As a frequent traveler, I have experienced a lot of steakhouses around the world. Alexander's was easily my favorite in North America, but my most recent visit was a disappointment.
First, let's clear the elephant from the room: the cotton candy tradition is no more. Is this a big culinary deal? No. Is it a big experiential deal? Yes, yes it is. The cotton candy was a fun twist on the end of a meal that could be a wonderful but a little pretentious. There is no smile at the end of dinner anymore. Just the giant bill.
And what a giant bill it is. You can't do Alexander's right and get away on the cheap. I have no problem with high priced meals... as long as the food and the service was worth it.
This time, it wasn't.
It also seemed the cocktails were over priced, even by high-price restaurant standards.
The staff was uneven at best. Some seemed to care quite a bit while others were clearly phoning it in.
The meal was good, but not great. If this were my first Alexander's dinner, it would have been my last. That pains me to say. The kitchen had trouble getting steaks cook properly, which is really job #1 at a place like this. We heard excuses, but no one took ownership for the fact that we were paying top dollar for food from a kitchen that couldn't deliver what was ordered.
I will give Alexander's another chance since my prior experiences were so wonderful, but I fear that the demise cotton candy is just the tip of iceberg when it comes to changes at the restaurant.