Sucky Dinner

Last night Mike and I went out to dinner at The Prairie Schooner. We had never been there before, so we were excited when we went in and it was decorated to look like covered wagons encircling a camp fire. There was a stuffed mountain lion, stuffed bear, camp fire, cactus, and Indian statue, among other things. All that made for a great atmosphere. But, as we all know, restaurants are not only about atmosphere. They are about food.

When we got our menus, the sticker shock set in immediately. Almost everything on the menu was above $25, and most of it was in the $40 range. Well, we decided to stay and order something on the cheaper side and see if it was as amazing as the price implied. NOT-EVEN-CLOSE. The first thing they brought was a loaf of bread and butter. It was OK, but certainly nothing to rave about. By the time I got my salad, I knew the place would not impress. The salad was a small heap of iceberg lettuce, sprinkled with a few peas and THREE tiny croutons, and a ragged slice of beet. That's all. No fancy lettuce or sprouts. No cheese or tomatoes or cucumbers. I could have made a much better salad at home for WAY less money.

When the main course arrived, we had lost all hope of a good meal. Mike had ordered a seafood salad as his main course and it looked like a slightly larger version of my starter salad except it also had two large shrimp on top and some unidentified chopped-up substance on the side. $12 for that masterpiece. My "1/2 pound ground steak" turned out to be the same as a hamburger patty covered in gravy. That was one of the cheapest things I could find on the menu for $16.

Some people might argue that if we had only spent the money on the more expensive items, we might have gotten better food. I don't think that is the case. If you go to an expensive restaurant, EVERYTHING on the menu should be great, not just a few things. Expensive translates into a great chef and great food, otherwise you are going to go out of business. I could get food that is 10 times better at a quarter of the cost at other restaurants. Why would I ever go back to Prairie Schooner?

We let the hostess know that we didn't like our meal and she was very apologetic. She said we should have told our server so they could have fixed it. What she didn't understand is that there is no fix for poor-quality food other than lowering the price. She gave us a coupon for a free appetizer with PURCHASE of an entree. Needless to say, that coupon will never be used unless the menu gets a complete overhaul. The service what not bad, so I suggest the staff start looking for someplace better.