Once
upon a time… Actually it was last
Valentine’s Day in 2014, I was looking to take Sara out to Eureka Springs
Arkansas for a day visit and evening of dining at the Crescent Hotel and the
1886 Steakhouse. The Crescent is a notable
Victorian style hotel that was built in 1886.
It has a storied history and is proclaimed the most haunted hotel in
America. I have to say the hotel is cool
for its history, location and scenery.
It is a little run down, but I am not writing about hotels amenities and
services other than the food service. I
cannot speak for the hauntings at the Crescent, but I can say that the true
horror was the special Valentine’s Day dinner service.
So it’s
Valentine’s Day and you want to take your significant other out for a nice
evening. Maybe we could go out on the
town, dancing, or a show. You could go
out for an evening stroll, the ballet, or music performance. There is of course fine dining which was the
idea I had in mind after a nice day touring of Eureka Springs. However, the Crescent Hotel’s idea of a
romantic evening was far off from anything on my list of Valentine’s evenings
that I had in mind. And the great idea
was… drum roll please… a buffet. Who
would think of this as a good idea? I
was really looking forward to gazing into the eyes of my lover… through the
sneeze guard. Then there is the
conversation of how sexy she is… holding those salad tongs. Then there is the protocol of how many times
you get up to get more, after all, is this an anything goes Viking smorgasbord? Well in this situation I had the easy answer,
none.
There
was no going back. The food was flat
bad. The Chicken Eureka was
lukewarm. The prime rib was over
cooked. The shrimp were old and mushy. The scallops were cold and not fresh. The pork loin was dry. The salad looked like it came out of a bag. None of the desserts were noteworthy. Then they had the audacity to charge $150 per
couple for the evening. It was horrible. I could have had better at an Old Country
Buffet or Golden Corral. Quite a few
other couples left, and I felt the idiot for not following suit. There is nothing that could redeem that
evening or any idea I had of respect for the Crescent Hotel.
My
recommendation is don’t go there. They
are a side show attraction telling ghost stories. There are other things that could be done in
town. As for my evening, it wasn’t all a
loss for I still went home with the love of my life. Now, we get to have fun together reflecting
and writing reviews about the places we have been. Plus, a year after the fact, I had fun
writing this and just ripping this place for the service they provided. May it haunt them a little in the future.
Jason
"Katie Says:
Okay
my information says they'll be having their grand reopening from 5-10 pm. There
will also be live music from Swing and a Miss. "
So, my curiosity will have to go unsatisfied for now. What follows is my review posted on TripAdvisior.com on February 17, 2014 for the 1886 Steakhouse. Sara
“How is a buffet romantic?”
My fiance and I drove 2.5 hours to Eureka Springs specifically for a romantic valentine's day dinner at the Crescent Hotel and to check it out as a possible wedding/reception location. When we arrived we were promptly seated and two glasses of champagne appeared in moments (although I don't drink). No one arrived with menus. After a few minutes someone told us we could start on the buffet whenever we wanted. Somewhat bewildered, we stayed and ate. Of the food I consumed - the lettuce was dry/wilted, oyster shooter - couldn't taste the oyster over the sauce, prime rib was over cooked and I was given a tiny portion, zucchini mix was okay. Worst part was actually the shrimp. We aren't that far from the Gulf, and the shrimp tasted old. Thin white chocolate tinted pink fondue and red velvet cake that was flavorless. The chocolate cheesecake was alright but not good.
At the end of the meal, I was shocked that they were charging $140.86 after tax. The food wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't worth that much. From a female perspective, I wasn't wearing the kind of shoes to make walking across a dining room 4 times enjoyable. Having to serve ourselves also broke any romantic mood. I feel like we were taken advantage of. If we had been informed it was a buffet when making reservations, we never would have gone there. Perhaps I was wrong to think there would be a menu at a restaurant? I saw several groups near us who were also surprised by the buffet. Some walked out. To conclude, I won't eat here again and definitely wouldn't have my wedding or reception here. I also have changed my mind about recommending the hotel as a place for our guests to stay at. If they take this level of care with what should be a special evening, what is it like the rest of the time?
At the end of the meal, I was shocked that they were charging $140.86 after tax. The food wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't worth that much. From a female perspective, I wasn't wearing the kind of shoes to make walking across a dining room 4 times enjoyable. Having to serve ourselves also broke any romantic mood. I feel like we were taken advantage of. If we had been informed it was a buffet when making reservations, we never would have gone there. Perhaps I was wrong to think there would be a menu at a restaurant? I saw several groups near us who were also surprised by the buffet. Some walked out. To conclude, I won't eat here again and definitely wouldn't have my wedding or reception here. I also have changed my mind about recommending the hotel as a place for our guests to stay at. If they take this level of care with what should be a special evening, what is it like the rest of the time?
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| Jason and Me before dinner on Valentine's Day 2014 |
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| In the 1886 Steakhouse Valentine's Day 2014
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If anyone wonders - we're cooking dinner at home this year.
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