. Although the ambiance was nice, the service was horrible and so was the cook of the food and the attitude of the staff. The only way I would recommend this restaurant is if you would like to spend top dollar to be treated like trash in a low lit setting. Thank you Seared for nearly destroying our anniversary celebration and the feelings of joy we had when we entered your...