Rare650 Prime Steak and Sushi — Restaurant in Town of Oyster Bay

I had heard so many great things about Rare 650, that we were looking forward to going there prior to catching a show at the theatre in Westbury. Having been to Insignia many times prior, knowing they are the same owners I was looking forward to the same great experience I get there. I made reservations with open table with total ease. When we were running a few minutes behind we called and they were very accommodating. We were given a choice of what type of table we would like ( table or booth), I thought that, was nice, even though it was very quiet. The place itself is very nice, elegant lovely warm decor. After we were seated it took over 20mins for ANYONE to come to the table, no water, menu, bread, nothing, not even an acknowledgement. 1st to come was a busboy to clear the extra 2 place settings. Then our waitress arrives, introduces herself, gives us the menus and takes out drink order. She comes back about 15mins later to take our order(mind you we did tell her we had a show to catch, there was no urgency on her part. Good thing we allowed 2 hours for dinner). I asked about the ingredients in the lobster bisque soup, because as I explained to the waitress I have a garlic allergy. She said no there's not much and it should be fine. We each ordered off their $69 3 course menu ( my husband knowingly upgraded his entree). We also ordered the sides, one of which was the creamed spinach (she failed to mention that there was garlic in that, knowing I have an allergy). Our 1st course arrived and after 2 spoonfuls I knew the soup had way too much garlic in it, so I didn't have anymore. I would have told someone, but again NO ONE came by until 25 mins later the busboy came to clear our plates. Our dinner arrived almost 15 minutes later. Leaving us almost no time to eat and allow ample time to get to the show. Our steaks were excellent, I enjoyed the mashed sweet potatoes as well. Unfortunately I could not enjoy the creamed spinach because of the garlic. Again no one came by the table till we were done when the manager came by and asked if we enjoyed the meal, I stated it was OK, I said the steaks were great, but I couldn't eat the spinach. He said oh ok, and walked away. Mind you our glasses were empty, I had to start to drunk my husband's water as I was thirsty and couldn't find any service. One of the waitresses came by to ask if we wanted dessert or after dinner drinks. We ordered our dessert to go, so we would be in time for our show. Finally at the end our main waitress shows up to all how enjoyed our meal. I explained how disappointed we were, and how I wish I would have seen her at any point of our meal, since this was 1st we saw of her since she took our order. She apologized and said let me see if we can do something about your bill. She came back a few minutes later to say that the manager had already comped 1 our drinks so that was all to be done. So I paid the $225 bill pre tip, and made a mental note to avoid here. Since I was in a rush to get to the show I really didn't look over the bill. As I'm walking out the manager comes over to apologize which was nice and gave me a discount card. I don't know if I will use it but it was a nice gesture, $50 off my next $150 visit. Fast forward to when I get home and had time to review the check they charged me $30 for the steak upgrade vs the $25 as printed. Normally I would not care about that, but since the experience was poor this just added to it. The the final fun fact they never acknowledged that I attended my reservation, so I get an email from open table asking why I missed it, and I was in violation of their cancelation policy. Wish I could give a better review but very little gave reason to do that. I guess I'll stick to Insignia, Pace's, Toto's, or another steak house for the service and good food I would expect from a place that can be over $100 per person, since they all have given exceptional service...

This place is RIGHT across from my job. I've seen almost all great reviews here, & the parent company also owns others such as Insignia, which I've heard a LOT of good about. I was optimistic.

I got a reservation for 1/21 for me and my partner, and was running a bit behind schedule; the attendant was able to accommodate. The Valet was a great touch and the worker was appropriate, professional and courteous.

We opted for the Sunday special, which is a 3-course meal (starts at $55/person) and let you pick one entree, with two appetizers, sides, and deserts.

The appetizers (I got the Lobster Croquett and my partner got the Lobster Bisque) were fantastic. The croquettes were delicious; great crust and flavor. The bisque was a bit lighter on the flavor, and tasted lighter than I'm used to. It didn't feel 'heavy' in the stomach and the chunks of lobster were great. No complaints.

We picked the fillet mignon and lobster entree. We were worried for a moment that at $70/person if we were getting enough food, but that was a foolish question. We got 6 slices of the fillet mignon in a gravy, and a deliciously sweet steak sauce for it, that includes some simple ingredients (and a few other ingredients they didn't disclose; I believe it was a manager I spoke with); for me, I like sweet and salty/savory, and my goodness, this was an amazing blend. The meat, cooked to medium was tender, had a great crust, and was the perfect temperature. Not too hot or cold. The lobster was equally delicious, giving us lemon and clarified butter. It was tender, not chewy/rubbery and not underdone either. Perfect bite.

For the sides, we got the baked potato and creamed spinach - both were really good and cooked amazingly. The baked potatoes came with sour cream and butter, and complimented the potato well.

For desert, My partner got the Sorbet which was a great fruity and tart end to the meal. I got the creme brulee, which was nice and rich, without feeling too heavy. The caramelized sugar on top had a perfect crunch, and the strawberries had enough acidity and flavor to give a nice break from the richness of the rest of the dish.

Service wise.... they were great! I often drink a LOT of water with my meals. I barely managed to get the glass down to 1/4 before someone came by and just filled it up again. That made me very happy. The two alcoholic drinks we ordered were delicious, and had came out faster than any restaurant I've been to in my life. I didn't even realized when they set the drinks on the table while I was talking with the servers, who were a pair - the entire night, they checked in with us periodically without being overwhelming, and only once it got busy did I feel one moment of looking around for the server; and I didn't wait long. No complaints here.

Atmosphere-wise... the place is beautiful. We went further back where it was a room that was all glass windows and the roof as well; made me think of a greenhouse. That said, I had expected it to be chilly; it was perfectly temperature controlled, and my partner who is sensitive to cold felt very comfortable. If I had to give this a number grade? 10/10.

All in all, this place has great staff, great food, and a great atmosphere. Both of us left very full and satisfied, and we actually took a little bit of food home! Like I said above, foolish to even wonder if we were going to be hungry.

That said, this is a steakhouse. Actual steakhouses are generally going to be expensive. Like $60-$80 a person expensive. Like, your bill after tips for two people will probably be $150-$200. If you want something cheaper, look into Boulder Creek or Outback Steakhouse (which despite being a steakhouse in name, I consider it on par with places like Applebees, Chili's, etc - not bad by any stretch but not really a 'steakhouse'). Be aware of this if picking Rare650, and be ready for a treat if you settle...

Nestled near the 135/seaford oyster bay expressway, rare650 is a convenient access, although Google maps took us for a wrong turn (can't cut across the parking lots). Celebrating our 8 year anniversary, my wife had made reservations. Greeted by a courteous valet, parking was easy of course. We then entered a clean entrance and modern style steak house. Ambience was nice as the noise was at a low level. We were then met by 2 hostesses who promptly sat us in a booth (requested on our reservation). The booth was sat in sat approximately 5 before adding extra seating. It was certainly nice to have room and not have other people sitting very close! Our waitress promptly greeted us and gave us menus and explained specials. They also provided water, bread and a delicious table evoo that was excellent. Our first impression however was that there were crumbs already on the table in one of the corners. We didn't mention it, but it didn't set a good mood for sure. We also observed black duct tape on the seats, which gave a cheap feel to the dining experience. Between the two of us we ordered a sunrise roll, spicy girl roll, NY strip (med rare), creamed spinach and cheesecake. As the bread and oil was eaten first, it made a remarkable start as both were top notch. Sushi came next. Both rolls were better than average flavor. As I've been making sushi for almost 30 years, I noticed that the rolls were not packed tight enough. Although it was light and fluffy, almost all of our sushi fell apart before we could eat it. Some fell on the table (which was dirty, so it was NG) and a good portion fell into the soy sauce. Both rolls were listed as spicy, but we found them to have very minimal spice. The fish was fresh and delicious and the crab was premium. Panko added a nice crunch. The plates included wasabi and ginger along with some sort of disgusting shredded vegetable mix and a flower petal that we didn't decide to see if it was edible. The next course was steak. Although i though the steak had too much sear as I tasted char, my wife had no complaints. It came with a strange sauce that neither of us cared for. What was notable was that the kitchen rested the steak before plating, which was nice as it didn't sit in a puddle of juices. The steak was cooked to perfection. The creamed spinach tasted remarkably like my homemade creamed spinach. I was surprised to notice that the spinach consistency was that of frozen supermarket chopped spinach. I'd think a steakhouse would have used fresh spinach, but this clearly was frozen. It was still tasty, but I thought this shouldn't have been at a steakhouse. The restaurant gave us 2 complimentary donuts for our anniversary. A small note made in chocolate was on the donut. The note was OK, but the donut was very good! Service came and refilled our waters regularly. The manager came and checked on us which was also nice. Our bill came promptly and paying was quick. Valet was quick to get our car and it was nice to be right next to the expressway. Although I thought the pricing was reasonable, service was good and the place had some positive things to note, I don't think I'd return. I associate the Scotto brothers with a bar set high!

If you would like the spinach recipe, it's online at the food network by Tyler Florence, subtract the nutmeg. I prefer it though. This review was rated against fine dining...