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For details on Sam Seltzer's Steak House,
click here.
Joseph Aschemeier party of 2 had
dinner at Sam Seltzer's in Sarasota and rated the food very good
because, "The ribs were cooked to the point where meat "fell off
of the bones". The steak was average." and writes on April 8,
2007, "There was no wait considering that we arrived at 8:00
p.m. on a Saturday night. Tables in the area that we were seated
had not been cleared in a timely manner and the delay in being
waited on was questionable. Our actual waiter took our order and
never returned to our table. The hostess was stopped so that we
could ask for a refill on our iced teas. Salads and the main
course were delivered by other staff members. After a 20 minute
wait at the conclusion of our meal, I went to the hostess'
station to request our bill. I was directed to another area and
had to make the request to another server. I indicated that I
wanted to pay the bill and after presenting the employee with a
large bill, I had to tell him how much change should be
returned. This restaurant may have acceptable food but when
paying a higher amount for the food, I feel that service should
be concentrated on by the management. This was the worse service
that I received during my stay in Sarasota! "
Service Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 3
Wine List Rating: 4
Cleanliness Rating: 4
Kid Friendly Rating: 3
Value Rating: 4
Overall Experience: 5
Ron Letty party of 2 had dinner at
Sam Seltzer's in Sarasota and rated the Steak (NY Strip) poor
because, "Steak was awful full of gristle and the attitude of
the help was worse." and writes on February 7, 2007, "About 6
months ago my wife and I paid our first visit to Sam Seltzers.
We both ordered steak. When the food came (took forever), my
wife's steak wad so gristly that it could no be cut.
We sent it back under the very poor attitude of the waitress.
They waited till my meal was finished and then brought her
replacement steak which she ordered med. Her new steak was only
singed on each side and was raw and cold inside. wanting now
more problems we paid our bill and left...Due to the long
wait.....the poor quality ....and the rudeness of the waitress,
we will never go to Sam Seltzers again. "
Service Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 2
Cleanliness Rating: 2
Value Rating: 5
Overall Experience: 5
Anonymous party of 5 had dinner at
Sam Seltzer's and rated the Prime rib, tenderloin and appetizers
poor because, "The food we ordered, prime rib and tenderloin,
were undercooked and cold at a place that calls itself a
steakhouse. I think the food better fits a doghouse, my dog
would say the outhouse." and writes on January 24, 2007, "We
will never eat a this place again. The food we ordered, steak,
was cold and undercooked. This place calls itself a steakhouse
but the food is fit for a doghouse. The service was poor at
best, twice we were brought the wrong drinks, and very slow. At
the end of our dinner for two, at least our server presented me
for a dinner bill for six! Ambiance was not available, quite
resembling the food preparation and service. Would never
recommend this place."
Service Rating: 5
Cleanliness Rating: 5
Kid Friendly Rating: 5
Value Rating: 5
Overall Experience: 5
Glenna Peachey party of 5
had dinner at Sam Seltzer's and rated the Surf and Turf, 16oz
Ribeye, New York Strip, Appetizer soups very good because, "one
of the steaks was done incorrectly but overall food tasted good"
and writes on December 28, 2006, "I come to this restaurant all
the time and have recommended this place to all my friends and
family and I came there this evening bragging that this is the
best steak place in Sarasota even though they wanted to go to
Ruth Chris's. I was embarrassed by the experience and I rated
this experience as poor because we received the worst service
I've ever had anywhere. The waitress didn't introduce herself or
give us the specials. Didn't make any eye contact and was very
rude. Brought our soup and then immediately after that the salad
making us feel rushed, then it took forever for the food to
come. Forgot to bring soup spoons and came to the table a few
times with other things before finally bringing our soup spoons.
One member of our party ordered the salad for after the entree
instead of before and then was told after the meal (after she'd
forgotten to bring it) that there was no more salad (Caesar)
because the kitchen was closing (and the restaurant was still
open) and she had obviously not saved one for him. And it
wouldn't have taken long to make another one but they never
offered to bring another one. My steak was very rare and I
ordered it medium and the waitress didn't even apologize or
offer to take it back to get it cooked I had to ask and then she
rudely took it from me and when she brought it she didn't stay
till I checked it even after I asked her to wait till I checked
it (she just walked away) and she never asked any of us if our
meals were okay not even the steak dinners. Forgot the child's
Ice cream that comes with the meal and we had to ask for it.
Never offered us dessert or coffee after dinner (which we would
have ordered) just handed us the check. The whole attitude was
so degrading and very disrespectful. we go out to eat a lot and
have never had such poor service. My friends said "You get
better service at IHOP". Then a guy comes to the table with the
waitress and we asked to speak to a manager and she said "He is
the manager" but he never introduced himself, (we still don't'
know his name or if he even was a manager) and he never offered
an apology and made excuses for the waitress who stood there the
whole time we were trying to tell him what happened and didn't
give us the opportunity to talk to the manager with out her
standing right there and then after she heard our complaints she
never apologized or tried to make things right. The biggest
complaint was not the food or even what happened but the way the
waitress treated us and treated us like she already judged us to
be either low class citizens or poor tippers which sorry for her
we are neither usually and she lost out on a very big tip as we
are very generous. We told them we do not want a discount just
wanted them to be aware of the situation and we were very
offended when the manager didn't try to satisfy us just gave us
a big discount by taking an "employee discount" off the check
which
was not the point and we didn't want a discount. An apology from
only one of them would have made such a big difference.. Even a
smile and an "is everything okay here".. would have probably
made the difference. The waitress's name was Brittany M(check
#1001978-4) and I don't know the managers because he never told
us. I travel all over with my business and know many others that
do as well and was always referring others to Sam Seltzer's to
those coming through Sarasota or Tampa but I was shocked by
tonight's service and especially the managers unwillingness to
listen or to even try to make us feel better."
Lawrence Olson party of 9 had
dinner at Sam Seltzer's and rated the lobster, steaks, pork
chops, salmon fair and writes on December 2, 2006, "The results
over the years for this restaurant have been inconsistent. One
thing has been reliable: the salmon has always been inedible,
usually because of being served raw to undercooked. Prime rib is
often from a less than desirable cut, sometimes stringy or too
fatty. The steaks are usually reliable, although thoroughly
mundane. I imagine that this restaurant continues to survive on
price and location alone, considering how many truly fine dining
experiences there are in Sarasota. If it were not for someone
else's invitation to the group this evening, I would have
preferred J Ryan's or even Longhorn over Sam Seltzer's."
Service Rating: 4
Ambience Rating: 3
Wine List Rating: 3
Cleanliness Rating: 4
Value Rating: 3
Overall Experience: 4
Don And Arlete party of 4 had
dinner at Sam Seltzer's Sarasota and rated the Onion Flower And
Steak excellent because, "Steak was great and all done as
ordered" and writes on December 2, 2006, "It has always been a
great place to go. They treat you great, with great food and
deserts. Birthday club is fun, I like Sam's better than the real
expensive steakhouses and the food and service is much better
.See you again in December with 6 people"
Service Rating: 1
Ambience Rating: 1
Wine List Rating: 2
Cleanliness Rating: 1
Kid Friendly Rating: 4
Value Rating: 1
Overall Experience: 1
Anonymous party of 2 had dinner at
Sam Seltzer's and rated the food poor because, "It was the worst
steak dinner I have ever had." and writes on November 29, 2006,
"The service was OK, but the food was absolutely tasteless. From
the onion rose appetizer to the steak. The blue cheese dressing
on the salad tasted like a very diluted ranch dressing. I will
not be going back."
Service Rating: 2
Ambience Rating: 3
Cleanliness Rating: 3
Value Rating: 5
Overall Experience: 5
Anonymous party of 4 had dinner
and rated the Ribeye Steak, Prime ribs very good and writes on
October 14, 2006, "A young girl waited upon us last Sunday. We
could tell she hadn't been a waitress very long. She was a very
nice, lovely girl who was doing the best she could. She
announced the special dishes for the night. One of them was
"surf and turf". Ribeye and lobster for $10.95. We all heard her
mention the price. After looking over the menu for a while, the
young lady came to take our orders. Here again she said the surf
and turf was 10.95. I thought it very cheap. Our bill came and I
was charged $10.95 for the ribeye and around $10.00 for lobster
I told her that she quoted $10.95 for both items on the place. I
asked to speak to Mgr. and a asst. Manager Edgar came. I told
him that I would not have order if I had known it was around
$20.. . He became very rude-when we all told him the girl said
$10.95 for both items. He keep saying well I had eaten it-so I
should pay full price. I finally said I would pay under
protest-but he just turned away. He was very rude. All of us
heard the girl quote a 10.95 price. However, later the girl came
back with a new bill without the lobster price on it."
Service Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 2
Wine List Rating: 3
Cleanliness Rating: 3
Kid Friendly Rating: 3
Value Rating: 3
Overall Experience: 3
Alan party of 3 had dinner at Sam
Seltzer's in Sarasota, FL and rated the food poor because, "raw
steak, over cooked steak, cold onion" and writes on October 9,
2006, "We orders a onion it was cold. Ordered two steaks medium.
One came well done. Sent back only to receive a raw one. The one
that was supposed to be good tasted like old meat. This is
second bad experience here. 10/04 we had a worse experience in
Sarasota so we figured after two years things would get better,
Far from it. A steak place that cant cook a steak or serve a
fresh one."
Service Rating: 1
Ambience Rating: 3
Kid Friendly Rating: 3
Value Rating: 5
Overall Experience: 5
Times At Restaurant: 3
Gus & Marilyn Lopes party of 6 had
dinner at Sam Seltzer's and rated the food excellent because,
"it came out as ordered, not rushes and hot" and writes on
September 18, 2006, "This visit happened to be on Aug.26th and a
Saturday Night. We found the receptionists on the ball, with our
reservation, we were early and was seated on time.. The Manager
always there to greet us.
The wait staff well trained. Our food was cooked to order and
very tasty. We were not rushed. Our steaks were tender and the
salads were plentiful. The ribs were moist and tender. Our
guests were very impressed with the restaurant. We give it a big
4 rating."
Service Rating: 1
Ambience Rating: 2
Wine List Rating: 1
Cleanliness Rating: 1
Kid Friendly Rating: 2
Value Rating: 1
Overall Experience: 1
Russell Solice ordered dinner to
go and rated the food poor because, "This was a to-go order I am
a quadriplegic and cannot go out. The Baby back ribs were
overcooked and fatty, I did not receive my steak when my wife
went back they called her a liar I will never go back to this
place again" and writes on August 6, 2006, "This was very poor I
did not receive what I ordered the babyback ribs were overcooked
and fatty . the stake was overcooked , the manager was rude the
service was awful . never never will I ever go back"
Service Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Wine List Rating: 5
Cleanliness Rating: 5
Kid Friendly Rating: 5
Value Rating: 5
Overall Experience: 5
Anonymous party of 4 had dinner at
Sam Seltzer's, ordered Steak and Prime Rib and rated the food
poor because, "It took SSSSOOO long to get our food, then it was
cold" and writes on August 4, 2006, "Took too long to be seated,
served and food was cold when it arrived after we were seated
over an hour. I tried to complain the manager just said sorry
and very quickly left."
Service Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Wine List Rating: 5
Cleanliness Rating: 4
Kid Friendly Rating: 5
Value Rating: 5
Overall Experience: 5
Anonymous party of 2 ordered Prime
rib, chicken and veg skewers, returned for chicken picata but
also bad, and rated the food poor because, "Prime rib not
tender, Chicken dry and flavorless" and writes on July 31, 2006,
"We went to this restaurant for the first time and it was our
35th anniversary. My husband ordered the prime rib and I ordered
the chicken and vegetables on skewers. The prime was not tender
and had no flavor. The chicken meat was overcooked and dry and
the vegetables were burned. Also it should have had pineapple,
which it didn't. They took it back and I ordered chicken picata.
It had been grilled first with some kind of flavorless sauce put
on the top. No taste of lemon anywhere. And once again the meat
was overcooked. Chicken picata is cooked in a lemon cream sauce
and this was definitely NOT chicken picata. The waitress came
back and asked me if this meal was better. Shoe leather would
have been better but I just wanted to leave at that point. I
will definitely never go there again!!!!"
Service Rating: 2
Ambience Rating: 2
Cleanliness Rating: 2
Value Rating: 4
Overall Experience: 5
Anonymous party of 6 ordered Prime
Rib And lamb and rated the food excellent because, "It was
piping hot, steam rolling of the meat and sides. The kids meals
were well portioned and hesitated to eat dessert. The whole
experience was detrimental to our next visit." and writes on
July 1, 2006 "To who It may concern, we want nothing free, just
to give praise to our server and this restaurant. We started our
experience at the Sarasota Sam seltzer about 6:30 pm, My husband
myself and our four kids were greeted promptly with a smile and
no hesitation. We were led back to our table where the ambiance
of the music was playing and a comfortable essence seemed to
calm and relax us like we were part of the family. We were
Greeted immediately by our sever Eric, His cheery and perky
attitude involved us in his discussion about the new martini
menu, Food specials, and appetizer menu. We ordered our drinks,
myself having a bloody Mary and my husband having a strawberry
daiquiri, the kids of course ordering soft drinks. We ordered an
appetizer Not normally being people to order appetizers, but
Eric described the Cheese stixs to my family like it was free
Filet mignon. They were excellent and exactly the way he
described. We proceeded to order the kids meals first, Eric took
the time go over the kids menu with them, giving them the choice
not just for fries but all the sides, Making a joke, Eric asked
them would they like a salad or Ice cream, of course they picked
the ice cream. We were impressed to see how much Eric involved
our kids into this dinning experience, showing just as much
attention and care to there needs as ours. My husband and I
ordered the 1lb. prime rib which was on special. Very tender and
piping hot. The side items were mouth watering and the Baked and
mashed potatoes were delicious, As well as the kids meals. My
kids complain about everything but tonight silence. After our
diner, Eric asked if we would like an after diner drink or
perhaps a shot of tequila ...making my husband and I laugh, then
referred to the proverbial cup of coffee and dessert, our kids
received there ice cream and Eric asked us if we had looked over
the dessert menu and if anything had jumped out to us... making
a joke about splitting the cheese cake with us, I said no
thanks. My husband then asked me quietly since it was my
birthday did I want anything... I said no, but with great
detail, Our server must have heard this and brought me one of
your napoleons with a candle making me tear in complete surprise
making my Birthday Diner extra special. I want to give this
young man a great Thanks and appreciation for making our (mine)
family Birthday diner experience memorable. This was mainly
written for Eric, He made this night unforgettable and as well
Sam Seltzer. With service like his how can you go wrong? Thank
you all. We will be back."
Service Rating: 1
Ambience Rating: 1
Wine List Rating: 2
Cleanliness Rating: 1
Kid Friendly Rating: 1
Value Rating: 1
Overall Experience: 1
Anonymous party of 2 had prime rib
and sirloin steak and rated the food fair because, "salad looked
old, vegetables overcooked, meat overdone" and writes on June
18, 2006, "We think this restaurant needs a look at the food.
Our romaine lettuce looked brown, vegetables, overdone and steak
overcooked. We have been patrons for several years...I just
think the management needs to look at the products they are
serving. Service is great."
Service Rating: 1
Ambience Rating: 2
Wine List Rating: 2
Cleanliness Rating: 1
Kid Friendly Rating: 2
Value Rating: 3
Overall Experience: 3
Dave B party of 6 ordered steak &
chicken and rated the food poor because, "cold, undercooked,"
and writes on December 21, 2004: "This restaurant needs a new
staff and new cooks. I took my family of six for a birthday
party and 10th anniversary at the same time. The service was
slow. When the food finally came it was cold, chicken
undercooked. The waiter said he would get all the meals redone.
I went to the men's room and come back and it my meal was
already back with the same cold steak and same undercooked
chicken. We asked to talk to the manager. A person came out who
claimed to be him and we expressed our concerns and he didn't
care. We later came out to find out he was not the manager. But
he promised a night out on him due to the problems. I called the
next day and was told by the manager he didn't authorize this so
he wouldn't do it. I must say this restaurant is not a stand up
place and it dirty. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY."
Anonymous ordered prime rib, shared meal and rated
the food fair because, "decrease in food quality and quantity"
and writes on 10/3/2004: "We eat at Sam's every year when on
vacation. This was our first year of 4 in which we were
disappointed. We always share the 2# prime and pay a sharing
charge which is very reasonable and includes a side order and a
salad. The 2# prime rib previously was served with a bone (which
my dog loved), and the side orders were huge - enough for 2
people and served on separate plates. This year, the prime was
served without the bone and wasn't as tender as usual. The
French fries were excellent, although not as abundant. The
garlic mashed were good, but were a small serving on a plate.
Enough for one but not to share. They certainly didn't keep as
hot as when they had been served in their own dish. We had hyped
ourselves up for the delicious meal we had enjoyed in years
past, only to be disappointed. Next year we'll have to find a
new place!"
Anonymous ordered prime rib, crab
cakes, cocoanut shrimp and rated the food poor because, "prime
rib had no flavor, crab cakes had next to no crab and cocoanut
shrimp were fried so hard the shrimp tasted burnt" and writes on
10/7/2004: "Initially, it took our waiter 15 minutes to advise
us he would be with us shortly even though he was serving other
tables around us. We were almost ready to leave simply because
no one had acknowledged we were even there
As mentioned, the prime rib was bland, no taste, my husband was
very disappointed. I order the crab cakes and cocoanut shrimp
and even though I have a healthy appetite and normally can and
will eat almost anything, the crab cakes were nothing but filler
and the shrimp was deep fried so heavily that the actual shrimp
tasted burnt.
The salad was acceptable, nothing special, and of course who can
ruin a baked potato.
We drove from Palmetto to try it out. Unfortunately, we won't be
making that drive again to find out if it was just a "bad night"
Prices were very reasonable; however when the food is bad, that
doesn't help much."
An anonymous writer and a party of 4 visited Sam
Seltzer's and rated the food fair because, "Steaks, 2 T-bone and
2 New York Strips had no flavor." The writer ordered "steaks,
flowering onion, salads" and writes on 3/9/2004: "On March 2, we
made our reservations for Sam Seltzers. We have always enjoyed
it in years past, and therefore looked forward to having dinner
there. In the past, we have always been satisfied.
This year it was different...very different. The wait was
minimal. When we were being seated, there was a strong smell of
old, mildew towels near our table. The floors and our table were
very dirty. We had to ask for the table to be cleaned before
ordering.
We did have a pleasant waitress. The drinks, rolls and salads
were served very quickly. However, the rolls were cold and
seemed to be "day old". The salads came without croutons. Before
the waitress came back to the table we were finished with our
salads. She removed the salad plates. On her next trip, she
brought a bowl of salad croutons to the table. We were very
confused, but ignored the gesture. When the steaks arrived, they
were cooked to order, however, there was absolutely no flavor.
The texture was that of a steak put in the microwave.
Needless to say, we were very disappointed.
Looking back, we should have spoken to the manager, but we are
not the type to complain...we usually just never return.
Please note: in the past...we have ordered prime rib and New
York Strips, and have been satisfied.
After talking to local people, no one was surprised at our
experience. They said that the service and quality has changed
in the past year.
Still, I am very disappointed because we did look forward to our
dinners at Sam Seltzer's when in Florida."
Terry Caleval rated the food excellent because,
"we all received all of our food cooked to our requests." and
writes on 7/15/2003: "I am from the Prairie Province of
Saskatchewan, in Canada. This was my first visit, and hopefully,
not my last, to Florida. My friends are retired and stay in
North Port, Florida over the winter months. They treated me to a
steak meal at Sam Seltzer's on about February 15, 2003. The
service was great, the food outstanding. If I ever get down to
Florida, again, I would definitely visit the restaurant for a
very good dining experience.
I wish I could remember the name of the server. He was
fantastic!
Great food, great service, and great all around experience. I
have been singing Sam Seltzer's praises to everyone back here."
Linda Bahr writes on 4/3/2003: "our waiter was
friendly, fast, attentive, and our T-bone steaks (which he
recommended because of the value for the week) tasted
exceptionally well, maybe due to the wood fired grilling...we
all were so pleased . Also, because of 2 of us having birthdays,
he brought us complimentary wine...and the best was
last...wonderful napoleon cake for our birthday
celebration...the best I'd ever had!!!!! It is worth the trip.
and we will be coming back when we visit the area!"
Dennis Kedzierski writes on 3/24/2003: "On our
vista in December 2002, we both order Steak , my wife never gets
a bad steak from you, but I never get a good one, I have only
ordered Steak Three times out of 12 times we have been there,( I
mostly get the half Chicken) Your Chicken is the best ever. No
more steaks for me My last one was so bad I did not want to take
it home for a dog, for fear the dog would break his teeth. Why
tell you it was bad, by the time I get a new one my wife would
be done. It is chicken for me. I still like your place and will
back, but not for Steak."
Jodi T writes on 3/31/2003: "I was very
disappointed in the food in general, the prime rib was tender
but tasteless, garlic potatoes tasted old. The rum and coke we
had was watered down. I can only compliment you on the service
and reservations we were seated immediately. The waiter was
excellent and friendly. Since this was a treat from my son for
my birthday I didn't want to complain. I've had much better
prime rib at Outback or Lonestar."
e.w.mueskes wirtes on 1/31/03: "My wife and i have
been eating at Sam Seltzer's steakhouse restaurants in Tampa and
Clearwater for over seven years. That is why we suggested to our
friends from Massachusetts that we were visiting in Venice that
we go to Sam Seltzer's for dinner. We had never had a bad
experience in Tampa or Clearwater. After waiting forty five
minutes for our entrees-three one pound prime rib-medium rare
and one filet mignon medium rare we received a real shock. The
restaurant waitress brought to our table three rib-eye steaks
well done and one sirloin steak well done. This was done without
consulting us about a substitution. We were told by the waitress
that the kitchen had run out of the entrees that we had ordered
and gave her the substitutes to deliver to our table. I
immediately balked at the situation and asked to talk to the
manager. He came to our table and proceeded to tell us that a
rib-eye steak is the same as prime rib and a sirloin is a good
substitute for a filet mignon. I proceeded to tell him that we
would not accept the substitutes and we would not pay for them.
I asked him what he could offer as a solution to our dilemma
since I did not want our friends from Massachusetts to have a
bad impression of Sam Seltzer's especially since I recommended
that we eat there. He offered nothing-no alternatives and no
apologies. We got up from our booth and left the restaurant
about two hours after we arrived without having eaten a complete
dinner. I also suggested to the manager that he should learn how
to deal with a problem situation and show more concern for his
customers. Do you have any suggestions as to what further action
I should take so that no one else will suffer this unhappy
situation?"
Karen Blake writes on 1/4/2003: "My family went
there for my birthday and it was absolutely great. We ordered
Prime Rib with baked potato, and they had creamed spinach that
was fantastic. My husband and son got a 32 oz. cut a Prime Rib,
which my son ate all of, but my husband couldn't handle. I would
love to open a Sam Seltzer's in my hometown. This is a first
class place to eat, and very reasonable, considering the quality
of food and service you get. If I'm fortunate enough to get back
to Florida, I will find a Sam Seltzer's. It's Great!"
Anonymous dined at Sam Seltzers on 12/12/2002 and
rates the food excellent because, "The taste was outrageous,"
and says their party of 4 had prime rib and baby back ribs.
Anonymous says, "The quality of the food is excellent. The price
is better than most that serves this quality of food. The spices
are just right not too hot. There is a fine line with spices and
they were right in the line. I had ribs; man were they good the
sauce is out of this world."
Sheila Highfill writes on 9/26/2002: "We have
enjoyed dining at Sam Seltzer's 4 times in the last 2 years
since my sister moved there. Every time we've been here the
prime rib and barbecued chicken has been excellent. Our children
usually order a smaller size steak and always find it to be very
tender. The prices are extremely reasonable for a steak house.
We live in the Chicago area and dine out frequently but haven't
encountered a steak restaurant that serves the quality of food
at such great prices as Sam Seltzer's. We will definitely be
back the next time we are in town!! Keep up the great job."
Sue writes on 9/24/2002: "We had a very short wait
for a table. The general atmosphere of the restaurant was quite
nice....dark paneling, antique photographs, and wine racks. We
were greeted immediately by our server who served our drinks
right away. She came back for our dinner order and very shortly
brought our salads. These were quite nicely displayed and there
was plenty to eat. Then began our wait! The next table over from
us, came in while we were eating our salad. They had their salad
and then their dinner was brought to them. We still waited. Our
server was working tables in another section of the restaurant.)
Just when we thought that we had been forgotten, she came by to
tell us that our dinners were being put on a plate. Several
minutes after this, the dinner finally arrived. The cowboy steak
was cooked properly but was full of gristle making it hard to
chew. The filet was perfect....BUT....the baked potato was
almost raw. By the time the server came to check on how we were
doing, half the steak was gone. She apologized about the potato
and said she would bring another. She finally did, however, not
only was this one not completely cooked, it was covered in a
thick layer of salt. No replacement was offered. A manager of
some sort came to take the bill, and I asked if there would be
an allowance since the potato could not be consumed....No, all
he could do was offer a free dessert being on a diet, this was
not a good choice) or a free appetizer the next time we came. I
informed him there would be no next time and he said if I was
unwilling to take what he offered, he couldn't do anything, and
he walked away. You can believe that we will never set foot in a
Sam Seltzer's again, and if anyone asks what it is like, I will
certainly tell them of our experience."
Ella Sacks writes on 4/14/00 to recommend Sam Seltzer's,
"This restaurant was the best steak restaurant that I have eaten
at in a long time. From the start when we were seated by the
dining room manager, up until dessert. The service was
impeccable, the food came quickly and was fresh and served
exactly how we ordered it. The quality was fantastic. Our
experience was so good, that we went back twice in one week,
while we were on holiday!!
This restaurant should be *****"
H.S. of Sarasota recommends Sam Seltzer's and says he will
return, "Very definitely. The drinks are moderately priced. The
specials are exceptional in value and the regular menu
selections are popularly priced (good values).
"We drove by it on Monday it was their first day officially
open. We were one of the first customers and chose their 16 oz.
Roast Prime Rib of Beef for $10.95. Can't beat the
quality/quality. Garlic mashed potato, salad. All very good.
"We had the pleasure of meeting the President, Mr. Harold J.
Seltzer, and it would appear that this facility will be operated
in only the highest standards. Their menu reflects excellent
pricing and I would venture to say that this may become a
landmark Sarasota restaurant. The interior decor and ambience is
fantastic. The help all have a very positive and pleasing
approach to customer satisfaction. We intend to hit them again,
before they start their promotional advertising."
Nanci Heltion writes on 4/3/2001: "Our waitress waited on 2
other tables before she took our food order (after she said she
would be right back to take our order). She forgot to bring our
drinks and told us about how another table had walked out on her
for a $65.00 check and she now had to pay for it. Our salads
were fine and then our dinners arrived. she handed us the plates
before she removed our salad plates. there was no room on the
table. She forgot our second round of drinks and we had to
remind her. One steak was over-cooked and was sent back. This
Med-Rare steak took 17 minutes to arrive. By then, we had it
boxed to go. The butter for the baked potatoes was given to us
in little packets to open individually. the service was very
poor! when she left the check we gave her a credit card to pay
for it. When we started complaining, prior to receiving the
bill, the asst. manager came out and sat at the table behind
ours. We got the distinct impression that he was there to make
sure that we too did not walk out on our check. Did I mention we
were all dressed in suits (2 women & 2men) and all are in our
40's. Never once was the ashtray emptied or tabled cleared. The
asst manager was obviously watching us. As a General manager of
an international airport I take great offense to this! As we
were leaving our server, Dawn, was overheard calling us "cheap"
for our tip. We left $12.87 on a $101.00 check. I personally
thought that was too much. On the way out I asked for the
manager. Brad Glazer came out. I explained our experience and he
hesitated to respond after hearing that we are GM's in 2 major
airports, an attorney and a city senior engineer. The next thing
i knew was that a kitchen manager (I'm assuming) was standing in
the doorway, arms folded along with this waitress listening to
my complaint. I felt as though they had called out the
re-enforcements in case we got rowdy. Did I mention we are not
teenagers and can pay for anything we would want to purchase. I
asked for the corporate number and he wrote the name of a
manager, Chris Hatch on the back of his card. This was not what
I asked for. I then asked for the corporate number again and he
wrote 813-873-7267 on the back under the name. I can assure you
that after having the service we received and the treatment at
the door of the "management" that I will not only never return
to your establishment, but will make sure that enough people
hear of this experience. This feeling is mutual among all four
of us. We had to attend a grand opening of another business and
choose Sam Seltzer's as the place we wanted to go afterwards
even though it was fully catered. Trust me when I say we will
not make this mistake again!"
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