1886 Steakhouse

The Ghost of Valentine’s Day Past
Once upon a time… Actually it was last Valentine’s Day in 2014, I was looking to take Sara out to Eureka Springs Arkansas for a day visit and evenings of dining at the Crescent Hotel. The Crescent is a notable Victorian style Hotel that was built in 1886. It has a storied history and is proclaimed the most haunted hotel in America. I have to say the hotel is cool for its history, location and scenery. It is a little run down, but I am not writing about hotels amenities and services other than the food service. I cannot speak for the hauntings at the Crescent, but I can say that the true horror was the special Valentine’s Day dinner service.
So it’s Valentine’s Day and you want to take your significant other out for a nice evening. Maybe we could go out on the town, dancing, or a show. You could go out for an evening stroll, the ballet, or music performance. There is of course fine dining which was the idea I had in mind after a nice day touring of Eureka Springs. However, the Crescent Hotel’s idea of a romantic evening was far off from anything on my list of Valentine’s evenings that I had in mind. And the great idea was… drum roll please… a buffet. Who would think of this as a good idea? I was really looking forward to gazing into the eyes of my lover… through the sneeze guard. Then there is the conversation of how sexy she is… holding those salad tongs. Then there is the protocol of how many times you get up to get more, after all is this an anything goes Viking smörgåsbord. Well in this situation I had the easy answer, none.
There was no going back. The food was flat bad. The Chicken Eureka was lukewarm. The prime rib was over cooked. The shrimp were old and mushy. The scallops were cold and not fresh. The pork loin was dry. The salad looked like it came out of a bag. None of the desserts were noteworthy. Then they had the audacity to charge $ 150 per couple for the evening. It was horrible. I could have had better at an Old Country Buffet or Golden Corral. Quite a few other couples left, and I felt the idiot for not following suit. There is nothing that could redeem that evening or any idea I had of respect for the Crescent Hotel.
My recommendation is don’t go there. They are side show attraction telling ghost stories. There are other things that could be done in town. As for my evening, it wasn’t all a loss for I still went home with the love of my life. Now, we get to have fun together reflecting and writing reviews about the places we have been. Plus, a year after the fact I had fun writing this and just ripping this place for the service they provided. May it haunt them a little in the future.

Actually had a very good visit here! This was the only restaurant we enjoyed in Eureka Springs. There was a selection of food in various price ranges, from low to expensive for the steaks, which I was expecting. Very nice, historical décor and our waitress was very kind and attentive. We got the toffee and pecan smothered salmon, which was very good, and it came with a potato cake and asparagus. Everything was cooked to perfection.

Came in to the steakhouse kind of late (7:15), and there was no host. A dinner tour group was on one side of the restaurant, and other guests went to the other side. No big deal for me.
We got the crab Lorenzo as an appetizer. Very good, chunky pieces of meat in a buttery sauce. For the main course,
we both had the night’s special: a 5 oz filet, 5 shrimp, asparagus, and Au gratin potatoes. The main course was great. The asparagus was not bitter like it can be sometimes. The shrimp were done well and had a good snap. The beef was the star of the show. Juicy, tender, and flavorful with cracked pepper to top it and give a slight kick.
They have an electric piano playing various music genres. I prefer a live player or pipe the music through the sound system. The electric piano is kind of low brow. The service was good but a bit slow. Our waitress was helpful when we were choosing an appetizer.

Having a cocktail before our tour and the bar is littered with glasses that have been here for over an hour, I can see the time stamp on the ticket. Fruit bin open, wine room open, just plain laziness