18 oaks

we had brunch there and it really was very nice. great staff, mix of kitchen, fresh seafood and delicious deserts. i'm not sure about the reviews on dinner but i had a very pleasant brunch and would happily take family back next time.

do not put yourself through the misery of eating here. the exceptionally overpriced meal of pitiful quality will make any seasoned diner angry for certainty. even the seating is uncomfortable and service lukewarm at best. they can do one thing right, and that is make a martini. but unless you have enough to disable your memory of the place that isn't a reason to walk in the door.

don't bother with 18 oaks, at least not for dinner. the steak may be usda prime "or better" (i didn't know the usda had a grade better than prime so i am a little dubious of this claim) but the preparation is just plain bad. the steaks we had were poorly cut, with the grain and a bit thin. that made for tough steaks. they were coated with a very salty chili rub that should be totally unnecessary for prime "or better" beef. i also had the worst caesar salad i have ever had with thin, tasteless dressing.

the vegetables (grilled asparagus and pan fried potatoes) were very good and the service was excellent. the bar is also exceptional.

unfortunately 18 oaks isn't a bar, it's a steakhouse.

great service, excellent food, exactly what i was expecting! the steak was great but the scallops were off the chart. one of the best preparation of scallops i've ever had. if you like them, order them.

best filet ever

we didn't have a reservation, but they still accommodated us, giving us a nice private seat. our server was friendly. but the shining star for me was the filet mignon. steak is my favorite food on earth and i have ordered filet's a lot. this was by far the best filet i have ever had. temperature nailed perfectly, flavor was on point, just enough salt. i could've eaten a million of these. it was so delicious. and the mashed potatoes were great as well. thank you chef!

very good food. even better service. expensive? yes. worth it? definitely.

christmas lunch. the restaurant is located in the golf clubhouse with a sporting theme. my family and i had our christmas lunch here. the carving stations of prime rib and spiral ham were typical of a brunch. the sides were the highlight! the best being, the roasted brussels sprouts with pancetta struck a balance between salty and bitter. the butternut squash soup was hot and luxurious. the accommodations exceeded our expectations as my party of 9 was sat in a private room, the vinters room. the desert station was filled with many traditional pastries and cakes. the only aspect that was sub par was the service. several requests for refills were asked.

over priced and hyped. let's set the scene... our 10th anniversary celebration, big gorgeous resort that we were staying at, highly recommended by workers in the resort. folks come from outside the resort to eat here.. cutting edge food... the resort is pretty full better make a reservation.. etc.. so the fuse was lit and i hastely made a reservation, since i was concerned we were not going to be able to get a table if we just showed up. saturday arrived and we got excited about what we were going to eat and drink. we arrive promptly at 6.30pm, me rushing suzi q to get ready... don't want to be late!

taa daa.. we arrive.. to a completely empty restaurant. i crap you negative. we were the only couple in the entire place.. 6.30pm on a saturday night.. this didn't bode well. i fully admit, that i thought about leaving right there. i mean the place is huge! and you could of heard a nun fart, a silent but deadly, under her robe and habit. however, it was our big night.. we had a couple of cocktails already and didn't think driving to downtown san antonio would be a good option. so, we wandered over to our table

since it was a special night, i ordered us a righteous bottle of veuve clicquot champagne to set the mood for my honey. waiter returned to let us know that they were out. out! how could the fancy smanchy cutting edge 5 star restaurant be out of their most expensive bottle of bubbily??? dumbfounded i look bewildered at my waitress and she makes a recommendation of a bottle of chandon. so we go with napa valley rather than the french bubbily selection. i be looking pretty dang impressive to my bride at this point. (a quick note... when i mentioned this to one of the managers the next day at another bar in the resort, they wondered why they just didn't walk over and pick up a bottle of veuve from them.. yes, why indeed, perhaps their segway was out of juice)

bottle arrived, time for food. ordered the oysters, it was a night of love after all, suzi q got a steak, i got the lobster ($58) and we sat comfortably in our big people sofa/chair thingy looking out over an empty restaurant. we giggled and poked each other as we waited for our food. oysters were tasty and tiny. salad crunchy and seasoned properly. steak arrived cooked to temp and my lobster made its debut. they had thoughtly cut the dude in half and took out the claw meat for me so i didn't have to start flinging lobster bits all over the nice clean restaurant trying to get to the meat. it seemed to have been seared on the grill. while the claws were tender and juicy the tail meat was a little chewier than i recall lobster in the past. this made me think that either the lobster had walked from maine to san antonio or it had been dead for awhile before i ordered it. after all, had he been freshly dunked in boiling water, we would of probably been able to hear his last shrill of a dying death song.

anyhow... we finished up and our tab arrived. one look and i started my dying death song.. it was definitely pricey, but $238 with tip, for what turned out to be really nothing that special was a little more than what i thought dinner was worth. perhaps they are on their game better when they are bustling and rocking the casbah.. but this night... not so much.

great prime rib!. our family went to 18oaks christmas day. food and service great but definitely overpriced. won't return.

it was ok......... so i have nothing negative to say about the experience here, a friend and i went during restaurant week and i tried the 15 dollar 3 course lunch special. for that amount i was plated a gorgeous wedge salad with thick cut crunchy bacon, large mounds of bleu cheese crumbles, dressing, pepper, and heirloom tomatoes. i enjoyed it. it was a hit. the second course was the chicken pot pie which was recommended over the pastrami sandwich on the special. i wasn't blown away. it had good flavor, too many carrots which gave it too much sweetness. the crust good but not flaky enough. my friend had a la carte steak and fries. good cut of steak, tender, nice plating. however, as seen in the photos this steak is medium rare. he asked for medium. although i assured him he could send it back he consumed it and was happy. dessert was a delicious blackberry cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream. this was a winner.

i asked for a house pino grigio with my meal and that is where my value ended with 11 dollar house wine. what could i expect.

in any case i made the effort to come out here just for lunch for restaurant week. the property is beautiful and has many amenities. my verdict is that while i thought it was pleasant, unless you are attending conference here, staying here at the jw, or playing golf, there are more desirable options with that wow factor in san antonio.

best ever. the steaks are tender and very flavorful. the service... impeccable. very high recommend!

good, not sure its worth the price!. we ate at 18 oaks and thought the meals were good but really pricey for san antonio. the service got confused and brought entrees and appetizers out at the same time. my meal was cold. the filets were perfectly cooked and extremely tender. they were some of the best ever! its good, but not sure its worth the price!

romantic dinner. stayed at the jw marriott over the weekend and ate at 18 oaks twice. enjoyed both meals. prices are a little steep but the food is cooked and seasoned properly. had the ribeye and it was cooked on a cast iron pan. the outside of the steak was "crunchy" and the inside melted in your mouth. it was wonderful! they also had bone marrow which my husband loved.