Ridge Grill — Restaurant in Tulsa

Well we ended up here because my wife had been wanting to come here for a long time. So I made reservations and when we arrived we were quickly seated. The waiter we had was new but he was very attentive and professional. We hadn't eaten all day. Literally like I mean we came in there starving. So we decided to get an appetizer which is the baked artichoke dip and it was really good, but the bread that it comes with had salted butter on it. So when you put the spread on there and then top it with butter that's on the toasted bread, It was a little overpowering. But that's okay because our waiter brought out the bread basket and the bread in the bread basket was so soft and warm, It just was an enhancer to the dip and so I recommend that just in case if you're sensitive to salt. I didn't think it was going to be, but it was just a little too salty for me so the bread basket saved the day. My wife ordered the halibut with green beans and smoked gouda mac and cheese. I decided to order KK's wedge salad, a bowl of clam chowder soup and for the main course Pasta Taylaird. Yes I know. Wow that is a lot of food and for the price the portions are big. That bowl of clam chowder was huge and I have been craving clam chowder for a while now and when I got it, I just dove in and a few spoons in I started tasting that the clam chowder was too salty. So I had my wife taste it as well and so she felt the same way. I asked the waiter to take it back due to it being too salty for my taste buds and he didn't have a problem with it, he understood. No problem. I appreciate how accommodating our server was and he understood. The wedge salad was very good with the house dressing. Wow, very good and balanced tasteful season just fine. I didn't have any issues with that. My wife didn't have any issues with her her halibut along with her sides. Of course we couldn't finish everything. So finally when my pasta came out I was full from everything else that I had eaten up to this point. It was tasty. It didn't have that much seasoning. I think they got the hint from the kitchen that I was sensitive to salt so the sauce was good. It was balanced and I really enjoyed the pasta. To me I felt like it was like the last supper with everything that we ordered. There was a lot of food. How much food you ask? We had so much food that we left with two bags of take-home along with the dessert. Yes we were big backs on Saturday and proud of it. This place makes really good food. The service is even better which to me enhances the experience so I know that will definitely be back. Probably won't order as much as we did but we were just really doing something that we rarely do and that's just pig out. We have plenty of leftovers at home so we'll just enjoy it. Until we return again for another great time at the...

The headline about Ridge Grill is that it is an Applebee's with higher prices. There is nothing wrong about this place, and in fact it appears that the wait staff has been around for quite a while, which is usually a good sign, and my guest enjoyed her lobster mac and cheese. My issue is more with the ratings system (and myself, since I carry some of the blame). Let me explain.

I was visiting the area and was unable to get a reservation at the Steak restaurant that I wanted, so went to a reputable online resource to find a steak restaurant with high ratings and close - ish to me. I entered "steak restaurants" and got a list and ratings. Pictures were nice, and I did not have a lot of time, so I booked. What I failed to realize is that any restaurant that has at least one steak on the menu (and Ridge Grill has something for everyone - kinda like Cheesecake Factory) gets on the list. It's like putting McDonald's in the category of "fish restaurants" because they have a fish thing on the menu. My steak (a $70+ bone-in rib eye) was tough and flavorless - more like a flank steak. The vegetables were nice, though.

I came to realize that - if stars are the only thing that matters - people factor in the type of restaurant when they review. I've reviewed a Mexican restaurant and given it 4 out of 5 stars. Does that mean it is equivalent to an expensive restaurant that also got 4 out of 5 stars? No, but the current system doesn't really account for that, so when a decent neighborhood restaurant gets favorably reviewed, it's not really being compared to some upscale steak restaurant - locals know this, but out of towners do not.

There are two solutions to this, I think. Either create a "Fandango" type summary of critic reviews or have a better system for ranking across restaurant types (like the old Zagat guide had - it's okay if you don't know the reference, but it was quite popular a generation ago in the big cities. fyi, Google bought Zagat a number of years ago, and it was integrated into Google, but it seems to have become less prominent, if it exists at all anymore). The first is easily done, with the help of AI. The second would eliminate the star system and rank sub-categories (as Zagat used to do). That way, when a Zagat city guide had a list of "top food restaurants" it was both across all types of restaurants and believable. Sigh......

As much as I wanted to give The Ridge Grill 5 stars, it wouldn’t be an honest review. I may have visited at an off time, but I found it to be lacking of a five star experience - particularly at a $30+ average per plate.

The restaurant was decently clean with the remnants of the last few customer’s meals still lingering on the floor. The ambience was lacking. While waiting for my entree, instead of pleasant music I was listening to the sounds of servers rolling silverware, guests scraping up the last of their lunch, and the occasional cry from the child nearby. If I listened intently I could begin to make out the conversations in the kitchen and the din of the Masters on in the bar.

My server seemed to be the one assigned to cover the off time of 2-5pm as the others seemed preoccupied with doing side work in order to clock out. Despite having less than 5 tables to take care of and walking by countless times, she did very little to check on me during service. Bread was brought out after I’d finished my appetizer. My dirty appetizer dishes stayed on my table until she delivered my entry. Only the sides remained by the time she stopped by to see if “everything was still okay”. Never once was I asked if I enjoyed the food or if it was to my liking. After I finished my entry she returned with the check, assuming I didn’t want dessert or a drink.

The food was delicious. It’s what propped up this overall experience. Unfortunately the ice tea was delivered in a chipped glass. Even the presentation of the Volcano Shrimp appetizer was lacking as it sat in a wet bed of mixed greens. A few stems were not removed from the green beans that accompanied the Veal Scallopini Picatta. The jasmine rice was also very dry.

Overall, it was an okay dining experience. The food was better than a lot of offerings in the area, with ample room for improvement in the details. Service was lacking, but that may have been due to sitting down at 2:30pm.

I will return during peak hours to try more of the menu and to give it a second chance. Worth...