If Yelp had a zero-star option, that's what this would get…read more
I flew 2,300 miles from Los Angeles to Michigan's Upper Peninsula for our annual golf trip with 20 guys from Michigan and Wisconsin. We wanted one great steakhouse dinner to cap off the weekend, but instead, we got one of the worst dining experiences we've ever had.
Since many local steakhouses don't take reservations, we ended up at Horizons Steakhouse inside Island Resort & Casino. At first, we were excited--a 20-ounce ribeye was around $70, and they even advertised a 32-ounce Tomahawk for $150.
What arrived was almost unbelievable.
The "American Wagyu" had no marbling. The ribeye had no sear and was not well seasoned. They weren't just underwhelming--they looked like low-grade (Select) steaks with thick, untrimmed fat around the edges instead of actual marbling. Everyone at the table reached for salt and pepper just to make them edible--but that didn't work for long.
Then came the Tomahawk (a ribeye, but with a large bone still in it). It looked half the size of the 20-ounce ribeye sitting next to it. When we questioned it, the manager admitted the actual meat was only about 16 ounces. The rest of the advertised "32 ounces" was simply the giant bone.
Think about that: A 20-ounce ribeye cost $70. A smaller ribeye attached to a bone cost $150.
I've ordered Tomahawks all over the country, and I've never seen one marketed this way. It felt incredibly misleading--and the disappointment didn't stop there.
The asparagus had a strange chemical flavor that literally reminded several of us of charcoal lighter fluid and artificial (liquid) smoke. We mentioned it, and the manager acknowledged they had received similar complaints before--not only about the asparagus, but about the steaks as well.
That was the most disappointing part--not that something went wrong, but that management already knew people were saying the same things... and nothing appeared it was going to change, not even have changes considered.
To their credit, the manager removed the Tomahawk & other steaks and things from our bill and tried to make things right. Our waitress was tipped well, regardless.
Unfortunately, the replacement pork tenderloin wasn't any better. It had no real sear and was so dry it was like eating a pork cotton ball. You'd think that after having to remove hundreds of dollars from our bill already, they would've taken special care to make this one right. They didn't.
For context, I owned a barbecue catering company for years, graduated from culinary school, and now develop my own seasoning blends and sauces. I'm not expecting every steakhouse to be Peter Luger or Bern's Steak House, but I am expecting a restaurant charging $70-$150 per steak to know how to source quality beef, season it, and put a proper crust on it--that's the BASELINE.
Ironically, the only dinner food anyone at our table agreed was excellent... was the French-style carrots--the very side dish the manager told us NOT to order because she didn't think they were good. And we did get a few desserts that were obviously made by someone other than the "grill master" because they were excellent!
That pretty much summed up the entire experience.
We left wondering how a restaurant charging premium steakhouse prices could deliver food that would struggle to compete with the lowest end chain restaurants--I promise a Denny's T-Bone steak and eggs BLOWS this "steakhouse" away.
Some people confuse expensive with exceptional--this restaurant is counting on it! A fancy dining room can't hide less than Walmart-caliber (non dry-aged) beef. If you think this is a five-star steakhouse, you've probably never been to one--because the only thing premium about this place is the prices.
Next year's golf trip will absolutely NOT include this place.
