Kreis's Steakhouse - Just Go to Annie Gunn's

Date Dined: April 20, 2014

Rating: 3 Stars

There are some nice things about Kreis’s and you will get a good meal, but you will pay premium prices. If you’re looking to try a new steakhouse, by all means go and give it a try, but this place was… only okay.

One thing I did love about Kreis’s was the atmosphere. Dim, but not dark, and wood paneled all around. Traditional, but not offensive artwork lines the walls, museum lit. I liked it, so far well done Kreis’s. In addition, we were immediately seated, which was to be expected since there were only five full tables, but still nice.

Our server came over and I think that was when things started to go downhill. This guy definitely had a slightly douche vibe. Nothing you could put your finger on, but it was in the curt answers we were given and the lack of personality that signified that he’d rather be anywhere but here.

Service in general was strangely picky about some things and ridiculously bad about others. For example, we always had full water glasses, and new silverware was continually brought out to replace the dirty. However, we were never asked if we wanted another round of drinks, how our meal was and most annoying, the bread!

When we were seated, another couple, obviously regulars were seated next to us. Did I mention that there were only 5 tables seated in our areas? Well done host, well done. Bread was then brought out by the busboy and after looking at our table and theirs, they were handed the bundle of warmth. Not a big deal. Expect another 20 minutes later, after our orders were placed, and our appetizers given, still no bread. Even though the server said “I’ll put in your orders and bring you out some bread”. Again, at an outback, not a big deal. For a $40.00 steak, I best be getting my bread.

Neither Jess nor I ordered an appetizer, but her parents ordered the bacon wrapped scallops. They looked tasty, but I can’t really speak for their quality since I didn’t taste them.

Jess and I split the Caesar salad and the Kreis’s cut of prime rib with a twice baked potato. Apparently the prime rib is supposed to be the best in all of Saint Louis. I did not find this to be true. What they did not skimp on, was the size. This thing was a beast. I ordered the prime rib rare and it came out medium rare, not a huge deal. What was a huge deal was the large amount of fat that encircled the meat, as well as the toughness of said meat. The au jus was a nice tough, not overly salty, and adding a measure of moisture to the meat, but there wasn’t nearly enough crust on there for me. Mostly, it tasted like it had been placed under a heat lamp for about an hour and then served to me. This thing took some cutting with my knife. (Upon getting it home, I tried to bite into it caveman style and could not sever the meat with my teeth). Plus, they give you this plate that’s just a little larger than the cut, which makes cutting it almost impossible.

The Caesar was good, but nothing special. The twice baked potato was possibly the best part of the meal. It had a nice cheddar crust on the surface and the potato underneath was pleasantly whipped and seasoned with some sort of flavorful spice (tasted like Lowry’s seasoning salt).

All in all, not an awful meal, but for that much money I’d rather hit up Annie Gunn’s. The service was lacking in odd spots and the steak just isn’t up to snuff. If the steaks were $10.00 cheaper, I might up my rating, but not for the price they make you pay. All in all, go somewhere else for a quality steak.