Scotch & Sirloin Restaurant in Sosua

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mike l

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Sep 4, 2007
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Has anyone dined at this new restaurant?

Tonight they were advertising a Rack of Lamb with a cabernet sauce did anyone try it?

Any reviews yet?
 
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SosuaJoe

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Feb 24, 2005
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We went the weekend it opened. Here are a few impressions:

The place is gorgeous. They did a really good job on the decor of the restaurant, and it's nice to see the old hotel with what would appear to be a serious facelift.

Menu: Looks good, lots of selection.

Plates, etc are nice, upscale and show the owners made an effort.

Price: expensive, but I am not one to complain about the price of a good meal.

Service: Friendly but undertrained.

Examples: There would appear to be no staff meetings before shift, as the waiter was unaware that the cut of steak I wanted was unavailable. Nobody wants their waiter coming back telling him he can't have what he ordered. As a former waiter, I can say that I was always informed before my shift of what was and was not available, and as a former restaurant manager and owner, I made sure the waiters were up to speed. Not like the place was so packed they ran out that shift or anything. No big deal, obviously, but something that doesn;t happen when you run a tight ship.

Also, the restaurant offers steak Pittsburg style (that's black and blue for those who might not happen to know). As I enjoy my steak Pittsburg, I ordered the NY, Pittsburg. At which time the waiter asked how I would like it cooked. Alarm bells are now ringing, so I politely explained what Pittsburg actually is (Black on the outside, blue inside, as per the menu from which I ordered), but asked him to ask the chef if he knew how to do it properly, as I really don;t want to put them in the spot of me sending it back. I would prefer just to order it medium rare if the chef isn;t confident he can do it (it's actually harder than you would think to do a proper Pittsburg). A few minutes later he came back to tell me the chef didn't really know how to do it, so I ordered a NY medium rare. Fair enough. I'm grateful he was forthright and didn't try to wing it.

Steaks come. I get a ribeye put in front of me. I ask the waiter if this is the NY, and he says "Yes, it's a NY". Of course isn;t, but at this point I'm not about to give the guy any more of a hard time, and I figure I'll enjoy a ribeye far more than being 'right' at his expense). After a bit, I notice my friend, who had ordered the ribeye, has a NY in front of him. Go figure. But a waiter in a steak restaurant who can't tell a ribeye from a NY, even when the guest calls him on it speaks volume about what kind of training, if any, he received. This is not the waiter's fault, but management's for not properly training him for the job they had him doing.

Waiter was friendly and did his best, but asking how the meal is when it's almost done is, well, a bit late (hell at least he asked, most placed don't even bother). Again, this is a training issue and shouldn't reflect on the waiter.

Food: My steak, although a bit thin for my taste, was actually fairly decent. Nothing that has me dying to go back, but definitely passable. The sauce, while basic, was quite good.

Both my friends did NOT like their meals. At all. They will not be back, and I doubt any of their friends will be either.

What got me was that at the next table was seated what I assumed to be either an owner or a manager talking about a wine order with a couple of gentlemen. Had she made the rounds of the tables at least once to say hello, no doubt she could have made it right for my two friends. As it is, the restaurant has lost both those guys (residents who eat out often and expensive) as clients and gained some poor word of mouth.

As for me? I'd give them another try if a friend wanted to go. Restaurants are notoriously hard to get off the ground and it looks like they made a serious effort, at least in the bricks and mortar.

If they have professional management, I would suggest taking a page from any any number of owner-operated high end restaurants in town and get out there and meet your guests. If they don;t, they should get some. I would also humbly suggest investing more time in training the staff (something too few owners do) as opposed to leaving the status quo or changing them out.

To be clear: No restaurant can get it right every time for every guest. I know that from experience. But a bit more attention to detail on these points will make all the difference. I hope they do well.

Give it a try, report back.

(Sorry about the huge post, but we were just talking about this the other day so it's all still fresh in my mind.)
 
Aug 21, 2007
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Thanks for the complete review SosuaJoe. Think I will give it some time to get the glitches out before I try it.....

I do wish them luck. The restaurant could be an asset for Sosua.

Lindsey
 

Bob K

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Aug 16, 2004
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I certainly hope they make it on the tourist trade. When you add the 26% taxes to the already expensive meal you would think you were eating in a New York steak house. The local community will not be able to sustain them at those prices

Bob K
 

anng3

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Jan 12, 2007
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The Palms and Peter Lugers are great steak houses in NYC and Brooklyn.
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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oh lol.....I thought it was here ....oops as you were

anyone been to Donovans grill yet ?
 

SosuaJoe

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BobK: Regarding the price, in New York, they don't import their meat. That makes a huge difference, as does the volume of guests one can expect through the door (economies of scale and whatnot)

As for the taxes, I seem to remember this topic being done to death on this board recently.

Camden Tom: The restaurant is located in the old Woody's hotel, which has been renovated. Entering Sosua by the Texaco, cross the first street (Pedro Clisante) and it's on the right, just past the curve. Can't miss it.
 

mike l

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Sep 4, 2007
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Where is this place?

It's on Dr. Rosen just past Rocky's about 100' where the road turns heading toward the new garden hotel.

The owner spent a bundle renovating that place as I saw container after container arriving on almost a daily basis
 

Bob K

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Aug 16, 2004
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SosuaJoe
"BobK: Regarding the price, in New York, they don't import their meat. That makes a huge difference, as does the volume of guests one can expect through the door (economies of scale and whatnot"

I was not arguing the what and why fors I was just stating that at $32-35 dollars a steak (not including extras, salads, drinks etc) it would be a little pricey to be sustained by the local community and I hoped that they made it on the tourist trade. The steaks i am sure are quite good. I just have to wonder what type of market research they did before opening that type of eatery.

Bob K
 

spmc

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Nov 7, 2008
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SosuaJoe
"at $32-35 dollars a steak (not including extras, salads, drinks etc) it would be a little pricey to be sustained by the local community and I hoped that they made it on the tourist trade.

That is too expensive for the tourist trade, esp.for Sosua.
 
Oct 13, 2003
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BobK: Regarding the price, in New York, they don't import their meat. That makes a huge difference, as does the volume of guests one can expect through the door (economies of scale and whatnot)

As for the taxes, I seem to remember this topic being done to death on this board recently.

Camden Tom: The restaurant is located in the old Woody's hotel, which has been renovated. Entering Sosua by the Texaco, cross the first street (Pedro Clisante) and it's on the right, just past the curve. Can't miss it.

Do they age the meat?

At 32-35 dollars a steak they just are below the NY prices, but not by much.. if you include taxes and a tip, you're looking at a around US$ 45 just for the steak.... brrr
 

Tamborista

hasta la tambora
Apr 4, 2005
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Wow, it cost $100 US to dine at the Palm or Lugar's - do they accept credit cards?

Peter Luger only accepts cash or their own credit card, The Palm takes all plastic.

Stick with Sizzler!
 

edgar

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Dec 25, 2009
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price

Wow, It cost $100 US to eat at the Palm or Peter Lugar's - do they accept credit cards?
 
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