18 oaks

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 verygoodand the service was excellent. the bar is also exceptional.

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

verygoodfood. even better service. expensive? yes. worth it? definitely.

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 agoodoption. 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.

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 hadgoodflavor, too many carrots which gave it too much sweetness. the crustgoodbut not flaky enough. my friend had a la carte steak and fries.goodcut 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.

good, not sure its worth the price!. we ate at 18 oaks and thought the meals weregoodbut 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!