Problem: What would be an example of an negative review?

Answer: Morton's Steakhouse featured a $99 "Steak and Seafood" special, so the Big F and I took advantage of this offer for what we hoped would be a fine dining experience. The restaurant wasn't particularly overly busy this past Friday as we were seated at our table. The waiter inquired about our beverage choices before telling us about the menu. He soon returned with a cart that held examples of the cuts of beef available, the vegetables that accompanied it, and other various dining choices. It can be a bit overwhelming as he goes over what the restaurant offers, but not to worry since it's all on the menu anyway. They start you off with a large loaf of bread, and it doesn't matter if you're dining by yourself or with a group, you still get this loaf of onion bread. (I did ask what they did with the leftover loaf, hoping that they might donate it or something. No luck. Into the trash it goes!) For salads, we both chose the "Morton's Salad with Morton's Blue Cheese Dressing, Chopped Egg, and Anchovies." It's a combination of romaine and iceberg lettuce leaves. It would help if they cut the leaves down a bit because it was a mess to eat. The dressing was alright, nothing special about it being their own blue cheese dressing. The anchovies added the perfect saltiness, but I'm sure the anchovies were not their own. With our special dinner of a single cut of filet mignon comes a choice of an appetizer. I went for the "Broiled Sea Scallops Wrapped in Bacon with Apricot Chutney." The Big F had the "Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Mustard Mayonnaise Sauce." My scallops were good, and what isn't good with bacon? The sweetness of the chutney added a nice contrast as well. The crab cake was pretty good too, made with lots of crab and less filler. They could do a lot better though with the presentation of our meal. The Big F's plate looked like something was missing! However, the real problem we both had was with the beef. Although it was perfectly cooked to how we ordered it (rare), it was ultimately tasteless. Now, don't get me wrong. I had my share of filet mignons and I'm used to a smooth taste where the meat melts in your mouth and has you feeling like heaven landed in your mouth. This wasn't the case here. It wasn't just my opinion about this tasteless beef, the Big F was on the same page as well. We ultimately had to ask for Worchestire sauce to douse it so it had some flavor. (It does come with a side of Bearnaise Sauce, but I've had much better.) Perhaps we should have said something to the staff about our entrees, and yes, that was our mistake. It was my first time dining at Morton's and I figure this is how they do their filets. (The Big F usually gets their Cajun Ribeye Steak when he's there, so he had no previous experience with their filet mignons either.) Our choice side dishes were the "Macaroni & Cheese with a Hint of Spice" and "Lyonnaise Potatoes." The mac & cheese was alright. I prefer it to have a smoother and creamier texture, but this had that graininess in it. The Big F did like their choice of pasta for it though. The potatoes were pretty tasty, cooked with lots of onions. For dessert, the choices were either Chocolate Cake or Key Lime Pie. Well, I wish I knew it was actually called "Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake" because it was really good. It had a molten center that was oozed out so nicely when I cut into it. It was probably the saving grace of the meal. But because I had finished my tasteless piece of meat, I was too stuffed to finish my dessert and ice cream. (In retrospect, I would have brought the meat home and recooked it instead.) The Big F's Key Lime Pie was good too, not as good as the Chocolate Molten Cake though. We probably would have finished that as well if we had put the meat to the side. Service was good at some points. Our beverage glasses were never empty due to the water boys constantly refilling our glasses. Our waiter checked on us once during our meal, and that's when we asked for the Worchestire sauce. But I don't recall him coming around much after that. Overall, my meal at Morton's Steakhouse was disappointing. Perhaps my taste preferences just don't align with how Morton's does their filet mignons here. They have raving reviews, so maybe it's just my bad luck that I got a tasteless piece of beef. Anyway, I don't see myself coming back here anytime soon though. They do have a happy hour and reverse happy hour. It was advertised in the restrooms! (Pics of our dinner are posted!)

Problem: What would be an example of an positive review?

Answer: We took my mom here while she visiting from Oregon. We are recent transplants from Portland and always love a new Vietnamese restaurant! We really liked the cute bungalow it was housed in and thought the inside decor had a nice & hip vibe to it. Sort of reminded us of places in Portland. We ended up ordering 3 of the fresh rolls as a starter. They were really fabulous! We tried the spider, buddha and another with mango. No complaints with these! My mom had the shaken beef and it was very flavorful and the meat was very tender. My husband had the lemongrass chicken and also enjoyed it. I had the Saigon salad with chicken. This item fell flat for me. The sauce was much too fishy and the chicken has a little gristly. Our server was a very pleasant young man, but I felt like he might have had too many tables to deal with, as the service felt a bit frenetic at times. However, it was slammed with people for a Sunday night and this could have been a mere staffing oversight. We did talk with the owner for a bit. Her name is Lan and she was a delight. We had all travelled to Vietnam last year, so it was fun to ask her where she was from etc...So, all in all a very good experience here and we look forward to coming again.

Problem: What would be an example of an positive review?

Answer:
Went here about a month ago. I had their Egg Plant Parmesan. The food was very good. The staff was friendly and helpful. The decor is a little old and the food was a little pricey for what you got.