| rev:text
| - I went to The Keg for the very first time, last night, not really knowing what to expect.
I arrived with five in my party and since we were there for a relatively early dinner (5:30ish), we only had to wait a few minutes before we were seated.
The restaurant has a nice ambiance which, depending on your company, can either be romantic or relaxing.
Three of us started our meal off with cocktails. One person ordered a draft (which came in a large pilsner), another ordered a classic gin martini, and I was in the mood for something sweet and fruity, so the waitress recommended the "Mango Time."
While the draft beer are served in huge glasses, the martinis are served in standard size, and the frozen drinks are, I think, a little on the small side, relative to price of what you would pay at other restaurants.
I was a little surprised at my drink when it arrived, 'cause it was just plain. No sugar rim, no garnish of any kind - not even a little sprig of mint. I guess it's not a big deal, but with the way the restaurant tries to present itself, I expected more.
Speaking of expecting more: I expected more TASTE from my cocktail. Maybe it's just me, 'cause the waitress raved about this drink, but, frankly, it wasn't good. When I had my first sip, I didn't taste anything until the very end when I detected a faint hint of over-ripe mango. To the restaurant's credit, though, the waitress was pleasant about it and substituted my drink for a strawberry daiquiri which was pretty good - sugar rim, no whipped cream or strawberry garnish, though. *pout*
We decided to skip appetizers (we ordered bread baskets early and filled up - they were like soft, warm, french-bread bagels - YUM)!
Before our entrees were served, two of us received salads. One guy ordered a Caesar salad and I subbed out my Caesar for a house salad with ranch on the side. The house salad consisted of spring mix with a few thinly sliced cucumber half moons, about four cherry tomatoes that were halved, and a few strips of red and yellow bell peppers. It wasn't great. I can't vouch for the Caesar salad, but the dude told me that it was "too spicy." He wasn't referencing hotness, but said that there was too much garlic.
Our entrees arrived and looked palatable, but not as appetizing as I would expect a $25.00 entree to look. I ordered a prime rib, because the waitress said they were "known for our prime rib," so I had to check it out, as did two others in my party. The remaining two ordered the sirloin special.
I ordered an end-cut, because I enjoy my prime rib medium, leaner, and in my experience, end-cuts seem to have more seasoning. The waitress said I didn't really have to worry about that, because their prime rib was really lean, anyway. Well, the huge chunks of fat and gristle on my plate beg to differ. Yuck.
My entree was also accompanied by a baked potato, mixed vegetables, and mushrooms. The baked potato was so overcooked that the outside was inedible and the inside was so dehydrated that it looked like my potato was empty. I nearly asked my waitress for a flashlight to go hunting for my potato, until I saw what appeared to be chives peeking through the cave of what once was a happy Idaho spud.
Now, the mixed veggies. Oh, the mixed veggies. *sigh*
I take some responsibility for this. I should have asked what exactly "mixed vegetables" consisted of. It was my fault to ASSume that it would be either your typical California blend or something similar. The mixed vegetables consisted of bell pepper slices with bits of red onion and snap peas. I can't really tell how they were cooked because they were kinda mushy, yet some were crunchy. They were oily, but not oily enough to have been exclusively cooked in oil. In any event, they were gross. Also, the mushrooms that came with my meal weren't anything spectacular: boiled button mushrooms. Big whoop.
At the end, I brought home over half my meal (though the waitress didn't pack up my baked potato), as did my mother, so my father had a bonanza when we got home (he had other plans so didn't get to go out with us, lucky him).
After reading all of the stellar reviews, and having already visited this place, I'm not really sure why this place is getting raved about. The food is okay, not great. They did a good job of cooking the meat to order, particularly our prime rib orders, but the seasoning is a little blah (it leaves a weird aftertaste that I can't quite put my finger on... maybe I don't want to...), the baked potato and veggies were subpar (one of the guests said his twice-baked potato was pretty good, as did another say the mashed potatoes weren't terrible), and the mushrooms were bland.
It must be the ambiance and atmosphere that sells this place, because you could get the same meal at Outback for half the price and the food is relatively comparable, with Outback having better salads and mushrooms and The Keg having better bread.
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