Mad Dog and Cat's Steak, Seafood, and Spirits — Restaurant in Weldon Spring

Interesting place to eat, wasn't quite what I was expecting. The atmosphere is fairly relaxed, as it appears to be a standard bar with little splashes of "upscale" - mainly the bar area looks a little jazzed up. The lighting is brighter than a bar would be, but still gives a cozy feeling. Staff is incredibly friendly, and service was good. Food came out just the right amount of time after ordering, server was fairly attentive.

One big issue was we came with a coupon for a free dessert. No details or restrictions were printed anywhere on the 8 1/2 x 11 ad. Out of 6 desserts, one appealed to us - it was a dessert for two, and the only dessert that was slightly more expensive than the other 5. The other 5 were exactly the same price. When we ordered the dessert, our server had to check on "the restrictions" - definitely a bit of a surprise to us as the ad had nothing mentioned of restrictions. The server returned a few moments later, and gave us only 3 options. Strange, as these 3 were the same price as 2 others. Business 101: if there are restrictions on a coupon or offer to entice people to patronize your business, you have to indicate those restrictions. Oops.

As for the food, it was okay but not fitting for the cost. I had the Cajun Cod which was fairly mediocre for the cost. The cajun seasoning didn't really stand out at all, the flavor of the cod overpowered the seasoning. The broccoli wasn't seasoned, just steamed. I've had better for less money. My wife had the Parmesan Chicken, which was far overpriced. The chicken was fried in oil that should have been replaced a while ago, as it had that old oil flavor and dark brown color. The spaghetti sauce tasted incredibly canned and generic. Me and my wife agreed that everything had that "bar food" taste, but an upscale price. For dessert we had the chocolate cake, which was delicious. It came out looking nice, except the tiny dollop of whipped cream off to the side.

This place looks like a decent bar to have some drinks. Not too sure about the "upscale dining" that...

When we entered the place, the first thing we noticed was the cigarette smell. Being non smokers, this was a turnoff. The ambiance doesn't impress either, being fair at best. When we were handed dirty, plain looking menus with high prices, I was starting to regret going there. When my wife's house salad showed up though, I began to relax about the prices as they seem to be commensurate with the quality of the food. Besides the salad, we ordered a cup of french onion soup, a cup of chili, loaded french fries and the special, which was center cut pork chops served with a Jack Daniels sauce.

Our intentions were to share everything so we asked our waitress to bring an extra plate. When the french onion soup and chili arrived, we fell in love with the soup but was unimpressed with the chili. Although the chili was good, I don't think I would order it again as it was a bit bland. The soup however had a wonderful flavor to it with a strong sherry overtone like I had never had before- very, very good. The loaded cheese fries were very good as well, a skinnier fry than I usually prefer but they weren't dried out or greasy.

What impressed us the most though, were the pork chops. Not only were they the most tender pork chops I had ever had with an awesome flavor, the homemade sauce was amazing! The coolest part was the fact that the chef made us each a separate plate with equally impressive presentation rather than just sending out the dish with an extra empty plate. That's going above and beyond in my opinion, which was in line with the overall exemplary service we received.

Although our overall experience was good, the cigarette smell and the modest almost "dive bar" kind of tables and chairs, depreciated the value of our experience. I don't mind paying for quality but I think that should include atmosphere as well.

• update *

They are now a non-smoking...

We stopped by Mad Dog and Cat's for the first time on a recent trip to the St. Louis, MO area.  We happened to be there on a Monday night, a great night because of the Monday special ... the King Cut sirloin steak special.  Our waitress was Peggy from behind the bar, who was delightful!  Attentive, but not intrusive.

The key to any night at MD&Cs is to get there and order before 6:00pm ... on their signature entrees, order before 6:00pm and you get a complimentary dinner salad and dessert with your meal ... what a bargain!  We started with a couple of cocktails, to get our bearings and study the menu.

For entrees we selected the Famous Northern Walleye, a dish repeatedly mentioned in critics' reviews.  It was awesome... generous portion, lightly battered, perfectly fried and served piping hot... the skinny fries were perfect too.  Deelish!  The King Cut sirloin was perfectly cooked, and the twice-baked potato was fantastic!  Both entrees came with the complimentary dinner salads (blue cheese and house dressings) and desserts (triple chocolate cake and banana foster cake).  The salads were ample, the dressings home-made, fresh, and oh-so tasty.  The desserts were sublime (and did I mention complimentary).

All in all, a great meal with great service at a hole in the wall place in a strip center.  A hidden gem for sure... We'll be back, and highly recommend you...