MCNAMARA’S STEAK & CHOPHOUSE

We celebrate our anniversary on my birthday. It is convenient and I never forget the date. This very special day we like to dress up and ‘kick up one’s heels’ at a fine dining establishment. Steak Houses are our favorite dinning destination. McNamara’s Steak & Chophouse in San Ramon is a place we want to explore. Come along on this roller coaster dinner ride and experience the highs and lows with us.

McNamara’s is located in Dublin California. The outside is large and looks like a huge house. There is outside seating with a landscaped patio. We enter the restaurant to a dimly lit steakhouse den. When our eyes adjust we are treated to a warm and cozy steakhouse like palace. The décor and theme gives an old school steak house charm. We are a couple of minutes early and cozy up to the showcase bar. Martini’s are on order to start this special celebration. Pomegranate and Stolichnaya are shaken but not stirred for two very tasty libations. Our reservation is at six and on the dot the lights are dimmed a little more.

Once at our table our pleasant and perfunctory waitress greeted us. Our orders are taken. Let’s start out with the highlights of this meal. The steaks were cooked to perfection. Perfectly medium rare was my rib eye and Ms. Goofy’s filet. This beef was flavorful and rich with beef flavor. The horseradish mashed potatoes were creamy and studded with yummy spikes of horseradish. The vegetables were also cooked to a perfect texture. The side of sherry mushrooms was decadent and rich. The roller coaster was at the peak before it plummeted to its abyss.

The Chop House salad sounded great on the menu. Blue cheese, bacon, roasted peppers, greens, caramelized onions and did I mention bacon? This salad was so overdressed all the components were overpowered by dressing. Crab cakes are Ms. Goofy’s favorite. They arrived at our table with a very dark color. When I turned one over it was burnt on the bottom. Needless to day we did not finish them. Our waitress was no were to be found. The busboy came and asked us why we did not finish our crab cakes. We told him our concerns and our complaint fell on deaf ears. We will not even mention how the waitress forgot our wine order.

This was a very special evening for us. When we made reservations, we indicated that this was a birthday/anniversary celebration. The host and the waitress never even acknowledged our special day even though it was clearly stated on the reservation. Our waitress was pleasant enough but we could have used just the slightest more attention. The steaks and potatoes were great but the salad and crab cake appetizer not. When we spend a couple of large bills on dinners we have some expectations. This dinner could have been perfect with just a couple of easily correctable events. We all vote with our dinning dollars. McNamara’s will not receive our vote again.