Red Steakhouse - Vermillion

Their brunch is always fantastic, but their Mother's Day brunch is the best I've ever experienced.

Unfortunately, our main courses didn't meet the same standard. I ordered a medium rare ribeye and received a rather thin cut that was mostly raw in the center, with a disappointing gray exterior. My mother ordered a filet cooked medium, and while it was double the thickness of my steak (which is standard for a filet), it also had a nice sear on the outside but was still cool and purple in the center. Around the same time, we overheard other tables sending back steaks as well. In summary, I sent my ribeye back and got a replacement that was slightly more cooked but still on the rare side, which I decided to accept. My mother’s steak returned after being sent back but was still rare inside, so she just wanted to take it home to cook it further. However, our server insisted on taking it back to the kitchen one last time to show the cook, and my mother agreed. When it finally came back another 10 minutes later, it was charred and dried on the outside but at least cooked medium rare on the inside. By this point, our 16-month-old son was quite fussy and ready for bed, so we decided to box up what we had left, including a couple of complimentary desserts due to the disappointing meal, and settled our $200 bill for four before leaving. To add to the evening's woes, my wife experienced severe stomach pain shortly after we left, which may or may not have been related to the meal. Overall, it was a pretty disappointing night. Our server did her best, apologizing and offering a free dessert that we didn't really want, but for what is supposed to be a “nice” establishment, we expected to hear from the head of the house or the manager, and sadly, we did not.

The onion rings are the perfect appetizer you could ask for. The parmesan Brussels sprouts were delicious, and the French onion soup was great as well. Having a full bar was a nice bonus; my mom really enjoyed the bourbon selection. The wagyu mushroom and Swiss burger I ordered was truly outstanding too.

I was disappointed that they didn't have three different cuts of steak available, so I opted for a burger instead. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the worst burgers I've had in a long time. My wife ordered a ribeye, which arrived extremely rare. To top it all off, the bill was really expensive.

Wow! What a great place and excellent food. Worth the drive.